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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>After our last update things got kinda interesting.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We started by spending some time </FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>hiking and backpacking in </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place><st1:PlaceName>San Rafael</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>River basin</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> – it’s a beautiful area and there are a number of pictograph and petroglyph sites in there.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN>They’ve just been hangin’ out there in the <st1:City><st1:place>San Rafael</st1:place></st1:City> canyon below the Wedge for the last 8 or 9 hundred years. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Hmm – maybe you’d like to see one of them?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>OK – try this: </FONT><A href="http://spiriteaglehome.com/SanRafael_VirginSpring.jpg"><U><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#800080 size=3>http://spiriteaglehome.com/SanRafael_VirginSpring.jpg</FONT></U></A></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">Well, whatever - we thought it was worth three days of hiking – along with something like 40 stream crossings.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>We also returned to <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Nine-Mile</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>Canyon</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In fact, we spent a couple days in there.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Last </FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>year we had a lot of fun </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>driving the road looking for and finding the rock art – this year</FONT><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>we got serious about it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There’s a book that details </FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">a lot of the rock art – about 85</FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">different sites.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And that doesn’t count the ones we found that weren’t in the book. </FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN>It’s an amazing area.</FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>There were also other sites like the <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ferron</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>Box</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, the <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Lower</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName>Price</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Cedar</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>Mountain</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, <st1:place><st1:City>Buckhorn</st1:City> <st1:State>Wash</st1:State></st1:place> and </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>another full day at <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Fremont</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName>Indian</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>State Park</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> finding rock art</FONT><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>that we didn’t find the last time we were there.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>At that point, a visit to a podiatrist to get a shot for the Morton’s Neuroma was in order. The jury is still out on the </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>results, partly because we haven’t been doing much hiking since the shot – for the last couple days, it’s been too </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>rainy/snowy to do anything.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Yeah, I said snow.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>How’s that for a Memorial Day surprise?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Can you imagine the </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>desert around <st1:place>South Pass</st1:place> covered in white?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We can.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Winds were beautiful, when we could see them through </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>the ground-level clouds.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It may be a while before they’re hikeable.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>We also stopped for a visit to <st1:place><st1:City>Timpanagos Cave</st1:City> <st1:State>NM</st1:State></st1:place> near <st1:City><st1:place>Salt Lake City</st1:place></st1:City>. It was a really nice side trip – the cave is </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>great, just watch out for that 1.5 mile, 1000 ft climb to get to the entrance (especially when it’s snowing!)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But the </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>cave has a wide variety of really beautiful “decorations.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It’s worth a visit.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">That sorta ended our run in <st1:State><st1:place>Utah</st1:place></st1:State> for this year. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>After the cave, we moved north-east into Wyoming, intending to visit </FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">the White Mountain petroglyph site – but with the snow depth and a 16-mile high-clearance/4WD back road<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN>approach to the site, we’ll have to get back to that one another time.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>So now we’re in Lander, WY – a great CDT trail town, trying to figure out where to head next.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Probably to a couple </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>more of the <st1:State><st1:place>Wyoming</st1:place></st1:State> rock art sites, then into Montana/Idaho – and ultimately north to <st1:State><st1:place>Alaska</st1:place></st1:State> for at least a month or </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>more.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Even if the shot takes care of the Morton’s neuroma, there’s some question about how far we can trust the foot </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>for a while, so long distance hiking will be questionable this summer.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And there’s still some question about how effective </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>the shot will be.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We won’t know that for at least a week. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">We’re looking forward to <st1:State><st1:place>Alaska</st1:place></st1:State>, even though that wasn’t our original plan for this summer.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The high gas prices were </FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">the main deterrent to driving to <st1:State><st1:place>Alaska</st1:place></st1:State> this year, but they aren’t likely to be much lower next year and we really did </FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">intend to return in the near future.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We were there in 2004 and really enjoyed our visit.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We did several of the main </FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">tourist stops, as well as a week-long fly-in at Wrangell-St. Elias NP, but three weeks wasn’t nearly long enough.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN>The incredible scenery and wildlife are a really strong attraction, and we will see a lot of both even if we can’t do </FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">long hikes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If the foot heals, we’ll head into the backcountry for a bit.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If not, short hikes and lots of camping in out </FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">of the way places.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As usual, we plan to play it by ear and see what comes out in the end.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We never know, but it </FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">usually works out well for us.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
<BR>Walk softly,<BR>
Jim & Ginny<BR>
<BR> <BR>
http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/<BR></body>
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