Sand dunes, salt flats, mountain hike & my 77th marathon finish. Last desert day…all good things come to an end. Drove back by way of Dante’s View — one last hike in the Park, one last overlook of Death Valley. WOW, just WOW.
More than an afternoon in Vegas [’til my return flight]. Casino walk, afternoon show? Naw…been there, done there.
Hoover Dam.
Did a fly-over 2 years ago during my Grand Canyon Heli Tour, but never down, down, down to the Dam’s base nor studied its history.
At the time of its creation, Hoover Dam was the largest of its kind. Harnessing the power & volume of the mighty Colorado River, water is distributed amongst the West thru a system of pipes and irrigation canals. Hoover Dam’s reservoir, Lake Mead, is America’s largest man-made reservoir.
Dam construction created thousands of jobs during the country’s Great Depression & completed 2 years ahead of time. The Dam’s spillways were last tested in the 1980’s; since then water levels have diminished significantly, triggering renegotiation of the Colorado River Compact within the next 2 years. While Colorado snowpack has provided steady & consistent volume, population explosion in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix & Tucson have eroded Lake Mead’s levels.
Living in Colorado, many of us grow frustrated and anger at California’s seemingly wasteful use of water resources: creation of lush manicured lawns & agricultural water waste. Arid landscaping — popular in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada & Arizona — has not been widely adopted in America’s most populous state.
…but I digress. Breathe in, count to 10, exhale 🙂
$20 was the ticket price for the tour. Historical film, followed by a series of elevator rides to the Dam’s bypass pipes & massive hydropower generators. The science as to how this all works — super interesting!
Elevator UP. Walked the Dam perimeter, snapped sunset shots, self-toured its Monument. Thank goodness for standby — ’cause this flyer missed his departure home. Many thanks Southwest Airlines. Life lesson learned.
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- infamous California chain — check, done
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- greatest dam of its day
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- [Colorado] river was diverted through four 50-foot-diameter tunnels, two drilled through the canyon walls on each side of the river
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- 4 billion kilowatt-hours a year — enough to serve 1.3 million people
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- 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete
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- tonite’s WOW shot!
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- Lake Mead (Nevada left, Arizona right)
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- Hoover Dam Monument
Hoover Dam (in 47 seconds)
5 weekends of running, time for a hike – maybe even 2 hikes. After Thursday’s ‘first snow’, nothing but mountains & snow camping on the brain. Temps plummeted to the 20’s…so settled on glamping & 2 RMNP alpine hikes (making the most of my 2016 Parks pass).
Woke to sunshine Saturday. Beaver Meadows Entrance, quick left to Bear Lake. 20 minute ride, trailhead-parked at Glacier Gorge (last pull-off before Bear). Winds blew, BIG smile. Initial hike goal: 5 Lakes (Loch Vale, Haiyaha, Dream, Nymph & Bear)
Just under a mile to Alberta Falls, another 2+ to Loch Vale. Most tourists can make the Falls hike; super thankful for winter & open trails. Forgot how beautiful Alberta Falls can be…even frozen solid. Tested the ice; crampon spikes a good gauge for weakness. Must’ve flash-froze over the past couple days, thin ice covered in snow. Snapped a pic, hiked on.
Last trekked Loch Vale 4 years ago, mid-November. That day, hiked in heavy snow – white-out conditions limited our group’s day goal. Winter precip accumulated 3” inches an hour, awesome memory making snow angels. hike LOVE.
Today’s path vacillated between ice (sunshine melt/refreeze) & shin-deep snow (tree cover shade). Both lodgepole & Ponderosa [pine] lined the Park’s well-maintained trail system. Crazy beautiful, sunshine & solitude.
Left to Mills, right to Haiyaha, Loch Vale straight ahead. Tested out trail conditions to Haiyaha…deep snow, no visible trek tenth-mile out. Not happening today. Turned back, Loch Vale < half-mile away. Pushed thru a grove of trees, saw the Loch. Frozen alpine lake blocked in by the some of the Park’s highest peaks. Outdoor WOW moment. Opened armed, let the cold wind blow, envelope me.
Snow whipped off the rock heights above. Crampons scratched the Loch’s surface but no cracks. Breezy, strong numbing wind. Footsteps crunched over the thick ice. No words. Just WOW! Wind-retreated after 15 minutes. Sheltered behind two boulders, downed half a turkey wrap. Only one Lake today…but absolutely no regrets.
Sunset. Headed into Estes Park for a pricey dinner & the city’s tree lighting ceremony. ‘Cowboy Brad’ welcomed visitors with a mix of John Denver & Colorado Christmas carols. No better way to usher in the season. FUN night!
Home? Heck no. Not before a Sunday a.m. hike — only 3 miles roundtrip. Felt small under tall lodgepole pine, switch-backed UP 1,000ft, followed signs for ‘Trail Around Lake’, dropped off trail to snap shots of slushy Bierstadt Lake.
BEST vacation from a vacation – I choose mountain hike over Disney World every time 🙂
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- Glacier Gorge Trailhead
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- [frozen] Alberta Falls
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- conditions vacillated between icy trail & shin-deep snow
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- Welcome to the Loch!
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- footsteps crunched the Loch’s icy surface — WOW, no words.
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- Tree Lighting Ceremony 2016
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- Day 2 hike
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- towering lodgepole pine
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- switch backed UP 1,000ft
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- I choose mountain hike over Disney World every time 🙂
alpine hikes & holiday lights (Estes Park CO)
2 days in Yellowstone, day plan to finish our Montana summer vacation in the Grand Tetons.
Checked out of our Ennis MT digs & started the journey south, ‘cross the Continental Divide, thru Idaho – in particular: Ashton, Idaho. Trip wouldn’t have been complete without visiting our country’s Seed Potato capitol. HA! True dat – but Ashton visiting Ashton [Idaho] was more the prime motive 🙂
Ashton ID: population 1127. Photo shot ‘round every local sign – then plotted east. Dropped off any/all major roads & unexpectedly trekked 32 miles on dirt. Stopped 7 miles in; wide expanse of lily pads & pine. Quiet, peaceful. Just dragonflies & forest.
2 hours in Targhee National Forest, popped up on Flagg Ranch, inside Grand Teton Nat’l Park. Never saw a ranger, never passed a booth. Score! (reality is: I carry an annual park pass anyway)
Scrapped plans to hike Jenny Lake & travelled south & east another hour to Moran Junction (the Park’s East entrance), past Jackson Lake Lodge, up Pacific Creek Road & 5 miles of gravel.
Destination: Teton Horseback Adventures
Ash mentioned 2 days earlier…wouldn’t it be great to horseback ride in the mountains? Heck yeah. Multiple water crossings, spectacular high peak backdrop. GREAT idea!
Gazed ‘cross Jenny Lake – all vacations come to an end – then dined BIG, 20 minutes south in Jackson [Wyoming]. Air bnb fail in Driggs [Idaho] but luckily Ash secured a last-minute room locally. [The digs in Driggs, a youth hostel bunk bed share – wee bit old to share a room with teens.]
Long ride home across Wyoming on I-80, 10 hour drive (thanks Tom). Back to work in the a.m.
Summer time fun – 2nd family trip of July. FAAANNNTASTIC!
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- hearty Montana breakfast
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- Ash in Ashton [Idaho]
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- 32 mile trek over dirt road
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- lily pads & pine
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- Teton Horseback Adventures
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- 2-hour trail ride
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- today’s WOW pic — whatta view!
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- Jenny Lake
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- goodbye Tetons, last day vacation
Yellowstone: Part 3 – the Tetons
