Day 69 - The Black Hills

A lightning strike last night had disabled the elevator at Wind Cave. Safety regulations require the elevator to be working during tours, so I went to plan B: climb Mount Harney, the tallest peak east of the Rocky Mountains.

An hour drive took me back to Sylvan Lake where despite 100% chance forecasts of rain, I put on my hiking gear and breezed up the 3-mile long, 1000 ft+ climb. The CCC built a castle-like stone watchtower on top of the mountain in 1933, making the final climb very memorable. A white mountain goat at the top of the peak appeared regal and resolute but the dark clouds around ominous. I took some pics and headed back down, hoping to get down before the rain set in. The descent route took me to the backside of the cathedral spires I saw yesterday.

After climbing Harney, I drove an hour north to Rapid City to Meineke to get my front brakes replaced and complete my second oil change. 10,000 miles! $427 later the van was back in good shape and I drove south along the scenic, winding Iron Mountain Highway and then Wildlife Highway to my secluded boondocking campsite in the Black Hills National Forest near Wind Cave. 1.3 million motorcycles descend on the Balck Hills every June for the Sturgis motorcycle rally! After driving hundreds of miles around here, I can understand why. Ohh, and baby Buffalo calves are the cutest animals ever!

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Day 41 - Escalante Coyote Gulch

This one or two night Coyote Gulch hike was an easy test of my newly learned navigation skills. Anxious to get started I awoke at 545 just as the sun was rising. I followed an obvious landmark, a tall thin spire called Chimney Rock, northwest to Hurricane Wash (a drainage running into Coyote Gulch). After a couple of hours of walking up over and around slick rock, I entered the famous Coyote Gulch. The walls around me raised up, darkened and th water flow increased--like nature hinting at the scenic beauty ahead. The normally crowded Coyote Gulch was fairly empty on this early Thursday morning, giving the canyon a very peaceful and quiet feeling-- fragile almost. Down steam, I ran into the famous Jacob Hamilton Arch and then thirty minutes further-- the Coyote Natural Birdge. Both were beautiful due to their see through the wall character, but both would be overshadowed in my memory by the Stevens Arch tomorrow. Pics. By 1pm, I had hiked for six hours...

Day 62 - Colorado National Monument

Established as a national monument early in 1911, Colorado NM is known for its high canyon "rim road" and sandstone spires of Monument Canyon. The canyons of west Colorado are pretty--as they have more green trees and shrubs than the more famous Utah canyons. This gives them a more alive feeling, although the sandstone spires were formed many thousands of years ago by erosion. Rim Rock road curves up the the top of the canyon cliff, goes through several round tunnels and is lined with scenic viewpoints. The best views were in he Monument Canyon section, and included in sequence, the Coke Ovens, The Kissing Couple (behind my head), and the most famous of all: Independence Monument, the tall spire in pic 3 and viewed from the side in pic 4. The original promoter and caretaker of the park, John Otto, was the first person to climb Independence Monument and now it's a climbing right of passage. Every July 4 climbers ascend and mount an American flag at the summit. Fun! ...

Day 57 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Ever since I decided to go west for my big trip, I had dreamed of high mountain lakes with snowy peaks arching in every direction, with chilly air making every moment crisp, and with clear skies bringing all into perfect focus-- pure bliss. Today was the first of many great mountain lake days to come. Hiking here was far easier here than in the San Juans because the snow was packed down on the trail, but I brought my mini crampons for the downhill. I made it safely past a narrow ridge with narly black peaks across the gorge (pic 1), then up to Mills Lake (pic 2) then Jewel Lake then the Loch (pic 3) then down before the afternoon rain started falling. I hiked around some lower, more accessible lakes but the sky was now overcast and pictures no good. I drove up the open portion of the Ridge road amid a very light dusting of snow before heading back to camp for dinner and bedtime. I did manage to capture some fine Elk grazing in a meadows on the return trip and a g...

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