It was a little windy when we closed our eyes on our own little patch of slickrock sandstone, but sometime during the night - after air temperatures equalized a bit - it calmed down and there was barely a breeze when our alarm went off about 20 minutes before sunrise. Our new-to-us Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 3 tent worked so much better than the semi-self-standing tent we had previously. Unlike most mornings where we might hit the snooze button once or twice, we were up and about almost immediately. Knowing that the forecast was for even hotter temperatures than…
5 CommentsTag: Western Side-blotched Lizard (Uta Stansburiana Elegans)
It's been more than a year since I visited my first Grand Canyon Polychrome site out on the Esplanade and I've been very curious to get back and look for more of these wonderful pictographs. Naturally, being rock art - and a relatively rare variety at that - the locations of the sites are a closely guarded secret by those lucky enough to know them. I'd hoped to finally meet and head out on a hike with of adventr.co - one of the foremost rock art enthusiasts I know - but family matters came up and he was unable to…
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It should have been obvious based on how long it'd taken us to get to camp the previous evening, but by the time we'd checked out a couple of pictograph sites and retraced our route along the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, it was noon when we pulled into the shade of a tree for lunch, and almost 1:00pm by the time we were done making - and consuming - our tuna sandwiches. There was no way we were going to have time for an hour drive, and then a 14-mile hike through a slot canyon before the sun set just…
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Even with a big breakfast to make, no one was up early to get started on their contribution to the group breakfast. I'm not complaining at all - I hadn't brought anything to contribute except my growling stomach - simply noting the anomaly. Perhaps on this trip - one where we spent more time in camp than ever before - it was to be expected that we would get a slow start on our last morning together. Whatever the reason, I took a few minutes to backup the photos I'd take so far onto my laptop, and snap a few…
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