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Showing posts with the label Jan

05-05-23 Grand Canyon South Rim (Day 2) 27°/62° Windy

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Beginning of Kaibab Trail Jeeps-7 “There are many paths to a meaningful sense of the natural world.” (Blackfoot Proverb)  We left for the visitor center around 10:00 AM. The main goal was to get our Passport cancellation stamps and stickers. We also bought sammies for our hike down Kaibab Trail. It is a steep downward hike with three levels .9 miles to Ooh Aah Point, .6 miles to Cedar Ridge, and 1.5 miles to Skeleton Point...then another four miles to the Colorado River. We only went to Ooh Aah Point., well...almost. The rest of the group went to Cedar Ridge. This was a challenging hike, serious stuff at 7,000 feet.  This is what the trail looks like from the top I was worried about how far I would make it, but I would do my best. Unfortunately, my damn hips were giving me problems again. We almost made it to Ooh Aah, but it was starting to get warm, and I do not hike well when it is warm. I also had to use my inhaler, and it helped. The walk back up was uphill with switchbacks, and lo

05-04-23 Grand Canyon South Rim (Day 1) 28°/60° Windy

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When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us. (Arapaho Proverb) 1 Jeeps 5   Today was biking day to Hermits Rest, seven plus miles. This was a significant challenge for Barry and me. The rest of the group have electric bikes, and we have standard bikes, so staying together was doomed from the start. Barry and I took the shuttle to the first stop so we did not have to ride up a steep hill. The rest of the group waited for us there. Each stop along the way had magnificent views of the canyon. I found myself standing at the edge in awe of the views. I can see how this is one of the world's seven wonders. Can you name all seven?   The original plan was to stop at each site, but that did not last long as the rest of the group blew up the hill. I had a difficult time and needed to walk some of it.    We did make it to the top of Hermits Rest behind the electric bike group. I could not believe we made it. Most people passing us had electric bikes. We

2023-03-30 Thursday Pismo Beach Oceano Campground

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         We decided to visit the Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove, and the Reynolds went to Morro Bay. The grove is only about 5 minutes from our campsite. Monarch Butterflies hang (no pun intended) in this area from October to February. We saw a few small ones at the tops of trees, but they were too far away for a photo.  Our walk from Monarch Grove to the dunes and back We followed a fast-flowing creek from the grove to the dunes and the ocean. We are still amazed at how much the storms have damaged the beach. Nevertheless, it was a nice, quiet walk while listening to the ocean. Pismo is still a beautiful beach; hopefully, we will visit again.  Next, we decided to drive through some of the neighborhoods around Pismo. We went on the other side of the freeway and drove up into the hills—huge expensive homes with fantastic views. On the way back, we drove through older neighborhoods on the other side of Amtrak's train tracks: some nicely redone homes and some not. Finally, we took W