Time Out

Hello all, I've missed a couple posts lately, but it's for a good reason: my brother got married! This was a joyous event that allowed us to take a mini-vacation to Ohio and Kentucky to go cleanse our pores in the humidity and take in the changing fall colors. Here are some of the highlights of our trip.

The wedding was gorgeous, and we all had a great time. I am so happy to have another sister-in-law!!! One day all of us ladies will gang up on my four brothers and take them down. I used to be able to do this when we all still lived in Mom and Dad's house, but those days are long gone. Now I just have to cry when they come and jump on my back without warning.

I love going to weddings. Desert Boy was the ring bearer, which made the wedding a little more interesting. He missed his morning nap so was a bit cantankerous by the time the ceremony started. When I gave him the pillow with the rings to carry, he promptly threw it on the ground. Everyone in the back of the church laughed. He didn't get too far down the aisle before he decided it was too big a job, and then I got to carry him the rest of the way.

Desert Boy had the chance to dress up and reunite with his Uncle Andrew. This time around Uncle Andrew didn't go on any crazy hikes, and in fact he found out that keeping up with Desert Boy may be as difficult as hiking down into (and back up!) the Grand Canyon.

Nevertheless, all the attention made Desert Boy tired at times, wanting to hold onto Mama even when she was busy videotaping the riproaring dancing on the dance floor or the hilarious rendition of the Lumberjack song.

The long weekend provided a wonderful opportunity to see lots of family, including meeting the newest cousin. Desert Boy was quite enthralled and didn't even pull her hair or put his hands into her mouth (too many times).

Of course Desert Boy had to sample some of the Kentucky soil. Perhaps one day he will join Future Farmers of America and be an expert soil judge. He seemed to like the texture and taste of this soil quite a bit, for he kept eating it.

We showed him poison ivy, my nemesis. Just looking at it makes me itch. It usually takes me a week after contact for the rash to show up, so even though I'm feeling good now, there's still time...

We got to see cool creatures that we don't have here in the desert, like this big snail.

Desert Boy also had fun walking in the woods and looking at all the pretty leaves. 

It was a great trip but went by way too fast. Now we're getting reacquainted with our dry desert home, far from busy roads and traffic lights (and shopping!). 

Desert Destination: Zion National Park in the Rain

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

Zion National Park is one of my favorite places, with its soaring sandstone walls, secret creeks, challenging canyons, and variety of vegetation. My brother Ed came out for a visit, and we took time to discover some of the beauties.

The view from Angel's Landing is spectacular, with the Virgin River far below, curving around the rock outcrop. The hike up to Angel's Landing is also spectacular, as you cling to chains drilled into the rock so that you don't plunge 1,500 feet to your death. I didn't manage to get photos of that clinging part--I was too busy making sure I wasn't plunging! 

Here's Ed, all relaxed. Notice the clouds building in the background. We had originally planned to go canyoneering that day, but the weather forecast was for certain rain, so we decided to stay out of slot canyons and avoid flash floods. The morning was beautiful, though, and we made the most of it by hiking.

Here I am. In the background you can see a couple different layers of rock, red and white, and the far-reaching canyon that extends as far as the eye can see. Because those canyons are so long, it can be sunny where you are and raining upstream. That rain can cause a flash flood into your sun-drenched spot without much warning.

This is the West Rim trail, a scenic area without the crowds on Angel's Landing. The sky looked quite blue behind Ed. But before we got down to the trailhead, the skies let loose, and we were drenched. Then the fun began.

We watched water cascading over sandstone in places we never thought saw water. The water twisted and turned, forming rivulets and then roaring streams of dirty water.

The number of waterfalls was amazing. Some poured nearly one hundred feet off the rocks above.

We were supposed to come out of one of these canyons, so we were really glad that we had played it safe. Besides, the views of all these waterfalls made for a one-of-a-kind experience.

We were even able to get nearly underneath a couple waterfalls.

This is a waterfall at the Emerald Pools.

Don't expect this sight if you go visit Zion. Nevertheless, there is always water around, it's just usually at the bottom of the cliffs, rather than pouring over it!

Desert Destination: Frisco, Utah: Ghost Town and Charcoal Ovens

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

These are charcoal ovens, used in the late 1800s to produce charcoal to run smelters to process the ore found at nearby mines. These particular ovens are found at Frisco, Utah just off Highway 21. 

Okay, if you're trying to find Frisco on a map, you probably won't have much luck, because absolutely no one lives at Frisco anymore. But during its heydey, almost six thousand people lived here. Before I get into that history, let me tell you a little more about these charcoal ovens.

They have an arched entryway, big enough for a person to enter. They were filled up with about 35 cords of wood: pinyon pine, juniper, sagebrush, and whatever else was close by and available. Then fires were set and over the next few days this wood was reduced to about 1,000 bushels of charcoal, which was small and compact. It took approximately 13 days to go through the entire process of loading the oven, burning the wood, and moving the charcoal.

Each of the charcoal ovens has a window high in the wall opposite the door to improve ventilation. I've tried to find information about how this window might be closed, but I've found very little information about how these charcoal ovens operated. (If you know more, please let me know!)

The shape of the charcoal ovens is a beehive, or parabolic, which helped to concentrate the heat into the middle of the oven. Look closely to the right of the door, and you can see little holes in the rocks. These provided additional ventilation and could be plugged or opened as needed.

Desert Boy enters one of the charcoal ovens, giving you a sense of scale. To the right are some little light spots in the wall--those small ventilation holes. The more intact charcoal ovens are quite dark inside, the rocks stained with dark soot.

Five charcoal ovens were originally built in Frisco in 1877 by the Frisco Mining and Smelting Company. This company decided it would be profitable to invest in the area due to the high-producing silver mines in the San Francisco Mountains, particularly the Horn Silver Mine, discovered in 1875. 

The charcoal ovens are about two miles away from the major hub of mining. As more ore was found, a town sprang up. It included a post office, and in 1880 the Utah Southern Railroad extended into town from Milford, Utah, 15 miles to the east. It became much more profitable to ship the ore out. It also became much easier to get water in; very little water is found close to Frisco.

The town grew and gained a reputation for being the wildest mining town in the San Francisco district. It had over 20 saloons, gambling dens, and brothels lining the rocky streets, and a population of nearly 6,000. Murders became so frequent that city officials decided to hire a lawman from Pioche, Nevada and give him free rein. When he rode into town, he reportedly said he wasn't going to build a jail or make arrests. Criminals had two options: get out of town or get shot. Some didn't believe him, and the first night he apparently shot six outlaws. After that Frisco became a much calmer place.

This mill was built near the mines. Just ten years after the profitable mines were discovered, a momentous event occurred. It was the morning of February 12, 1885, and the day shift was preparing to enter the mine. Several tremors had been felt, and they were told to wait. The night shift came to the surface, and a few minutes later a massive cave-in collapsed most of the mine, including the most profitable areas. Amazingly, no one was killed.

Over $60 million worth of zinc, lead, silver, copper, and gold had been hauled away from Frisco in those 10 years. After the cave-in, mining eventually resumed, but never at the same scale, and slowly the town of Frisco faded away. By 1900 only about 500 people remained, and by the 1920's the town had been abandoned.

Few buildings remain, but this old stone wall hint at the town that once existed. 

A small cemetery is located between the charcoal ovens and the mines. I found it to be one of the most depressing mining cemeteries I have ever visited. Despite the reports of the outlaws and murders in Frisco, I'd estimate that nearly three-quarters of those buried there were infants or children. The cemetery is definitely a reminder that although we might look back at ghost towns with a hint of nostalgia, the life was hard and lacking most comforts that we take for granted today.

Frisco's days may not be totally over. In 2002 a mining company bought the rights for the mines and has begun reworking them. Although the mining areas are closed off, the charcoal ovens and cemetery are still open for visitors.

Desert Destination: Parowan Gap Petroglyphs

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

Located north of Cedar City, Utah, the Parowan Gap petroglyphs grace a steep rockface. Although many petroglyph locations are kept secret to help preserve them, these are not because a road goes right next to them. The BLM (Bureau of Land Management--it manages most of the public land in the West) has erected interpretive signs and a fence. 

The petroglyphs were made by prehistoric Fremont and Southern Paiute cultures and placed on the National Historic Register in 1969. Although people guess what the petroglyphs mean, no one knows for certain what they all mean. That's part of the fun of looking at petroglyphs, thinking about what compelled someone to scrape a rock on the bigger rock and why they decided to draw what they did. They obviously had to spend some time to make the drawings, and likely they represent a number of different activities and counts. 

Here's the road that leads through Parowan Gap. The gap is a split in a three-mile long ridge of Jurassic Navajo Sandstone that's about 100 meters (300 feet) higher than the valley floor. Much of the sandstone has shattered, and the fence in the Gap not only protects the petroglyphs but also keeps falling rocks from getting out on the road. The Gap is the result of a stream that eroded away the sedimentary rock as it was being pushed upwards along a fault line.

This set of petroglyphs appears to have fewer human-like and animal drawings than many others I've seen. Instead it contains a large number of geometric designs, like the squares with dots on the right hand side and  the glyph in the middle called the Zipper. Recent research indicates that this area was used as a calendar. To learn more, click here.

These petroglyphs were first brought to the world's attention in 1849, when Parley P. Pratt led an expedition to look for new settlement sites. Over time, the Gap was used as an access route and a quarry. The road was expanded and some of the petroglyphs were lost. It's estimated that about half of the original petroglyphs are still present.

Sagebrush grows next to the small parking area. When Desert Boy and I visited, we had the place to ourselves, and most of the time this is a quiet spot. Crowds occasionally gather, such as during the summer solstice, when a local puts on a special presentation about the petroglyphs or when bike tours take a break.

On the left side of the above photo, you can see what looks like a sideways horseshoe; perhaps it is a map. On the right side is what appears to be a bighorn sheep. When visiting petroglyphs, it's fine to take photos, but touching the rock leaves behinds oils that can degrade the art. Some of the drawings may have been made over a thousand years ago. It is amazing how they have survived the wind and sun and rain and how they can inspire us.

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Desert Destination: Hampton Creek Trail

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

I felt the need to go hiking, so I packed up Desert Boy and Henry and we headed to a nice mountain trail, Hampton Creek. We drove on a long gravel road to get to the trailhead, and upon arriving we saw that we would have the trail to ourselves. Desert Boy wasted no time checking out the informational sign.

With the backpack loaded, we started up the trail. Desert Boy quickly got distracted by the big boulders that block vehicles from the trail. 

A few steps further on he investigates what's been digging in the dirt. I can see that this is going to be a slow-paced hike. We have no real destination, so it doesn't matter. The Hampton Creek trail leads up to The Table, a high-elevation meadow renowned for its ancient bristlecone pines and herds of bighorn sheep. I figure we probably won't make it that far today, after all I only packed one meal.

Desert Boy observes Mama has a hiking pole and wants one for himself. He hikes with it for a few steps.

And then he decides it's more fun to use it to dig in the dirt. I need some exercise and want to feel my thigh muscles burn, so it's time for Desert Boy to go up in the backpack and we start making time going up the steep trail.

A short while later we pass the sign indicating that we're entering a wilderness area. High cliffs peek out from the surrounding forest, and it feels pretty wild, especially knowing that we're the only ones out there. We hike awhile, and although it's the Hampton Creek trail, the trail stays far away from the creek. Henry is getting thirsty (and Desert Boy is getting heavy), so I know that once we find some water, we'll take a break. Gradually our surroundings change from pinyon and juniper woodlands to ponderosa pine and aspen forest. More plants appear in the understory, including some that are still flowering. (I took 240 photos this particular day, so although this post is on the long side, I did show a little restraint. Some of the photos of the vegetation will appear in future posts.)

At our break, Desert Boy wanted the juice box. He thinks it's really fun to drink out of a straw.

He's all business here, no giggles or laughs. He wants a drink!

After he's refreshed, it's time to wander around. Desert Boy finds one of his favorite attractions: something to climb. 

He struggles awhile to get up on this log. I figure he can eventually do it, so I leave him to find a way to ascend.

He tries several different techniques...

...and eventually finds one that works. He's happy.

And then he gets this look on his face, and I can only worry. What's next?

I should have guessed what's next--water. Henry had been happily traipsing in it, so Desert Boy followed and managed to get himself soaking wet. So after a bit of happy splashing in the moss-covered stream, I change his clothes and realize I don't have any extra socks or shoes. So it's probably time to head back down to the truck. 

On the way back, Desert Boy falls asleep leaning to one side, which doesn't make the backpack too comfortable. 

Nevertheless, we make it back to the trailhead, content with our little adventure and ready to go looking for the next one.

So if you'd like a quiet mountain hike, Hampton Creek is a good place to go. The trail just gets more beautiful as you get higher, although the trail is steep and crosses the creek in several locations. It's good for both day hikes and backpacking.