Today’s Castlewood Canyon hike is well documented many times over. See here and here. So I am reduced to finding a few oddball details like the dam pipe and the “Keep Off” sign.
Reprised
Today I reprised a hike from 2 days before last Christmas.
It’s an hour’s drive so I don’t get up there that often.
There’s still some snow on the mountaintops out in Gilpin County, but no ice on the trail now. A fellow hiker said he saw a moose, but the only wildlife I saw were a few birds. The view @Panorama_Point is pretty much unchanged. You can see it, here.
Chimney Shelter
Today’s hike on the Chimney Shelter Trail near Kittredge is actually just a short spur off the Bear Creek Cutoff from O’Fallon Park. I don’t know about the “shelter” part unless you’re willing to climb inside with the ashes. But the “chimney” part is pretty impressive as 40′ tall stone monuments go, at least those without any apparent purpose. Well, no purpose other than keeping local stone masons off the bread lines during the Great Depression I guess.
Brief history the chimney in O’Fallon Park is here.
Happy Sunday
Happy Sunday, y’all.
Today, a haiku and rare purple sunflowers.
That is all.
Toilet Bowl
The Toilet Bowl is no more. From a NYT article, here, and below.
A popular double arch that hung over the turquoise waters of Lake Powell in Utah’s portion of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area collapsed on Thursday, officials said.
The National Park Service confirmed the collapse in a statement on Friday, noting that the arch was a frequently visited attraction and had been known to park-goers over the years as the Toilet Bowl, the Crescent Pool, the Hole in the Roof and the Double Arch.
The geologic feature was formed from 190 million-year-old Navajo sandstone, park officials said. The elements had eroded away the fine-grained sand structure over the years and caused fragments to break off, officials said.
“Changing water levels and erosion from wave action is suspected of contributing to the ultimate collapse of the arch,” the park said in a statement.
Michelle Kerns, the park’s superintendent, said that although the cause of the collapse was unknown, the doomed arch was a reminder of the need to protect mineral resources surrounding the lake.
“These features have a life span that can be influenced by man-made interventions,” she said.
News of the collapse began to spread in online hiking and outdoors circles on Friday, with many visitors lamenting the sudden end to what appeared to have been an unyielding fixture of geology.
“RIP to the Lake Powell Toilet Bowl,” one person posted on TikTok in a video montage showing past trips to the arch, including clips of people diving and somersaulting into the water from the rim above.
The arch was in the Rock Creek Bay area of Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which straddles southern Utah and northern Arizona, officials said.
Home to the iconic Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River, the site is among the most visited national parks. Last year, a record 5.2 million people visited.
Cover Art
I’m thinking of something like the following for cover art
for my murder mystery.
Waddaya think? Gotta be worth a shot.
C’mon, @kate.wolf.studio.
I think a guest artist gig would suit you, no?
Chapter Ninety-Three
Bear the Great – Chapter Ninety-Three.
<Need a replacement for Chapter Ninety-Two.>
Please pick one:
- Retired Lutheran Decaf Clergy – A Meditation on Graceful Aging.
- Slapneck Creek, Michigan U.P. – Hiking with My Favorite Bugs.
- Why I Hate the Olympics, Big Pharma, & Organized Religion.
- Better Blogging for the Hearing Impaired – An Object Lesson.
- Flashback to the Summer of ’74 – A Roe v. Wade Story.
- Fall of the House of Guernsey & Rise of Kinderhof Meats.
- JoeBobOutfitters.com – Guns, Ammo & the Fight for the Soul of a Nation in America’s Heartland.
Somebody’s gonna get PO’ed. Only question is: Who?
Blucifer and More
Some days you just happen to stumble on something new. Today was one of those days for me, and the sun’s not even up here yet. On my FB feed I saw the following shot of Blucifer the blue mustang statue who stands outside DIA. Following the link to the DIA website, here, I found a whole lot of striking photos. I don’t know who does marketing for the airport in Denver, but whoever it is, they’re doing a great job. Hope you enjoy these as much as I did.
Best Thing Ever
What’s the best thing ever about finally coming home after a 5000-mile road trip, the main point of which was to get your overseas daughter’s car smog checked at a self-service kisosk in DC?
A. Sleeping in your own bed with your own pillow.
B. No need for an early morning Internet search for “Starbucks closest to me.”
C. Not wondering what the desk clerk speaking Hindi on his cell phone is saying.
D. From mommydrinkswineandswears on Insta:
Therapist: so what actions did you take this week to help release dopamine in your brain?
Me: i shared a bunch of memes on the internet so i could feel validated.
Therapist: *sprays me with water bottle*
Yep. That’s the one. Best Thing Ever.
Also this.
If you missed the rest of our trip, you can catch up here, here, and here. And now, let me just say this:
I feel so, so, so…. validated!
Great Lakes
Our Eastern sojourn has come to a close. Thanks to all our hosts in KC and Lancaster County, PA. Our return west included a jog north through the Great Lakes. There are many great hikes @SleepingBearDunes in the top half of the Michigan “mitten.” Then across the Mackinaw Bridge to the U.P. and more great hiking @PicturedRocks on the Superior side of things. Then down through the heart of America’s dairyland. Ohio may advertise itself as “The Heart of It All” but as far as dairy cows go, Wisconsin rules. Stayed last night in the Lombardi suite @AmericInn near Lambeau Field in Green Bay. I have yet to see anyone other than me NOT wearing a Packers t-shirt. For the record, I’m wearing my U-Wisconsin LaCrosse tee today. Go Eagles.
Because I was driving I didn’t get a shot of Anne in the passenger seat as we crossed the bridge, but I did find a dog meme on the net after the fact that captures the spirit of the thing. The Mackinaw Bridge is 5 miles long and connects Mackinaw City, MI with the U.P. That’s “Upper Peninsula” for those of you unfamiliar with the region. Or “North Wisconsin” as I like to think of it, since without the bridge I can see no connection between the U.P. and the rest of Michigan.