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[Ironhorse]

Love it, Greg!

[GregKhougaz]

After a few hours of rock hopping we were all getting a bit hungry.  Kathy and Ron had it covered at their place.  Their digs:



The "crick"





The hot tub... I mean trout pond:



The boys:







The neighbor:



I realize now I didn't get pictures of the lunch or lunchers.  Trust me it was great.  I was too spellbound by the surroundings!  We had to hoof it back to Ouray to get the rental jeeps cleaned, gassed and returned but here's a couple of shots I thought were interesting.  Law and order made it to the mining camps:

[JCZ]

Thanks a bunch for posting Greg.....you got some great shots.

Ron & Kathy are living life large at their "cabin"......certainly could be an ideal dream place for me.  They had it all....the white capped river, the trout pond, a very sanitary horse stable, the 4x4 toys, an incredable log home (the interior was much more impressive) and all the wildlife......what more is there. 

[GregKhougaz]

Thursday, June 18:  Is it the last day already!?         Better make it good so it was off to Silverton and Durango south on the 550.  It's only 70 miles but there are infinite turns and picture opportunities... and no guard rails!  Durango was hot but not hotter than the CVO Bike show at Durango HD (Thanks again, JC!)  Congrats to the winner, Russ, from Bishop, CA and Andy of the NorCal Krew!      

So, off we go.  Sharks in the water:





Ouray Overlook:



Mt. Abrams:



Those of us from CA loved seeing water again! 







That's CVH's red Barkalounger in the middle!

[GregKhougaz]

Magnificent day in Silverton:

[GregKhougaz]

Seemed like the whole town was a photo opp!













This young lady can flat out play a mean piano! 



But I didn't touch her!       I swear! 

[GregKhougaz]

Simon had told me about a place for Crepes in Durango and took Marilyn, Steve and me there.  It was terrific!  And the Cold Stone next door was not bad either! 





After the bike show, it was time to head back to Ouray for the party.  I got ahead of the pack and the next thing I know JC and Babe fly by me at about 85 mph.  JC had both hands on his.....   yes..... camera!  I'm waiting to see those shots!      Most of the group stopped at Molas Pass. 

Molas Pass (el. 10,910 ft./3325 m.) is in the San Juan Mountains of western Colorado, in the San Juan National Forest, on the Million Dollar Highway, U.S. Highway 550 south of Silverton, which is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway. Though it is one of the higher passes in Colorado, it has only a few switchbacks on the north approach, is considerably less intimidating than Red Mountain Pass on the same highway, and is generally kept open in the winter months.

Molas Pass is also the last mountain pass of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic race, where riders race the train from Durango to Silverton.







So, it was on to Twin Peaks for our Pulled Pork BBQ, Awards Ceremony (I got Most Compulsive (Revulsive?) Bike Washer)     an T Shirt Exchange.  There were cameras going off like crazy and I was a bit busy....  A wonderful family left a guitar for me (how's that for trusting?) and those who stayed late sang a bit and Kathleen who lent the guitar came and sang an amazing song about single Mothers.  There were many thank you's and See you next time's as it was time for most to pack up and head out in the morning.   


Smiling at JC riding and shooting on the Million Dollar Highway:

[grandpadoc]

Thanks for the pics Greg, they clearly show the effort you took to capture them. What a great photo adventure. 

[GregKhougaz]

Friday, June 19:  Mark, Alan CVH / John and I have another great breakfast and get ready to head to Moab, 150 Miles up the 550 to Ridgeway, then west on the 62, 145, and 141 to CO-90 and UT-46.  It was back the way I came.  Face it, Utah has the best welcome signs. 









Next stop in Utah was Wilson Arch which I shot on my way in so I left pictures of it to my companions.  After that, we stopped at a curiosity called "Hole In The Rock."  It's a 5,000 sq' home carved out of a huge rock in Utah's Canyonlands Country.  It began taking shape almost a century ago by the Christensen family. What began as a small alcove for the young Christensen boys to sleep in at night grew into a man-made engineering marvel 20years in the making. A fireplace with a 65' chimney,14 rooms arranged around huge pillars and a deep bathtub built into the rock delight visitors who visit this most unusual home in the dessert. Original furnishings, Alberta's paintings, Gladys's doll collection and many of the tools used to create this home remind you of the past.

In a 12 year period Albert excavated 50,000 cubic feet of sandstone from the rock. During this time he completed his famous painting Sermon on the Mount and his sculpture of Franklin D. Roosevelt on the face of the rock above his home.  When Albert died in 1957, the home was not complete. Gladys's in keeping with his wishes & lifelong dreams continued to develop the property, opening a gift shop and giving tours of her home until she passed away in 1974. Gladys is laid to rest next to Albert in a small cove within the rock near the home.









At the hole, we encountered a couple of Englishmen who asked for help with their smart phones and navigation.  They were headed to Grand Junction for the night.  We told them about our route from Ouray and programed their gps to take them to Twin Peaks.  They also insisted that England does not have a 4th of July until asked, "What comes after the 3d?"      From The Hole, we headed north on UT 191 into Moab for lunch.  Then north 9 miles to "Moab Under Canvas" to check in.  It's a tent city in the desert and while a bit different, was very fun.  Thankfully, we had misters in our tent.  It was 104* in the afternoon when we headed out to Arches National Park. 

[GregKhougaz]

Thanks for the pics Greg, they clearly show the effort you took to capture them. What a great photo adventure.

Thanks, Doc!  You know the high standard set by JC, Jock and others....   

Arches National Park is located on the Colorado River 4 miles (6 km) north of Moab. It is known for containing over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, and a variety of unique geological resources and formations.

The park is 76,679 acres.  Its highest elevation is 5,653' at Elephant Butte, and its lowest elevation is 4,085 feet at the visitor center. Forty-three arches are known to have collapsed since 1977. The park receives 10" of rain a year on average.  We'd planned hikes to Landscape and Delicate Arches and were not deterred by the now 102* heat.  Yes, a dry heat which sucked the moisture out of you! 

Landscape Arch is the longest arche in the Arches National Park, found in the Devil's Garden in the north area of the park. It was named by Frank Beckwith, leader of the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, who explored the area in the winter of 1933–1934, and can be reached by short walk/hike of about 1.5 miles along a maintained trail.

The Natural Arch and Bridge Society considers Landscape Arch to be the longest natural arch in the world, having measured the span in 2004 at 290.1 ± 0.8 feet, slightly longer than a measurement made by the Society in 2006 of Kolob Arch in Zion National Park.  Since 1991, three slabs of sandstone measuring 30, 47, and 70 feet long have fallen from the thinnest section of Landscape Arch, prompting the Park Service to close the trail that once passed beneath it.













Alien stone art (or just Aliens):

[GregKhougaz]

Double O Arch and the Devil's Garden:









I know what Jock is thinkin'....  Stop!   

[GregKhougaz]

Though we'd only walked 3 miles to see Landscape, we had to rest a bit and hydrate because it was still 102* and the tough part of the day was coming.  I'd wanted to hike to Delicate Arch since I'd first come to the park, years ago.  So, Delicate Arch is a 65-foot-tall (20 m) freestanding natural arch.  It is the most widely recognized landmark in Arches National Park and is depicted on Utah license plates and on a postage stamp commemorating Utah's centennial anniversary of statehood in 1996. The Olympic torch relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics passed through the arch.  Because of its distinctive shape, the arch was known as "the Chaps" and "the Schoolmarm's Bloomers" by local cowboys.  It was given its current name by Frank Beckwith, leader of the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, who explored the area in the winter of 1933–1934.  It's only 1.5 miles from the parking lot but a very steep, 16*+ climb and in the heat.....   

You can see the parking lot in the background of this photo.  Mark has a liter of water with him.  I wore a 3.5 liter Camelback and needed every drop! 



Amazing sights along the way but we were determined.  You can see the Arch from the parking lot but soon it disappears.  You don't see it again until you arrive!  If you go, go in the afternoon and catch the sunset.  Many go to photograph it at night.... 





We made it! 



Resting in awe:



I was feeling pretty exuberant!



People were terrific and took turns getting photos.  John and I getting some shots:

[GregKhougaz]

Mark and John:













Playing with shadows:

[GregKhougaz]

As the sun sets, the colors change.  Soon the shadows rise and it was time for us to head back.  It had been a long day.  Many folks were just coming up the trail to catch the stars.  There was to be only a sliver of a moon that night. 



We climbed up to this Arch to photo Delicate:



Petroglyphs on the way down:



Remnants of the Wolf Ranch:





It had been a long hot day.  On the way down, a local told us about a restaurant called Pasta Jay's in downtown Moab.  It was terrific!  No food wasted that night.  Then it was back to Moab Under Canvas for a deeeeeep sleeeeep.   

[GregKhougaz]

Saturday, June 20:  Woke up before dawn at Moab Under Canvas.  It's best described as luxury camping. 



Then it was north on the 191 to the 70 west for breakfast in Green River.  The food and views from the Tamarisk Restaurant are great but nothing compared to what we'd seen the day before.  We continued west to the 24 south, heading for the Utah scenic byway, one of my all time favorites, a state highway designated an "All-American Road" located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah, USA.  From Wikipedia:  Proceeding west to east for 122 miles (nearly 200 km), the highway starts south of Panguitch at an intersection with US-89, crosses part of Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park, continues through the small towns of Tropic, Cannonville, and Henrieville. It crosses various parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GS-ENM), continues northeast through Escalante and over the Escalante River, then north through more of GS-ENM, Boulder, the Aquarius Plateau, Grover, ending in Torrey at an intersection with SR-24, five miles (8 km) west of Capitol Reef National Park. The 30-mile (48 km) long portion of the highway that ascends and descends Boulder Mountain on the Aquarius Plateau is known as Boulder Mountain Highway.

In Hanksville,  a convenience store carved into the rock:



I'm missing some of these but will find them:



Daniel Boone once said, "I've never been lost.  ...   I was once bewildered for three days but I've never been lost."   



Capitol Reef National Park is 100 miles long but fairly narrow. The park, established in 1971, preserves 241,904 acres.  Called "Wayne Wonderland" in the 1920s by local boosters Ephraim P. Pectol and Joseph S. Hickman, Capitol Reef National Park protects colorful canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths. About 75 mi of the long up-thrust called the Waterpocket Fold, a rugged spine extending from Thousand Lake Mountain to Lake Powell, is preserved within the park. "Capitol Reef" is the name of an especially rugged and spectacular segment of the Waterpocket Fold near the Fremont River.  The area was named for a line of white domes and cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, each of which looks somewhat like the United States Capitol building, that run from the Fremont River to Pleasant Creek on the Waterpocket Fold. The local word reef refers to any rocky barrier to travel.  Easy road access only came in 1962, with the construction of State Route 24 through the Fremont River Canyon. 



Your never lost when you can be in two places at once!