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Crystal Mountain – Sunday October 7, 2012

Jean has to work this beautiful weekend so Hank and I are at Crystal Mt.

It does not sound like the best campground around however it really is a nice place when you have the whole place to yourself.
Yesterday Hank hiked up to Hen Skin Lake.

And yes not a cloud in the sky

The first time I was at Hen Skin Lake was in 1959 with Dad and his friend Jim Hogan.  That was a long time ago.   I think it was 1959 because I don’t remember ever going fishing with Dad when we lived in Enumclaw.

 

Hen Skin Lake    5552 elevation
here: 46 55.133 N 121 29.024  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:46.91889,-121.48374

This picture is from the mid 60’s.  I can tell by pack boards they were made around 63 or 64.  I think this was taken on the trail to Hidden Lake, we used to go there a lot for the big trout.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of where we are camped:

Looking up to the ridge line.

Last night Hank & I went for a walk in the dark.  He was exhausted when we got back home however when I said walk he was up and ready to go.  We had a good weekend.

Home – Monday September 23, 2013

I didn’t close out vacation.

Saturday we drove 552 miles in 12.5 hours coming across Chinook Pass.  As a footnote Chinook pass should get some snow tonight.  We used only 303 gallons of gas. We usually use between 400 and 450 gallons when we venture out into eastern Utah and/or northern Arizona.

I know change is usually good, however Google has changed the structure of photo sharing again.  They want to force you to share through Google Plus and all I want to do is to allow sharing through a know link.  I found this link information last night and tonight I’ve looked to 5 minutes and still can not figure out how to find the albums URL.  I want to add the URL to this post so only people who have been to this blog can see the pictures.

4 minutes later, I found it.

Hopefully this is the link to a short photo album of our Fall 2013 vacation.

https://plus.google.com/photos/103251228629758359940/albums/5926676480697151457?authkey=CPiN1svBnuP6ZQ

 

Harry

 

Lees Ferry, AZ – September 10, 2012

We are now at Lee’s Ferry  Recreational Area over looking the Colorado River.  Our camp site looks down on the river. We’ve had several thunder showers go
through and the wind is blowing steady at 35-40.
This is a major starting point for rafting the Grand Canyon and I hope to get pictures of the rafts going down the river.  Don’t know when they start but I can see a bunch of rafts in the water about a mile up river and 3 tour buses have driven by and stopped where the rafts by the river.

Here is today’s camp site.
Rear view

Note the sun cover over the picnic table.

Zion Natl Park, UT – Saturday September 8, 2012

Friday afternoon I decided to take a trip up the Narrows.  One of the equipment outfitters has opened a small pop up store just outside the park entrance.  I could walk over the walk in entrance bridge and rent water walking shoes.  The next available shop is a mile walk into Springdale in the 95+ heat and sun.

I thought about going with my tennis shoes and not spend the $20.00 for the rental shoes however I’m glad I rented the shoes.  I think they made a big difference and I was still pretty tired by the end of the day.  Entered the river at 9:45 and turned around at 12:00. I was getting tired and I still had to return the distance I’d come in the last 2 plus hours.  Got back the the river trail head at 1:30.  I did learn from the hike Tanya and I did a couple of years ago and that was to bring my sandels to walk the mile back to the tram and the 1/2 from the tram to camp.   As the shoes start to dry out they get smaller and start pushing your toes together and creating blisters.

Here are two pictures, I only took 135 pictures in the narrows.  I didn’t want slip and get my camera wet so I kept the camera in my pack and had to stop and unpack it to take pictures.  I didn’t fall all day, however I was more comfortable knowing if I did fall I wouldn’t ruin my camera.
For those of you how have not hike up the Virgin River the walls are up to 2000 feet high.  If you look on the left side of the river just where the river bed meets the rock wall you  can see a hiker next to the wall.

Here’s another group moving up the river.  In time I’ll post more pictures on Google.

Having a great trip.   Harry

Zion Natl Park, Ut – Friday September 7, 2012

We got to take a ride to Hurricane Utah today. Our original plan was to visit the vet at the High Desert Vet clinic. This is the same vet we had Hank to last September when he couldn’t stop scratching. 
This morning he stepped on something while chasing after a lizard. It was more than a burr, he was in significant pain and seemed to be in a panic as he was licking he left paw. He was not about to put it on the ground.  By the time we get to the vet he was fine, walking on the paw like nothing had ever been wrong (children).  We went for a walk this evening he he was fine except for a couple of times he step on it wrong and he’d limp for 2 or 3 more steps.  My guess is he stepped on a bee.

Picture of the day is Zion visitor’s center.

This Android version of WordPress likes something between pictures.
Current plan: I’m going to hike up the narrows tomorrow and Monday we’ll move to Lee’s Ferry National Recreation area in northern Arizona.  It is on the Colorado River and we have never been there. Google says it is 124 miles from here. 
I do not think we will have cell service there.