Sandstone Canyon

We started at the top of Sandstone Canyon (breaking the first rule of backcountry hiking) and downclimbed through a lot of snow and mud and muck.  I really wasn't sure that we could make it to the canyon floor without being rimmed out, but we did.  From there we hiked upstream briefly (in more snow and mud) until we decided to call it a day.  We'd only been out a couple of hours, but I was worried that it would take at least 90 minutes to climb the canyon wall.  In the event, we made it to the Chev in about 75 minutes.

Skiing the Park

Yesterday we went to the park:  Mesa Verde.  We drove to Wetherill Mesa and EDO broke trail.  The conditions were very good.  From the mesa top we had views of the Sleeping Ute and the La Plata Mountains and everything in between (including the La Sals and Abajos back in Utah).  One nice thing about skiing the park is that you don't encounter motors in the backcountry.  Aside from some vehicles on the entrance road, everything was very quiet.

Sand Canyon

Yesterday we hiked Sand Canyon from the highway to the switchbacks and back.  It is a tourist trap with well-worn trails and it would normally be banned, but the weather helped us out:  The ground was muddy, it snowed and rained all day, and we even had a thunder storm (thunder snow).  That thinned the crowds.  Along with the soaking, we saw maybe a dozen nice Ancestral Puebloan ruins, including one called "Tucked Away Two Story House."  At 3p, we turned around and slopped to the Chev, arriving by 4:30p.

Ruin Canyon

Yesterday, we drove to Ruin Canyon and parked at the rim.  We skidded to the canyon floor on a mix of snow and mud.  From there we worked our way upstream looking at a few small ruins, but mostly at bits of very nice Ancestral Puebloan pottery.  The girls are both very good at noticing sherds while walking; they spent a good part of the day crouched down examining broken bowls.  We thrashed back up to the road at dusk and couldn't remember where we'd parked.  EDO went one way; VSO and I went the other.  We found the Chev just before full dark.

Gang Tour

We did a little more skiing last week, including an outing with Matthew, Robyn, and Elinor.  It was a spectacularly nice day.  Unfortunately, Elinor wasn't feeling well, so she turned around early.  That meant that Matthew and I were escorting just three supermodels instead of four.

Boy Scout Tour

Last week, I was on the skis for just 30 minutes.  But, today, we all went out for the full Boy Scout tour.  EDO broke trail most of the way up, though I did take a pull on Treadmill Hill, and VSO packed it behind us.  It made for a fast run back to the highway.  Now that the track is in, tomorrow will be even better.

Brief Tour

I wanted to check out the conditions on the Skyline.  We've not had much snow in Price, so I wondered if there was a developing snowpack.  There was.  The conditions were pretty good, plenty of snow, though much of it unconsolidated.  Three things were less good.  First, we forgot VSO's ski boots, so she was only along for the ride. Second, this is motor country.  I should have known, but, of course, every place to pull off the highway was chock full of snow machines, snow cats, snow motorcycles, and snow monster trucks.  Well, I'm not sure about the last one, but there was a constant motor hum across the entire plateau.  Third, it is a long way from town.  We've been spoiled by having the Markagunt in our back yard.  From Parowan, we could be on the skis in 20 minutes or less.  From Price, it takes more than an hour.  So, we did a lot of driving and I had a brief tour.

Three Dollar Gas

Now that is more like it.  We were driving across the state yesterday and stopped in Salina for fuel:  Filled the truck for under $30.  Maybe that 'flation they say we got going on is coming to an end?  On the other hand, a friend of mine who runs a trucking business says that the cost of diesel is driving delivery rates higher (for everything), so maybe not?  In any case, during these times of woe and want, finding petrol for less than $3 is cause for celebration.