Wow April has got to be the busiest time of year here. I'm writing this in December, looking back at our farm journal from April. It's strange to read about our activity level last April while I'm sitting in a cozy, snow-surrounded cabin, typing on a computer.
Here's what went on in April. We evicted the poultry from the garden so that bed prep and planting could begin (they had done a great job over the winter of breaking down last year's plant matter and mulch, picking out parasitic insect eggs and larvae, manuring and generally having a great time). Then all of the bed prepping (starting to broadfork then entire 155'x55' area, shoveling paths into beds, mulching beds that weren't going to be direct seeded), then transplanting and direct seeding into the beds. Our irrigation water source (creek) started running, so the 6000' long, 10" diameter pipeline needed flushing and repairs, then all of the terminal end infrastructure (fittings, valves, sprinklers) needed attention and periodic use and draining on cold nights. One of our two pregnant does, Jasmine, kidded on the 13th, resulting in 3 wonderfully cute kids (2 doelings and a buckling).
Linc realized he was missing important planting dates, and spent an afternoon coming up with a couple of garden planning spreadsheets. This is what happens when you convert an engineer into a homestead gardener.
In the middle of all of this, Linc started grumbling about missing out on spring mountain bike season in Moab. Around noon, Jeanne suggested that she'd be willing to cover his chores for the next 2 nights if he wanted to go by himself. It didn't take any arm twisting. Within 2 or 3 hrs, he was packed up and on the road. Here's a shot, probably from a trail called Captain Ahab, with a view out over the Behind the Rocks area to the La Sal Mountains.
The desert has some crazy rock formations. This boulder sure looked like an enormous Desert Tortoise lumbering along.
On his third day, Linc decided to do something epic, and opted to put together a ride that combined several trails into a thirty five mile long odyssey that involved a little over 3000' of climbing. Midway through, he passed by Gemini Bridges and took this video.
Linc's end of ride tired happy face, partially because he'd just found the homemade chocolate goat milk frap that Jeanne had put in his cooler.
Near the end of the month, Amber once again gave us both a break (which Jeanne still very much needed), and we planned a 3 day backpack down Owl Canyon and up Fish Canyon on Cedar Mesa in Utah. Unfortunately, the weather forecast called for heavy rain, and canyons aren't the best place to be in that kind of weather. Undeterred (desperate maybe?), Jeanne said, "I'm going!" and Linc tagged along. Afraid of Jeanne most likely, the rain held off long enough for us to grab permits from the off-duty friendly rangers, drive into the trailhead in the Prius before the rains made the road impassable, and even get down into Owl Canyon and to a high and dry campsite before the rains came. The weather for the next two days just got better and better. Here's looking down into Owl as we started in.
A 600 to 800 year old granary tucked into an alcove under the rim.
We both love the laughing call of the Canyon Wren, and as we finished the descent into Owl, there it was. Jeanne couldn't stop grinning.
The beauty of a pour-off pool midway down Owl.
The view from near our campsite in Owl of an arch (Jeanne's pack stashed in a boulder-cave in foreground).
The second day, as the weather cleared, we made our way to the confluence and turned up Fish Canyon. With all of the rain the day before, the trail turned into an exercise in route finding with a lot time spent crossing back and forth over, or walking in, the canyon bottom stream as it streaked across ledges and tumbled over little waterfalls. Jeanne, who wear's Keen sandals on almost any backpacking trip, loved it. Linc had boots, but switched to a pair of half broken camp Teva sandals, and we splashed our way happily up the canyon.
Our camp site on a ledge over the stream, below the hair raising climb out of Fish.
Here's Jeanne, about halfway up the scramble/climb out of Fish early on the morning of the third day.
We tried to avoid thinking about the one serious (for us) scramble that we'd read about to get through the Fish Canyon rim, until we got to it, here, and found the fixed rope missing. We both hate heights.
Linc got part way up it with his pack still on before getting stuck, but somehow turned into a lizard and slithered up the final bit before lowering a rope down to Jeanne, first for her pack, and then for her to use as a guideline. This photo is looking down that last pitch.
Finally up, we celebrated with a snack and enjoyed the view, before the easy mesa top walk a mile or two through Pinyon-Juniper forest back to the car, and home. Thank you desert canyons - you are full of magic.
No comments:
Post a Comment