Fruita, Devils Canyon, and 3D Imaging
Bryan, Nina and I left CB after a hectic day of work on Friday afternnon for a weekend of desert adventure. We loaded Nina's new Volvo Cross COuntry with three mountain bikes and our camping gear. The full moon came over the horizon as we passed Delta, huge and sand-colored like the desert. Our first stop was Fruita, CO. We pulled into the camp area at 11 pm only to find it mobbed with campers. We found a spot among the cacti and set up. We sat in our camp chairs under the stars and watched the city of Grand Junction sparkiling in the distance.
In one of a long series of botched camp site issues, I had set up the door to my tent facing the direction of sunrise. Usually it is a rock or root right under my hip, but this time it was an intense beam of light right in my eye in the wee hours of the morning.
We rode buff singletrack in 90 degree heat. There were many riders on the trails. It was a beautiful day with enough cloud cover to keep the intensity of the sun at bay. Tufts of grass and dry, prickly desert plants dominated the scenery at the base of the Book Cliffs. Indian Paint Brush poked out - vibrant red - against the pale soil and lichen covered rock. Charging through the grippy and smooth lines of track with Bryan and nina filled the afternoon. Hot and challenging riding. Returning to camp for a big meal under the shade of a tree felt like heaven. The good company made for easy relaxing and plenty of laughing.
Back onto I-70 West, we crossed through Green River, UT and out to the San Rafael Swell - where two techtonic plates meet and one is upthrust out of the desert forming an amazing geological playground. We found an elusive ranch exit and camped in a perfect spot - save for the sound of I-70 in the distance. Nina and I set up camp and Bryan cooked up a feast. We had a nice camp fire and chilled under the stars. On Sunday we rallied into the Devils Canyon. This is a dry wash, probably only running during flash floods, with steep sloping walls. There are a million different textures and shapes on the walls. Stryations with different layers of minerals streak the sides. The highlights of the hike were the slot canyon sections where the walls were totally vertical and no more than ten feet wide. We explored a few side canyons that were also filled with challenging manuevers.
The desert sun was scorching. All the dominant plants have harsh bark and some sort f defensive coating - thorns or barbs. There were splashes of green and the occassional Indian Paint Brush and some other tiny flowering plants. The overpowerng sense of dryness was so pervasive. Every breath of air was like huffing air from a forced air heater. Shade was so sweet to taste and feel.
After five hours of hiking we returned to the packed Cross Country ready to depart. We had sowed our camp trash under the car so the interior wouldn't smell like microwaved dumpster. Not a wise choice. Tracks from the Magpies who had torn the bag to pieces and spread our trash were everywhere. To add insult to injury, one of the birds had perched on the roof of Nina's car and preceded to poop through the inch wide space we had left the window open. Nice.
The ride home was drowsy and beautiful. I DJed on the iPod as the desert gave way to the mountains. Utah back to CO and up to home. The air temperature dropped a ton. It was actually flurrying in the City Market parking lot in Gunny. But that gave way to rain as we climbed to CB.
"Home" is relative at this point. I returned first to the River Neighborhood to stow gear at the new place, then had to return to town and Sean and Lisa's house where we are now house sitting. Home is with Katie and that is all that matters. It was great to get back to her. She had been in Michigan for a week, so it had actually been more than 7 days since I had seen her. Always nice to get home.
Katie and I went to get a sonogram done at the Gunnison Valley Hospital yesterday. The technology was amazing. We could see so much of what was happening inside of Katie. The 3D imaging was super-cool. We were able to see the baby move and take all kinds of measurements to see if the baby was developing properly. Everything looked healthy and whole - a great feeling for both of us. The baby was too shy for us to see its face, but we could see it holding its ear. The question as to whether we should find out the sex had been debated many times, but never decided. During the examination we were overcome by the decision and decided to find out. Want to know?
In one of a long series of botched camp site issues, I had set up the door to my tent facing the direction of sunrise. Usually it is a rock or root right under my hip, but this time it was an intense beam of light right in my eye in the wee hours of the morning.
We rode buff singletrack in 90 degree heat. There were many riders on the trails. It was a beautiful day with enough cloud cover to keep the intensity of the sun at bay. Tufts of grass and dry, prickly desert plants dominated the scenery at the base of the Book Cliffs. Indian Paint Brush poked out - vibrant red - against the pale soil and lichen covered rock. Charging through the grippy and smooth lines of track with Bryan and nina filled the afternoon. Hot and challenging riding. Returning to camp for a big meal under the shade of a tree felt like heaven. The good company made for easy relaxing and plenty of laughing.
Back onto I-70 West, we crossed through Green River, UT and out to the San Rafael Swell - where two techtonic plates meet and one is upthrust out of the desert forming an amazing geological playground. We found an elusive ranch exit and camped in a perfect spot - save for the sound of I-70 in the distance. Nina and I set up camp and Bryan cooked up a feast. We had a nice camp fire and chilled under the stars. On Sunday we rallied into the Devils Canyon. This is a dry wash, probably only running during flash floods, with steep sloping walls. There are a million different textures and shapes on the walls. Stryations with different layers of minerals streak the sides. The highlights of the hike were the slot canyon sections where the walls were totally vertical and no more than ten feet wide. We explored a few side canyons that were also filled with challenging manuevers.
The desert sun was scorching. All the dominant plants have harsh bark and some sort f defensive coating - thorns or barbs. There were splashes of green and the occassional Indian Paint Brush and some other tiny flowering plants. The overpowerng sense of dryness was so pervasive. Every breath of air was like huffing air from a forced air heater. Shade was so sweet to taste and feel.
After five hours of hiking we returned to the packed Cross Country ready to depart. We had sowed our camp trash under the car so the interior wouldn't smell like microwaved dumpster. Not a wise choice. Tracks from the Magpies who had torn the bag to pieces and spread our trash were everywhere. To add insult to injury, one of the birds had perched on the roof of Nina's car and preceded to poop through the inch wide space we had left the window open. Nice.
The ride home was drowsy and beautiful. I DJed on the iPod as the desert gave way to the mountains. Utah back to CO and up to home. The air temperature dropped a ton. It was actually flurrying in the City Market parking lot in Gunny. But that gave way to rain as we climbed to CB.
"Home" is relative at this point. I returned first to the River Neighborhood to stow gear at the new place, then had to return to town and Sean and Lisa's house where we are now house sitting. Home is with Katie and that is all that matters. It was great to get back to her. She had been in Michigan for a week, so it had actually been more than 7 days since I had seen her. Always nice to get home.
Katie and I went to get a sonogram done at the Gunnison Valley Hospital yesterday. The technology was amazing. We could see so much of what was happening inside of Katie. The 3D imaging was super-cool. We were able to see the baby move and take all kinds of measurements to see if the baby was developing properly. Everything looked healthy and whole - a great feeling for both of us. The baby was too shy for us to see its face, but we could see it holding its ear. The question as to whether we should find out the sex had been debated many times, but never decided. During the examination we were overcome by the decision and decided to find out. Want to know?
posted by Cakes at 5/16/2006 10:31:00 AM
1 Comments:
yes, yes, yes, I would like to know if you are sharing! how very exciting--!
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