Birthday Celebration in the Gorge – February 2022

Winter camp south of St. George, Utah

Clifford and I are camped in the desert south of St. George, Utah, for this winter season. Although it is warmer than Montana, which is now our home-base and where family is, it is definitely winter in this very northwest corner of Arizona. There are some days when we can sit outside to play music, many days when I go for solitary walks, and days when Clifford sits outside to review Carnicom Institute research. However, there are nights that are in the low teen and days when all projects are done indoors.

Grateful for a warm place to spend cold days.

On my birthday we join forces with our friend David and a couple he met camping here at Black Rock, and we pick up more trash from the campsites and the parking area at Black Rock Road. David has arranged for a dumpster to be delivered and on the delivery day, other folks join in and a large dumpster is filled to the brim with all the trash we have picked up.

Waiting for the dumpster
The trash picker-uppers

Picking up trash wasn’t what I had in mind for a birthday celebration, so we watch the weather and wait for a forecast of a sunny day with mild temperatures. A few days later when the right conditions materialize, we head to the Virgin River Gorge, about ten miles away, for a picnic outing to celebrate. I want to go to Cedar Pockets, the campground in the Virgin River Gorge but it is still closed for repairs. So, we take the overpass to the other side of I-10 and drive up the dirt road to a spot that works for a picnic.

Finding a place in the Virgin River Gorge for a picnic

We pick up trash using our “grabbers,” before we set up a table and spread out the picnic.

Birthday picnic in the Virgin River Gorge

After eating, we play music – Clifford with his dulcimer and tongue drum and me with the fiddle, playing fiddle tunes.

Music in the Virgin River Gorge

While we are there, a woman who had stopped to walk her dog stops to chat because we are such an unusual sight, a couple fuddy-duddies having a picnic and playing fiddle music in the middle of the Virgin River Gorge. We exchange contact information before she goes on her way.

After picnic and music, Clifford and I hike up the ridge behind us, enjoying the sunshine on this winter day and the view of the mesa on the other side of the gorge from where we are.

A short hike in the Virgin River Gorge

The gorge is grand, rugged, and scenic and I am grateful that the weather cooperated to allow us to have such a fun outing.

The Virgin River Gorge is grand, rugged, and scenic
Hiking to a plateau on the picnic side of the Virgin River Gorge
The Virgin River Gorge is grand, rugged, and scenic
Hiking on the plateau near sunset

Later in February, Lori, the woman we met on the picnic day in the Gorge comes to play music with us, as she also has a tongue drum and was eager to play with us. So fun to have a new-found friend in the desert.

Lori and Clifford playing tongue drums

One other outing in February is to the town of Colorado City on the border between Arizona and Utah to have dinner with a friend and while we are there, we go to Maxwell Park for spring water and the opportunity to take photos of the red cliffs, which look to be part of the same geological formation as that of Zion National Park in Utah.

View of the red cliffs from Maxwell Park in Colorado City
View of the red cliffs from Maxwell Park in Colorado City

A new activity that is fun and engaging for me is experimenting with making creative composites using photos that I have taken on my walks as well as photos in my gallery. I like the process of using photos that might not be anything more than snapshots and coming up with an image that is creative and unique.  I call these images BeCreative. They are a good stretch for me from my usual documentary style photos.

BeCreative Rosemary
BeCreative Ivy
BeCreative Dried weeds
BeCreative Butterfly

In addition to playing music, Clifford always has a focus on the ham radio and improving the antennas. He is also using portable scientific instruments to do some research on a topic that is coming to his attention.

Daily I watch the sunrise and sunsets, finding great pleasure in the light and colors that are special at that time of the day.

February Sunrise
February Sunset

 

Pioche, Nevada, to Divide Bridge, Montana – June 2022

 

Traveling North

After spending two weeks at Meadow Valley Campground east of Pioche, Nevada, Clifford and I pack up Cougar (our RV) and head back to Pioche at the beginning of June, again finding a spot in the RV park on the edge of town. I definitely miss the scenic setting and the wild flowers at Meadow Valley, but I think an important step to inner peace is not to lament what has been left behind, but to be open to new “pieces of perfection.” I sit outside after going for a walk, appreciating the gorgeous blue sky as I enjoy a cup of french press coffee and write in my journal.

Pioche City RV Park

Pioche gives us a chance to get caught up with email and other internet related activities before we begin the trip north to Montana. While here, we take time to explore town a bit more, noticing old buildings including the original Lincoln County Courthouse built in 1872 at great expense to the town. The Overland Hotel and Saloon was originally a boarding house and bar, which burned to the ground in 1940 and was replaced in 1948. A few miner’s cabins still remain.

Lincoln County Courthouse, Pioche, Nevada, Built 1872
Overland Hotel and Saloon, Built 1948

Mining Related Building in Pioche, Nevada
Privy in Pioche
The Leaning Cabin

We have  lunch at Gunslinger Subs. This building was once the blacksmith shop and its original construction is still evident. It is a bit of a museum in itself.

Gunslinger Sub Cafe with Tintype of Billy the Kid

We plot our journey to Montana and decide not to try to make it to Seeley Lake in Montana by Father’s Day. It was tentatively a destination with family, but too much of a push for us to get there in two weeks.

After just a couple of days, we begin the journey from Pioche to Ely, Nevada, mostly a straight shot north on US highway 93. Except for Connors Pass over the Schell Creek Range at nearly 8,000 feet, it is a relatively easy journey.

Nevada Landscape North of Pioche, Nevada
Nevada Landscape North of Pioche, Nevada

Ely is a one-night stand to do laundry, go to the market, and we park overnight at the Silver Sage Truck Stop. It’s very trashy on the perimeters of the parking lot but at least it is quiet.

Our next one-night stop is about 10 miles north of Wells, Nevada, at a pullout that provides some privacy from the highway behind a small stand of junipers. I pick up trash along the fence where we are going to park, and then we take advantage of the internet to catch up on email and texts.

Pullout North of Wells, Nevada off US Highway 93
View to the South from Pullout North of Wells, Nevada off US Highway 93

Our next night is spent at the Burley, Idaho, Walmart. We are happy to find a spot along the edge of the lot next to grass and a tree. This is the opportunity to get stocked up on supplies and groceries. Despite our travels, I have kept up with Duolingo this past week and rise to #1 in the Diamond League, which is especially rewarding since I lost my streak while we were two weeks without internet at Meadow Valley. I have also kept up with Qigong live classes as often as internet allows.

Burley, Idaho, Walmart

From Burley we travel to the rest area at Dubois, Idaho, about 50 miles north Idaho Falls, off I-15.

Lava Fields Near Idaho Falls, Idaho

Dubois Rest Area is a good stopping place as the rest rooms are clean and the lot is large. The first time we stayed here, it was almost empty, but now it is a paved lot and fills with travelers and semis by evening. We are fortunate to get a spot on the outside next to the grass median. I always pick up a bag or two of trash when we are here, which makes a more pleasant place for us to spend the night and nicer for the next travelers. It is here we discover damage to our storage rack, grateful we didn’t lose anything, and it is repaired with wire and gorilla tape.

Evening at Dubois, Idaho, Rest Area.

A week after leaving Meadow Valley, we arrive at Divide Bridge Campground in southwest Montana, about 40 miles north of Dillon and 15 miles south of Butte. What a relief to be here! Not only are we here, but one of the sites right alongside the Big Hole River is available. These sites are always my favorite. The river is high and I am looking forward to walking about to take photos the next few days.

Campsite Along the Big Hole River at Divide Bridge Campground, Montana

Blossoms in the Desert at Black Rock, Arizona – April 2022

 

Arizona Desert at Black Rock

As always here at Black Rock Road where Clifford and I are camped, the openness of the land allows for great views of sunrise and sunset.

Sun Rising Through Haze

Since the setting of the moon is not at an ideal time for the best light, I have fun with photo editing to capture the essence of the moment.

Moon Setting Over the Mesa

Although I am not seeing many wildflowers except for the tiny filaree and the yellow blossoms of Mormon Tea, I am enjoying making composites of the rosemary in the window and the branches of the creosote that surrounds us.

Filaree Closeup
BeCreative composite – Filaree
BeCreative Composite of Creosote and Rosemary

But one day, it happens to be Easter, while walking up the rise to the west, I spot a small clump of globe mallow, its tiny reddish-orange blossoms making a small splash of color in the desert. I am delighted and over the next few days, I visit them often, taking numerous photos, some of which are then used for greetings to family and friends and for new composites.

Globe Mallow at Black Rock
BeCreative Composite of Globe Mallow and Rosemary
BeCreative Composite of Globe Mallow and Dry Weeds

One of the best things that happened this month was my daughter, Becka, replacing my old phone with a brand new iphone, the 13pro.  I am  having so much fun taking photos with this amazing device!

Ladybug on a Desert Marigold
Clockweed at Black Rock

As the month goes on, Clifford and I both continue our projects, and we discuss our departure date. We had planned on leaving in April to travel to northern Nevada to camp for awhile before heading on to Montana. However, northern Nevada is cold and much snow remains in the area of our intended destination.

Toward the end of April, the morning inspirational reading is a passage from Thich Nhat Hanh on Aimlessness. “Your purpose is to be yourself. Be yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle. Just be. Just being in the moment in this place is the deepest practice of meditation.” This wise advice so perfectly matches my quiet time in the mornings and my solitary walks in the desert.

Dried Weeds in the Wash

Happily, by the end of April, even though we are not yet leaving, both indigo bush and creosote bushes begin to bloom. I have never seen an indigo bush before, so the brilliant purple is a delight to me, while the tiny yellow blossoms of the creosote bring a blush of gold to the desert. Warmer days allow us to spend more time outdoors.

Indigo Bush at Black Rock
Indigo Bush Blossom
Creosote Blossoms at Black Rock
Creosote Blossom Closeup

Life is good and we will wait for the right time to leave Black Rock.