Ya’an was one of the first rural cities we stayed in after leaving Chengdu on our tandem to ride across Tibetan Sichuan. Luchan, a harder hit town is just to the north. The cities on a fertile rising plain that soon gives way to steep foothills leading to the Tibetan Plateau. Read the rest of this article…
We’ve hiked most of the trails in Needles during our five week volunteer stint, but still hadn’t been able to replicate the hike we did a decade ago with Northwest friends, Jack and Mary Lange. We remembered that we had started and ended in Loop A of the campground Read the rest of this article…
We went straight to the panel and I was blown away. All pictographs (paint on rock) are special, but this one is unique. The white pigment leaps out from the red sandstone in the reflected light of the overhang, and the string of dots (passing of the sun?) is something we haven’t seen before, though admittedly we are novices in the extreme in this rock art appreciation hobby. Read the rest of this article…
The Joint trail in Needles district of Canyonlands National Park is really a destination, a long crack between rock masses. It can be reached by a mix of trail loops ranging from ten to 15 miles. Any combination of these loops offers up a panoply of rock sculptures standing sentry over sage, juniper, pine meadows, perhaps even rock art if you go off trail (carefully!) a bit. Read the rest of this article…
At Devils Kitchen we parked our bikes and did a five mile loop hike to Chesler Park, a large meadow area surrounded by red and cream sandstone spires, The Needles. For the entirety of the five miles we were surrounded by neck straining (both vertical and horizontal) vistas of, often anthropomorphic, specters of amazement. An Imax could not do the experience justice. Read the rest of this article…
…a motorcyclist… got in just at dark. We let him set up his tent on our plot and had an interesting visit. He has done a bit of bicycle touring. He’s also a famous person who faces many challenges, and we feel it reasonable to respect his privacy for now. Claire said, “He may be famous, but our interaction taught me that, in a National Park, all are equal, and have the opportunity for renewal.” Read the rest of this article…
While camping and hiking in Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, we mentioned to a ranger that we hoped to volunteer in a national park someday. The ranger was the volunteer coordinator. Two days later, boondocked at another spectacular site new to us, Muley Point, there was a message on our phone from Dorita. The volunteer slated for the fall stint had become ill; could we fill in for as little or as long as possible? We were just a few days from Tucson to begin our “normal” winter activities, but we do tend to grab opportunities, so we said yes. We begin as soon as we gather a month’s worth of food, add some winter clothes and blankets (thrift store) and return to Needles. Read the post to see a special panorama that shows how we like to get the most out of Turtle, our motorhome. Read the rest of this article…
Colorado in late September. Two best friends, a comfortable motorhome, two bicycles, mountains to pedal up and peak Colorado color. Life is good. Read the rest of this article…