Santa Fe

What a place! We hiked through golden aspen in the mountains to the north, lucked into an art festival on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, talked with potters and painters everywhere,-- they are always so generous in sharing their techniques. Museum Hill is a delight, with four museums on Indian and Colonial art clustered together, and the docents know everything about Santa Fe history. We only wish we had lots of money to buy jewelry for everybody. We've been staying in a park close to town, and now will move to a lake a little further out to balance the budget, then over to Albuquerque to visit with Robert, and watch the election. We have been connected through the internet, but have missed the give and take of discussions with friends. The picture is of two musicians at the art festival who were playing in a courtyard in front of a gallery.

Grand Canyon and Flagstaff area

We had a wonderful time on the north rim, Judy went down the north Kaibob trail by mule, and we hiked around the rim on the Windforss trail, which is a ten in beauty and only a five in difficulty. Then we spent a memorable nght on the beach at Lake Powell, where we decided that camping parkin lot style is really not us, no matter how nice the water, and on to Flastaff, where we spent a week in town at an established park revelling in electricity and laundry facilities, and getting the truck serviced, and then out here to a US Forest site, where we are almost the only campers, look out on to a meadow and have miles of trails out the back door. Oh, yes. This is us. And we even have internet and phone coverage. The picture is from the entrance to Walnut Canyon, a beautiful little narrow canyon tucked into a bend on the Arizona Trail.

Bryce Canyon

We were smiling in this picture, but when we got back to camp we were really dragging. It was our most ambitious hike to date, 6.4 miles with 2325 feet of elevation gain, that's 2325 down and 2325 back up. The scenery is amazing. The erosion has carved out shapes and spires that stretch the imagination. Really a worthwhile day. Tomorrow we will be moving closer to the Grand Canyon, hoping we can find a place to camp. Indications are things are still very full.

zion

We were totally blown away by Zion. What a wonderful place. It has everything. Awe-inspiring sandstone cliffs, a narrow carved canyon accessible only by wading in the river carving it ever deeper, ferns growing from rock seeps that are releasing rain that fell on the area thousands of years ago. We walked with a ranger in the full moon and learned about the great horned owls. The two pictures show the Watchman and a view down the canyon from the emerald pools. We didn't take any pictures going up the stream unfortunately, because it was spectacular. We are at Bryce Canyon right now, taking a morning off and making bread. It is nice to have cooler weather here at 7000 feet.

Fort Bragg, California

Yes, we know. Five monthso into our trip and we still haven't left the west coast. But there's a reason for that. First it was too cold inland, and then it was too hot. We m ay have blown it, since it is 90 dgrees here at Clear Lake, but we want to get to Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon beforeo snow flies. Fort Bragg was great. We pulled in at the beginning of their 69th Labor Day Paul Bunyan festival and cheered on he pole climbers, two man saws and chain saw competitions. That's Erica you see wielding a chain saw. The only woman to compete in all the competitions. Thereh was also a tour of local artists with some wonderful potters and jewelry artists. The teapot is Judy's favorite of Cliff Glover's work. Frank got to fulfill his dream of abalone hunting. Here you see them heading into the water. He got ono with a beautiful shell which we have polished. The abalone tasted great fried up with lemon and garlic. The strangest thing about Fort Bragg is glass beach. Yes, it is glass. Years ago, Fort Bragg used the ocean as its dumping ground, and the glass over the years has broken and then been polishd by wave action. Now it is a tourist mecca for those looking for white green and brown polished glass pieces for craft projects. The perfect solution for a dump. Get the tourists to carat it away. In a thousand years, will people wonder at the three colored sand grains on this beach?

the coast

Where has August gone? We left Fort Stevens and spent a lovely week at our favorite camp on the Elwha, doing all the things we wanted to do again and adding what we had missed--hikes up on Hurricane Ridge, kayaking the lakes, and then it was time to head down the California coast to meet with Brad and Janie and Sabrina at Anchor Bay for four days of beachcombing and sightseeing. Sabrina bagged a trophy kelp from Frank's kayak and got her picture taken at the fish station where all the fishermen go to show off their catches. (See the picture). The area is so lovely and there is so much to do that we have decided to stay on for a while. We are settled in Fort Bragg, where there is a Paul Bunyan festival this weekend, an open house of the local artists, including a potter Judy is really looking forward to meeting, and a number of excellent wood artisans. Fort Bragg is also home to a renowned fine woodworking school, with all the tools in the world. They offer short courses in June with basic tool building and joining techniques that we would both love. We lust after some of the tables and chairs that graduates have built. Anyway, there are rivers and sea caves to explore with our kayaks, the famous skunk train to ride, and this weekend log rolling championship and the fireman's ball. Judy has always wanted to go to a fireman's ball.

Fort Stevens

Our month here is almost over. We've kayaked from the landing Lewis and Clark used, walked on the beaches, climbed Saddleback mountain and Tillamook Head and hosted our neighbors from Seattle, Jackie and John, and Frank's son, Brian, all while working twenty hours a week. The weather has been constantly on our minds this month. These two pictures say it all. The first is from July 21st, the second from July 28th.

Frank and Judy