And then there were 4.....

New dog! That brings the zoo's population to 3 cats and a mutt. His name is Bo and I like him better than all the Pilgrims combined.

New Cat

Well, not that new. We got her back in late-September but I've been too damn busy to post anything until now. Her name is Nola. She's half-domestic short hair, half Abyssnian, and 100% dirty Rez cat. We love her anyway.

Happy Halloween 2009!

June Road Trip to Chicago

This summer has been a long and adventurous vacation....the "calm" before the storm if that makes any sense.....it should make some sense given that in the next few weeks I'll be moving into a new place with my girlfriend and our two cats, looking for work, and finally, starting nursing classes at Coconino Community College on August 25. That last one is a big change for me, a major right turn from my previous path of working in education. I'm looking for something new, something that's both challenging and supportive of my lifestyle (aka, 3 or 4 day work weeks, job opportunities just about everywhere). I'll have to see how it all goes, but am pretty excited about the change of pace.

But back to the summer: my girlfriend had an internship in Chicago from mid-June 'til the end of July. I had a trip to Honduras and Guatemala planned from 6/23-7/24 (photos and a report to follow one of these years). So, we decided to combine our paths by taking a long road trip to Chicago where she'd do her internship and I'd hang out with family/friends before flying to Honduras. Our path was as follows:

• Flag to Santa Fe: we stayed with Lara's family, did some hiking and rock climbing around town, got ready for our roadtrip, and just relaxed.

Me roping up at Las Conches, a cool little crag near Jemez Springs, NM.

• Santa Fe to Fort Collins, CO: We stayed with and old friend here for a night and checked out several local breweries. FC is an awesome town that I wouldn't mind making home one of these days. However, we have no photos of this or anything else between Santa Fe and northern Michigan. This is my fault as I accidentally deleted all the files on Lara's camera. It felt like we had been robbed.....anyway, I'll just narrate the rest 'til we get to Michigan.

• Fort Collins to Wall, SD: Wall is the classic tourist trap town, so much so that it's charming. This is the home of the infamous Wall Drug store where patrons can take photos with statues of Buffalo Bill Cody, Wyatt Earp, and a giant jackolope. Nearby lies the Badlands National Park.



• Wall, SD to Canby, MN: this is my mother's home town and the site of my grandparents' graves. It also has an amazing pizza joint that also serves up deep fried dill pickles (they're amazing). We stayed with some old family friends there and left early the next morning.



• Canby, MN to rural northeastern Wisconsin: Our plan here was to camp at Kosher's rafting then raft the Peshtigo the next morning. We did the former but ditched the latter: the weather was cold and overcast when we awoke. Not exactly rafting weather unless you're really committed.



• Rural northeastern Wisconsin to Glen Arbor, MI: We had planned to stop in Munising, MI, a small town near Pictured Rock National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula for some hiking and camping. Once again, weather didn't really cooperate. June brought lots of rain to the midwest, and while Michigan didn't get nearly as much as places like northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, it still wasn't ideal camping weather. So, we pushed through the U.P. then across the Straits of Mackinaw to Glen Arbor. Glen Arbor is a small hamlet nestled in between parts of the Sleeping Bear National Lake Shore.

Sleeping Bear Harbor

Kayaking the Crystal River, an annual event for many years now

Hanging out in the Ghost Forest on Sleeping Bear Point

Hiking from Pierce Stocking Drive to the top of the Dune Climb


Flying down the Dune Climb

A shot of North Manitou Island

On the pier of Sleeping Bear Harbor

Little and Big Glen Lakes. Formed by Glaciers, these lakes were originally a harbor of Lake Michigan. The outlet of the ancient harbor is where Glen Arbor currently sits.

• Glen Arbor, MI to Chicago. I spent about a week in the suburbs of Chicago before heading down to Honduras on 6/23. Lara had a place in the South Loop for an internship she was doing. The following shots are all within walking distance of where she lived.
  

Buckingham Fountain as seen from Congress Parkway.

A sliver of the Chicago skyline with Buckingham Fountain in the foreground

The post-modern fountain in Millenium Park. There's an identical fountain about 75 feet across from this one, both of which have projections of various faces throughout the day. It's a great place to hangout and read for getting a little wet during those muggy Chicago days.

So that's the road trip in a nutshell. Next up is the Central America portion of the summer. Stay tuned.

Failed Attempt to Summit Humphrey's Peak

It's been a busy summer....some trip reports are long past due. First up is a failed assault against Humphrey's Peak. At 12,634 ft, Humphrey's is the highest point in Arizona. It gets a lot of snow (yes, there is snow in Arizona), even in spring and summer. Case in point: our ill-timed hike back in May. Patrick, Elyse and myself knew we'd have some snow, but didn't think it'd be so thick that the usually easy-to-follow trail was non-existent. It of course didn't help when a storm moved in before we had even reached the tree line. With what looked to be near white out conditions well below the summit, we elected to turn back, comforted by the fact that this ancient peak is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Where things started to get ugly....

The "trail"

2008 Backpacking Trip #2: Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area

I’ve got the backpacking bug it seems. After three nights in a warm bed and modern house, my roommate and I decided it was time to do a leisurely backpacking trip into the south end of Sycamore Canyon. We chose the Parson’s Spring trail which is accessed via a dirt road outside Cottonwood. Having not paid much attention to the map, I neglected to prepare for the five creek crossings we would face. Compounding this was the high volume of water Sycamore has right now due to a pretty wet winter. I tried crossing with my boots off and ended up hurting my bare feet. So, I did like any sane person would: just walk right through the creek crossings as if I wasn’t actually knee to waist deep in chilly water. After 3.5 miles of this we reached a small camping area near Parson’s and hung out for the night. Hiked out the next day around 11am. Like I said, it was a leisurely trip, really just an excuse to get out of the house and see a cool area.

Rim view of Sycamore creek as it flows out of Sycamore Canyon

The ubiquitous Cottonwoods and Sycamores of the Canyon's reparian zone

Red rock walls of the canyon

A calm but wide part of Sycamore Creek

Wet boots!

On the ride home we stopped for Mexican food in Cottonwood...right across from "Ye Ole Hippie Emporium". While we ate lunch, two guys came in to eat, one carrying a pistol on his hip. Very Wild West. Very Arizona.

29 Mile Canyon

On March 7, a few of us attempted to reach the Colorado River via 29 Mile Canyon. I say attempted because we didn't actually making it. Faced with a possible hike out after dark, during which we would have had to navigate a 1000 foot vertical gain in about a mile, the group decided to bail after getting a mere glimpse of the seemingly elusive Colorado.

29 Mile is a "side canyon" to the Grand Canyon and is fed by the Shinumo Wash. Located on the Navajo Reservation via dirt roads, this hidden gem sees few visitors. However, what awaits the intrepid hiker is more than worth the effort.....even if their ultimate destination is never realized.

View Larger Map

29 Mile Canyon can be seen above and to the left of Shinumo Altar

Starting the hike

Shale-like sandstone on the dry creek bottom

The Colorado can be seen just barely through the gorge walls.

Shadows grow as the day progresses