More Southwest Magic - Nevada and California

 I left my friends in Colorado feeling fulfilled, rested and contented but also looking forward to the next part of my journey - Gold Butte National Monument!  I had seen videos about this place and wrote to the Friends of Gold Butte almost two years ago to get more information.  What I knew is that the area if very large and filled with rutted and sandy roads that made a four wheel drive vehicle and absolute necessity.  Problem was, I don't have one!  I phoned Friends of Gold Butte who kindly arranged for Mike to take me there for a day.  Boy was it worth it!  It is very extensive and the roads are very bad and there is NO cell reception.  We actually encountered four people in a large newish truck with giant tires but their battery had died for some reason and they were stuck!  Good thing we came along as Mike had a battery charger in his Jeep!  They will/should be eternally grateful or they might still be there!  It's pretty remote but very beautiful.  The first 40 miles of road were done by the CCC in the 1940's and that part of the road is decent.  There is still other evidence of them being there.  They built a dam with a trough for local cattle - or donkeys? The dam developed a crack and it doesn't rain much in that area so it's no longer working but there is evidence in the form of stonework that's pretty cool!

Most likely used for tool storage

Our first stop was Little Finland, named because the rocks resemble fins - nothing to do with the country. The red rocks have their unusual and delicate shapes because they have been sandblasted by the desert sands over the years making them very unique and, in my opinion, just lovely!  Here are some examples:

 In addition to Little Finland, I wanted to see the only petroglyph of a falling man - at least as far as anyone knows.  There were many petroglyphs and one pictograph and, of course, the photos don't do them justice. Here are a few photos including the famous falling man.

Look closely for a tiny pictograph

 

 Okay, below is definitely worth checking out despite the not very good photo of the pyramid.  Still, an interesting story . . . any funny.

While we say donkey poo everywhere, we never did see a donkey.  However, the next day I found this trio in the town of Beatty, Nevada???  Why??

 After an amazing day at Gold Butte I spent the night camping near Valley of Fire and the next day through Death Valley (where I saw the donkeys above) to the Alabama Hills and Inyo National Forest under Mount Whitney before heading home.

The moon lighting up the mountains

Mount Whitney and the moon on a morning hike

Along 395 on my way home

 

 

Hope you enjoy until next time.  And hello Zoe!
 

Good Times in Arizona and Colorado

 Well here I am in Nevada having traveled through four states- some twice in the last couple days. Tomorrow I will do something I have been wanting to do for quite a while which is visit gold Butte but there has been so much that I'll save that for another post. The sites I have seen and visited, the hikes I've taken and the time I've spent with dear friends has been just so enjoyable and I feel very fortunate. The photos will explain or give you a feeling of most of it but one or two things that I have no pictures of. I will recap briefly. While in Colorado I spent an afternoon picking apples with my friends in this most beautiful canyon surrounded by Red Rock with an apple orchard in the middle and every animal from several dogs including two Great Pyrenees a couple pigs, some sheep, a whole bunch of chickens. The owner of the property lives in a beautiful yurt and most of the animals including the pigs seem to come and go as they please. But it is beautiful space! The other thing that I have no photos of that is worth mentioning is on a walk from my friend's house a couple of miles down their gravel road. As we were heading back, we were hit with a thunderstorm that was incredibly exciting and wonderful. Now that we're home and safe and sound, but was rather intense at the time! It moved in quickly. The thunder was extremely loud and the lightning striking way too close for comfort! It hailed and then it poured. But we'd made it home unscathed and were then able to breathe this eye relief and laugh about it. I will try to keep the pictures to a minimum but I make no promises. By the way, did you know that going from Colorado to Arizona you go through New Mexico for less than a minute?

Sedona

Mesa Verde and mancos - telluride hikes

Monument valley 

Colorado River Horseshoe bend 

Beehive campground - the new wave hike 

Antelope canyon 

Red rocks, Starry Nights and Sunsets

 This trip has been just incredible so far. I have seen more than I expected to. Some incredibly nice people and saw the Milky Way four nights in a row after trying for a long time as well as numerous shooting stars and satellites... It's been amazing! The timing has been perfect for the trees as well as the stars with the colors being brilliant yellows and oranges, especially in Great basin at 10,000 ft. I have hiked to waterfalls and lakes, a thousands of years old Bristle cone pine Forest, driven through canyons walked through red  canyons and today hiked to a Petrified Forest above the campground where I'm staying currently. Lucky me! Here are some photos.

The three sisters Goblin valley State Park 

From my campsite 

Dead horse window 

Pictographs 

Singing canyon 

Sunset at Lahontan reservoir 

The Milky Way 

Lehman caverns 

Aspens

More Aspen 

Bryce canyon 

Goblin valley 

Red rocks

Calf Creek waterfall