Author: alohawild

We rose early, dressed, and got to breakfast early. There were lots of people with the same plan and lines for food and coffee, but everyone was cheerful and friendly. With breakfast inside of us, we got in the rental mid-sized SUV and headed to Arches National Park again.

This time, a ranger checked me in after a short wait; the line was only three cars deep. I got to use my new annual pass and show it with my ID. We then stopped only a few times for photos we wanted to get in before we headed to the back of the park. We had decided on the shorter option (not 2-3 hours of uphill hiking to reach the Delicate Arch) and reached the end of the usual roads in the park. The trail we took was crushed rock, often at a 35-degree angle, for 5-minute intervals. It was tough going, but it was not yet hot, and we enjoyed the hour there and back. When we reached the lookout, the Delicate Arch was still a mile away. The view was good.

We were happy to be done and then headed to our next arches in The Devil’s Garden on the other side and furtherest into the park (for the regular roads). There, we had trouble parking and finally spotted a car pulling out. We walked into the jaws of red sandstone and were amazed at the beauty and how much space was hidden inside. And while the tunnel arches were only a tenth of a mile in, the ups and downs and uneven walking made it seem much longer. The arches did not disappoint.

 

The sand is from the stone and is very fine and pink to yellow in color. We enjoyed Pine Tree Arch, though it was another ten of a while that seemed longer with many ups and downs. We got to sand in the arch and there was a lovely few from the arch.

But it was already approaching noon. We stopped a few times for more pictures, and then stopped at the Visitor Center. I found some postcards (mailed already), a few books on the makeup of Arches, and a few knick-knacks. I found a map of arches socks and sent them to Deborah’s son. I had promised him some socks from Oregon, and they got lost somewhere. These seemed like a good replacement.

Next, we headed to Moab Downtown and had lunch at Dewey’s, our second visit there. After lunch and getting some coffee and tea, we visited a local bookstore (we found a few things) and then rested for the hot part of the day (remember, the rocks are red and heat up, too). I spent some time in the pool with a cement model of an arch as a waterfall, and also with fire. I met a couple from NYC there who are planning some big hikes this week and then dune-buggying around the edge of Canyonlands National Park.

We started after 4 back to the park, after spending some time resting at the hotel. We drove far into the park again and just took the two-to three-mile trail to Delicate Arch; we did not do the whole trail. It had a short branch that led to a petroglyph, and we wanted to see it. We did the short walk to the stones with the writing. We were starting to feel the 5 miles of walking (mostly up and down). It was only a holy place, we felt, and it was marvelous to see them. We also saw that the trek was not crushed stone but paved. Hmmm.
We then drove toward The Devil’s Garden again, but stopped at the sand dune arch, which was an amazing experience. The arch is inside a sheer slice of red sandstone, filled with fine dust. At one point, you have to squeeze and walk up some narrow stone openings. All the time your feet are in deep sandy dust that would make any beach-going proud. It is cool in the stone, and there is a breeze. Our second favorite arch is the easiest.

Broken arch is nearby, and I walked out far enough on what seems to be a trail to get a picture by zooming. Cactus was all over with three-inch needles to ruin your day. Do not fall while walking this trail! I turned back and was happy with the picture.

We then drove out to the lookout and watched the sunset. It was a good day. We were tired. Deborah commented as we left that it was an easy and amazing park. Excellent!

Deborah did not like it when I turned around and came to the edge of the cliff on her side, and then pulled out. There are a lot of road edges, and we did see the rangers looking down at a recently wrecked car. Looked like nobody was hurt.

It was late when we got back to Moab and Dewey’s was simple. We had a nice dinner and then drove back to our IHG hotel. I wrote this blog while Deborah read.

Good noght and thanks for reading!

 

 

While we started early, about 7ish (Deborah had already been awake for some time due to the time change), we took our time, enjoyed breakfast at the hotel (though it was industrial), spent some time together, and then checked out just before the required time. The desk was unstaffed for some reason (there was a sign saying they would be back in 5 minutes), so I used the app to check out. Deborah and others needed assistance and either waited or, in Deborah’s case, received help from the cleaning staff. The Park City IHG had small rooms and a lackadaisical desk staff. Hmmm.

On the road after getting items missed in packing or otherwise required at Walmart’s (we did not find a better choice nearby in Park City), we headed back through Salt Lake City and points Southeast, Moab, Utah. It is about a four-hour drive, but we made some stops and took some photos.

The Carbon Canyon area was fascinating and looked different than other areas. Below the surface was coal. The remains of the rich forests from the time around the dinosaurs. Once out of the SLC area, we stopped coughing as much. The air is thick with pollen or something, and my throat was sore in the morning.

The mountains changed from the Rockies that start in SLC to more worn and colorful structures. We were soon driving a few levels above the salt and sand of an ancient sea that was here when North America was part of the supercontinent, Pangea. We decided to mostly stop taking pictures and just enjoy the sights. It was a fantastic voyage to drive across Utah. We stopped in Price to get Wendy’s, only to discover the place was being rebuilt from the ground up. Deborah really wanted a potato. Arby’s was next on the sign. I bet Deborah a dollar (and lost) that it was closed too. It was open and clean. We had some sandwiches and then got back on the road.

I was about 1/2 down on gas; the Hyundai had excellent gas mileage, though it was sluggish when accelerating. I have been driving an EV, which has instant acceleration, so I might be a poor judge.

In Carbon Canyon, there is a rail line, and we stopped at a rest stop shaped like a depot, with a rebuilt platform that suggested a roundhouse and a full-sided model of a train that used to run the tracks in the area. I was commenting to Deborah that the area reminded me of a set from a steam train-and-robbery movie.

In the canyon, there was a pull-out with some signs. We stopped. One was a note that Butch Casdy had stolen the payroll from the nearby coal company office. Sadly, there were also two monuments to coal mine explosions, one in 2000. Lastly, there was a gate with an image of a coal-fired electrical plant, now gone, that was recently demolished. It told its story of years of supplying power for Utah.

We were definitely in coal country. I thought the area used strip mining, but the mines were deep, 1000 feet. Later, I learned that most mines in Utah are closed (likely too deep now to be safe or economical). Only five remain in 2024 (none open in the Carbon Canyon area), and one new one is opening.

The mountains and lands changed shape and color as we entered southern Utah, and the red stone started to show. Soon, the drive was just stunning. Every turn, another picture card view. Wow!

We stopped again at another rest area you drove up to, with a view of the area and picnic tables on the edge, so you could look out while eating. Here we would leave the large highways and head to Moab. The stone changed to red, and the shapes were incredible. We thought the first half of the drive was amazing; this was amazing again.

 

We reach our hotel passing by Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. It was after five, and we talked to the desk staff, and they gave us parking and food ideas for downtown Moab (a few miles away). We found Dewy’s, and it was perfect (if a bit loud with hard floors and ceiling to reflect the sound back). We both had steaks, and they were excellent.

Next, we got back in the car and tried out Arches National Park. It was after 6, and the sun was setting, but we might make the panoramic view in time. We missed the sunset as we were stopping and looking at all the incredible shapes. We did see a few arches. It was great, and we will be back on Sunday morning to catch it in the morning light. The drive was on cliff-side two-lane roads, and we wanted to be back before dark. It is very dark here, and this is an official night sky area (though tonight it is cloudy).

We got back to the hotel, and I wrote the blog, trying not to keep waking Deborah. I was only partially successful.

We are sure we will be back again, as we have discovered things we want to do all along the way. Nearby, there are dinosaur tracks to see. Petroglyphs are nearby, too. Carbon Canyon has things to see, not just drive through.

It is a good trip when you are just into a few days and you are already planning the return!

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Deborah says this should be titled “$100 Steaks and $20 parking.” We found a cheaper dinner (not that cheap), and the parking was still $20 for three hours in downtown Park City, after 5. But let me start the narrative from the beginning…

I thank all the TSA folks for working today. That gets a smile. One mention that PDX has the highest-rated TSA experience in the USA. They are unpaid and still proud. I feel welcomed by TSA and there are smiles everywhere.

I tried to sleep, but the coffee and traveling kept me awake. I slept on and off until about 2 and then fell into a deep sleep. I then woke three minutes before my alarm. Sat there for a minute, and then it went off (as I rolled over to read the alarm). F**k!

I got a note from Joan S that she was awake; Joan S was my ride for the morning and was picking me up at 6. Deborah, too, was up; I called her and missed as she was dressing. She called me back.

I quickly showered, dressed in the clothing I had washed the night before, and also used fresh towels. I made the bed, added the last items to my bags, and closed them up. I was 40 mins early. Perfect.

Joan found me outside, waiting for her. I was reading more of the 1929 book while standing (I had plenty of time to sit soon, with planes and cars in my near future) until I got a text that she was on her way. I loaded up my new, larger suitcase and my lighter gym bag. I selected to carry many items in my suitcase for this trip.

Joan and I enjoyed the light (though growing) traffic to PDX. In forty minutes, we were there, and I thanked Joan S and found my way to Delta. I was three hours early. Nobody was busy. The Delta folks were chatting and telling stories, with lots of smiles and laughs. They did put on their usual noncommital smiles when I appeared (I saw no other Delta folks). TSA had no lines. The agents, three of them, were actually bouncing from foot to foot while humming to keep awake and focused. I passed with no issues, though my gym bag got a second check and then passed without a search or comment by the second agent.

Breakfast was, as usual, at Grassa, where the drink menu outnumbers the food by 2 to 1. I ate that and drank their coffee, having had instant at the house, then washed the cup while I wrote the blog. I spent ninety minutes writing and eating. I also performed my usual email, Quicken, and doom scrolling. The war news was odd, as the war keeps expanding, but folks keep saying it will soon be over somehow. It reminded me of the statements in the 1929 book: those who needed something to be true kept saying it as if it were true for years, until the Great Depression took hold and strangled the country. Energy is the new force driving the economy. Hmm.

I head to the gate, board, and soon sit down with a kind gentleman who chats about work, retirement, and investments. We enjoy each other’s company until the plane is flying and he watches basketball (it is March Madness), and I try a movie that Deoboah says is delightful, Rental Family. I get through only 1/3, and it is wonderful, and I can see where it is heading. I will finish it on the way back.

We land without events, and everyone is pleasant, and everything works. I ask a police officer what to do when I have an hour between flights. He tells me there is a park-and-wait just inside the airport with gas, food, and a convenience store. I can wait there or park.

I have a Hyundai to drive, a mid-sized SUV. Unlike my ID.4, this one is gas and all the switches, levers, and workings are standard. I do turn on the windshield wipers instead of using the stick (It is automatic). I follow the plan and get some junk food and lots of water while I wait in the car in case of silliness.

Deborah arrives early, finds her bag, and we reunite. The drive is 40 minutes through a canyon, adding some altitude to Park City. Deborah’s plane did not have a sandwich, so she was hungry, and we got some food at the nearby Whole Foods.

Got a call from Jeff. Black mold and soaked flooring under the laundry from the previous machines mean more demos and more expense. But it has to be done. This makes me even happier that I selected the flooring now. Later, Corwin stopped by, said it looked great, and sent a picture. He was there to finish off the corned beef I left.

Later, we have dinner in downtown Park City. We found the town full of folks in furs, dressed in an over-the-top 1990s or Wall Street-on-vacation look. Clothing looked new and perfect. Prices were outrageous, and the town smelled of money and expensive ski condos. Winter sports here, and a golf condo for summer sports elsewhere. We looked poor and like ‘the help.’ Still, we enjoyed dinner at Le Depot with Deborah having the pressed chicken and me the Confit de Canard (Duck leg confit). I have always wanted to try it, as I have many recipes for it. It was OK and flavorful, but not something I will make now. Interesting to try it; not my thing.

We shared a Crème Brûlée à la Vanille that was the best I have ever had. Its taste was light and perfect.

We were tired, but we did walk up the hill and look around Park City. We headed back after doing some car yoga to get out of the underground parking spot. No scrapes, but folks inbound had funny ideas about the Hyundai’s flexibility. No paint was lost, and soon we were back at the hotel, sleeping. My sleep was broken, but I managed a few hours. We rose early.

Thanks for reading!

I rose in the dark, before 7, and found the coffee made. I had woken multiple times as I was not packed, and my corporate warrior soul was not happy that I was keyed into travel and planned everything. But my retired mind rolled over and went back to sleep, but the warrior kept waking me. I got up, and it was so dark I could not find my slippers. Is it a real eyeroll if nobody, including yourself, can see it?

Coffee appeared after pushing the button, and I found my way; it seemed a longer trip to my office from the kitchen. There, I did the usual. While sipping Fair Trade coffee, I read my email, downloaded my Quicken files, and peeked at my IRA balance (down). I doomscroll and discovered a theme that every country has a plan except the USA. Many appear to be planning to grab popcorn and watch the USA and Trump show. Israel blew up the gas fields in Iran and is sharing them with another country to the great discomfort of all involved (Trump first claiming he did not know, he did). Reports are that the damage would take half a decade to repair. Hmmm. The Department of War says the bill for the war will be $200 Billion (a third of the annual budget —the new, inflated budget—don’t get me started). War sucks, the outcome is seldom as promised, and that is why we try to avoid it, until now.

Putting away all of my reactions, I start to recall the day before as I write the blog. I invest the morning in writing. Also talking to Deborah here and there as she winds down work and gets ready. I also booked some hotels on our trip. It is going to be hot in Utah, with record-high temperatures in southern Utah. Rental has AC. We may be driving more and taking photos through windows. I was more worried about the usual Utah last snowstorms. They often get one or two more before April arrives. Not this year.

I write until before 11 and publish the blog, but I do have many fixes. Grammarly cannot find simple spelling errors or mangled sentences. I need the version from two years ago! Hmmm.

I rush and dress (showering later in the day) to make lunch with Scott W. I am ten minutes late because I got distracted while settling the blog and travel arrangements. I checked in for my flight and learned my seat had been released. Ugh! They rebooked everyone on a new plane. I now have a middle seat (despite arranging the flight a month ago), but at least I got a seat (the plane is full).

Scott W is amused by my excuses, and Brad J could not join us today. We have a nice lunch, but I stick to iced tea. Beer is out as it seems to mess up my tummy (and the calories are not welcome anyway). We talk about travel and plans. We avoid discussion of finances; we are both belted in and making few, if any, changes. We talk about the war and the navy issues. I later learned (here) that the drones that Iran uses pack a 100-pound warhead, about the same as a battleship shell, but without the weight and speed. It cannot penetrate and then explode. The only risk is if a drone hits the superstructure or a plane on the carrier’s deck. Russia has a 400-pound version that might be more of a threat (but likely flies slower and has a much-reduced range). We have a nice visit and will meet again after Easter.

I return home, pick up, start the laundry, and run the dishwasher. Time to finish up the house. I start clearing out loose items on some of my bookcases and discover that I have sooooo mannnny decks of cards. Many are marked, or have other features. I am disappointed that I cannot find one of my favorite card tricks, B-Wave, as I sort and box them. I did the trick in NYC when Susie had her stroke. They performed it for me at the oldest magic shop in the USA, and I then did it for Tasha, Jason, and Cat. When I did it the second time. Cat held the cards as she ‘performed’ the trick to her amazement. I reminded her of the steps and dealt the cards for her to hold. I find my rings and other things I never practiced enough to do in front of an audience, but maybe someday.

I find more stuff at the very bottom. I find B-Wave. Excellent! I find the key to the video on how to perform that one. I add the cards to my carry-on as I will have some time to practice. I will leave the rings home; I only did that one for Susie and Corwin.

It gets boring when I do laundry, put things in different places, and pack. I read more of 1929, reaching now 1933. I head to BJ’s Brewhouse and have their expensive ribeye steak. Only a seat at the bar is available, and Analesa is my bartender (and the gothic Alexandra). I read more. I have an Old Fashioned again (this time forgetting to ask for a decent whiskey, but it was not terrible), then coffee. The steak is perfect and as good as they ever come. Overpriced steakhouses and my grill cannot get this good. The steak, cooked, is about 1/2 inch thick now and covers much of the plate. A good piece of meat (I have found other BJ’s to use cheaper and poorer grilling). Only Lucky’s in Michigan does as well, I think.

I return home, finish the laundry, and unload the dishwasher. I find the large suitcase works for me, but my dress shirts will have to be touched up in the hotel room. No problem; I will have time. Hiking boots are no problem. Excellent.

Everything fits, and there is more than enough clothing for two weeks. Good! All packed. I leave the bag open to get the last items. I unpack and repack my carry-on, removing aging items and old USB cables, since everything I have is C now. I charge my battery pack.

I am in bed at nearly 11 after running one more load of everything that was dirty from the day. I replace the sheets and enjoy the clean ones as I read, then soon nod off. I try to sleep. It is not until after midnight that I sleep (too excited to sleep). I wake minutes before my alarm.

Thanks for reading!

I rose before the sun did on Wednesday, 7-something, and found the coffee made. I had been organizing the house and not packing much. Richard, my gamer friend, thinks nothing of hiking all day, told me on Tuesday that we could just drive through or catch the shuttle bus for the Utah parks, Zion and Bryce, and they are great, and hiking is optional. Perfect for Deborah and me, though we managed to enjoy long sets of steps and slippery rocks in Iceland.

Z is not available for games; school work calls.

Another happy surprise was a note from the USA Social Security Administration that my application was accepted and my decent-sized (for early retirement) would start, using the unique government logic, in June. A month more than I expected, but still, it is all done, and I have my official letter of benefits. This fits my planning from years ago. I will have a steady income for half of 2026! Excellent.

My focus is to get the family (fireside) room cleared of loose items, as Jeff will be in next week to replace the flooring. I have moved all my post-tax cash, except my L3Harris stock (which is not yet at 16 months ownership and enjoying an insane 67% increase), into a moderate-interest savings account at US Bank. I have the home improvements/maintenance changes to pay for this year and wish to defer any withdrawals until later (and maybe after the slow correction I am seeing in my investments reverses). I have medical bills piling up and some mold remediation (nothing unhealthy) that I am putting off for now. I figure that I want something I can walk on now.

I am experiencing some return of the skin rashes, but at a much slower pace. It is interesting. My next shot of Skyrizi is three weeks away. Something for after Easter. I suspect I should not decorate the pen with bunnies and ducks to celebrate April.

Re-focusing on the narrative, I write all morning, have a banana with my coffee, liberal (i.e., fair trade) and red-bagged Equal Exchange brand, while I assemble a long narrative and struggle again with Grammarly (which leaves Richard’s name mispelled, but it wanted to rewrite sentences to different meanings). I am beginning to agree with Deborah that I should write my text in MS Word, then copy it into WordPress, and abandon my seven years with Grammarly. Hmmmm.

I finish the narrative by 10:30 (I prefer to be done by 10, but that is not happening for a while), and start my day. I add more items to the spare bedroom where my new suitcase waits for its first chance to travel with me. I also started adding the usual items to my red Nike gym bag. I continue to organize the house more. I take Susie’s beer glasses, put them in a box, and will give them to Mariah.

Corwin arrives after I have corned beef and mushy veggies (adding some fresh cabbage as I reheat it in the microwave) and has some left over too. We move the table out of the fireside room, remembering how to disassemble it, fix a pin that came loose, and put it back together in the dining room (its former home). The area is now crowded with the stationary bike, which I often still use. I had recycled a pile of old iPhones, iPods, the broken Epson Tank printer (not getting one of those again), and moved the table for the printer in the garage.

With that done and agreements for Corwin to clean the house the week before I return in place (I will also have him stop by as DHL is sending a package on Tuesday (small book, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, from the 1920s I ordered after reading about it in the footnotes of the 1929 narrative I am reading). Mariah suggested a Happy Hour dinner at Hopworks in Portland, but Corwin could not make it (He makes at least $50 a day, seven days a week, before taxes, delivering food, and this, plus his dishwasher/cooking job, pays his bills and leaves him with some extra). He can’t afford a work night in exchange for dinner. I respect that.

I give Corwin a leaf that is mounted in a frame. Susie had it painted as a phoenix in China for the aristan that was on our boat for the river cruise in 1998. Corwin also got a tiger card from the same trip. All to remember Susie.

The trip across Beaverton and Portland is lousy with traffic, and, as I talk to Deborah, I miss my usual path and instead head to Richard’s. Oops. But I take an alternative route that does not make me late and is a nice change from being stuck on bridges, though the view is nice up there. I arrive at Hopworks still early and enjoy chatting with Deboroah and our joy of seeing each other on Friday (assuming the war, Trump, random events, and TSA lines do not make a hash of our travel plans). The local Rosarians, the folks that run the Rose Festival in Portland, are meeting at the bar too, and look excellent in their blue sport coats (men and women). Jeremy Emerson, the group’s President, is smiling and chatting; the parade is on June 6th.

Mariah appears, and we enjoy chatting and some drinks (I stick to one cocktail as beer and I am not doing well). We try the chicken wings (very bad for you), and they are excellent. I get the sweet chili sauce as I do not want to discover what Buffalo sauce would do wtih my tummy now. I see Mariah’s new ride, a new blue Honda hatchback. Mariah tells me she is shocked by how nice and fast this gas hybrid runs and enjoys its 50 miles-per-gallon efficiency. She could not be happier with it. A surprise for a gear-head and now former Mustang owner.

I hand over the glasses with instructions that they are not relics and can be given away, recycled, or used. I am happy to find them a home.

I return home in light traffic and finish the second Star Trek Academy episode. I read, clean, and organize some more. I discovered the tattered remains of the paperwork for trips to Istanbul, NYC (when Susie had her stroke), and my second business trip for Nike (I kept the copy of the visa application for India I discovered in case I needed the information for another visa), while sorting papers stuffed here and there. It looks like in the chaos of my busy working life, I never sorted or returned to these piles; I just stuffed them in a drawer or under some gaming stuff. Playbills and other flotsam and jetsam are the paper trail of travel. My eyes get watery when I remember all the good and bad, but I trash it, since it is just paper and only has meaning to me. Clutter from a good life of travel, some more than a decade old. I have less emotional trouble trashing my 2015 taxes.

I finish the day reading more of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation and reach 1933. FDR is not elected, but chooses, even with a begging letter from Hoover, to do nothing until his inauguration (March in the old calendars, now done January). FDR takes much heat from historians now for this cold-blooded political move, as the US economy will slip past the tipping point in these months. It is good reading, but the author is now less narrative and more historical. The wealthy seem untouched by The Crash so far. Hmmm.

According to the book, Winston Churchill was in the USA during the Crash and remained a guest of the rich and powerful for a few years. Getting paid for speaking engagements. He is identified by the author Sorkin as one of the many victims of Wall Street’s salesmanship. He owns tens of thousands after The Crash, as he was far out on the margin before the crash (he needs money, lots of it). In 1932, nearly the end of his trip, he stepped in front of a car (looking the wrong way), and he was seriously hurt. His losses, accident, and political fall (he is out in the Wilderness, as he describes in his autobiography) depress him. It is a cautionary tale of the 1920s, as Sorkin points out.

I close the book and sleep. I wake after midnight, thinking it is morning. I do a lot of rolling over. I finally sleep about 2:30. I do not rise until about 8 on Thursday, with no dreams that I recall. I am spinning as I am not packed yet and have to travel on Friday.

Joan S has agreed to drop me off, but with the war and possible traffic SNAFUs, we changed my pick up to 6 for a 10 in the morning flight.

Thanks for reading.