A Very Good Saturday

Legs stretched out across a couch, I'm eating apples and sipping a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA (I'm going to miss these!) and I'm thinking... This was a really good Saturday!

I made it off the mountain in pretty good time, earliest time yet :) I drove up the road to Foree and hiked out to the end of a trail to paint this giant blue geological formation, ie "rock." I'll have to check with one of the ever growing number of Geologists staying here what the real name of the 'rock' is, probably some lahar butte or such and such...

but I just like how it is the only free standing blue rock and it has beautiful shapes within its mass. It also seems like the same shape as all my gear in my Kelty backpack;)

I was out there and set up at 10 am. Already hot. No one else around. So, so quiet. About 3 hours in, a couple from Vancouver, Washington hiked by and stopped to visit for awhile. Later a young couple came through, didn't stop or visit but did have their selfie stick trailing them the entire time. Sigh.

As I said it was hot. It was bright too with the sun bouncing off all the light blue, green and pale yellows... I decided to paint my piece in those 'high-key' colors and values. Came out great.

After packing everything back into my backpack and hiking to the car, I needed shade desperately. That's pretty impossible to find out here. I headed down the road, eye out for a pull out and shade... and 30 minutes later I found myself in the small town of Dayville in a cafe with ice tea, wifi and Marion Berry Pie. I had a salad of course too :)

While I cooled off and had a great lunch I was able to back up all my iPhone photos to Dropbox thanks to their wifi  (hallelujah!)

Feeling like the morning and afternoon had been very successful, I drove up to Blue Basin for a hike. AMAZING! The trail takes you around a blue rock gorge and to an overlook with spectacular views. On one side is a hill that is black from the big June fire and the other side opens out to the John Day River valley and the ash/rocks. Can't explain it but, look!

Took me about 1.5 hours, it's very steep and you climb for 2 miles and then switch back down for another mile. 

So, a very good Saturday!

Made it to the North Rim

GRAND CANYON! First time and it's as magnificent as I knew it would be.

Great drive from Escalante to Kanab.

Then the high meadows started with aspen and pine (?) trees. Purty!

Arrived and put up my smaller REI tent then followed a 1.5 mile hike on the rim in the forest and out to some crazy look out points.

Loved the hike, loved the canyon colors and view.... Even the wind was exciting.

Gorp and a a Lagunitas IPA for dinner and watching the sunset... Now ready for bed at 7:30 pm!

Glad I brought a bag of cold clothes, I'm totally layered up!

Last Painting Day

This was it. Last day to paint and also the day to submit your final selection for judging.

I started the day nice and relaxed: made coffee in my AeroPress and also made oatmeal with peanut butter and a banana with the extra water I boiled in my JetBoil.

I hadn't driven down the famous Hole-in-the-Rock Road yet, so I bumped along that dirt and rock road some 13.5 miles (!) until the Devil's Garden. Fantastic spires and fists and orbs of red and yellow sandstone, some 40ft above the desert floor.

After that I knew I needed to find just the right location for my final painting of the festival. I narrowed it down by wanting to paint red striped rocks again... So I knew I needed to head East on Hwy 12 between Kiva Koffeehouse and the a Escalante River. 

I made a uturn when the rocks turned more sand color and less red and was now back heading West. SUCCESS!

In a deep S curve by the River trail was a pull out big enough for my car and my painting set up... And SHADE!!

I had a glorious view if two towers of striped rock and they just inspired me to paint bold and convey their playful spirit. I love these.

A Day in Escalante

What to do when it's raining and you're supposed to be painting... AND it's a Sunday in Escalante??? (Odds stacked against me)

Well, I went to their very nice Visitor's Center, looked at exhibits, checked the posted weather outlook (today bad, rest of week good) and nearly bought a book. Exciting! There went 35 minutes.

Next up, I drove down the road to the Petrified Forest State Park. There is a terrific hike, a loop so you can't get lost, and there are stunning views as well as the Petrified wood. They are beautiful! Lots of ochres and alizarins and various blues and greens. I wonder why all the different colors? The hike was steep in the beginning, very muddy too. It drizzled on and off but was warm. I also was mesmerized by the twisted gnarled juniper trees. Some looked dead, burned or diseased or just tired and old.... Not sure. But the pairing of the smooth,

colored petrified wood with the weathered wood from the junipers was breathtaking. I went a little OCD taking photos of wood/rocks I admit. They also have dinosaur tracks and fossils. A great in town adventure.