Truck parked at my cabin. Packrats ate the spark plug wires on my old, faithful ‘92 Chevy truck. Will try to install new wires tomorrow. Nice to get away from the news media for awhile and do something simple……
Successful repair. Replaced 3 spark plug wires plus coil wire. Two were completely chewed through, so had to guess, guessed wrong, but switched them and it worked! 🐭
At my lovely Colorado cabin @ 8,500 feet
Autumn at the cabin. Elk are bugling and aspens are beginning to turn golden.
It is now officially spring at 8,500 feet in Colorado.
I saw lots of American Pronghorn antelope and a golden eagle on the drive in to my cabin. Four elk and two antelope met me in the front yard as I arrived. Two geese appear to be nesting at the beaver pond, and I’m hoping for a new crop of “young ‘uns”.
Alpine Forget-Me-Nots, Hedgehog Cactus, Arrow-leaf Balsam Root and Western Pasque Flower are in bloom. Broad Tail Hummingbirds and Mountain Blue Birds have returned – the hills are alive!
Some surprises in the game camera keep things interesting 🦁
Lovely sunsets each evening . Wish you were here !
Installing new art at our cabin
Sedona is an Arizona desert town near Flagstaff that’s surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls and pine forests. It’s noted for its mild climate and vibrant arts community. Uptown Sedona is dense with New Age shops, spas and art galleries. On the town’s outskirts, numerous trailheads access Red Rock State Park, which offers bird-watching, hiking and picnicking spots.
Dramatic sandstone formations such as Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock appeal to photographers and enlightenment-seekers, as does the modernist Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into rust-colored rocks. Oak Creek Canyon has trails for hiking and mountain biking, plus sites for camping and fishing. Part of the canyon is home to Slide Rock State Park, named for its natural water chutes, popular for swimming. Native American petroglyphs can be seen in the Coconino National Forest heritage sites V Bar V, Palatki and Honanki (the latter 2 also feature cliff dwellings).
After visiting one of the four famous Sedona vortexes, we enjoyed a beautiful 4.5 mile sunset hike around Tabletop Mesa.
There is no other hike in the Sedona area that offers such awe-inspiring views as the Sedona Airport Mesa Loop Trail. It offers hikers a 360-degree panorama with views of almost every major red-rock landmark along the perimeter at an elevation of 4,500 feet.
Lovely desert wilderness…..
Driving in from the from Las Vegas, Nevada to the north, the road turns from paved to dirt and then to very rough dirt. Not awful, but the Park Service does advise 4WD vehicles only. The desert dusk scenery is lovely and I am the only vehicle on this 40 mile stretch of road. I find plenty of open campsites at Hole-in-The-Wall Campground and settle in for the night.
The Mojave National Preserve encompasses 1.6 million acres, including portions of the Mojave, Great Basin and Sonoran Deserts About half of the Park is congressionallly designated wilderness.
Mojave Yucca
Buckhorn Cholla Cactus
Banshee Canyon
The ascent is so steep, hikers climb using iron rings mounted in the rock for hand and toe holds in two sections.
Beavertail Cactus
Barrel Cactus
Although the landscape appears barren, the Mojave Desert is home to a plethora of wildlife including Bighorn Sheep and the Desert Tortoise.
Lovely desert landscape
Sunset
David Willett 