Winter in the Desert at Black Rock – January 2023

Winter in the Desert at Black Rock

As January proceeds, there are many overcast and windy days at Black Rock Road in northwest Arizona where Clifford and I are camped near out friend David in a wide desert basin.  Sometimes there is rain, which is good, and I don’t mind walking in the rain, but all too often it is too windy to walk, so indoor projects take the place of walks in the desert. Some evenings we play UK fiddle tunes after dinner. That is always fun.

Even on the windy indoor days, I keep an eye out for color in the sky as the sun nears the horizon morning and evening.

Moon Rising at Sunset
Sunset Color Reflects Off the Snow on Pine Mountain

Saturday January 7, it is 27 degrees this morning and there is frost on the creosote. I quickly head out to take photos of the frost, so sparkly and pretty, just as the moon is setting.

Frost on Creosote
Moon Setting in the West

During the days we are inside, my projects include publishing blogs I’ve work on and rereading Fate of Angels, the last book in the epic fantasy series, Novels of Shannon. (Now renamed Saga of ShaHaNon by Ang MacDonald.) Clifford’s indoor projects include ham radio, but he always has a list of projects to keep his mind active.

I am grateful for the beauty that surrounds us.

Sunlight on Pine Mountain Viewed from our Doorway

In mid January, I start the Holden 5-day Qigong challenge. Qigong has been so good for my health, I would recommend it to anyone. I am also taking a 5-day class on proofreading to see if it is something I’d like to do when we are traveling/camping, as long as we have internet, which certainly isn’t a given, but could be a way to earn money while traveling.  Catching sunrise and sunset  and walks in the desert still fill my day.

Sunrise Golden Light Reflects off Mountain to the West
The Mouth of the Virgin River Gorge in Northwest Arizona.

Clifford knows that an electric bike is something he would would like to have, since he and David go bike riding often and he would enjoy it for his own explorations, so one day he orders one for himself.

Thursday January 19, 2003 Today is Clifford’s birthday. Since this is a special day, David comes over to help Clifford put together the new electric bike. I do some of the daily tasks while they work on the bike and then we go to St. George to the Wildlife Museum followed by an early dinner at Cracker Barrel. Good birthday for Clifford.

The next few days are so cold and windy that I don’t bother to go walking as I don’t do well with cold wind. Sometimes I pop out for a photo of sunrise or sunset, but mostly these days are indoor project days for both of us.

Early Dawn on Black Rock Road
Sunset Color on Pine Mountain

Toward the end of January, as temperature moderates a bit, we go on an outing with David to the Pioneer Museum and to Santa Clara, a village outside of St. George where I buy a stained glass sun at a little shop that David knows about. Then we go on a scenic drive to another small village, Vejo, where there is a well-known pie shop, the intention being to have pie. Unfortunately, today the pie shop is not open, but the drive was still scenic and worth the outing. A pie is purchased at Smith’s on our way back to camp and shared there.

View from Gunlock State Park on the way to Vejo
View on the Outing to Vejo

Another fun outing is on the horizon before the end of the month, so January 2023 is off to a good start.

Enter the New Year – January 2023

Camping at Black Rock Road

December 2022 was a hard month for Clifford and me, with neither one of us feeling well while camping south of St. George, Utah. We are looking forward to getting 2023 off to a better start.

Sunday January 1, 2023 starts off with rain in the night and off and on during the day.  This is a good thing.

Droplet on Creosote Pod

I do a sound meditation from Wayne Dyer, also good, and then send New Years Greetings to family and friends.

Welcoming the New Year

I walk to the wash to the east and up the mesa a ways. The wash is strewn with rocks: boulders to gravel and sand, many of them black from their lava origins. These black rocks give this area its name – Black Rock Road. This is my favorite place to walk most days.

Today is a very good start to the New Year – 2023.

Hiking in the Wash

The next morning is overcast and windy.  As I look out I see the moon setting, fresh snow on Pine Mountain to the north and an interesting cloud formation, like a sky dolphin chasing a small cloudfish, It s a good day for indoor projects; I complete a blog and post it on my website.

Moon Setting over Mountain to the West
Fresh Snow on Pine Mountain
Sky Dolphin

In my planner I have a list of daily activities relating to Purpose: things that relate to what’s important to me, including journaling, photography,  Qigong, the morning quiet-time routine, and so on. Thanks to having the internet at this location, I am able to do live Tai chi and Qigong classes, as well as other classes that interest me. Most days I manage to complete at least 4 of the regular 7 Dailys, but the days are not long enough for everything, as there are always domestic tasks and other items that pop up needing attention.

Photos Shared as Greetings
Journaling Outdoors Weather Permitting

Photos at sunrise are one of my favorite things. Colors are so very vivid some mornings. It is exciting to see and acknowledge the daily miracle, as I call the moment of sunrise.

Vivid Color at Dawn
The Daily Miracle

Sometimes I cross the wash to the mesa hillside, which gives me a view of the creosote filled basin where we are set up, as well as the desert scenery beyond.

View of Creosote Basin from Mesa
Skiff of Snow on West Mountain
Mesa View

Although it took me a while to get used to this desert area, I have come to appreciate the beauty and the solitude of being here.