September '02 Newsletter

After 6 months and a very hot summer, we still love Black Canyon City. We've had a few houseguests stop in to see the new digs. Unfortunately it's been too hot mid-day to take them hiking. To keep fit when we're home, we get out at sunrise and force ourselves six miles up and down the hills every other day. But it hasn't been easy, in fact some days are just barely tolerable with temperatures approaching the upper 90's by the time we return. We often wonder if we will end up as sweat puddle by the end of the hike. The summer monsoon rains skipped us this year and it shows all around us. To conserve water, the mesquite leaves have shrunk to miniscule size. Many of the river bottom cottonwoods have dropped all of their leaves. We're hopeful that all of these trees will leaf out once we get some moisture - if they survive. The rabbits have eaten most of our 20 agave pups down to mere nubbins. Susan's first fig tree fried so our neighbor planted another for her while we were in Idaho. It is still alive but just barely. We are trying not to plant anything new until the drought ends or at least until we get a drip system installed.

Living on the edge of the desert has been a real treat in terms of wildlife viewing. We have one javelina that shows up every 3-4 nights at the back deck for a handout. Susan has named her Geraldine though she might be a Gerald. An entire herd shows up slightly less frequently to vacuum up the spilled birdseed and empty the birds' water bucket. They are fairly comfortable with us watching them from 4-5 feet away on the deck, even with the spotlights on. We're hoping this doesn't make them easy pickins' in the hunting season. Susan also has a lizard named Herman who lives under the back porch. She was describing him to one of her 4-year-old great nephews in Minnesota earlier this summer and he wanted to know if Herman knows how to "sit" and "shake paw". She hasn't started training Herman yet but that may be next. We saw our first live deer and fawn in the wash behind our house this morning. We have been seeing the scat and a skeleton of one but finally saw the real thing bouncing up the hill away from us. Early one morning our neighbor saw an adult mountain lion walking the fence line between our two properties. We have seen his tracks on our hikes but haven't seen him yet.

Susan is up early but rarely sees wildlife in the yard. She is not so thrilled about finding a scorpion or two every day or so in the house but that is desert life. She is resting a little easier since being stung by one and surviving with no ill effects. Earlier this week, she cruised out of the bedroom doing her usual elephant stomp to the kitchen for early morning coffee. She crushed a scorpion underfoot, returned to the bedroom for a tissue to pick him up, accidentally stomped him a second time before she squished and flushed him. He was still alive through both stompings but miraculously didn't manage to sting her. Yesterday she found four of them while sweeping, two had died of natural causes, but she is still determined not to spray. They are tough to spot on the blonde oak floors but she seems to be developing a scorpion sixth sense.

While Susan was off gallivanting in Minnesota, Bob purchased an electronic camera and devoted himself to learning how to use it. He doesn't have it totally down pat but his Lake Powell houseboat pictures turned out pretty nice, nice enough to send a CD to everyone on the trip. Our friend Bob Kerry sent us all CD's of his photos of our Middle Fork raft trip and we thought it was a great idea. Now we have to teach Susan how to use the camera so she isn't the scale or subject of all of the shots.

Susan's trip to the northlands of Minnesota went well. Her family is happy and doing great. They spoil her rotten when she visits, which she always appreciates. Her niece Heidi was briefly quoted on the front page of the New York Times in July in an article about concerns of people entering the Foreign Service with regard to living abroad. Heidi was fun as always and it was nice to finally meet her husband Alexandre. She will start her training this fall to prepare for working in an embassy. They are both hoping for a Portuguese speaking post. Susan's brother was over from Nevada for a month. He was working on his cabin out at the river quite a bit but made time to come into town to visit. They didn't have an annual family fish fry this year but Kevin did fry up a delicious luncheon for Susan and their folks. Susan also spent a little bit of time with each of her three sisters and another favorite niece, but as always it wasn't enough time. She celebrated the 3rd of July uptown at a block party of sorts in the town where she went to high school. It was fun but without the help of her buddy Rhonda, she might not have recognized a soul. 4th of July at the cabin of friends Ed & Linda was relaxing and special. The sauna and hot tub didn't hurt a bit. Her class reunion was well attended, 72-75 graduates, plus significant others. From a class of 230, with about 10 deceased, she thought that was a fair showing.

Scott and Tennille stopped by last month to visit on their way back to Tucson from Montana. Tennille had to be back in town to begin teaching her second grade class. Scott had a little more time before his classes at UA started. He is the only one we know going from a GED to a PhD, bypassing high school graduation along the way. His dad never thought he would see this day and we are both delighted.

And last, but certainly not least, our good friend Ted Bruning got a cancellation permit to raft the Colorado through Grand Canyon from September 27 - October 11. He was on the waitlist for 10 years and still 3-4 years away from the top of the list where he would have been able to select a date for the following year. Cancellation permits result from people not being able to get their group and trip logistics organized or the NPS collecting unused days due to undersized prior trips. The demand for non-commercial trips on the Colorado is so great the NPS wants 100% of the available user days to be utilized every year. We had just about given up hope and were expecting 2002 to be an off year for us. Once Ted had that launch date his trip filled in 10 days. All of the boatmen were together on the Middle Fork trip earlier this summer and after a two year hiatus Susan is going to row again. We're looking forward to a fun October trip this year.

2002 Trip Reports:

Lake Powell Houseboat Trip (8/3/02-8/10/02):

Having loaded up the coolers & gear the night before, our departure was early. The tires looked pretty stressed and we wanted to get the show on the road while the pavement was still cool. We had a minor set back when Sam's in Flagstaff wasn't open as early as in Phoenix and we had to kill time for an hour or so, waiting to pick up last minute bread and the like. Finally armed with fresh bread, pies, and a fancy Congratulations cake for our honeymooners, we hit the road again bound for Bull Frog Marina on the Utah side of Lake Powell. Since we frequently travel up through Monument Valley, Bob had decided to take a route through some less familiar territory for a change of pace. Though overcast, the potential was good for a scenic ride through Kodachrome Valley to Escalante and down the Burr Trail to the Lake. Few gravel roads we've traveled have sported the washboard of the Kodachrome Valley one but scenic it certainly was. We had forgotten just how pretty that drive is and enjoyed it immensely. Fortunately, we made it to the north end before the sprinkles started or the truck shook itself to pieces. The cake was still intact and we were optimistic for its chances.

It had been years since we ventured out on the Burr Trail but we were confident that there would be no worries even when it started to sprinkle. It had been paved since our last hair raising, stomach lurching jaunt. Paved it was, at least until we reached that looooong downhill section and crossed into Capital Reef National Park. Then the rain began in earnest. We were still patting each other on the back about how the truck was so clean we wouldn't have to wash it for another year, when we started sliding sideways in the wet clay and mired in the mud inches from the edge of a four foot deep ditch with a small flashflood running down it. The rain was diminishing some by this time and we took a walk around, determined that the surface was indeed drying out, and waited a half hour or so before simply driving out and continuing along our way. I might add that just before this clay section, we passed a 4 wheel something or other going the opposite direction and were puzzled by the driver's incredulous look. Of course, he knew what was in store for us down the road. Feeling cocky, we skidded along and were soon out of the park and back on pavement of sorts, not far from our destination.

During our walk around at the slickest spot, Bob had almost encountered a driver of a small white rental car that had come to the clay and was in the process of backing, fish-tailing almost drunkenly up the hill to turn around. Back on the road, that driver now headed in the opposite direction flagged us down. The young Italian couple on their honeymoon informed us in broken English that there was a flashflood and that the road to Bullfrog was impassable. We thanked them and continued on towards the obstacle. After all, we are seasoned Southwest flashflood veterans. We know how to handle these minor inconveniences. They soon turned around and followed us.

Reaching the river, Bob waded out while the young lovers and I looked on. The bottom seemed firm to him and we were convinced that we would be able to cross within a few hours, so we settled in for a wait. At worst, we expected to have to spend the night and cross in the morning. No mean feat since the truck was loaded to the gills and the ground was saturated wet clay. With huge clods of mud hanging off of our shoes, we were envisioning setting up the tent in a field of muck. We were saved from this horrible thought when a ranger appeared on the other side of the draw and informed us that we would be lucky if we were able to cross within several days of the storm and that would be only if there was no additional rainfall! Apparently, the good solid bottom underneath the knee high water disappeared about half way across the draw and they had towed 3 SUV's out of the muck just a day or so prior to our visit. The helpful ranger offered to deliver a message to Mike and Denise who were already in the campground awaiting our arrival. He even offered to take one or more of us to Bullfrog if we had a houseboat trip we had to catch.

The alternative plan, going back up the Burr Trail and detouring through Hanksville was not an attractive option but with no other plan presenting itself, back we went, our Italian friends in tow. We kept their headlights in our rear view mirror until we passed the now-dry, slick-as-snot area. Then we sped off on a shortcut to the Hanksville highway, so they would make their turn on the Burr Trail rather than following us. We had never been on this "shortcut" and it was another washboard nightmare, but dry. We arrived without further incident at the Bullfrog Campground about 1 AM. What could have been a leisurely 7-hour drive had turned into an extended daylong adventure, but you know us, we love our adventures! The good news was that we had reached our destination, the bad was that we would actually have to wash our muddy truck some day soon. The other good news was the newly weds' cake was still primarily intact, though it had slid to one side of the box, leaving a small corner behind.

Emerging from the tent the next morning, somewhat worse for wear, I was delighted that the Walla Walla rig had already made a marina coffee run and a cup of life's blood awaited me on the table. My buddy Denise never fails to satisfy our shared addiction! Len and UnSun were sleeping in a tent on an adjacent site and they had talked to Mark the previous day before he ventured off to Cedar Mesa. So five of the crew were on hand. The balance dribbled in as the day wore on. It was toasty in the campground and we wandered off to swim and bathe, trying to keep cool until the sun got lower. Meanwhile, back in the truck, the wedding cake was being baked for the second or third time around. It was beginning to look a lot worse for the wear. The frosted edging had totally separated and the top was beginning to curdle, not a good thing.

The wind came up just as we started Happy Hour, so much against our will we were forced to extend it and delay cooking. No one seemed to mind. Kay arrived with what seemed like a blown transmission and she and Scott went through a fairly exhaustive review of the possibilites. Others were sorting their gear for an early leave the next morning. Denise and Scott had already begun their customary tomfoolery. Step away from the peanuts!

Dinner was uneventful and we were glad that Bob had insisted on buying a couple of extra pies for dessert. In the mid-afternoon, he made a stealth run to the dumpster to sacrifice the cake! At that point the only thing it would have been adequate for was a food fight and we were afraid that someone might accidentally ingest some and become ill. Several of us said a few last words and shed a couple of tears over that much-traveled cake as it was hoisted into the dumpster but it was soon forgotten.

Up early and first in the line for our houseboat pick-up, I was thrilled when Len showed up with my coffee. We had filled out our paperwork the day before and were the first ones out the door, looking for a coach and our boat. Four of us backed it out of the marina and over to a side cove for loading. Four others had already launched Mike's powerboat and all were waiting for us there. Loading from this little beach went much more smoothly than it ever had from the marina dock. Our belongings were stowed, vehicles positioned properly for later retrieval, and we were off for adventure by about 9 in the morning. Coffee making and breakfast began in earnest. Once those needs were sated, Mike took off with the morning crew of side canyon explorers, while the rest of us leisurely headed towards Moki Canyon, hoping to find a great mooring site for the houseboat. The powerboat raced ahead and soon found us a beautiful beach hidden in a side arm of Forgotten Canyon. It was a warm day so we kept cool and busy by trying out the back slide off the top deck, reading, fishing, and napping. The water was about 80 degrees but still refreshing.

I was so relaxed and preoccupied catching up with old friends that I cinderized the fruit pizza that evening. The first major disaster I ever had with Dutch Oven cooking. Fortunately, it was just the cookie base so we had fresh fruit instead. This poor ill-fated dessert may never get made. It was scrapped on the Middle Fork when we were too ill to enjoy it but we are going to try again soon on the bike trip. The third time should be a charm.

Days on the Lake seem to blend together. They start with coffee, then eating, then boating, then eating, then swimming, then napping & reading, then goofing around, then Happy Hour, then more eating, some card playing, and more goofing around. This may sound a little dull but it was actually quite pleasurable and relaxing, especially for those who came to the trip overworked and wanting to be lazy. We moved the houseboat almost, but not quite, every day. The campsites were gorgeous, even with the Lake's 70' bathtub ring. Our gangplank was inoperable, so UnSun, the most petite member of the crew supervised rock dock building to the front deck at every site. Wil fished with anchovies but never caught the fish Amy was waiting to eat. We hope that he got $27 worth of enjoyment out of trying (the license and bait cost). I believe he did get one carp but quickly threw it back.

Most of us made our traditional hike up the historical Hole in the Rock Trail. The views from the top were excellent and we stomped around up there for a while before cruising back down to the houseboat for a dip in the Lake. While camped at Oak, Mike dropped seven of us off at the back of Forbidding Canyon for a loop hike. It was pretty warm, the people from the northwest and east probably would say hot, but we all made it around to Bridge Canyon for views and photos of Rainbow Bridge. An overzealous volunteer ranger tried to put the fear of God into Amy and Will for venturing beyond the area closed signs. Since it was impossible for us to get from the trail down to the docks without crossing this closure of hers, of course we did. Bob saw what was going on and came back to assist them. After explaining to her that the bridge was on Navajo land and the closure was both inappropriate for through trail hikers, and probably illegal, they continued on to the boat. My guess is the poor ranger's ears are still burning. Kay later told us that several lawsuits have been filed over this issue and the temporary rangers stationed there have been told to back off if they meet resistance because the closing is really an unenforceable suggestion.

Mike timed it perfectly and picked us up just as the last of our party meandered in. Waiting on the dock was quite entertaining when a party of California gals from the "No They're Not Mine, but Aren't They Humongous?" Club strolled by. Bob thought he had dropped into a plastic surgeon's convention and they were showing off their best work. We all got quite a chuckle when these gals hopped onto three gawdy adjacent boats filled with dumpy, chubby guys who looked like they were the result of a cloning experiment that went amuck. One of the boats was named "Size Does Matter". Couldn't figure out whether they were referring to the guys or the gals. This incident provided more Happy Hour conversation than our hike did.

On our last full day, many of us hiked up the slickrock of Water Pocket Fold for some great views of the Lake. While Len, UnSun, Blue, and Mark went to the very top of the domes, the two of us slid around the side to take pictures. When we had almost reached the beach, we were alarmed by shrill screams from an undetermined point near the top of the fold. We were about to mount a rescue and go back up with the first aid kit when we learned it was two young girls from a neighboring houseboat goofing around. Fortunately they had two-way radios and their dad was able to confirm that they were all right. The steak dinner was scrumptious and was followed by some dancing both on deck and in the cabin. Denise shared her beaded goddess-ware with the rest of the women, the better to shake it with my dear! Once the dancers wore down and darkness settled over us, Mike conducted his ever-popular star-watching seminar on the top deck.

The disbandment of the troops went smoothly the last day. Kay left early on the powerboat, wanting to get a head start towards home with her ailing vehicle. The rest of us unloaded at the boat beach before lunch. Crews were assigned and we returned to the marina to gas up and check our boat in. Finding the gas pumps at this busy marina was no mean feat. Pulling up to the barge of pumps with dozens of other houseboats with captains of varying degrees of skill was nerve wracking to say the least. We were only rammed once and luckily no damage was done. However, that bump moved the dock a foot and almost knocked the gas pump supervisor into the drink. He may still be fuming about that.

Everyone had a good time as far as we could tell. We were on the road, got ice at the marina store, and reached the Halls Crossing Ferry by 2:00 PM. Lightly loaded and taking no short cuts we buzzed through Cedar Mesa and down the Dugway Road to Monument Valley arriving in BCC by 8:00 PM. Yes folks, a rather quick trip back compared to that approach!

Participants:

Wil Dirkin, Susan Groth, Mark Jennings, Dave Kehs, Bob Marley, Scott McCollough, Denise Mills, Mike Mills, Marge Padgett, Amy Patterson, Len Roughgarden, UnSun Roughgarden, Blue Stringer, & Kay Threlkeld

Future Trip Information:

Ruins of Guatemala (3/4/03-3/13/03):

This is a new group trip for us. We extensively traveled in the Yucatan in the '80's and '90's and on one of those trips we flew into Flores and visited most of these Guatemalan attractions. We've wanted to return for years and have been waiting for the right time. The 36 year civil war that raged when we last visited Guatemala has been over since the signing of the lasting peace accord in December 1996. Tourism has thrived with an ongoing UN presence and it can be said that Guatemala is the new must-see destination.

We'll begin our trip in Antigua, Guatemala; where we will have all of the group accommodations and transportation arranged. The colonial capitol of Antigua will be our base for a couple of days while we explore the native markets and spectacular volcanoes that surround the lakes of this region. We'll eventually return to Guatemala City and fly to scenic Flores the entryway for our Tikal adventure. After fully exploring this remarkable pre-Columbian Mayan archaeological site, we'll continue by ground and boat to Livingston on the Caribbean coast. After visiting the huge sandstone stelae of Quirigua, our trip will continue on to Copan. This major Mayan site is situated in Honduras within walking distance of the southern Guatemala border. We are certain to be impressed by the many magnificent stelae at these last two Mayan sites. Each day of our trip will be an adventure as we interact with a Spanish and Mayan speaking culture, travel in a third world country, and engage in occasional marketing forays for luncheon supplies. On the last day we'll finish our trip by returning to Guatemala City, arriving there around dinnertime.

Itinerary

Day	Campsite	Walking Miles	See and Do
3/4/03	Antigua	3-4	Meet at 10:00 AM, jointly explore on foot many of the Antigua attractions.
3/5/03	Panajachel	3-4	Travel by minibus to Lake Atitlán where we'll view magnificent volcanoes and boat to Pedro la Laguna to visit a local market.
3/6/03	Antigua	5-6	Drive to Chichicastenango for the colorful, bustling Thursday market. Visit Santo Tomas, church famous for its blend of catholic and traditional religions and Pascual Abaj, a stone shrine still used by Mayan priests.
3/7/03	Tikal	3-4	Return to the Guatemala City airport by ground in the early morning and fly to Flores, the gateway to Tikal. Explore the Tikal grounds in the afternoon.
3/8/03	Flores	3-4	Spend a morning at large in the Tikal site. In the afternoon we'll return to Flores and our lakeside hotel.
3/9/03	Livingston	3-4	Travel by minibus from Tikal to Rio Dulce stopping at Poptun and other sites of interest along the way. Board a boat at Rio Dulce and travel downstream through Cueva de la Vaca to our Livingston hotel.
3/10/03	Rio Dulce	6-8	Hike to Los Siete Altares in the morning and then leisurely return up the Rio Dulce to the Hacienda Tijax visiting Biotopo Chocón Machacas along the way. If we're lucky we may see a manatee.
3/11/03	Copan Ruinas	3-4	Leave in the late morning for Quirigua ruin site to visit the Mayan world's largest stela (8 meters above ground) and then on to our hotel in a beautiful little Honduran village paved in cobblestone and lined with white adobe buildings capped with red-tile roofs.
3/12/03	Copan Ruinas	3-4	Spend the day at large in the Copan ruin site and town, returning to our hotel late in the afternoon.
3/13/03	Last Day	3-4	Leisurely drive back to Guatemala City and the hotel of your choice. You should be back at your hotel by 5:00 PM latest.

If you are interested in joining us for this adventure please contact us for a copy of the full trip description, the expected trip cost, and answers to any other questions you might have. We will rendezvous at a conveniently located Antigua hotel. Guatemala City is the capital and it has frequent air service to major cities in the USA and cheap ground transportation to Antigua. You will be responsible for making your own flight arrangements from your home to Guatemala City. The trip organizers will be there several days prior to the trip and will be available to assist in resolving any problems that may arise when you arrive. Participants should schedule a day at each end of the trip to see the magnificent museums and to serve as a time buffer in the event of luggage or flight connection snafus. We plan to limit the group size so all requests for inclusion in the trip will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis as outlined below.

General Trip Information:

We must receive your deposit and a completed Q/AR form, for you to be considered for inclusion on one of our trips. If you are planning to join a future trip and you haven't done this yet, please do it now. If a trip is popular enough to require a waitlist, we will use five criteria to determine who goes. Initial preference will be given to those who have a current mailing application on file, have paid any required trip deposit, and have promptly returned the necessary Q/AR. If this isn't sufficient, we then compare trip deposit dates and lastly Q/AR postmark dates.

We continue to send information to travel friends using email. If you want to be the first to know what's happening, be sure to send us your email address and keep it current. We'll also continue to communicate unique travel opportunities by 'special mailings' to those who travel with us frequently and who have a mailing application on file.

Best of luck in your adventures, whatever they are, and wherever they may be. We look forward to traveling with you sometime soon.

Susan & Bob

Updated on Thursday, December 8, 2006 @ 4:30 MST © 1995-2006 by Robert R. Marley