The Missing Posts: Summer 2020

 Postcard from Barker Lakes August 2, 2020

The Missing Posts: The North Country 2021

 Postcard from the 100th Meridian  June 16, 2021

Postcard from Minnesota July 4, 2021

Postcard from Maine July 30, 2021

Postcard from Nova Scotia August 23, 2021

Postcard from Northeastern Montana September 16, 2021

Postcard from Prescott October 16, 2021

The Missing Posts: Alaska 2019

 New Van New Blog March 9, 2019

Postcard from the Great Basin Desert May 16, 2019

Postcard from Oregon May 31, 2019

Postcard from the Inside Passage June 11, 2019

Postcard from Haines June 21, 2019

Postcard from Valdez July 4, 2019

Postcard from Eagle July 25, 2019

Postcard from the Canadian Rockies August 10, 2019

Postcard from Prescott September 10, 2019

Postcard from the "Mostly Wet Trip"

 July 17, 2022

July 8 we returned from a six-week van trip to Vancouver Island. Fiends laugh when I say it was too fast, and a bit of a blur. I'm serious. 

Mary and I have grown accustomed to a rather relaxed mode of travel, in which we follow a wide and winding arc towrds a vague destination, and allow ample time for the unexpected. This year, after reading too many stories about campground overcrowding, I worried we would encounter an endless stream of "Campground Full" signs in British Columbia and elsewhere. So, although the trip didn't deviate far from our usual 100 mile a day average, our six weeks were highly scripted, with reserved campsites most nights. 

Black Bear cub on the Port Renfrew to Lake Cowichan Road (Vancouver Island, BC)

During the winter, I enjoyed scoping out campgrounds, booking sites (for BC Provincial Parks, this was always exactly 2 months ahead of our arrival date), and thinking about where our trip would lead us. During the trip, we had mostly great campsites and no worries about getting to camp late in the day. And yet . .  

Most of our favorite times were the days we had no reservations, and the days we deviated from the script. These decisions included blasting through Beatty and driving 500+ miles on the frist day of our trip, so as to have two nights at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest; taking a last-minute chance on what turned out to be an idyllic stay at Davis Creek (Kootenay Lake Provincial Park, BC); or looking for a couple of cool nights and "discovering" the Mirror Lake Byway through the High Uintas. On days like these, Mary's log entry concludes, "A very good day."

Mary on the MethusalahTrail (Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Bishop, CA)

It's the joy of discovery that makes travel memorable. Sometimes that comes from geogaphy, other times from a chance encounter or an unexpected historical theme, whether the story of Japanese Canadians forcibly relocated to the Kootenays during WWII or of Lewis & Clark's 1803 journey to the mouth of the Colombia River.  For me, at least, less planning may result in more joy.

Back in Arizona, it's hard to believe I dubbed this "The Mostly Wet Trip," yet for most of the six weeks, it was. Shorts and capris went unused, and the van interior was often a drying rack. And that's the price you pay for visiting those magical old growth forests.

Mary scales the Myra Falls Trail (Strathcona Provinical Park, Vancouver Island, BC)

This was our first van trp without Toby, and we missed him every day. Sure there are advantages to not having a dog. When a rainy day had us Condor-bound, we had more room. We could spend a night (in a hotel!) in Vancouver, and visit the wonderful Museum of Anthropology. Actually we could have done that without worrying about leaving Toby in the van. It was raining!  By the end of the trip, while still grieving Toby, I was missing having a dog. Stay tuned.

Love to all, Toni

Me at Fehr Lake (Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, UT)

Red-shouldered Hawk chicks (Yuba City, CA)

On the Cinder Cone Trail (Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA)

The North Umpqua Trail (Clearwater, OR)

Cape Kiwanda (Pacific City, OR)

Varied Thrush (China Beach Vancouver Isalnd, BC)

Long Beach (Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, BC)

Smuggler's Cove on the Sunshine Coast (British Colombia)

Slocan Lake from New Denver (British Colombia)

Falls Creek Falls and the Snake River (Swan Valley, ID)

Kamas Lake (Lofty Lake Loop, Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, UT)

Back in Arizona.  Marble Canyon and the Vermillion Cliffs as seen from the East Rim. It's good to be home..

Postcard from the Swell

Greetings!

Mary and I are just back from a 12-day trip to the San Rafael Swell. "Where is that?" you might ask. If you've ever driven I-70 between Green River and Richfield, Utah, you'll remember multiple signs warning you it's 110 miles to the next gas station. As you traverse that service-free are, you are crossing the San Rafael Swell, a giant dome-shaped anticline from the time of the Laramide Orogeny, 40-60 million years ago.

Buckhorn Draw panel detail

Our route brought us up the Moki Dugway, across Cedar Mesa (part of the new Bears Ears National Monument), then north on spectacular Utah Hwy 95 to Goblin Valley. When we left the Swell, we headed south via Fish Lake and the Burr Trail to the south flank of the Henry Mountains. After crossing Lake Powell on the Bullfrog-Halls Crossing ferry ($25/vehicle for the 20-minute ride), we were back in Bears Ears country, long one of our favorite parts of the southwest.

Lake Powell near Hite

We had a "swell" time, and came away with some tips for would-be explorers.

(1) We camped, and left home with pretty much everything we needed for the next two weeks. Every time we had an opportunity to buy gas or refill water bottles, we took it.

If you're not planning to camp, the nearest towns are Green River (off I-70) and Castle Dale (on Utah Hwy 10). These are also good places to restock ice and groceries.

Goblin Valley, looking south to the Henry Mountains

If you want a campground, there are only two- Goblin Valley State Park (on the southern end of the Swell, between Hanksville and Green River) and San Rafael Bridge Campground (no drinking water, but in the heart of the Swell, off Buckhorn Draw Road). If you're a boondocker, the Swell is wide open.

Bring everything you need. There really are no services.

(2) Other than Utah Hwy 10 and I-70, there aren't a lot of paved roads. High clearance is nice. 4WD is better. When wet, even graded gravel roads were a challenge for the Eurovan. The Chinle Formation was not just a driving challenge. A surprise thunderstorm made the last few miles of our San Rafael River hike a Slip 'N Slide.  Rocks, sand and mud are the major road hazards, and we found ourselves approaching many stretches as if scouting a river rapid.

If highway driving is more your speed, or if the weather doesn't encourage off-pavement exploration, take the time to stop at every east- and west-bound rest area.  Between the views and the interpretive signs, you won't regret. it.  A Guide to I-70 Through Southeastern Utah

Toby and the Reef (eastern slope of the San Rafael Swell). Our
campsite was less than a mile from an "informal" I-70 exit.

(3)  Don't rely on web-based resources, unless you have a reliable way to keep them available offline. Get the most up-to-date maps and guidebooks you can find. National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps cover most, though not all, of the areas we visited. Beware of what one guidebook calls "the great UDOT milepost migration." In the first decade of the 21st century, the Utah Department of Transportation replaced freeway milepost markers, making them more accurate. A worthy goal, although it means guidebooks published before 2010 are likely to contain erroneous milepost information. If your old guidebook tells you to exit I-70 .3 miles after MP 145, the actual "informal exit" might be immediately after MP 147. And yes, there really are "informal exits" leading to wire gates and dirt roads that take you to roads through under-interstate culverts, pictograph panels and backcountry camping and hiking.

Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel detail

(4) Verizon signal (phone or data) was generally nonexistent.  What signal there was, was spotty and weak. I posted to Facebook offline, and photos eventually made their way to "the cloud."

Head of Sinbad Panel detail

Why go? The Swell is gorgeous, rugged and remote, and loaded with fascinating Barrier Canyon Culture pictographs more than 2,000 years old. Maybe it's just their emotional impact, and Mary and I believe these figures are mostly larger than life, i.e. meant to be seen from afar. Even though some of the panels are fairly easy to reach, we had them all to ourselves.  Iffy weekday weather may have helped. We got the feeling the area is a weekend playground for ATVs and dirt bikes.  We saw the most people in the Goblin Valley area and at the Wedge Overlook.

Rochester Panel detail

It wasn't all pictographs and scenery. We saw astounding petroglyphs too, both in the Swell (Rochester Panel) and on Comb Ridge (Procession Panel). We  even stumbled on an Ancestral Puebloan village, complete with penthouse apartments and kiva.

Head of Sinbad Panel detail

The night sky was a surprise bonus on this trip. Between mostly moon-free nights and remote locations, we had dark skies every night, from our first camp at Natural Bridges National Monument to our last at Navajo National Monument. More stars than I've seen in decades.

Black Dragon Panel detail. Several of the pictographs in this
panel have been outlined in chalk, in this case erroneously.
This 2015 Science magazine post is a very interesting read.
'Winged monster' on ancient rock debunked by scientists  

All the panels in these photos can be found in guidebooks and on the web.

Top of the Burr Trail switchbacks

House on Fire (Mule Canyon)

Mary in "Hidden Village"

Little Grand Canyon from the Wedge Overlook

There's so much to see and do up there. We only sampled the low-lying fruit.

Until life's next adventure!

Toni

Postcard from Tanzania

Hello from Ngrongoro Farm House!

It's Saturday in Tanzania, and our two weeks here are coming to an end.  We’ve been mostly in the national parks and conservation areas of  northwest Tanzania- Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti.

Yesterday we visited  Oldupai Gorge, site of Mary Leakey's discovery of the Zinjanthropus skull. Today we drive to Lake Eyasi, south of Ngorongoro, and home to the Hadza people, who have have lived in this area for thousands of years. Tomorrow we hope to visit the Hadza, and perhaps join them on a hunt.  Monday night we begin the long flights home.

Tanzania is the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Within its borders are well over one hundred tribes, each with its own language. Everyone speaks Swahili, a language in which every word ends with a vowel.. This is one positive legacy of the twenty-five-year socialist presidency of Julius Nyerere. As we understand it, albeit with some serious missteps, Nyerere succeeded in forging a Tanzanian national identity by emphasizing education and a common language.

We have loved being in Tanzania, more specifically, loved being on this particular trip, travelling with Prescott College professor and naturalist Walt Anderson, driver guides Augustine and David, and six others, three of them students.  The days have been long, generally twelve hours in the field, and that's what it takes if you really want to locate and observe wildlife.

The part of Tanzania we have seen is simply beautiful, offering gorgeous scenery in addition to stunning and plentiful wildlife. We are on the cusp of the rainy season, so wildlife is concentrated around water, whether a river or a puddle in the road. We saw more birds, mammals and reptiles than you can imagine, all unfettered by fences.

Observing wildlife behavior was such a treat. Whether the subject was lions squabbling and mating, a pack of African wild dogs sleeping, or serval cats disappearing in the grass, nature did not disappoint.


Although all our accommodations have been unique, welcoming and clean, the temporary Katikati camp in the Serengeti stands out. We spent four nights at Katikati, dining in the open air, and sleeping in canvas tents in total darkness. A generator ran a few hours each evening to recharge phones and camera batteries.  If you wanted a shower, a bucket of hot water was hoisted above your tent. What a treat after a long dusty day. 

Time is running out, so I'll end here.  If you want more photos, you’ll find them on Facebook. For me, posting there is easier, and more immediate.


Love, Toni

P.S. We did meet up with a group of Hadza.