Spring in Cowiche

Cowiche Canyon, 3/13/10, 8 miles, 450 elevation

Spring in Washington brings images of grey skies and cold rain, but there is another Washington, a dry side, a warm side, a sunnier side on the other side of the mountains. Great hiking can be found here east of the Cascades when the weather hasn't calmed down on the "wet" side.

Outside of Yakima is a Conservation area known as Cowiche Canyon - an old railroad that once lead from the Cowiche area to Ellensburg and Wenatchee. After the railroad was no longer in need, the canyon became neglected until the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy decided to preserve the area.

A walk in the canyon along the creek that carved it's way through the volcanic rock, reveals a long geologic history when this landscape was created by the tumult of eruptions. Basalt in various stages of erosion makes up the walls of the canyon reminds me slightly of canyon in the southwest. The sandstone and basalt appear to have similar erosion patterns.

While the canyon floor was devoid of flowers this early in the season there were remnants of last year's floral display. A short hike to the rim of the canyon, reveals an amazing carpet of color: Grass Widows, Prairie Violets and Yellow Bells glimmering in the sun.

All it takes is a little willingness to drive a little farther and you'll enjoy a little bit of the joys of hiking the shoulder season.

To learn more about the Conservancy, go to their website: http://cowichecanyon.org/.

Fall Road Trip 2009

Four Corners, 10/2-10/9/09

There is a fabled land of strange yet beautiful landscapes. A place I visit every so often. Not nearly enough. Each image reminds me of what I love about the southwest and why I desire to return. I come from a land that is green and moist. I dream of a land that is brown and dry. The grass is always greener? For me it's either brown I desire or no grass at all.

Michael & I decided to hit a few places on this road trip that were either old favorites or something one or the both of us had never seen. Makes for a long list and an exhaustive trip, so we slimmed it down a bit and still almost tried to put too much in to our trip. We ended up cutting a few things out along the way and added a special place or two.

Read on and you'll visit four amazing states and places that mark them as extra special.

Winter Storm Advisory

4/4/09

The radio warned throughout the day that a winter storm was coming. And it hit Olympia and I as we hiked the rim trail. How bad it would get would only be discovered in the morning.

Wind buffeted our tent all through the night, even though the forecast was that the winds and storm would subside by midnight. To sty warm, I stuffed several hand-warmers into my sleeping bag and curled up with Olympia, covering her with the extra blanket I had brought along. Occasionally during the night I would wake up to snow drifting through the bug mesh - blown under the rainfly by the winds. We would awake to a desert winter wonderland.

The winds had not stopped at midnight, and with all the blowing snow I wasn't certain that the snow had stopped falling. I packed up as fast as I could, but first had to empty my boots of snow that I had left in the vestibule of the tent. Both the tent and rainfly were coated with snow. Six inch drifts formed against the tent and the tires of the car. I had to stomp around in the snow to find Olympia's water dish buried.

Our drive out was eventful. Winds shoved snow into drifts in the road. The bumper of the Subaru played snow plow through the drifts. The wind tried pushing the car around. And even in all this misery, the Moab Marathon was about to begin as I drove past the starting line.

Next year I'm going at the end of April.

Big Horn View & Rim Trail

4/3/09

I woke in the morning excited about hiking along the rim of Dead Horse Point. Clouds drifted through but there was enough sucker-holes to make me want to get on with it. So I grabbed my pack and the dog to explore the rim views and formations - hoping to see potholes and maybe a few animals.

We first went north from the campground to Big Horn View to see the potholes and at least get a couple of miles in just in case the weather turned yucky as it was predicted to do. Hiking in the desert is a lot different than hiking here in the northwest. The trail isn't always obvious and is often marked with little stone cairns which are easy to miss if you're not paying attention. I got side-tracked several ties where needed to stop take stock of the "trail" and turnaround for the real one. Even though the country is so open, I could easily see how I could get lost.

I let Olympia's leash drop so she could explore a little wider scope. But I held her close as we approached the cliff walls. I could also quickly grab it when people came by to both give the others a sense of security that my dog wouldn't jump all over them and give them kisses, plus the added sense that we were following the rules of the park. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but come-on - it's Olympia, you know, Ole-Gimpy? All she wants to do is get belly rubs from anyone willing. And wildlife? chasing them is out of the question. She couldn't even chase her own tail with the legs she's got right now. So if letting her drag her lash behind her in the sand is evil, then I am sorry for you poor state of judgement.

We got back to camp for lunch and I downloaded the images I had so far taken on my trip. Then the sky cleared and Olympia jumped on the trail heading southward to the point. I figured we could hike that and be back in camp in time for dinner, relax a bit, get up early for sunrise then mosey on home. Yeah, I noticed that, I was already stretching beyond the day in my plans. Remember I mentioned the weather report? That the weather would take a turn for the worse? Well, what we had was the largest sucker-hole I'd seen in a long time. We were out for 2 hours enjoying the warmth and the views when the wind kicked up. Followed by rain, which in turn was followed by snow. and wee weren't even o the point yet.

The image above illustrates the drama a storm has as it slowly moves across the canyonlands. By the time wee made the point, both Olympia & I had had about enough but we still had a couple of miles to go before it was over. We hurried through the second half of the hike. I kept note of some of the views I wanted to see again but mostly wee just walked as fast as we could through the wind and snow.

Olympia went straight into the tent as I quickly heated up a can of chili and we ate in the pseudo-comfort of the tent. Winter was not quite over in the canyonlands.

Page, Arizona

3/28/07

Page, AZ. I finally arrived. This town marked my halfway point in my time frame and it seemed to make all the difference. I no longer sorely missed Michael and my friends, although the ability to talk to Micheal gave me a bit of relief. I was able to settle for a couple of days, for my plans were to stay in Page 2 nights and explore the slot canyons with my hired guide - Charly of Overland Canyon Tours. If you are ever in Page and want to go on an adventure give Charly a call. He is a fabulous guide. Born in Weisbaden, Germany and came to Page by way of LA, he is a man at ease with the desert. Quiet, but has an easy laugh. The ordinary doesn't seem to be ordinary to him. He spent several minutes watch a caterpillar inch its way across the canyon floor as I took picture after picture of the canyon walls. I will be hiring him again and would recommend him to any who ask.

Charly met me at my campsite to go over our schedule for our tours and let me know I would have company. Perfect, a little company would be nice to have: Greg, from L.A. and Bonnie & Roy from Idaho on day 1 and then just Bonnie and Roy on day 2. Came to find out that Bonnie & Roy were camped in their RV right behind my tent - their nice warm cozy RV. Which came in very handy on Friday when the temperature dropped, as did the rain - the wind however picked up.

After our first trip to the canyons (described in a later post), Bonnie and Roy invited me in to their RV to warm up. The canyons had gotten very cold as we photographed their curves and twists. By lunch my hands were freezing and a slight shiver had set in - and I was wearing layers and fleece. I have to thank Bonnie and Roy for the comfort of their RV, a little hot chocolate, and the use of their microwave.

The campground had a permanent resident - a little black cat. My first night camp kittie stopped by my tent to welcome me to the neighborhood. The second night camp kittie decided that both he & I needed to share our warmth and he joined me in my tent for the evening. Really, I don't blame him. I awoke the next morning with my rain-fly encrusted in ice. The rain the previous day and the freezing overnight temperatures had turned my tent into a giant snow cone. Camp kittie was not interested in heading out of the tent, but I had to shove him out anyway. He didn't hold a grudge, for he came back at lunch to help us eat our sandwiches.

Page was a nice rest on the trip, with beautiful scenery both from above and below. And knowing a great guide is there makes future planning all the easier.

For Charly's website at Overland Canyon Tours go to www.overlandcanyontours.com

Roadtrip: Spring 2007

March 23-April 1

There I stood on the overpass leading the commuters from the train to their cars. I watched as the Sounder disappeared down the tracks, thinking about doing the same. I was lost in the idea of traveling on, away from the city and my daily grind. Where would the train take me? Where could it take me? I shook myself from my thoughts to follow the rest of the commuters fighting their ways to their cars.

That was in October. From there, I told Michael I needed a vacation - to somewhere - in the Spring. March would be nice. Somewhere I had never been before. Sadly, after changing jobs, he didn't have the vacation time so wouldn't be able to join me. However, he encouraged me to go on my own, explore the world and have a wonderful adventure. But where to go?

Should I take the train to Montana as a friend suggested? I could play in the snow-covered hills outside of Glacier National Park. But then I really got to thinking. If I head somewhere in March, I would want to head south - to warmer climates. Get some sun, warm up the bones. South was where I turned. After reading and article on Glen Canyon and the Grand Staircase-Escalante area, my mind was made up. I would tour Southern Utah & Northern Arizona for a week near the end of March, a place I had never before ventured into.

In the following days, I will tell you all about my adventures in the prairies, canyons, and plateuas of Utah and Arizona. I saw Golden Eagles larger than life, more Mule Deer than I could count, and a Bobcat running across the road. I made new friends (including a black kitty who kept me warm on one very cold night). I hiked into canyons of all shapes and sizes, over slick rock and through arches and drove over 3000 miles round trip.

So come back for further installments of the fun and fascinating RoadTrip: Spring 2007.