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Our first hike of the year
WE plan on a lot of hikes this summer, when we travel through Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Washington. So we have been taking fairly long walks around the RV park most every day. However, nothing like putting on the hiking boots, throwing on the backpack, and going through the woods. Today was our first day!
WE drove up to Sam Houston National Forest, where there is a long trail called the Lone Star Hiking Trail. It is some 100 miles long, so we cleverly decided just to walk 4 miles of it. It was nice to have the boots back on and spend some time in the forest!
Ths trails skirts Lake Conroe, so we get to see some of the lake. It is a bit early for flowers, but some of the early bloomers are starting to pop up. We enjoy being in the woods!
Hike to Phoenix Park Waterfall
Although the Phoenix Park Waterfall is beautiful, it is not viewed often because it is so remote. You either have to hike or use an ATV, and even an ATV can’t make it all the way. The road is very rough with steep sections and 14 water crossings. So we decided to hike in. Hey, it’s only at 11,000 ft. altitude….
Admittedly, a rough hike but in beautiful surroundings. And the falls were great, although probably a lot better earlier in the year with more water runoff. So we hiked for some 6 miles with 1,300 ft.of vertical climbing. Romola even managed to complete some of her least favorite hiking activities: crossing a creek on a log bridge. This is what hiking is all about: scenery, peacefulness, and no crowds.
A quick hike
Colorado Springs is a neat city in a great location. Today we did a quick hike, on a trail system starting in the city limits. The recent rains has made for a lot of mud, but we had a nice hike anyway. Not shown in the pictures is the wonderful view of Pikes Peak, which today unfortunately was somewhat hidden by the clouds.
Salida, Colorado
We are parked in the 4 Seasons RV Park in Salida, Colorado. We are here for a rally with our friends of the Pikes Peak Rollers. It’s nice to catch up with old friends, enjoy some good food, and appreciate the local scenery.
Founded in 1880, Salida was originally a railroad town and was a significant link in the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. After World War II the railroad began pulling back its operations in Salida. Many residents in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s worked either in local ranching operations or commuted north to Leadville to work at the Climax Molybdenum Company. Today, the most prominent business in Salida is tourism, consisting of skiing at Monarch Ski Area, whitewater rafting, kayaking and outfitting, particularly on the Arkansas River. In addition, fishing in the Arkansas River is a big attraction.
On US-50, heading into Salida
A nearby mountain peak
An interesting house
Another stylish home
Not sure what this style is– Cape Code?
The Arkansas River runs right through town
A ranch, across from the RV Park
Fly fishermen in the Arkansas
Valley of Fire, Nevada
The Valley of Fire is located less than an hour north of Las Vegas, close to Lake Mead. It gets its name from the bright red rock formations, but also because it gets to be over 120F (50C) in the summer.
One area is known as “Mouse Tank” and contains a valley filled with Indian petroglyphs. Even though time is starting to erode them, it is still possible to make out the huge amount of indian art.
But there is more to it. There are many geologic formations of different colors and different shapes, giving an erie effect to the landscape. Perfect for hiking, and photography.
Very sandy in many places.
Slot Canyon
Baby arches (?)
“Fire Wave” – unique formations
Hard to see, but lots of petroglyphs[/caption]
Closer view of Indian petroglyphs
Lava formations as far as the eye can see
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon is unique in that visitors view the canyon from the top down, instead of from the bottom up. This provides a unique viewpoint of the distinctive 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.
We drove over with some of our friends of the Pikes Peak Rollers, our Colorado RV travel group. We were going to stop over at Cedar Breaks, but recent snowfall closed the road. But we still got to see some snow over the pass!
Romola and I also hiked down into the canyon (Navajo Trail). It’s spectacular, looking up at the hoodoos instead of just down! Makes the tough hike back up worth it.
Rock formation at Red Canyon, on the way to Bryce
Wayne Pedersen with Romola at the summit
Yep, that’s snow!
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Steep trail back up
Twin bridges
Hiking down the canyon
Alger Alp hike, WA
The Alger Alp hike is all on abandoned logging road, so it is an easy walk, terrain wise. But it is all uphill to the summit, just over 2 miles of uphill. It is amazing to think that at one time heavily laden logging trucks came down these roads!
Unfortunately, the weather never cleared, so the expected views were severely limited. Nevertheless, we had a nice hike, d picked up a few geocaches along the way.
Start of the hike, with the destination (top of the hill) visible
Foxgloves provide some color alongside the trail
Half way up, still a ways to go to the top
We actually beat this local resident to the top
View from the top, limited by clouds
A view on the way back
We found a cache by the side of this creek
Angel’s Rest, Columbia Gorge
The weather has been so bad the last month we haven’t hiked much. So with finally a nice day we drove the 30 miles to get to the Angel’s Rest trail. It’s amazing how quickly you can get out of shape! Now the Angel’s Rest hike is 2.3 miles long, but it’s all uphill — all of it. It climbs some 1,500 feet in that distance. Sore quads by the time we got to the top!
Along the way, there wer waterfalls (there are always waterfalls here!) but no scenic pictures, as the vegetation is in full bloom and much of the falls are obscured. But the wildflowers were great! Once at the top the views are spectacular. Not much mountain view, but a lot of the Gorge itself. A great hike!
And don’t believe that since it is all downhill on the way back it’s all easy. By the time we got back to the car we truly felt we deserved a microbrew and pizza, which is conveniently located just down the road from our RV.
Starting point for several hiking trails
Better watch your step!
One of the few waterfalls wich were visible
Purple flowers
Hey! A wild rose!
A purple iris
1 1/2 miles in, and the destination is in view
Posing at the top
The view we came for
Coming down wasn't all easy, either
Hood River Mountain Hike
Did our first hike of the year, and had a great time. This area of the country has some beautiful (and challenging!) hikes! We found this hike on the Portland Hikers website, and it looks like there will be many more to come.
Our hike today was wonderful. The climb up was a bit of a stress, our flat land legs just aren’t used to it — yet. But we look forward to many more hikes to come.
The first mile is uphill, through the trees
Looking north - that's Mt. Adams with Mt. Rainier (left) peeking over the hills.
And here's Mt. Hood, viewed from Hood River Mountain summit
I call this image "Black and White, in color"
Flowers are just starting to appear
Multnomah Falls
Fruit orchards are all over the place in this area
Moving day
One of the other volunteers ended their service and left for home. This opened a space we preferred, so we moved. The “new” space is better orientated so we have the morning sun in our front window, which is cooler. And, there is a better view. Not exactly a long drive though….
Looking along our motor home, with Split Mountain in the distance
A view of the back side of Split Mountain
A view into Hog Canyon
Some very strange stress lines in the sand stone
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