Dog Days, to Aug 11, 2026

It's hot.  Dog Daze Hot.  This is to be expected in summer.  But that doesn't mean I have to like it!  Thank goodness the Dog Days end today ... sigh, just not the broiling heat.  Anything that needs doing outside should be done early, the earlier the better.  This month we've seen the weather service post heat advisories many days in a row.  Stay hydrated, they say, which we do.  Especially since we can't seem to "observe" the early morning caution, and I'm not sure why since we're up early.  Go figure.

Here you see Kane Springs Rest Area near Hole 'N the Rock, Utah (south of Moab).  I had quite a few unseen gorgeous red rock country photos from our New Mexico trip home a month ago, but too late to post 'em; we've moved on.  So, I picked just this one because I think it looks like it could be a movie set.

I can show you one more.  On the left is Flatbud Prickly Poppy along Hwy 50 in Nevada, and Desert Willow from the above rest area, at right.  New posies for me.

We've been busy since our return.  Yard work takes lots of time.  NorCal hasn't had measurable rainfall in a long time (two months?), so everything is dry dry dry.  Spring flower stalks had to be trimmed, a small Pacific Dogwood lost its life and had to be cut down, weed-eating, etc.  You know, yard stuff.

In between, we've trod our dusty Cascade Canal trail as often as possible (usually early) and we've been on our bikes locally several times.  Fun days with cards, dinners out with friends, a band concert in Pioneer Park, The Odyssey at our Onyx Theater (have you seen it?) Plus, the usual dentist and medical appointments.  

Meanwhile, on Sunday, July 19th, Matt and Evie, and Jimmy and I, attended the California State Fair at Sacramento's Cal Expo.  Sure, it was HOT, but the four of us had a grand time.  We rode a few rides (yeehaw!), visited a couple of exhibit halls, ate some gnarly fair food, walked our little feets off, and plain ol' sweat buckets.  Jimmy is standing on his tiptoes in the above pic, trying to gain height, but not enough to catch the three behind us on stilts! (How DO they do that?)

We took very few pictures and only these two survived.  Look at Evie!  She's at the age where smiling at the camera is boring, making faces is cool. 😉

All of us have the Nevada County Fair to look forward to this week, from Wednesday to Sunday!  We'll be there!  (Trust me, it'll be hot, sizzling hot, it always is for Fair week.)

Wishing for a change of pace, one (late!) morning Jimmy and I hiked the Independence Trail East, high above the Yuba River.  We put in four-and-a-half/five miles and one of us overheated (oops, me).  We won't do this trail again till winter!  Hard to see in the pic, but people are on the rocks and in the river.

Here we go again!  On the trail, my strongman, Jimmy,

holding up this huge boulder!  Good job!

First time I've seen this one -- California Sweetshrub in bloom.

Also along the trail.

Well, now, a bunch of time was spent on this -- it's a crappy subject, but Imma tell it anyway.  After 14 years of living in our house, we decided it might be time to pump out our septic tank.  "Everybody" said we should do it.  We scheduled Navo and Sons.  They arrived with their big (sh*t wagon) truck, below, top left.  They poked around the dirt, dug down and found the lid, top right pic (red x in the hole).  THEN it was determined the other lid was beneath the sidewalk! (red ? on sidewalk, same pic).

Jimmy and his friend, Cliff, tried to figure out a way to cut the cement themselves, but in the end (sorry), they said to call in a professional.  Days later (above), you see Mr Cement Man cutting the sidewalk, and in the picture next to that is a red x where we're guessing the second lid is.

We moved into our house in 2012 and in 2018 we had sidewalks poured all the way around the house.  Who knew the sidewalk was poured right over the septic tank lid?  Septic tanks have two compartments with two lids.  Both have to be pumped.  Don't poo-poo all this valuable information.

So, Navo and Sons returned, the guys aghast at having to lift two VERY HEAVY slabs of cement before searching for the second lid.  They were troupers, though.  Got 'er done.  Pumped the crap outa it, so to speak!  It took three fellas to replace the sidewalk slabs, and we'll eventually have to tweak them to get them set properly.  All done!  The three red x's show the sidewalk cuts in the last pic.  Whew.  We don't plan to ever do this again!

In between times, remember it's summer and that means picking and canning! Marlene and I canned 18 pints of peaches one morning and I canned 9 pints of plum jam/sauce on a different day (Jimmy helped). First time making fig jam today! (Figs from our friend, Laurie's, tree.) And, of course, tomato season is around the corner.

We're hoping ongoing road construction on Hwy 20 -- our gateway to the freeway -- and on I-80 itself is finished, as we'd love to take the bikes to the high country without major delays. We haven't been up to Truckee or Lake Tahoe in a long time!

Last week we received a brochure in the mail from OAT.  They'd really reduced prices on 2026 trips and one of them sang the siren song:  Chile & Argentina | Land Adventure | Overseas Adventure Travel.  We booked it for Oct 8th-26th and then threw in the (optional) Iguassu Falls post trip.  Our return home is Oct 30th.  Want to join us?

Chimney Rock! Thursday, 7/2/26

Ghost Ranch has several hiking trails on the property.  Since the monolith "Chimney Rock," is sooo visible, Jimmy and I looked at each other and said, "Why not?"  (We might be crazy.)  A paragraph on the Ghost Ranch info packet said we could climb to the top. Even better!  Roughly 4 miles up and back, and rated Moderate, there's a 650 ft elevation gain, from 6,500' to 7,100'.  Yowza!

But first, we got a household chore out of the way -- sweaty clothes in the washer!  In retrospect (and why don't we think of this beforehand?), we should've hiked first and done laundry second.  Or laundry not at all!  Anyhoot, it was 10am when we set off on the trail.  Already warm.

Ghost Ranch has lots of ... everything.  You see horses in a corral above, which you can take out for a trail ride.  Might not do that.  We'd already started up when I took this picture.

Well, there it stands!  Jimmy, too.  Apparently we're going up there, but we have no trail map, so we're unsure about the route.  Doesn't it look fantastic?  Wonder how we get up there?

I knew the higher we'd go, we'll be treated to panoramic vistas.

Lake Abiquiu in the distance.

Colorful and weird.

Plus a balancing act.

The trail's in full sun ... Junipers aren't large enough to provide shade.  We stopped frequently because we weren't in any hurry and we needed to catch our breath.  (Photo ops.) Our trail was a serpentine, steady incline.

Got to admire yard art along the way.

A family of five passed us as we began our trek.  They were younger and could go faster.  We didn't see them again, tho we looked for them occasionally.  Finally we heard voices, and we peered ahead.  Then we looked up.  If you enlarge this pic you'll see a white shirt atop of the mesa not far from the spire.  THAT'S where we're going!  (But, how?)

Looking back, there's our trail!  Overlooking the Piedra Lumbre valley and Cerro Pedernal (the flattop  in the distance), famously captured in Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings.  Abiquiu Lake is further away.

Such vivid colors in New Mexico's landscape. Our path ascends across high desert mesas and colorful sandstone formations, above and below, through the Junipers and Sagebrush.

We continued trudging uphill and even considered quitting as we didn't know how much further we'd have to go.  I found the above scene -- and so many others -- captivating with its overall composition.  It even had teeth!  Look below.

Monster's teeth!

Man, we were getting hot and tired.  Just then the five people were heading down and they told us, "You're almost there!"  Uh-huh, we've heard that before.  We had a treacherous uphill section left to do and we'd be HOME FREE.  You can see the five people on the trail's elbow, above.

The steepest part of the trail began at the red x.

And then, after an hour-and-a-half (!), we were on top of the mesa.  In front of us was Chimney Rock, at right.  There you go! 

Sure, the trail had numbers, but no booklet to go with!  Useless!  The lateral green strip is Ghost Ranch where our Tergel is.  Thank goodness for a brisk wind that kept us from overheating.

We did it!

This is as close as you get to Chimney Rock.

I eased out on the ledge to get this shot.  Carefully.

Jimmy found a spot in the shade of a "grove of trees!"

Looking down.

We did it!  Coming down off the mesa took half the time, but we were dog-tired before we ever got to Tergel.  Needless to say, we took naps and had long lovely showers in the (very nice) campground bathhouse.  Went to bed early, too!  

We conquered Chimney Rock.

Bandelier -- Wed, July 1st

 

As long as we were in the vicinity, we wanted to see Bandelier National Monument, about an hour south of Ghost Ranch where our campsite is.  Jimmy and I have experienced Mesa Verde NP, as well as Hovenweep, Aztec Ruins, and Canyon de Chelly (all National Monuments), but we always learn something when we go to a new place and today was no exception.

Bandelier NM was established in 1916 and covers 33,655 acres!  

The people who settled in Frijoles Canyon are known as the ancestral Puebloan people, and the canyon was occupied from about 1150 to 1550 CE.  Archeological surveys show at least 3,000 sites in Bandelier, but not all were inhabited at the same time.  By the mid-1500's, the people who lived here moved on, settling into new homes in villages along the Rio Grande.

The sign at this point read:  "Welcome to the Tyuonyi pueblo."  Tyuonyi had over 400 rooms, one-to-two stories high.  About 100 people lived here, with another 400 residing in the cliffs above.  Tyuonyi is one of many pueblos in Bandelier -- most of the others remain unexcavated at the request of today's Pueblo people.  (who knew?)

The Ranger at the VC suggested Jimmy and I give the 1.4-mile Pueblo Loop Trail a try, insinuating that it might be too much for old folks like us!  Heh!  So, we set off on the trail, past the Big Kiva, Tyuonyi, and up to the cliff dwellings.  Sure, it was "warm," and in full sun, but we had water and were all set.

To people like us who live in Twentieth Century homes, living in cliff dwellings is just plain odd, but the people made do with their environment.  Cliff dwellers have been around for eons, finding shelter as they can.

I wondered how the name Bandelier came about.  The monument is named for Adolph Bandelier, a Swiss, who came to Frijoles Canyon in 1880, guided by a Puebloan.  It's sheer cliffs, year-round stream (dry today) and cave-room architecture inspired him. 

In these rock figures I see ...

maybe a king and queen listening to their people.

Yes, we can climb ladders ... carefully.  Visitors were allowed to go into a few of these cavates (CAVE-ates) which were dug out of the cliff wall.  The cliffs are volcanic tuff, which is soft, but imagine carving caves with only stone tools!

Okay.

In this room (cave-kiva), above, you could climb up and look in, but that was about it. The park service had to close off most of the room due to vandalism (and disrespect).

 

We climbed a few switchbacks on the Frey trail, to a bench where we could survey all in front of us, as you see above.  Very peaceful.

High up, this little cactus clump clings to the cliff. 😊

The lady above - Evelyn Frey - had quite a life here at Bandelier.  I hope you'll enlarge the pic to read about her.  She was quite an adventuress, and she loved this place.  Look here for more:  Evelyn Frey

No moving water today, just a stagnant mosquito-breeding water hole.

These guys were so good, everywhere they went.

Be nice to restart the program.

We finished the loop trail and enjoyed our walkabout.  This pic is at the Frijoles Canyon Overlook, and wayyyyy down there is the canyon.  What a fantastic site!

Oh, New Mexico!  You astound us!

(on our way back to Tergel)

We stopped at Cafe Sierra Negra for a meal, somewhere between lunch and dinner -- a good choice, the food was delicious.  And then, after dinner the sky lit up, a dazzling display.  We even had a few raindrops touch Tergel's roof, but most of the rain that falls from these clouds is Virga and little or none reaches the ground.

Ah, another great day!

Plaza Blanca, Tues, 6/30/26

 

We moved on down the road, south approx 50 miles, to our next campsite at Ghost Ranch, a place made famous by artist, Georgia O'Keeffe.  Owing to our country's upcoming 250th anniversary and the ubiquitous July 4th holiday, I booked us a site for six days -- that way we wouldn't have to scramble to find a campground over one of the busiest times of the year.  Hallelujah, that meant we could do a whole lot of exploring nearby.

Before leaving home, I reserved a day at Plaza Blanca in Abiquiu NM, as I knew we'd want to hike amid such a geological marvel.  Nestled within Dar al Islam property, Plaza Blanca is an amazing 200 acres renowned for its dramatic white cliffs, quiet canyons, and ethereal desert beauty.  Georgia O'Keeffe had a deep connection to Plaza Blanca, and called it "The White Place."  Their website said we could also visit the mosque if we chose, but today the road to the mosque was closed.

Hold the ice, please.

Our first glance here elicited plenty of Wows! and Holy Cows!  And this was the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, of spires, columns, hoodoos, and plain ol' unusual rock formations.  Lots of them!

We followed a downhill trail to this first grouping.  We were sure we'd seen formations like these in other countries -- Turkey came to mind, and a little while later, Jordan.

Some look smooth, others quite jagged.  You'll see either me or Jimmy in many of these pics to give you an idea of the scope of Plaza Blanca, its rocks.  I trudged up to the base of the "guy" on the left.  Maybe he looks like Bert of Bert and Ernie fame?  Or Yogi Bear?

That thing wouldn't budge.

Many Cholla were blooming.

Jimmy!  Get away from those thorns, they bite! 

Can you believe your eyes?  Behind Jimmy is the craziest, most jaw-dropping pile of tortuous rock ever.  Up close it's even more so.

This is the one that reminded us somewhat of Jordan's Petra, with its columns, but those were carved and these are natural.  Still, we saw similarities.

We walked and walked, much of it in an arroyo, curving further in the canyon and away from where we began.  About the time you thought you'd reached the end, nope, more and then more formations were around the bend.

I spied the Desert Broomrape, top left, surprised to see it here.  Apache Plume, top right was a treat to see.  Sorry about the photo quality of Lewis's Woodpecker, bottom left, taken through the car window on the way, but it was a nice surprise, and bottom right, Saltcedar was flowering.

We were given an information sheet at Abiquiu VC, always good to stop at one. So, here's what we learned: The Abiquiu Formation is light colored owing to its high content of silica-rich volcanic ash, pumice and crystals of quartz and feldspar. The arroyo was filled with interesting rocks, and we were highly tempted to take a few home, but ... we resisted. Jimmy gives you a good idea of dimensions, above.

The sedimentary layers include shale, sandstone, and conglomerates.

Reaching high.

After we'd hiked a mile or more, and we were still surrounded by formations, I shot the above video.  When we arrived at Plaza Blanca, no one else was around.  Gradually, a few groups of two or three trickled in, but in a vast landscape like this, we didn't see people except one or twice to say hello.

A couple of good-sized Cottonwoods provided welcome shade.

I could've crawled through to the other side,

but, eh, no thanks!

As I moved close to the base of a formation where Junipers were (thinking I could "hop up" higher to peek into a cave), a hummingbird buzzed me.  Once, twice, three-four times, right up in my face.  Jimmy suggested that it may have thought I was a flower because of my colorful shirt.  Or perhaps I was too close to a nest?  Whichever, it was kinda cool.

A spiritual place, a magical place, a ruggedly beautiful and incredibly strange scene.  We could easily see why Ms O'Keeffe fell in love with the area.  The rest of the countryside is red-rock territory, so this "White Place," is all the more fascinating.

We could've gone on and on, but we'd had enough sun, so we turned around and made for the car.  The temperature was only 78, but the sun felt hot.  I'd left a cooler in the car with granola bars and Gatorade, and you know we downed it in record time.  (Of course, we each carry water with us.)

What a great excursion for us!