May 26, 2001

2001-05-19 -- 2001-05-26

2001-05-20 - Moab, Utah - An interesting start for my last trip before departing for the East. It is hard to believe that time has gone that fast and that it has been so enjoyable. I will have memories sufficient to last a life time.

I know I have sufficient graphics and just filing and labeling to keep me busy at least until the winter, I have shipped three boxes of stuff home and may send another before I leave. Where it has all come from I do not know but I know that Clint and Theresa also have things for me to take back east and I do not want to wind up sleeping on the floor because the bed is filled. Everything I can shop saves me gas mileage which is nice.

It seems the entire West is setting temperature records we here are experiencing the same thing. Fortunately, the afternoon breeze is consistent and it helps the way we feel the heat.

Moab is an interesting tourist town, not only does it have the two national parks, Canyonland and Arches but it has the Colorado River and all the water sports that can be done. The town is comprised mostly of motels and restaurants with many sporting good shops and tour providers for extra measure.

The Colorado River is two hundred yards wide and is moving very swiftly as it moves through town. I didn't see any boats on it but it seems to be negotiable by some fairly large barges. I know that not to many miles downstream the Colorado is joined by the Green River which is also a very powerful river.

There have been many movies filmed in this area due to the river and the intimidating cliffs that surround it. I saw a warehouse that was opened by a studio, I guess that is where they store equipment. It is a totally fascinating area and I think there are some ski facilities in the area as well.

I do know that further down the river it definitely becomes one way because of some particularly rough rapids, anything floating past those must be brought back up via truck. Cataract Rapids are not for the weak hearted. When the water is high such as it is now with winter runoff still keeping the level up it is not too bad. Later in the year it is a real challenge not to get smashed on the rocks.

Arches is another magnificent park. There are over 2,000 arches in the park ranging from 3 foot long to 306 foot long. There is no way I could see all of them in just part of one day but I did see quite a few.

I guess I am somewhat surprised that there were not more people. From the line for back country permits there are many people just get off the main roads and take off into the wilderness. Some of these people are going in via jeeps, others are just hiking in.

All of this was caused by an underground salt bed deposited some 300 million years ago when a sea flowed into the area and then evaporated. Over the millions of years residue from floods, wind and additional incursions by the ocean built up rock that might have been a mile thick layer of salt another mile into the earth.

This reminds mew of the area around Salzburg in Austria where about the same situation took place. The salt bed in Austria is much closer to the surface and for many years was mined as is coal. Nowadays water is pumped in and the brine pumped out and the salt removed.

Salt is not a stable material under pressure, salt domes are found throughout the world where the pressure of the overburden has forced the rock layers up in areas into domes and yet sank in other areas. It is not uncommon to find oil under some of these domes as well. I believe this is very common in Texas

Faults deep in the Earth added to the instability on the surface. The Moab Fault is where one side of the valley dropped 2500 feet in one earthquake. This drop caused vertical cracks that assisted significantly to the development of the arches. As this subsurface movement of the salt caused the shape of the area to change, surface erosion removed the younger rock layers.

Most of the major formations in the park today are in salmon colored Entrada Sandstone, in which most of the arches are formed, and in the buff colored Navajo Sandstone. These are visible throughout the park as multiple layers with the Navajo generally the top layer.

Over time, water seeped into the cracks, joints and folds of these layers. Ice formed in the fissures, expanding and putting pressure on surrounding rock causing small pieces to break off.

Wind later cleared out these loose particles and in many instances this created thin sheets of rock left standing vertically; these have been dubbed as "fins.". A series of free standing fins remained with wind and water attacking these fins until the cementing material gave way and larger chunks of rock fell out. Many damaged fins just tumbled over. Others survived despite their missing sections. These became known as the arches.

Pothole arches are different, they form by chemical weathering as water collects in natural depression and eventually cuts through to the layer below.

Just all what causes this is sill not understood. I have researched several sources including my old standby Encyclopedia Britannica and still nothing conclusive.

Wildlife in the area include mule deer, kit fox, coyote, jackrabbits and cottontail plus an assortment of smaller rodents. Ravens are everywhere and are not timid. They will attempt to convince tourists that if they do not receive food immediately they will perish. Coyotes also have acquired the art of mooching and do provide a threat, especially in the Devil's Garden area.

There was a article in the parks' newspaper that in the last year eighteen mule deer had to shot as they were showing signs of disease. After performing autopsies it was found that all had been eating food given to them by humans and in all cases wrapping caused intestinal blockage. In their efforts to help the animals - or to take cute pictures - their help leads to a long and slow painful death or if they are lucky, death by a predator or a ranger. In Petrified Forest one of the leading causes of deaths of the ravens is attributed to human food, in sometimes their system cannot handle it. Sometimes they lose their ability to hunt naturally or they become dependent upon it.

The first stop was at Courthouse Towers and its small balancing rock. I certainly would not want it to come crashing down on me. Nicknames have been assigned to so many of the formations it is difficult to determine sometimes what one is being discussed. I have tried using a topographical map but that hasn't been totally effective either.

Next was The Organ and its "Little Arch", a arch very new and growing. Little Arch is growing in a fin in which recently - so to speak - a very large arch collapsed. The Tower of Babel is also at the same location but I am not sure which rock it is. Sometimes the interpretive signs are somewhat vague or my recollection of them when I start writing is. This is one reason where I should write each days activity while my senile old mind still holds it freshly implanted instead of waiting a week.

Next is the "Balancing Rock" and it probably weighs more than Tiny. It is huge and I have read that it actually wiggles during high winds. I do not know who would get that close, not I said I the chicken. It is unfortunate that there is nothing on the other side other than a sheer drop. The sun was in the wrong location this time of day.

From there it was up into The Windows Section and the North and South Windows and Turret Arch. Several other arches are in the area and were duly photographed.. They are all fascinating.

A few more miles up the road is Delicate Arch which is a interesting hike from the parking lot. There are two trails actually, one that goes to the arch itself and the other goes to a great observation point from which to take pictures. It was a good climb but worth the effort.

Somewhere in there is "The Furnace" which is an area where only guided tours are permitted. It is a series of fins where it is very easy to get confused and lost in the maze and since little breeze gets into the area the temperature becomes extremely hot and people have died in there after becoming disoriented.

Then it was to the Devil's Garden area and a short hike down the trail. The entire trail is about 20 kilometers and I didn't think I was up to that, it is mostly a rock scramble. I did see Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches in addition to Broken Arch and called it quits. The footing was treacherous and the temperature was climbing continually.

I did have a coyote come to within twenty feet of me to see if I had anything to feed it. The rangers are well aware of people giving them food and of course the coyotes get accustomed to this and become dependent, come winter time and the coyotes do not survive and in the Spring the rodent population increases. There is a balance of nature and people just mess it up.

Sand has collected in this area and much of the walking it is step two forward and slide back one. Sprained and broken ankles are frequent and there is a solar powered emergency phone in the parking area. I would not like having to carry someone out of that trail, it could be as long as a four mile carry. I do not think even an ATV could get all the way to the back. I would hate to think what the cost of a helicopter would be either. I know I carry an Ace bandage and a roll of adhesive tape I can use to wrap an ankle if I have to. It might not be a comfortable hike back but I know that I could do it.

From Arches it was just a few miles to the "Island of the Sky" section of Canyonland which tends to be 2000 feet higher than the Needles section south of it. Most of the park in that area is on top of a mesa with steep bluffs on all sides dropping down to either the Colorado River on the eastern side and the Green River on the western side and eventually these rivers join at the southern most end of the "Island at the Confluence.."

This is 4 wheel drive country with dirt roads that go all over the place. Most of the major trails are designed for "jeeps" and are supposedly quite interesting except when it rains and the roads turn to slippery mud. Uranium was mined in the area immediately after W.W.II and this created many of the trails. I didn't see any explanation why that stopped, I suspect it was economic. There was also extensive exploration for gas and oil but I do not think that search was successful. There are old roads reflecting these explorations but they haven't been used for decades.

There are a number of foot trails as well, all with warnings to watch out for flash floods or warnings not to use trail if rain seems threatening. Many of the most impressive sights are available only by foot trail. I would love to have the time to explore these, this of course holds true for most of the parks that I have visited and that I would love to return to.

Water sports are a big thing, ranging from rafting to kayaking. There are miles of quiet river great for a quiet float trip, then there is Cataract Canyon which is hairy enough for anybody foolish enough to try it.

I know that I am not up to challenging "Cataract" but a quiet sedate float trip on the river may not be all that bad. There are collections of petroglyphs in some sections of the river that would be great for photography and the overnight stay might be just what is needed to cure all sorts of ailments.

Wildlife is in abundance, mountain lions are known to be in the area but rarely seen. Mule deer, bighorn sheep, beaver and smaller mammals are very common. There is one area on the far side of the rivers called the maze which is reputed to be some of the best camping in the world.

After stopping at the visitor's center and chatting for a while, I saw there was a presentation out at Grand View Point so headed out that way.

Every park I have stopped at seems to have a different personality. At this section of Canyonland it is apparent that it is run by a younger set glad to be away from the administration and management some forty miles away. Both ranger and volunteer staff seemed to enjoy giving the "non-school" answers on conditions. There was nice not to experience there "standard and authorized" solutions. I think many visitor's catch on to this and they counter it by talking to volunteer's who tend to be far more irreverent in their responses and - horrors - even eject humor into it at times.

I stopped at several of the viewpoints along the way, each had a totally different attitude.

Of course, Buck Canyon being the most memorable. One has a fantastic view down into the canyon the Colorado River has carved and the fantastic shapes that can be seen. The way the erosion has carved these shapes and valleys are simply mind-boggling, Mother Nature had a field day here. There actually seems to be canyons within canyons as various softer and harder layers of overburden were encountered.

It was also in Buck Canyon were uranium was mined and the access road created then is now a 4 wheel vehicle trail. The view from the road must be spectacular. The trip on the road by 4x4 takes 4 days as it is not advisable to drive very fast. It is a long way down to the canyon floor, such a trip could ruin hour entire day.

There also many bikers that do the same trail, they sure must have strong legs to climb some of the slopes. Time wise, it is faster by bike than by jeep.

Then it was out to Grand View Point where the view of the lower section and Needles is simply fantastic. The wind was up and the poor ranger has a difficult time talking over the top of it. I know all too well what fun that is. She is a very good job on the geology of the region.

Canyonland is just about surrounded by federal land. Glen Canyon National Recreational Area extends along the left side of the park with Lake Powell almost making to the borders of Canyonland; Dark Canyon Primitive Area run by the Bureau of Land Management runs along part of the southern border of the park. The Maze area of the park is only accessible from Glen Canyon, there are no bridges over either the Colorado River or the Green River.

By the time the presentation was completed it was getting late and since I would have to drive west I needed to be out of the park and finish the short Interstate section as soon as possible or be staring into the sun.

It took less than an hour to reach the Interstate and less than another hour to reach Highway 24 headed to the South where the destination for the evening was Hanksville, Utah. There is nothing on the Interstate except a sign declaring there were no services available for the next 130 miles. There was nothing between the Interstate and Hanksville, not even the occasional Navajo village you would usually find in other parts of this Four Corners area. The gas tank was much lower than I like when I pulled into Hanksville.

Not knowing what was ahead but figuring there would not be gas, food or RV park, I opted to go to the first park available which turned out to be the only facilities available. It was a dreadfully expensive at $11.00 but worth it. Like many of the small towns there just isn't anyplace that is free to park. In many cases if you are not on the road you are in trouble as you are in the sand or the shoulders are so narrow that is an impossibility. I think I could go back there now and find a dry camp but at that time of evening I will chicken out and stay safe.

I confess I was extremely tired by this time and all I wanted to do was eat and crash, after doing some computer work of course. I have been a week behind for quite some time and I always like to upload the prior week as soon as I return to the park. It doesn't take as long to write as it does doing the web page, maybe I should check out a different html editor that will reduce some of the work in converting from WordPerfect to html.

I actually had dinner there, not that bad for once. I had Chicken Alfredo Fettuccine and while the Fettuccine was a little overcooked I couldn't complain for $10.00. A German couple can in and didn't know what country fried steak and white gravy was. The waitress had no idea how to explain it so I think I did a creditable job of it. At least we had several good laughs about it. We sat around drinking wine and telling war stories until almost 1000 and they were ready to close the restaurant.

It seems to me the last time I visited Utah many years ago that it was a dry state. While seeing liquor signs didn't surprise me, I was surprised that liquor would be consumable on Sunday. I know that you cannot just buy a drink, there has to be a certain amount of food purchased as well. Since I rarely drink anymore except when I am eating, plus my coffee and kahlua on Sunday morning, it doesn't bother me at all. I am glad to see the change.

When we went outside we found that a 1000 pound long horn steer, fully equipped with horns at least six feet long, had pushed through the fence and was eating the juicy succulent grass that tents were camped on. The occupants of the tents were not overly thrilled with this idea but where does a 1000 pound steer go?, pretty much anywhere he wants to. He did not step on any of the tents but he did nibble pretty close.

The owner came over but didn't want to chase him for fear the steer would damage tents or occupants so just waited until steer wasn't hungry any more and wanted to drink. He then walked back to where he had gone through the fence, pushed through and went to the water trough. I have an idea he had done this before. He, of course, left plenty of evidence that he had been in the area. The steer must be almost a family pet as he was not the least bit afraid of people and was actually almost tame. I fear it would be like having a pet elephant however.

2001-05-21 - Bluff, Utah - Another great day. I was up early, there was no steer to contend with and was on the road by 0700. The drive out to Capitol Reef was interesting and very photogenic. The shapes are amazing, one can let their fantasy run wild. There was one mesa that looked just like Masada; I kept looking for a ramp that lead to the top but of course t here wasn't. The highway goes through the middle of the park so there isn't any entrance station as such. Once at the visitor's center they do collect a fee if you go off to any other section of the park. Of course with the "Golden Geezer" pass I do not pay anything anyway.

After talking to the people at the visitors center and to the volunteer coordinator, I headed to the south by the camp grounds to one of the washes that was recommended for a quick stroll. The camp grounds, with the exception of the camp host, are dry with no electricity. Generators are only authorized for use two hours a day so solar panels are commonly used.

Capitol Reef National Park covers most of the 100 mile long wrinkle in the earth's crust called Waterpocket Fold. Some 65 million years ago the fold was much larger but erosion has washed away about two thirds of it, leaving a valley with the Fremont River running through it and surrounded by colorful cliffs, massive domes, one of which looks like the dome of our Capitol Building hence the name of the park, spires that are as tall as five hundred feet, twisting and twisted canyons though which flash floods rage every time it rains, and several fantastic arches, only one of which I could reach without a full day's hike. Every park I have visited the last two weeks would really require almost a week to fully cover and photograph; I will have to save that until such time Mimi can accompany me.

I hear about this "Fremont" culture that existed about the same time as the Anasazi and that the culture was quite different. I have not been able to find anything however to expand on this. I know the term "Fremont" came from the great explorer and Army general but little else. One thing I can say about being here is the expansion of my mind set.

I walked down Grand Wash for several miles checking how high the water reached during a flash flood, it was well over my head. The entrance to the wash is perhaps a hundred meters wide. In less than a mile and quite a drop it narrows to about two meters. The water must be traveling at a fantastic velocity by the time is pushed through that one point. It must be an awesome sight when this was is filled with water passing by at twenty miles per hour; I would want to be well up the canyon wall about that time.

Do to time constraints I couldn't walk the entire length of the wash and I did want to see one of the arches I had to backtrack and drive Tiny back past the visitor's station and back toward Hanksville until I reached the parking for the petroglyphs. The park has built a series of boardwalks to lead visitor's to where the petroglyphs are located and sufficiently high above the ground to deter people from jumping down. Good planning!

I was somewhat disappointed with the petroglyphs or rather, the people who have defaced them. Adding to that the sun was not in the ideal position so there was little contrast to make the difference between the natural varnish and the natural stone. The natural varnish here is also much lighter in color than that Petrified Forest, the minerals leaching from the rock is somewhat different I have been told. I photographed all I could but I wasn't overly pleased with the results.

I did enjoy answering questions when people found out that I knew a little bit about the petroglyphs even though I am no expert. I could usually spot them faster as I knew what to look for. The petroglyphs are far more sophisticated that those of Petrified Forest as well, much more detail and much more imagination. Whether this is the result of the Fremont Culture. There are just so many imponderables that it makes me realize just how little I know. The books are very vague in this subject area.

From there it was down the river a little further to the parking place for the Hickman Bridge. I think in reality it should be called an arch due to its origin. It is a steep climb of about a mile to reach it and find a place from where best to photograph it. You have to cross the canyon by climbing down to the bottom and then climb about half way up before you can seen the entire arch. It is well worth the effort of course.

While I was there seven busloads of Germans filled the parking lot and most of the trail. I was teasing them by asking if this was Germany or the United States. If it was Germany I must have really taken the wrong turn someplace. Since I was doing this teasing in German, many people wanted to know how and where I learned my German as I certainly was not a native speaker. I got some real interesting remarks when I stated I felt I was a Bavarian because Bavaria makes the best beer. That was really hitting close to home as most Germans feel their own village makes the best beer. The remarks made were very cordial as everybody starting talking about their beer.

There is one rock formation that reminded me of a very rustic Madonna, the light was just in the right position to catch the effect. I also enjoyed the natural bath tub. These scenic places really are stressful in a sense. It is so difficult to decide which pictures to put on the web page. Just about every picture is special and only about 25% I can put on the web. Stress all the time, it cannot be avoided.

Once I return to Virginia I can do a little bit more as the upload speed is so much greater. Despite the upload speed here doubling to 24000, it is still quite slow. Citizen's Communications had placed blocks on the local lines to keep the speed down, I think this might have been an attempt to influence the park to go to a high speed service at more money. The park doesn't have the money but was threatening to go to a satellite solution which would have bypassed Citizens completely.

Capitol Reef National Park is another location where it would be possible to spend a week even with a 4 wheel vehicle and still not see all the places of interest . There are so many valley tucked away in the park. Many areas of the park one would have to leave the park and drive a considerable distance before reentering the park. Even trails sometimes are stopped by the terrain

Again Capitol Reef is bordered by other parks and forests. Dixie Forest is to the west, Fishlake Forest to the northwest, Grand Staircase/Escalente National Monument to the southwest and Glen Canyon - Lake Powell to the southeast. Grand Staircase is not operated by the National Park Service but rather by the Bureau of Land Management which I think is a part of the Department of Agriculture. Their charter or mission is somewhat different that than that of the National Park Service but it is a duplication of effort.

It is about 150 miles to Natural Bridges National Park and that was my next destination. I gassed up at Hanksville and headed Southeast toward Blanding which is about thirty miles the other side of Natural Bridges. The route takes one through the northern most regions of Glen Canyon Recreation area and Lake Powell. Lake Powell backs up into every canyon along the way and every river that eventually runs into Lake Powell; this includes the Colorado River. I had to cross several bridges and I saw at least four marinas along the way. I noticed several RVs dry camping on the side of the lake, usually with no one else to be seen. It must be quiet and peaceful, except for when the generator has to be run.

I hadn't been out of Glen Canyon very long when I spotted two people who apparently in trouble. The girl has her lower leg wrapped with sticks and was using a longer stick as a crutch. The boy had his arm in a sling. It was obvious they were hurting.

I picked them up and drove them about ten miles to where their car was parked and they felt they could drive back to Hanksville where the closest medical facility is located. They had been walking down a trail when it slide out from beneath them. They took quite a spill. I was glad that I could help.

Twenty five miles later I entered Natural Bridges National Monument. It is out in the middle on nowhere with little indication anything of interest existed within fifty miles. I had watching a canyon for quite a while that lead back to Glen Canyon; it was this canyon that at one time carried the river that created the bridges. After the normal courtesies at the visitor's center I headed for the bridges. Natural bridges are formed by the erosive action of running water. Arches are formed by other erosional forces, mainly frost action and seeping moisture. Those same forces also work to enlarge natural bridges once stream erosion forms them.

The three bridges represent three stages: old age, maturity and youth. The Owachomo Bridge is in its old age, but frost and moisture do. It may have a fatal crack - it has a large crack that can be seen from underneath - that could cause it to fall soon or it may last for many more centuries.

The mature bridge, Sipapu cam be hard to spot from the canyon rim lookout despite its size. It endures very little water erosion as its abutments are far from the stream.

The youngest bridge - Kachina - is the largest and the bulkiest. Canyon flood water still work to enlarge its span. There is a trail that links the three together but it takes four hours and there wasn't time to finish before dark. The campground was already filled and I hadn't seen anything on the map between the park and Blanding and I know I didn't want to drive at night for any long distance. There is too much wildlife.

When I arrived at the first bridge, I noticed a German built RV, with German license plates, as a RV I had seen in the campground large last night. They were from Siegen, now retired and they decided to take a year off to visit the United States. It was cheaper to ship their RV over than it was to rent one here for the year.

He gave me a very good tour of the RV. Technically it is far advanced over the much cheaper American designs; this included an electrical system that automatically adjusted to different voltages and hertz. The automated heating and air-conditioning was exceptional as well. Naturally it was diesel resulting in economical operating expenses as a result.

He professed not to speak English but we had little difficulty in communicating. His wife was very fluent and very much a character. She would provide a very fast translation for either of us if we seemed to get stuck. We toured all three bridges together and he was attempting to explain to me a German sport that he missed here in the states

It finally dawned on me he was talking about volksmarching. At that time we were talking just in front of Tiny, so I pointed at our license plates. He saw the IVV and they were delighted. I gave them my copy of Startpoint plus the web site addresses and the like and they were delighted. I have an invitation to join them in Germany for volksmarching. This is the fourth copy of Startpoint I have given away on this trip. I think I will ask for a bulk discount next year.

This was a different experience as most of the time I am attempting to explain to Germans about a sport that originated in their country. I think the German clubs are no longer advertising the sport as they did in the 70's when the sport started. This was the era on "No Driving on "Sundays" that was strictly enforced so towns with direct public transportation scheduled these hikes and created clubs and finally an international organization. I first went volksmarching in 1973 and have never stopped.

The three bridges were most interesting, more attractive in ways than the arches as they nestled down in the can yon. We scampered down three short trails to the viewpoints. The German was most annoyed by a group of Germany university students who were acting somewhat rowdy. At the last bridge the students climbed out onto the bridge to have their picture taken and the guy was really irked as there were signs all over not to do so. I had walked under that bridge and there is a large crack all ready, I think it is only friction that is holding it together right now. He blew a fuse, video taped the group, found out where there were students and stated he would send the tape back to the school as a demonstration of just what that university was producing as citizens and what poor examples of law abiding people they were. The students shut up and were extremely docile. I do not know what this guy was but he was known. I fear I do not treat flora properly, while I photograph plants frequently they are just as often left out on the web page. That area has some spectacularly colorful plants and this red one was probably the most common.

The drive to Bluff took about an hour and I arrived there just as I had time to set up before darkness. I was not in the mood to cook and the camp owner recommended a steak house within easy walking distance. It was a good choice; I ordered the Cattleman's Special that overlapped the plate and it was cooked to perfection. I first thought the cook was Korean but discovered she was Pauite Indian. Fully stuffed and sated, plus several dark ales that I did not expect to find out here - this is more Billy Bob and Bud Lite country, I headed back to the camp and Tiny. I had little difficulty in falling asleep.

2001-05-22 - Petrified Forest - Back at the park safe and sound by 1200. I was annoyed that I had to chase down my water hose again, the same two maintenance guys had it stating they had thought I had left the park for good . I don't buy that as last week I told them I was not going to leave until the end of the month. I just believe they were too lazy to go back to the maintenance shack and find another one.

The drive back was easy, the scenery from Bluff to here I have seen several times - what there is anyway - and the only stop I made was for gas and a quick session at the supermarket in Chinle. I did not want to drive to Holbrook to stock up on food as I have to be there on Friday to have Tiny's brakes to be checked out.

I had time to do my laundry and some housecleaning inside Tiny. I know that it is time to vacuum when I can no longer walk on the floor barefooted without stepping on rocks. I think I will use next Sunday to do an inside and outside cleaning. All the filters need to be taken down and washed to get the local dust and grit out of them. I probably will even empty some of the shelves and shovel the sand and dust off of them. I might even find time to wash the outside. I have a red streak on the right front portion of the cab that I do not know where it came from, maybe I can polish it off.. This is strange.

2001-05-23 - Petrified Forest - As usual there are incidents that defy believe. Once again I was accosted by a chap who was upset that he could not find the petrified forest. We were in the middle of the park and I found out that he had come in the south entrance so I knew me must have seen tons and tons of petrified wood and I couldn't find out how he missed that much as the petrified wood starts covering the ground once inside the southern gate..

Finally I determined that it wasn't petrified wood he was looking for, he was looking for a forest where the trees were standing up and that instead of trunk and branches and leaves being made of wood, he expected them to be made of stone. It took a while to convince him that there wasn't such a thing but that 255 million years ago that might have existed someplace but not at this park as far as we knew. Most of the staff enjoyed that one, it may become another classic joke about the park.

I had two young Japanese girls come up to me at the trail head at Painted Desert Inn who were all excited. They had spent the night camping in the wilderness area and were convinced that a mountain lion had been sniffing around their tent that night. I do not know if I helped them that much when I told them it was probably coyotes looking for food that might have been left out and that if they had something the coyotes would have run away as they are very timid animals usually.

Half of the fun of being here are the questions one gets asked. I had one gentleman who was convinced we cut the petrified logs so we can move them around easier. I do not know if I was able to convince him with the scientific explanation or not, he still looked quite skeptical. In reality these logs have been under hundreds of feet of earth and as the earth is continually shifting and placing stress on them, the logs break at predictable points. It has been explained to me that a log will always break in half at the approximate center of each piece. It makes sense to me.

2001-05-24 - Petrified Forest - I spent most of the roving, some of it down in the badlands in an attempt to find a series of petroglyphs that are rarely seen and a archeology dig that wasn't completed and there are thousands of pottery shards and the like to look at. I looked for this yesterday and spent several hours on the hot caldron without any luck. I was told to start at a certain point and go Northwest. It turns out that I should have gone Southeast. I will try again on Sunday I guess.

I spent time at Puerco Pueblo helping people find things and even more time at Crystal Forest taking photographs and telling people about the petrified wood and all the arguments that take place about how the wood turns to the premineralized or the agatized form or is the process sequential. I heard over our radio net that some teenagers were spotted stuffing petrified rock in their van by another visitor who called security over an emergency phone and the teenagers were apprehended at the south gate. Getting caught is expensive in addition to being a federal offense.

On the home from Crystal Forest I was lucky enough to capture a female Pronghorn posing on top of a knoll along side the road. It made for a great photograph. It was as if she was posing purposefully' she stayed there long enough for me to set up the camera and change lenses. Several other cars paused to take pictures, naturally there had to be one idiot who had to pass everybody, the occupants didn't seem interested in anything other than themselves.

Regrettable this attitude is seen all too frequently. I have seen people driving at speeds in excess of 60 in 35 MPH zones, passing in no passing lanes just so they can gain a few minutes in going through the park and back onto the interstate. I have picked up after people who just empty their cigarette ash tray in the middle of the parking lot when there is a trash can ten feet away. Have we in the United States degenerated to such a point where "I" is the only significance ? I sure as heck hope not as that will toll the death knoll for the nation.

2001-05-26 - Petrified Forest - I went back down into the badlands today, this time headed out to Onyx Bridge in the north of the park. It was hot as I did not leave at 0700 but rather at 1000 and didn't return until 1400. The only wildlife seen was the Collared Lizard who obligingly stayed still until I was close enough to get this shot. I did see several ground squirrels but they disappeared before I could even reach for the camera.

It was a great hike but my batteries ran out and I didn't have the opportunity to photograph the bridge. I had charged the batteries but left them in Tiny. This is not the first time I have done this; perhaps this is an indicator of insipid senility. I know that tomorrow morning I will be fully aware of the climb back out of the basin, it is a stiff climb. I know I will return back into the wilderness on Tuesday with a ranger as escort to see one area, I guess I can do the same thing back here.

2001-05-27 - Petrified Forest - It is hard to believe the time has passed as fast as it has, if it were not for the bug I picked up and it cutting the summer short as I think I would have stayed longer if the park management has gone along with it. . But I think my doctor is right that I should have it checked out. This has been a very emotional experience, one long overdue I think. I would think that for anyone who starts experiencing "I" is too important that this environment is a cure for this. I know that I will miss it and I will look forward to another opportunity to do it again.