Cartour Spring 2017 number 42

Tuesday April 25th

What can you say?
This little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home?
Got on to the interstates and drove on to the island; seems like we had a nice lunch somewhere but neither S nor I can remember how or where. The grass was deep and a kid, Wilki, had a ride-a-mow next door, so made a quick deal to have him run his Kubota (no grass catcher) over the lawn and I raked and remowed and fell, exhausted, to rest.

Cartour Spring 2017 number 41

Monday April 24th

S and the maelstrom

      Heavy rain this morning in Twin Falls so after the complimentary breakfast we drove up river on the Snake's south shore to Shoeshone Falls. Who would have thought looking down from the Elevation 487 bar for the last two years that there was such a maelstrom just up around the bend. Maelstrom! I could hardly make myself go out on the viewing platform for the photos.
Anyway we got out of there quickly enough to motor through sun and rain to the Oregon Trail museum in Baker, Oregon for the historic info and the bike ride along the Trail to what appeared to be a training area for those little four wheeled personal transporters. There was a guy in forest service attire lecturing a squad of people on the things preparing to rip up and down the hills of the facility; I would have waited to see them do their lesson but S took off back up the long grade to the car and sandwiches and FOMO off I went as well. Ran into the heaviest rain and wind of the last six weeks on the last mile into Pentleton to the Oxford Suites; you get a couch, free soup and salad and alcohol and then free breakfast plus there was an indoor pool and hot tub and cookies.

Many were lost

they wished the oregon trail looked like this

rain to the east

Cartour Spring 2017 number 40

Sunday April 23rd

driving the original right of way for the transcontinental above the wetlands of the great salt lake

      Raining in Twin Falls, ID. Ensconced in the Blue Lake Inn for the time being having scooted out of Salt Lake after oats and yoghurt at Chris'. Steve set us on a course to visit City of the Rocks, the site of the driving of the golden spike in the finale of the building of the transcontinental rails and the missile factory of Morton Thiokol; we hiked among the rocks and rock climbers and I got a new hat. Dirt road out of the rocks to several small towns selling rocks and then inevitably the interstate to Twin Falls and a light supper at the Kim Crawford wine discovery restaurant called something like Elevation 487. Very mediocre butternut squash ravioli and no Kim Crawford. Great view down into the Snake River Canyon however. Also hot hot tub at Blue Lake.

Cartour Spring 2017 number 39

Saturday April 22nd

Just thought I'd throw this one in again

      Already told one big part of Saturday at the center of Mormon. Also had some handsome homemade spaghetti sauce with noodles and watched a movie about reincarnation in which a dog becomes an Englishman which was very interesting and fun especially for Peter O'Toole and Sam Neill, the principal actors. Took Subaru to carwash and vacuum - very jaunty after.
Things are winding down and we look homeward with a short list of worthy detours for the morrow's drive north and west from Steve.

Cartour Spring 2017 number 38

Friday April 21st

S and the Mormon girls at Brigham's

     Straight out of Nightvale to Salt Lake City (SLC).  Visited Chris, Rob and Steve in SLC and had a great time on Lincoln Court off Lincoln Lane above and east of S 2300 E which was just 23 long blocks from the Temple which S and I rode to on the bicycles on a high Spring day up against the snowy Wasatch. Right into Brigham Young's place and onto a guided tour and Mormon pep talk from two young women missionaries from Ghana and China. But technically that was our activity for Saturday morning. Got in Friday evening after a good bit of interstate blasting (80 mph!). Had a fine steak grilled by Rob followed by stories. Got rid of the wood we have been managing since last year; what was it about this year that we had not one fire until tonight 38 days in?

A minor temple in a wee little town (that had a giant donut shop that didn't sell coffee let alone give it away) between Cedar City and Salt Lake

Cartour Spring 2017 number 37

Thursday April 20th

Colorado just below Lee's Ferry

Zion from up shuttle parking

Our camp in Cedar City

      Got out of Lee’s Ferry and hit Zion. Mordor in orange and white. Also people. We took the shuttle up canyon and hiked the Emerald Pools. It was cool.

We shot down through La Verkin and Tocquerville to Cedar City.  Shades of Welcome to Night Vale here this time; we came here last year and finished the magic cake video for Lucy. Tonight guy ahead of me at the grocery store checkout bought my deodorant, hand lotion, razorblades and M&Ms, but S said he probably thought I was homeless (maybe it was the pant leg in the sock on the right side because of the biking there) but she, at the same store earlier, was led to the freezer section where the helpful staff kid insisted was where they had their cookies and they didn’t sell wine. And then there is this place we are staying; how do they keep it dusted? And there were other things and also some last year as I recall. And we made the finale of that weird movie here. Anyway it is nice, but I wouldn’t want to live here.

Cartour Spring 2017 number 36

Wednesday April 19th  

Site 49 at Lee's Ferry camp

Spencer

Bike up forest road 307 for a few miles. No table breakfast. Over to Lee’s Ferry camp by just afternoon and into attractive camp overlooking the Colorado 16 miles below the Glenn Canyon dam.  Beautiful cold ass river the Colorado 16 miles below the dam. Footache on entry - you don’t stay in; you can’t. Set up in number 49, got a visit from Jenny down the way - been coming to this camp for 40 years. River hike upstream. Laughed and wondered about the up trail that split off a little ways up the river; where could it possiblly go as there was a 1000 foot canyon wall that way. Called “Spencer”.  Two fairly hardy hikers of the river walk said it went to the top. S and I thought we’d give it a try the next day and found it harrowing and stopped less than 1/2 way. No more laughing at “Spencer”. No sir.