Arches for the...

Melancholy. With the onset of blink-and you-miss-it daylight time (dark-thirty time), my old arch enemy SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder) kicked in. I'm coping with the malady by being in the sunlight as much as possible. I practice pretending I'm a plant. Now if I can get photosynthesis down, my food bill would be water, oxygen and sunlight. 

(I'd sneak in a brew for the essential minerals). 

Arches National Park and the Devil's Garden hike always cheer me up. It worked again today. 

From Moab, Utah enjoying Happy Hour with an IPA.

Jeff

Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah...

A scenic wonder with an unfortunate name. Who knows if a few onnery cowboys really corralled some less than perfect wild horses on this spit of land to languish and die? It might be high time for a name change.

I know! Let's name it like we do subdivisions in suburbia! 

How's? 

Pleasant View Acres State Park.

Give a look-see at the photos. Are those views pleasant or what?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday,

Jeff

Upheaval Dome Loop Hike...

In Canyonlands National Park.

I've  done this amble a baker's dozen of times and I'm still enamored by it. There's big views, solitude and some sweat labor involved. In all the times I've hiked this trail, I might have seen a baseball team's

worth of humans. 

Maybe it's the "Attention Hikers" notice at the trailhead? All that's missing is the sentence, "Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!" But in all honesty, this trail is different from the rest. There's a lot of scrambling and exposure to "this would be bad if I lost it here" sections. 

Speaking of which, about a decade ago, I donned a backpack for an overnight trip. On my way out, I lost my balance (I blame it on the weight of the backpack) and was about to head into a grand abyss and beyond. 

My choices were: 

A) free fall backward and probably stop breathing forever. OR

B) launch myself onto a boulder with a few relatively minor injuries.

The God of Wandering, Wondering Jews nudged me toward option B. A few scrapes, cuts and bruises and I lived to see many more Happy Hours. 

Always be aware out there, (even in beautiful places.)

This safety message brought to you by 

http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/

Good night!