15 Sunday Oct 2017
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I am not an avid rock hounder and have little experience in rock hounding. And I don’t know much about rocks. But I love geology and I like the concept of rock hounding. Today I visited a place south of Succor Creek State Park to look for fossils. I had been to this place before with a geologist, someone who gave me a clue of what to do. I had a chisel and hammer with me ready to split open the rocks looking for leaf fossils. Success.
The large leaf is about 2 inches long
14 Saturday Oct 2017
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Today would be a lazy day. A day to let the roads dry out.
Rocket and I went on a walk along the road follows the shoreline. I reflected on our public lands. I was camping for free, with a million dollar view; our public lands are a national treasure. We have something very special in the US.
13 Friday Oct 2017
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A rather slow day today. Rain/snow were forecast. In this area dirt roads turn to gumbo when wet. In the morning I saw rain showers in the distant. It looked like I could make it to Jordan Crater and back before the rains started. Off I went.
11 Wednesday Oct 2017
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I had read that the Owyhees was rattlesnake country. One of the hunters I talked with didn’t bring his hunting dog with him because of the snakes. Another group had all their dogs given the rattlesnake vaccine. I took this chatter as a serious warning. Rocket would have to stay on a leash.
On our walk up Juniper Gulch we fortunately saw no snakes. The next day I walked up the Sage Creek track.
10 Tuesday Oct 2017
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I decided to start my exploring with my number one destination – Juniper Gulch off of the Leslie Gulch Road.
I called this rock The King
08 Sunday Oct 2017
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I’m off; not to Montana as originally planned, but to the Owyhees. Too many wildfire in Montana made me decide to cancel the Montana trip I had planned. Maybe next spring will be a good time to visit Montana if there isn’t too much snow this winter.
26 Wednesday Oct 2016
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This is my second trip to Utah and on my way home I drove a portion of I-70 that I hadn’t driven before. To my surprise, views of Utah still amazed me. I think of it like being at Disneyland, around every turn there is something new to surprised and amaze.
I-70 slicing the San Rafael Reef
21 Friday Oct 2016
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“What was the favorite part of your trip?” This was the common question I was asked when I returned to work. I didn’t have an obvious answer which pushed me to ponder. The scenery was gorgeous. The ability to walk in the footsteps of the ancient people was humbling. The geology was mind blowing. But these items were all wisps in the memories dancing in my head. I realized the memories with density, were of the people I met.
Meeting the Wander The West people in the Valley of Gods was wonderful. I’m still thinking about my chat about a 1,700-foot, 36-inch diameter horizontal directional drill run. And meeting Hoyden who later wrote about her trip : “Perhaps that’s what I learned on this trip: to take one step at a time, not to give credence to the future unknowns, and watch for cairns – the markers of where others have gone and suggested a reasonable path.”
Some of the Wander The West group
17 Monday Oct 2016
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The time we spent at Muley Point was spent exploring. My hat off to the volunteers at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station that dispense good quality friendly information.
Following are some photos taken while exploring. Enjoy.
House of Fire, South Mule Canyon
23 Saturday Jan 2016
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Today I leave the beach and the life of a lighthouse docent and go home to my alternate reality of being an engineer. I leave behind a life scheduled by the tide table and the
Photo credit: Ron
lighthouse. A life where I had started to memorize the curves in the road and know which beach access is good at which tide. A life where I knew enough to chat with the locals about fossils and agates, and where to shop in town. And a life were I learned how to pronounce Yachats, Heceta, Umpqua, Yaquina, and Fresnel. Living here has been comfortable and simple. I’ve enjoyed it.
But challenges and adventures are the spice of life. It is time to move on.
