A Family Hike

We needed to escape the desert heat, so we headed up high again, this time with the cousins and their parents. We drove up to 10,000 feet elevation, and right off it felt so much better. Our destination was Bald Mountain, at about 11,500 feet. It was the first attempt to climb a mountain peak for some of the cousins, and they were very excited. Or maybe you can't tell, because little girl in the foreground is trying to kick her brother. Yes, we're a peaceful and quiet family. Well, some of the time.

We didn't stay on the trail all that long, because there isn't a trail up to the top of Bald Mountain. The cousins thought it was fun to lead the way. The aspen groves gave way to the low, bent trees of limber pine and Engelmann spruce. Then the trees stopped and we walked on talus. Small patches of flowers and grasses provided bits of green in the landscape.

Although Bald Mountain is pretty high, it's not that high compared to Wheeler Peak and Jeff Davis, which you can see in the background. I like having such great views when I'm hiking, because when I'm gasping for oxygen I can always say that I'm taking a break to enjoy the view. Or to take a photograph.

I like to take lots of photographs when I'm hiking up high. So I can get lots of oxygen. This pretty flower presented a good reason to stop forcing my body against gravity. 

But I kept trudging along, and we all made it to the top. It was cold and windy, and we huddled behind a rock cairn and ate lunch. See the clouds in the background? We're still in monsoon season, so we had to eat fast because it was starting to thunder in the distance.

Here you can see more clouds. We felt kind of exposed. It was hard to believe that just a few short hours before we had been sweltering on the valley floor in the desert heat. I was proud of the cousins climbing the mountain and being such good sports about it.

Desert Boy enjoyed most of the trip. But he doesn't like to stop to take photos. After all, he doesn't need the extra oxygen! 

We thought we could get a nice family shot on top of the mountain. But Desert Boy's patience had run out, so all we have are a bunch of photos with a red-faced, crying kid. So don't look at us, just enjoy the scenery!

Point Reyes National Seashore

While we were out in California, we decided to go to Point Reyes National Seashore, a place we had never visited before. My husband's sister and her family were our gracious guides.

Our first sightseeing moment was the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at the overlook on the north side and learning a few tidbits about the bridge, like it was built in 1937 and painted International Orange.

It was windy and raining, so we didn't stay long. But of course we (meaning compulsive me) had to take a few photos, and we had some willing models.

Our plan was to head up Highway 1 to the National Seashore, but that way was flooded, so we had to take an alternate route. The alternate route took us through a redwood tree grove (ah, those lovely trees!) and was quite scenic. I was really enjoying a total change of scenery, and cousin Lola was in the backseat, keeping Desert Girl and Desert Boy happily entertained.

When we got to the main visitor center, we looked at some of the exhibits, ate our picnic lunch, and then decided to head out to the lighthouse.

This was the view from the parking area at the lighthouse. The storm clouds just added to the dramatic scenery.
We found a short trail that went to a viewpoint, and took it to stretch our legs.

We were glad to have rain gear!

Ruby and her mom.

The ocean was a long way below us, but its effect on the landscape and vegetation was obvious. The vegetation was fairly short, having adapted to a rather harsh climate.

Next up was the trail to the lighthouse.

The direction of the prevailing wind was obvious by the lean of these trees. Ruby looks like she's enjoying a walk in the park!

Some black-tailed deer were munching on the vegetation, not particularly afraid of human visitors.
Then we got to a tiny visitor center and a set of stairs leading to the lighthouse, set on the cliffs below.

Not too many people were braving the weather, so we nearly had it to ourselves, even though it was a weekend. And the sun came out for a few brief moments.

It was about a 300 foot descent to get to the lighthouse, over 300 stairs.

The foghorn and light were automated years ago and are now housed in this little shack. Not nearly as picturesque as a real lighthouse!

Due to the height of the cliffs, they didn't need to build a tall lighthouse. In fact, it was a challenge to get all the materials to this location. In addition, they had no fresh water source except for what fell from the sky, so they built a cistern and collection basin.

It would have been a rather lonely life as a light house keeper, and I think I might have gone slightly mad seeing the ocean but not having an easy way to get down to it.

My brother Ed enjoyed the scenery, too.

After checking out the area, it was time to head back up. I had Emma in the front carrier, so I was ready for a good cardio workout.

And up. They had painted numbers on the steps so you knew how many more you had to go.

On one step I found this neat little snail.

It sure was a strange-looking creature!

We got to see the beach to the north again on the trek back to the parking area, along with the slug-like elephant seals that were on the beach.

A break in the rain meant it was time for some goofing off in the parking lot.

Emma was fascinated with the dog.

After a quick snack, we decided to head to the beach, where dogs were allowed (they weren't allowed on trails in the national seashore).

This was some of the landscape we drove through to get there, green pastures with lots of cows. Ranching was a historical use of this area, and many ranches are still in operation within the national seashore.

Some of the cows were dairy cows, while others were beef cows.

We parked in a huge parking lot and were virtually the only vehicles. Apparently there's a lot more visitation in the summer!

Despite it being December and wearing winter coats, some of us still had to take off our shoes and socks and run through the sand!

Desert Boy and Lola decided to play the wave game, trying to just let their feet get wet.

The shore was a little on the steep side, so it was hard to judge how big the waves would be.

They got some good exercise running back and forth.

Desert Boy was absolutely fascinated with the waves. After all, he doesn't get to spend much time at the ocean.

He was spellbound.

Will my toes get wet?

And to see the action, click on the video below.



Before we left the beach, it was time for a family photo.

Thanks for the good memories!

A Trip to Ozark Caves in Arkansas

We're going to take a trip out of the desert for this post. In mid-October I headed to northwest Arkansas. For the first few days, I was at beautiful Blanchard Springs Caverns, an amazing US Forest Service (USFS) show cave. It has huge passageways and huge speleothems. It also has amazing cave biota, including at least two kinds of cave salamanders, plus isopods, pseudoscorpions, and more. 

The reason I was there was to assist with a USFS video for CavesLIVE. This is an educational project, and in mid-February, a free video will be available on their website. In mid-March, there will be a live question and answer session. It's geared towards grades 4-8, but anyone is welcome to view the video and check out all the resources on the website. Plus, You might recognize someone in the video! 

The video was filmed by a professional film company, but most of us definitely weren't professional actors! Fortunately there was a teleprompter and the crew was very friendly. Below are two friends in Tyvek suits ready to do the hydrology part of the filming where they put some dye into a spring. I loved how the yellow stood out!

We had filming in various parts outside and inside the cave.  It was great to get to know these ladies better and everyone else involved.

It was really interesting observing the filming process. We filmed the opening and closing the first day. The next two days it was the middle parts. We hoped we had good continuity!

Next it was on to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for the National Cave and Karst Management Symposium. Eureka Springs is an interesting town, built there because of its 60+ springs, which were thought to have medicinal healing value. Now they are all polluted and you shouldn't drink from any of them. It's still a gorgeous place, and I made it a point to get out and run every morning so I could do some sightseeing.


This little free library was so cute.

A Carnegie librarie. There was moss growing on rocks and building stones everywhere. It was so different than the desert!

The Catholic Church up on the hill.

 We had a field trip one day, and I chose to go on the geology trip down the Buffalo National River, the first national river in the U.S. It's 135 miles of free-flowing water. We just saw a few miles.

We visited a couple shelter caves, saw awesome fossils, and learned more about some of the issues facing the river. Here I am with my paddling partner.

A little more view of the river.

And some friends paddling in to the take-out spot.

Eureka Springs is very hilly, and the Crescent Hotel is up at the top. Sunrise one morning...

I found the trail network near Harmon Park and surprised these deer.

And there are hidden secrets all over.

CaveSim came. This is a trailer with a simulated cave in it. What makes it extra special is that there are sensors in the speleothems and cave critters. Anytime you touch one, the sensor records it. Your goal is to go through the cave without touching anything fragile and as fast as you can. It is so much fun! We're hoping Great Basin National Park might be able to get one to take to various places and teach about cave conservation.

The keynote speaker was Tom Aley, a longtime caver and hydrologist from Ozark Underground Laboratory. He spoke about the history of NCKMS and also related some entertaining tales, such as a house in a cave that leaked a lot. Hmm, go figure.

It was an enjoyable getaway to a part of the country I had never visited before. I did feel a little claustrophobic with all the trees around. And everything was so wet and moldy! I actually missed the desert dryness. But it was a great place to visit, and I'm grateful that I had the opportunity.

If you're every heading to Arkansas, I highly recommend Blanchard Springs Caverns and the Buffalo National River.

Wherever you are, don't forget to check out the CavesLIVE website! The goal of CavesLIVE is to raise awareness and understanding of caves and karst - a resource that is seldom seen and considered mysterious - and connect it to people's everyday lives.