We added a new gallery: Outings>Backpack Trips>Stevens Arch



Stevens Arch as viewed from the Weeping Dinosaur bench.

A note from Rob:

As our winter slide scanning project nears completion we wanted to share a family backpack trip we did over Memorial Day weekend in 1999.  Julie and soon-to-be husband Matt joined Christy and me for a trip down lower Coyote Gulch to Stevens Arch.

For me, it was exactly 30 years after my first trip to Jacob Hamblin in 1969 and provided many contrasts.  Most notably, we traded cows for campers.  As much as I prefer cows, I would have to admit the canyon vegetation was much healthier and despite tents on every viable campsite the canyon was still spectacular.  

 

Ready to get truckin - Matt, Julie, Christy and Rob’s excellent JanSport backpack. 

You will note the rich Kodachrome color but a lack of sharpness in this batch of images.  I was between cameras in 1999 and have no idea what we were using.  Thus, we see that great film and scenery can’t compensate for a poor lens.

 

A brief escape from the snow and ice…

Its 700 miles from our frozen, snow covered driveway to the beaches of California’s  Newport Coast.  

For us it’s a day and half of driving, but with our long-time friends, Tony and Ilene the drive was quick and fun.  Thanks to their sons connections at Marriott we found ourselves in a setting that made winter a distant memory.

 Nearby Crystal Cove State Park provided the backdrop for morning walks and great views.

Alas, all to soon we were back on the road heading north through a Cedar City snow storm and home to a driveway that had to be shoveled in order to get the car back in the garage.

Now, the sound of the ocean waves seems like a far distant dream…

Reelin’ in the years…

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Southern California was enjoying an evening with Cliff and Liz. 

Rob, LuJean, Cliff and Liz – photo complements of Liz’s iPhone.

It was fun to get acquainted with Liz.  We especially enjoyed hearing about her younger days in New Jersey and when her family did a cross-country excursion in their VW bus.  Turns out Cliff also had a bus which he loved driving on dirt roads when he lived in Denver.  Aside from sharing VW stories, Cliff reminded me of cold, wet times at Dead Horse Lake in the Uintas (a trip I had managed to forget) and fun times touring southern Utah with Hank as a viola duet.  Cliff and Liz live close to the beach in Culver City with three high schoolers while their oldest studies forensic psychology in New York.

It was great fun for us to meet Liz and once again enjoy Cliff’s contagious smile.