Archive
Hiking, new friends
We started off the day with an early morning hike. We chose the Dorothy Stewart Loop in the Santa Fe Forest. The loop is three miles long and has about 450ft of elevation gain, so another nice one as we acclimatize ourselves to the elevation and temperature. After all, we are around 7,500 feet above sea level.
We met a couple on the trail – Joanie and Jim – who live within walking distance and avid hikers. They are about the same age as we are and we shared a lot of common history. They know the area well and after a long trail side chat we exchanged information so we can stay in touch. In fact, we are meeting them for dinner tonight.
Finally, the temperature is starting to drop. The high today will be around 94 and tonights low a pleasant 62. Tomorow we go to Santa Fe’s excellent farmers market, looking forward to it.
Volcano Trails hike
Like so much of the country, Albuquerque is in a record setting heat wave. So we left early for our hike, and found one close to where we are parked. We hiked the Volcano Trail in the Petroglyphs National Monument early in the morning. The three dormant volcanoes (JA, Black and Vulcan) we walked around or over are about 130,000 years old
This hike is in the open sun, no shade. It is 3.2 miles long and we had an elevation gain of around 500 ft. Most of it was packed sand and gravel, some pretty rough rocks and steep. We had some great panoramic views, especially from the top of Black. Normally you’d have a great view of Albuquerque, but the heat haze limited visibility somewhat.
We noticed some interesting plants, including a plant that looked dead but had pretty purple flowers….. and in the same plant yellow berries. These are silverleaf nightshades, also known as desert berries.
Oregon Coast
The last few weeks have been terrific to be on the Oregon Coast. Temperatures in the low 50 overnight and high 60 daytime, beats the Texas heat wave anytime! But all things come to an end and we are moving to Washington Sate and a cruise to Alaska. But before we go, a few pictures from the Florence, Seaside and Astoria areas of the Oregon Coast
Heceta Lighthouse Hike
Well it’s been about 4 weeks since my heart work in Petoskey, and we were in a beautiful place with magnificent weather, and a known hike nearby so we went for it. Not too long, just about 3 miles, but a reasonable amount of elevation gain, equivalent to about 85 flights of stairs.
Found that I’m not as good as I used to be health wise but still able to enjoy a moderately difficult hike. Especially since the scenery was so beautiful, it doesn’t get much better than this. So yes, I’m hiking again, still enjoying it, just have to not overdo it. It’s almost as if we’re getting old…
Badlands, North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt visited the Badlands as a 24 year old and was so impressed he is now considered one of the founders. Today, there is a National Park and the tourist city of Medora. We decided to spend an extra day here on our way West.
We had dinner at the Pitchfork Fondue, where they take a 12oz NY strip steak, put it on a pitchfork, and fondue it in hot oil. It is then served with all the trimmings, buffet style. We were impressed with the quality of the food, and the steak in particular. But we ate quick as it was cold and very windy.
We also bought tickets to the Medora Musical, a huge outdoor amphitheater where an evening’s entertainment of song, dance and comedy made for a pleasant evening, all in a magnificent setting. The setting sun in particular lent to an impressive performance.
We managed to get in a fair bit of hiking and walked some of the many trails in the Roosevelt National Park. The area certainly lives p to its reputation… the Dakota Badlands. Here are some pictures of our visit.
Tent Rocks National Monument
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, located 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico is a (BLM) managed site that was established as a U.S. National Monument by President Bill Clinton in January 2001. Kasha-Katuwe means “white cliffs” in the Pueblo language Keresan.
The area owes its remarkable geology to layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited by a volcanic explosion within the Jemez Volcanic Field that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago. Over time, weathering and erosion of these layers has created canyons and tent rocks. The tent rocks themselves are cones of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder caprocks, and vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet.
We hiked both trails, the one around the base and the much more difficult climb to the top. The latter included both working our way through a slot canyon and scrambling over rock formations. But the view from the was worth the effort.
Sweet Creek Waterfalls
This hike is close to Florence, near the Oregon coast. This was one of the nicest hikes we’ve ever done. It isn’t long, only about 2 miles each way. It isn’t steep, only about 350 ft vertical. It isn’t especially challenging, although there were some roots, rocks and catwalks. And the whole route was under heavy forest growth.
But the waterfalls were amazing! There are about 15 waterfalls along the two mile route, and rushing water all the way. We did this on a beautiful day with our friends Jack and Sylvia Napoles. They bought a house in the area and will certainly do this hike and others in the Siuslaw Forest again!
Punchbowl Falls, Angel’s Rest
The Columbia Gorge is not only scenic, it has some great hikes. We were glad to be back and have some nice weather to do two different hikes. First we did Punchbowl Falls, 2 1/2 mile in on Eagle Creek. This hike isn’t too strenuous, although there are some scary drop offs to watch for. The Falls are gorgeous.
Our second hike was up to Angel’s Rest. This is the only hike we do that is rated “Hard”, not because of the length (total distance maybe 5 1/2 miles) but it is steep, rocky, and high. Elevation gain is some 1,500 feet, tough n old folks like us! But the view is absolutely superb. See the second set of pictures.
Punchbowl Falls hike
Angel’s Rest hike
Bryce Canyon NP, Utah
Bryce Canyon is located in south western Utah. It is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet elevation.
There are some very nice hikes in the area, but you have to remember: they all start at the top so when you get down you have to climb all the way back. And it can get steep, and hot, but the views are worth the effort. Here is a photo collage I made of our visit.
Hiking Smelter Mountain
This was one of the most difficult hikes we’ve ever done. Not because it was that far, or that high, but it was so steep and rocky. It gained 1,000ft in one mile, all rocks and boulders. And in the full Colorado sun…. good thing we had lots of water with us. It took us from the base of Smelter Mountain to the broadcast towers on the very top.
But we made it, and the effort was worth it, with spectacular views of Durango and the surrounding mountains. The trip back down was anticlimactic, we just made sure of our foot placement and we got down no problems (well, maybe for 100 yards or so when we made a wrong turn).
Granted, we questioned our sanity several times on the way up (hey, we’re in our mid 70’s) but it was definitely worth the effort.
Laninga's Travel Blog 