Orca Island Weekend

Orca Island Cabins located in Humpy Cove in Resurrection Bay Seward Alaska, a fabulous place to spend a summer solstice weekend.

We spent an afternoon hiking what we have named the Bunker Boulder Scramble. Can you see the trail?  Neither could we!

We are standing on top of the WWII bunker/pillbox that is overgrown with vegetation, looking southeast at Hat Island and Resurrection Bay.

Another treasured memory of exploring Alaska, with excellent company, and wonderful accommodations.

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Becoming Comfortable

I am learning to be comfortable with empty spaces, and am practicing not filling the void.

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Winks Woods

Summer at Winks Woods, life is sweet!

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Road Trip

Sometimes life requires a road trip. Happy summer solstice my friends. 

Where does the road take you this weekend?

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Unlikely

They were unlikely companions, in fact they were not even friends. He was in charge of watching over her and she resented him for his position. They were locked up together in a tiny one-room flat high above the city streets where only the occasional sound of a honking horn or the smell of the restaurants below reach them.

"When do you think my father will let me leave this place and get back to my life?" Julia asked him.

"That's a silly question," Ken replied.

"Not really given my position, held here with barely the sound of the neighbors radio and no news of the outside, and you are never forthcoming with any grand information."

She got up from the couch where she had been lounging absently playing with her hair, crossing the short distance to the table where Ken was pouring over a stack of papers. Plopping in the empty chair at the table, she stares at him until her gaze broke his concentration.

"What would you have me do?" Ken asks, lifting his eyes hoping not to meet hers.

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The Best of Lives

May the best of your nine lives be spent relaxing in the grass without a care in the world.

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Zion National Park ~ Mukuntuweap

The Southern Paiute who used to live in and round this canyon called it Mukuntuweap: Moo-KOON-too-weap.  In the pronunciation the u's are long and the emphasis is on the 'kun'.

In 1860 when Isaac Behunin, an early Euro-American settler, lived in this area he was recalled as calling this place Zion.

In 1909 the area was dedicated Mukuntuweap National Monument, by October 1919 Congress passed Senator Smoot's bill making the area Little Zion National Park.

Today it receives 4.5 million visitors a year.

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Grand Canyon North Rim

Vast, beautiful, amazing!
Everything they say about it is true!

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Navajo Bridge & Colorado River

The Colorado River, Marble Canyon, and the Vermilion Cliffs!

The landscape looking south from Highway 89A in Arizona between the Navajo Bridge and the plateau that leads to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a beautiful day for a drive.

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Desert Storms

Natural Bridges National Monument

Can you see the natural bridge?  The photo below has the name of the bridge just above the opening.

It was a bit rainy with a few moments of hail, and some sunshine. We drove the scenic loop twice to find breaks in the weather to get out of the vehicle and walk to see all three bridges.

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Valley of the Gods & Moki Dugway

The sign at the beginning of this dirt road states that the road is not traversable when it has been raining, and that sign does not tell lies. We drove six miles into the Valley of the Gods when a swollen impassable creek was cause for us to turn around.

Route 261 from Mexican Hat leads to the Moki Dugway, a road with switchbacks galore, and a gain of about 1,700 feet in elevation in three short miles. Plus did I mention the dirt mound guardrails, yup totally scary and cool in the same breath.

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Newspaper Rock & Drive to Canyonlands The Needles

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Wilson Arch ~ US Route 191

Wilson Arch is accessble from a pull off parking area along US Route 191.  It is a short uphill scramble, and is similar in nature to pulling off at the Denali View Point South along the George Parks Highway in Alaska, only in Alaska the climb to the top is a bit easier.

Amazing landscape along the drive south towards our next destination. 

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Green River

The drive to Green River Utah was surreal as the dark storm clouds loomed ahead of us, and the clear skies grew smaller in our rear view mirror. The countryside was green with sage, and purple with blooming lupine, and another light purple blooming plant that I am currently not able to identify.

When we arrived in Green River it was pouring down rain, and the Tamarisk Restaurant served a welcome wonderful meal. We lodged at the Skyfall Guestrooms which are located below the Tamarisk Restaurant, very fancifully decorated and comfortable.

Another successful day on holiday!

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