With one week off for Christmas break before family came into town, we were able to accomplish a lot of projects around the house, but we wanted to make sure we got out and had some fun too. Under a cloudy, misty day, we packed the dogs up and drove out towards Fossil Ridge to find ourselves some fossils. We ended up hiking directly in the low lying clouds and the cool rain, which was beautifully refreshing!
The school district restructured its calendar and we were given an entire week off for Thanksgiving! We spent the first few days in Show Low, AZ visiting with Scott's family and the last few days in Las Cruces, NM visiting with mine.
While in AZ, we hiked around a serene alpine lake near the Mogollon Rim, Topo played enthusiastically with Rosey, and we spent quality time with the family. Nearing three, Tyler, a truck enthusiast, brings so much joy to the household!
In NM, we hiked around Picacho Peak, where we saw a couple coyotes. While walking near the Rio Grande River, Topo successfully chased her first covey of quail. Scott was very proud! The trip wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Coas Map Room nor the purchase of Hatch Chilies!
We spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon near Searchlight, NV (the birthplace of Harry Reid) introducing Topo to hunting. With her stellar sense of smell, Patches led Topo around the desert, sniffing for quail. Although we didn't see a single quail, the dogs played in the Colorado River and Topo figured out exactly what to do when Scott fires the shotgun...run in fired direction and recover the dead. With better luck next time...
It was our last trip of the summer, extreme sad face. The destination: the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. For Scott and Duane, this would be their third time there. For Marcia, trip number two. For me, my first time. And let me tell you, I was amazed! Despite both Scott's and Duane's jeeps needing welding jobs while we were there, the vacation still surpassed my expectations. The dogs chased marmots, the rain pitter-pattered on the trailer as we slept, wildflowers bloomed everywhere, and the mountains reflected the sun beautifully. Until next time...
As temperatures in Las Vegas rose to 118°, we decided to take the dogs and get out of the heat. With the North Rim of the Grand Canyon only four hours away and 30° cooler, we packed up the Skamper and the dogs. The Kaibab National Forest has tons of forest service roads that lead right up to the edge of the canyon. With a plethora of free dry camping spots available we made the impromptu decision to visit the rim.
We spent a wonderful long weekend at my brother's house hanging out. The pinnacle of the trip was the Ypsilanti beer festival where over 100 Michigan breweries had over 1,000 different beers on tap. While we weren't drinking beer, Zaina and Vivienne were our entertainment. Good times!
This place is an amazing hidden gem of Nevada. Nearly nine hours north of Las Vegas, most people haven't even heard of it. Lamoille Canyon is located in the Ruby Mountains south of Elko, Nevada. It is a long canyon with hanging valleys, lush vegetation, granite peaks, and alpine lakes. We camped in the only campground in the area, Thomas Canyon. Wildflowers were blooming everywhere and Topo discovered she absolutely loves snow.
Overlooking Liberty Lake
Those two specks in the snow at the top are mountain goats!
Topo is in the middle, loving the snow!
We spent a couple days exploring the only National Park in the state of Nevada. Known for its dark skies, Scott took some great night time pictures of the billions of stars we rarely see. We camped at nearly 10,000 feet with Wheeler Peak (the second highest peak in the state) as the backdrop to our site. The biggest attraction is the Lehman Caves; a vast cave system that visitors were once told by the original discoverer, "If you can break it, you can take it." As dogs are not allowed on trails in National Parks, we were limited in what we could do, however, we were able to explore 'off trail' some beautiful alpine lakes.
We took on the challenge of hiking to the highest summit in Southern Nevada, Charleston Peak in the Spring Mountain Range. There is a traditional North/South Loop trail that takes 18 miles to reach the nearly 12,000ft peak. We chose to hike via an unmarked route from Wallace Canyon on the west side of the mountain versus the marked trail on the east side of the mountain. Our hike was going only going to be approximately 6 miles roundtrip, however, it was going to gain all 4,000ft of elevation within the first 3 miles up.
We made it! For sections of the hike, we rock scrambled up and slid down on our bums, but we made it in 8 hours! Whew!
Marcia, Duane, Scott, the dogs, and I took the jeeps from Cold Creek to Pahrump via Wheeler Pass, up Carpenter Canyon, across and up to Wallace Canyon, and back up through Wheeler Pass. The total off road mileage for the day was over 80 miles. Whew!
We took Topo on her first road trip. Stop #1: Prescott, AZ where we enjoyed Prescott Brewing Company, camped and hiked at White Spar Campground. Stop #2: Sedona, AZ where we met Scott's mom and my parents. We hiked the gorgeous red rocks and took a day trip to an old copper mining town, Jerome. Stop #3: Flagstaff, AZ, where we enjoyed a local brewing company. Everyone had a great time, including the little one.
Topo took her first official jeep ride and it was a success! We spent a Sunday afternoon traveling through the Muddy Mountains, just West of Valley of Fire State Park. Patches showed Topo how to lead the way for the jeep, sniff bushes, swim, and scale rock formations. The dogs had just as much fun as the humans.
We took advantage of the three day weekend by spending a day hiking to another hot springs along the Colorado River. Along the way, there were remnants of cars that had fallen off the roadway above. We also brought Patches this time. Although the hike had a few rope sections, where we handed Patches off to each other, she did fantastic.
With a day off for the MLK holiday, we chose not to rest, but to hike some more. We trekked up snowed covered trails to Gass Peak, the peak that overlooks the northern part of the Las Vegas Valley. With new tires, Scott's jeep got us to the trailhead quickly. Patches led the rest of the way, for over 6 miles and 2,000 feet in elevation gain. The views from the summit were spectacular. With a pair of binoculars, you could nearly see our house.
We took the eastern route on the way up and the western route on the return.
Just south of the Hoover Dam there are quite a few hot springs. Winter is a great time to hike the area around Lake Mead. Along the way we saw Big Horn Sheep and get this....a bald eagle (Sara's first ever)!!! The springs were around 105ºF. We brought bathing suits and climbed right in...along with a few other people. On the way home, we stopped at Boulder City Brewery and enjoyed some local beer.
The plan was to go down to Wilson's Tank and then over to 99 Mile Cabin. That was until the truck battery jumped out of it's tray, landed on the master brake cylinder, arced the lines blowing out the primary brake line and starting a small fire. Don't worry, the truck will be okay, eventually :) ....and we did make it back home, just never quite to the cabin. Despite the unfortunate end to the day, we saw some beautiful scenery along the way, including amazing views of the Las Vegas Valley.
The blue wheel is where Scott's truck spent the night. You can see how close we were to our destination, 99 mine.
People talk about Times Square being cold for New Years. Well, we topped that by ringing in the New Year in Sand Hollow, UT, surviving 20° nights in the Skamper. Scott, Duane, Marcia and I rode Side by Sides around the beautiful, red dunes on New Years Day. Scott and I then headed over to Zion Canyon to see the dusting of the snow on the canyon walls. Happy New Year everyone!
The ride we took at the dunes...where both Arctic Cats happened to get stuck in the sand.
Base Camp. A brisk high of 45° and lows in the teens.
Most times of the year people can't drive their own cars up and down Zion Canyon, but this was the first time either of us were able to drive the canyon ourselves. We stopped at Weeping Rock, which 'tears' were frozen icicles. Before heading home, we stopped at Zion lodge to enjoy some good beer.
Zion Canyon, Utah
Snow in the Canyon.
