On the Road Again – July 2019

July 12, 2019October 29, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Thursday July 11: I am up early this morning for last preparations before leaving on our summer trip northward. I make coffee, write in journal, and prepare thermoses of tea before Clifford gets up. After smoothies, we finish packing the last minute items, making sure bathroom, kitchen, and lab are in good order.

The to-do list has been very helpful, as most everything has been taken care of ahead of time and what’s left is on a check list so we don’t get down the road and wonder if we remembered such-and-such. It is 1:45 p.m. by time we finally pull out of base-camp, as I like to call our place here in Monticello, Utah.

I take photos as we travel, saying good-bye to the southeast Utah canyon country. It is 100 degrees by time we reach Moab and hot all the way to Price. Increasing winds make the last portion of the journey harder and we are very grateful to pull into the Walmart parking lot, driving around to the far side to park out of the way. Although it is still hot here, it is not as windy in town.

Castle Rock – Highway 191 north of Monticello, Utah

Wilson Arch – Highway 191 north of Monticello, Utah

Approaching Moab & LaSal Mountains in the distance – Highway 191, Utah

Southeast Utah Canyon Country – Highway 191

I’m too tired and hungry to feel like shopping, but after taking time for a late lunch, I go in to buy supplies while Clifford naps. It is dark but still warm outside when I finish up in Walmart. I put perishables in the fridge, but let the rest go and head to bed.

Friday July 12: This morning we pick up a few more supplies, and after fruit & yogurt for breakfast, we are on our way. The wind is not so bad this morning, but there is a crazy amount of traffic on highway 6, and we are very relieved to get off this busy winding highway at the turnoff to Diamond Campground, south of Spanish Forks, Utah.

Diamond Campground is one of our favorite overnight places, being located in a scenic valley off the highway. The downside is that most sites are reservation only. We consider ourselves fortunate to find a really great spot with shade on a Friday. It is one of our easiest set-ups with the pads being level enough to not even need the levelers.

After lunch, Clifford gets his ham radio set up and I spend most of the afternoon walking around the campground, hiking the Discovery Trail, and hiking to the bluff above the campsite near sunset.

A creek runs through the campground and it so GREEN here

Thistle in bloom
Something pretty

View from the bluff near sunset with Cougar below

After dinner I edit today’s photos, grateful that we will be here another day, a day to relax before the big push to Montana.

Last Days in Monticello – June to July 2019

July 10, 2019October 28, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

The days of late June and early July are focused on accomplishing all we can while we are still here in Monticello with power and internet. Lots of editing and photo/blogs on my side, while Clifford continues with ham radio and research.

Editing – the map of Purt that accompanies *The Novels of Shannon* series by A. MacDonald

We had thought about taking Cougar up to Abajo Mountain for Amateur Radio Field Day, but decide instead to make better use of our time by staying in town and just doing field day from base camp, as I like to call our place.

I make a comprehensive organized list of what needs to be done or packed for our summer trip and begin working on that. Cougar is thoroughly cleaned and reorganized. Accounting, CI email, and reviewing the Carnicom Trust are among the not-so-fun things that we take care of. Along with the giant to-do list, we spend time outside, enjoying our back yard, whenever we can.

Enjoying our yard

We discuss taking a different route to Montana this time, but in the end decide to take the same route north as last year and a different route home in the fall. The upside is more time with my family, the downside is that we won’t go to Olympic National Park. However, we will look for different places to camp while in Montana so as to add variety to the journey.

The temperature varies from a low of 40 degrees to a high of 88 degrees, not bad for this time of year. The wind, from a breeze to unpleasantly blustery, is more or less constant. Fortunately, our wood fence blocks some of it so we can still be outside for a bit most days.

The fence provides a place of refuge from the wind

With an eye on the forecast and an awareness of traffic around the 4^th of July weekend, we decide to leave after the 4^th and set the 11^th as our leaving day so as to drive through Salt Lake City on a Sunday morning.

Summer Solstice on Abajo Mountain – June 2019

June 21, 2019October 27, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Friday June 21 – I wake up much earlier than normal and being unable to get back to sleep, I get up, make coffee in the French press, take a few moments for quiet time, and then write in the journal, sitting outside in sunlight filtering through pine boughs.

Today, to celebrate Summer Solstice, we are going for a picnic on Abajo Mountain. After the morning routine, which includes the ham radio net that Clifford checks into daily, we head up the mountain. Today we go to Pine Flats, thinking that we will go to the spot where we camped last June for Amateur Radio Field Day, but a big party is blocking the road.

Last June we camped in the pines beyond this stand of aspen

Too bad, but we decide to go in further on the main road and around the bog area to see what we can find. Due to abundant snow melt and spring rains, the bog is now a pond and wild iris are blooming everywhere.

The road is above water, but muddy and Clifford has to gun Suburban to get through it. We certainly would not be able to bring Cougar up here. We find a pretty and level place to park where the road becomes a 4-wheeler trail. Clifford sets up table and chairs and gets his books out, while I wander about taking photos and gathering a few rocks for the backyard landscaping. After awhile, we have our picnic of nachos and hot tea.

By the time we are finished with our picnic, the wind has picked up and it is getting a bit chilly here on the mountain. We pack up and head out, but take time to explore a bit, finding other potential camping spots, should we decide to come up with Cougar for this year’s Field Day.

Before heading back to base camp, we drive further over the mountain to the view point where we stopped with our friends just a couple of days ago. Sage is abundant here and I want to pick enough to make a couple of sage bundles for smudging.

Wild lupine and sage are abundant at the overview

Back home, checking messages, I learn that my daughter Becka and her driving companion, on the journey from Atlanta to Missoula, Montana, are in mid-Wyoming and it is snowing in Bozeman, their destination. I’m guessing she is not thrilled with that! While Clifford continues with his projects – CI research and ham radio – I unload the rocks, edit photos from our outing, and play viola before starting dinner. Before I know it, bedtime has arrived; Mary Oliver poems close out the day for me. Clifford, as usual, stays up late working on his projects.

Canyonlands Here We Come – June 2019

June 19, 2019October 26, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday June 19: Clifford and I enjoy a leisurely morning with our friends, Kaylee and Ren, who are here visiting us on their way to Arizona in preparation for their upcoming wedding. Clifford and Kaylee work on the Carnicom Institute website, while Ren I visit and drink her delicious coffee substitute.

Even though they have to leave this evening, we decide on an outing to Canyonlands National Park, as Ren has never been there. We are taking the road over Abajo Mountain and our first stop is a viewing area on the far side of the mountain. The wildflowers are in bloom and it is really lovely here on the mountain.

View of LaSal Mountain from Abajo Mountain

The viewing spot on Abajo Mountain – bench to the right looks out to Canyonlands

Our next stop is “Newspaper Rock,” a rock panel covered with petroglyphs. There was vandalism at some point, but the panel has been protected and is in very good condition, for the most part. It is fascinating to look at all the etchings, recognizing what some are and trying to guess at the meaning of others.

View from the parking lot at Newspaper Rock

From there we continue west through BLM land until we arrive at Canyonlands National Park. It was quite warm on the mountain, but much more so here in the lower elevation of the canyons. We stop at the Visitors Center to see the displays, then continue on the scenic loop.

Scenic drive through BLM land toward Canyonlands National Park

It is very surprising to see this pond in the otherwise arid region

Iconic formation seen from Needles Visitor Center

We stop at Pothole Point to hike the loop. Even though Clifford and I have hiked this loop before, it seems the cairns have been moved and a portion of the loop is missed. However, it is much too hot to go back and redo it. As it is, we appreciate the unique formations and the shade of rock overhangs.

Kaylee, Ren, and Clifford on the Pothole Point Trail

Looking toward the Needles District from the Pothole Point Trail

Formations seen along the Pothole Point Trail

We missed part of the loop, but too hot to go back

Our last stop is a side road that gives us a closer view of the iconic Wooden Shoe Arch.

Iconic Wooden Shoe Arch in Canyonlands National Park

Back at home base, the guys nap (Kaylee has a long drive ahead yet tonight), while Ren and I chat as she writes wedding invitations and I edit photos. For dinner, we all sit outside at one our bistro tables, enjoying the mild evening temperature. Then our friends finish packing their car and are soon on their way. We wish them well and look forward to seeing them on our journey south next winter.

Walking West in Monticello – June 2019

June 18, 2019October 25, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday June 18: After starting out clear in the early morning, today is a mix of clouds, thundershowers, and hail.

Getting up at 6:00 per my new sleep plan, I dress warmly and head west toward Abajo Mountain, walking through town to catch the morning light when the sun rises. I end up in a part of town I’ve never seen before. A couple residents are getting ready for their morning power walk and I talk to them briefly. However, I notice that they keep an eye on me until I am out of sight heading back toward our place. I walk for over an hour, a good outing, and already getting quite warm by time I arrive home.

I make coffee and sit outside to write in the journal, all this before Clifford is even up. The rest of the day proceeds with our usual activities, but I’m noticing that getting up this early and not really getting to bed early enough is taking a toll on me. Adjustments will have to be made.

The highlight of this day is the arrival, in the early evening, of our friend and CI webmaster, Kaylee, and his fiance, Ren, a very lovely young woman. They will be getting married in July, and we are very pleased to meet her and very happy for both of them. Due to the stormy weather and hail this afternoon, we have to figure out where they are going to sleep, as they had intended to camp in our backyard. In the end, finding a dry spot under the big pine trees, they do indeed set up their tent there. We provide an extra rain shield and an electric heater, should they need it.

Ren and I fix dinner for all of us. It is really nice to have a companion in the kitchen and it gives us a chance to get to know each other. After a very tasty shared dinner, we ladies do clean up and head to bed, while Clifford and Kaylee stay up late talking, catching up on past and current events in our lives.

Life in Monticello – June 2019

June 17, 2019October 24, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

The week of Monday June 10 to Sunday June 17 is highlighted with a visit from an independent film maker who is interested in Clifford’s research and who spends some time interviewing him. It will be interesting to see how Clifford’s work dovetails with other researchers who will be interviewed for the documentary in mind.

Most mornings I am able to sit outside for my journal and quiet time. I am pleased to see more poppies, the nearly hidden climbing rose, and volunteer flowers making their appearance.

More poppies

Creative version of yellow rose
Volunteers

One morning, having arisen at dawn, the color to the east is quite pretty, so I quickly put a poncho on over my pj’s and walk to the end of the street to take photos. I can’t really get away from buildings and powerlines, but I am liking the early morning light on the grasses and silhouettes against the cloudy sky. The next morning, I walk a different direction to catch more of the morning light at sunrise.

Morning light on grain
and clover

I had watched a Youtube video of Dr. John Bergman, who is quite an inspiration due to his unique understanding of health. His discussions on high blood pressure and on sleeping are helping me think of different ways to stay healthy. One is to go to bed earlier and get up earlier. There is more to it than that, but I figure it is certainly worth a try. It is because of moving to a different sleep cycle that I am able to get up before sunrise to do these walkabouts for photos, but I’m also realizing that with our lifestye, Clifford being quite the night-owl, it is hard for me to get to bed as early as recommended.

During my morning walkabouts, I see that most people have yards that are neat and tidy, and I am inspired to redo a long-abandoned flower bed on the far front of our lot. It was easy to ignore it, but now I’d like to fix it up. Clifford takes care of the outside-the-fence patches of lawn, and now we are looking much better here.

Long-ignored bed…
now a …
rock garden in process

Clifford’s work in the lab continues, while I continue with writing blogs, editing for several authors, sending literary agent letters, and taking care of CI email.

June Comes to Monticello – June 2019

June 9, 2019October 23, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

The days of early June see warming temperatures with the highs in the mid 70’s most days. It is pleasant to sit outside for morning coffee and journal writing, sometimes in the sun, sometimes in the shade, sometimes moving from one to the other.

A purchase of marigolds and petunias, which I plant in a couple of pots, bring a little color to the backyard. There are also some wildflowers, astors perhaps, blooming and the grass is green, so the backyard is a pleasant place to spend time.

The backyard with a bit of color from marigolds and petunias

I am thrilled that the poppies on the outside bed are blooming. Looks like there will also be hollyhocks blooming, although maybe not before we leave for the summer.

Poppies

Most of the activities of these days could be done by the maid or the secretary. Where or where are they! For my part, I continue writing blogs and editing for Ang and a couple of other folks. Clifford’s research in the lab continues.

We don’t go on any outings other than a trip to Cortez, Colorado, for groceries and sundries. Due to the winter snow and spring rain, the landscape is quite green, a prettier drive than usual.

Trip to Cortez
Horse head on Abajo Mountain defined by snow

May in Monticello – May 2019

May 31, 2019October 22, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday May 21 to Friday May 31: These last days of May are punctuated by inclement weather. Lows are mostly in the low to mid-30’s and highs vary from 40 to 70 degrees. Rain, sleet, and snow make for interesting interludes between the sunnier days. Some days I can sit outside in the morning to write in the journal, but most mornings journaling happens at the writing table at the sliding glass door.

Rain
and
snow

Clifford is focused on his work in the lab, the most important being the development of a process for protein separation.

The to-do list for busy work continues with consolidating our various car insurances, involving much time on the phone. Where is our secretary when we need him (or her)?!? In my morning quiet times, I try to see a positive aspect to all the daily activities that I would gladly turn over the maid and the secretary.

In spite of the busy work that eats precious hours of the day, I continue editing photos, writing and posting blogs, playing viola or cello, and editing for my daughter Ang, making good progress on Emperors and Exiles, the second trilogy of the current series.

The only outing other than errands is to a view point where I can take photos of Abajo Mountain cloaked in new-fallen snow.

As May draws to a close, I am encouraged to see the appearance of some kind of mint family blooming in the back yard, as well as the the promise of rose and poppy blossoms to come.

Monticello Springtime – May 2019

May 20, 2019October 21, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

The days of Wednesday May 15 to Monday May 20 are spent with the busy work of taking care of emails for CI, paperwork for this and that… things that have been on a back burner while traveling. More interesting for me are blog writing, editing photos, editing for my daughter Ang, sending letters to literary agents, and sending texts with photos to family and friends.

One day Clifford and I make another trip to Abajo Mountain, to Monticello Lake again, so I can gather a few rocks for the landscaping project in the back yard. It is a windy day with a smeary jet-trail sky, so not many photos. However, Clifford takes his dulcimer and I have my journal, and we improvise outdoor seating out of the wind in the lee of the Suburban. We have hot tea and enjoy the warmth of the sunshine out of the wind. Too bad I didn’t bring snacks!

Clifford plays dulcimer in the lee side of the Suburban

Some mornings I can sit outside to write in my journal, but other days, the wind and rain, and even snow, keep me inside.

Some days the high is only in the 40’s, which seems quite chilly for this time of the year. However, my morning writing table at the sliding glass doors provides a view of the backyard, the early morning light, and the activity of the birds coming to the feeder.

Sitting inside at the sliding glass door

I am using the food dryer to dry bananas, apples, spinach, and other veggies so as to have a better supply of food when we are traveling. It is time-consuming to prepare the food for drying, but worth it to have the greens and fruit available.

Clifford continues research in the lab, and we both play our instruments – Clifford with his dulcimer, and me with either viola or cello – whenever time allows.

We enjoy outdoors when the weather allows, whether Abajo Mountain or our backyard.

Settling In & First Abajo Outing – May 2019

May 14, 2019October 20, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Friday May 10 to Tuesday May 14: Upon our return to our “base-camp” and the CI lab in Monticello, the days are focused on settling in. This includes unloading essentials from Cougar, catching up with email, Amazon order (food dryer and sprouting seeds), errands, and getting the back yard in shape. Thanks to the winter snows, the yard is green with “grass” and colorful with a crop of dandelions. My daughter Merri and I have a conversation about how much we like dandelions, and shortly after that, Clifford uses the weed-eater to trim the whole backyard. The yard looks great, and the resilient dandelions make a good comeback.

Sitting out in the backyard with the journal, poems by Mary Oliver, and a good cup of organic French press coffee is my favorite way to start the day.

One day, Clifford and I put together the shed that he had ordered from Harbor Freight last fall. It took all afternoon, but it will provide a good storage space for many items that are in waterproof tubs. Another day we walked to the historic site of the original church, enjoying the blossoms all around.

Fancy tulips at the historic site
Replica of the original church

My favorite day was a trip to the Abajo Mountain. Clifford needed to get pond water for an experiment, so I made a picnic and we went up the mountain to Monticello Lake. I do love being there, and even a bit of rain did not spoil our picnic.

Cloud reflections on Monticello Lake
Picnic

Droplets of rain on the lake while the picnic continues

During these first days back in Monticello, along with settling in, I continue with blog writing and editing of several books while Clifford begins to delve into the lab work of CI.

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