Monday, March 23, 2009

Nevills Arch


Nevills Arch in Owl Canyon, whichI have always assumed was named after legendary river runner Norm Nevills, but have not been able to verify

Cedar Mesa

Myself and Ty and Bre went down to Cedar Mesa over the weekend and hiked the Owl/Fish Canyon loop. We had tried to do this hike in December four or five years ago but did not make it around because we ended up hiking into so many side canyons looking for kivas and pot shards.



Cedar Mesa is one of my favorite places. When you are on top it looks like a big endless plain of pinyon and juniper and then you start walking and canyons begin to cut into the mesa and drop away for a 1000 feet or more. The corneaters loved it too. Every nook and cranny is full of thier structures and art.




Ruin at the very head of Owl Canyon with an intact door


Well preserved ruin on the rim in Owl

Tyler looking at me like he does not trust me as I lower him over some sketchy ledges after retreating from the elusive ruin that I have tried twice to get into. Next time.

Trying to figure out a route to the ruin. I am begining to belive in flying humanoids

Big water/dry fall in Owl Canyon. The pothole below the fall was still frozen.








A Peace to End All Peace

I am currently reading a book called "A Peace to End All Peace" about World War I (the War to End All Wars). The first thing I realized is how little I know about world history. I thought they were supposed to teach me this stuff in college? I guess I was too busy studying Dendrology and Biology, next time I go to college I am getting a degree in History (then ethnobotany).

The book is primarily about the Ottoman Empires role in World War I and the creation of the modern Middle East. I have done research on how the Middle East was created (politically speaking) but never realy understood how much of a role Western Imperialism played in creating what the Middle East is today.

The other point I have been pondering lately is how important history actually is to a country and a people. Everyone has heard the saying that goes something along the lines of "those that don't know thier history are destined to repeat it" (can't remember who said it?). Without knowledge of history we really are just floating in time unattached and clueless of why the world is how it is, simply repeating ourselves over and over.

One line from the book I found particularly interesting was an article printed in the Times August 1920, which asks

"How much longer are valuable lives to be sacrificed in the vain endeveour to impose upon the Arab population an elaborate and expensive administration which they never asked for and do not want?"

The article was specifically referring to uprisings in Mesopotania (what Iraq used to be called) against British rule in thier country. Sound familiar.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Marketing and Hoarding

One of the things on my Top 10 list of things that drive me crazy is marketing. I never really noticed how much it annoyed me until we stopped watching television two years ago and stopped listening to commercial radio. Now when I see or hear ads they all seem so pathetic and tawdry.

But my favorite two ads that I have seen lately are the "free" miracle Amish Heater and the "free" armored safes. Both ads are written to look like newspaper articles, very tricky.

The electric (yes it runs on electricty) Amish Heater is free you only have to buy the handcrafted cherry wood frame. Unfortunatley you can only buy two per household because they are so popular. Damn I really wanted one for each room of our house.

Next is the free armored safe. You get the safe for free after purchasing $1800 in coins, which the ad refers to as a "hoard". I thought only dragons and trolls had hoards, apparently I was wrong. Anybody can have a hoard, even me. Sign me up.

My favorite part is the photo of an older grandmotherly woman receiving her safe. The caption below it says "No More Worries: Carolyn Ford of Perry Town, OH thought she hit the jackpot when her free Armored Safe was delivered. "I already have some gold coins, but I wanted this whole hoard of US coins as a nice nest egg. I'll also set side some of my hoard for my Grandchildren".

Wow , thanks grandma I aways wanted some of your hoard

Long Live Commercialism and Capitolism (or did they just fail?)

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Spring Weather

We started out the day watching Ridges soccer games in warm sunlight, then Rowans game was cancelled because of the rain, by the time we got home it was a full on snowstorm, and by the afternoon it was back to warm and sunny.

The storm clouds were swirling around the Moab Rim as the storm was burning off so I climbed up on the roof to get a photo.


Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sun and Snow

Creed and Jen came down this weekend to get out of the snow in Summit Park and let the kids run around in the desert.

Creed and I woke up early hoping to ski some corn in Gold Basin, but the snowpack is in transistion from winter to spring conditions and the snow was less than perfect, but the views were incredible.

We came back in the afternoon and went to Arches with kids to lay on some warm slickrock.

Sunday we went out to Island in the Sky and looked down on the Green River

Creed and I looking into Gold Basin from the top of Pre-Laurel , last time we were here together was 12 years ago on one of our Christmas trips wearing wool German army pants.


Alaska or Moab? Creed with the north ridge of Tuk in the back

Survival skiing down Gold Miners into Gold Basin

Family photo at the Green River overlook

Alina beneath Double Arch