left hand fork

 Another hot day so Milton and I were the first ones at the Millcreek trailhead at 6:20 a.m.  The left hand fork of the canyon still had water flowing so, even though this meant a much shorter hike, we went left.  We checked out the waterfall, then climbed up and around it so we could continue up the canyon.  We had it all to ourselves, unless you count the canyon wrens, lizards and very loud and talkative ravens.

Still kind of waterfall-esque

We went to the big upper pool which, due to some strategic log placement, was full enough to swim.  We didn't - Milton still doesn't know how and I was disinclined to wade in past my knees.

Looking down canyon

We didn't see any other people until we were back at the last stream crossing.  Then there were several groups making their way in, some with dogs, some just looking for a quick, shady hike.  While we were drying our feet/drinking a morning beer back at the car, our neighbor Amelia and her sweet Underdog puppy Moscow showed up for their morning hike.  Moscow is very sweet but also very much a puppy and so Milton, while happy to see them, didn't really know what to do with the puppy behavior.

The very best boy

And that was a wrap for our very hot June weekend in Moab.  The next time we're in town we'll probably bring the MTBs, so that means more early mornings to get out and get after it before the Utah desert oven gets turned to high.

earlier is better

 Saturday I totally overslept my alarm.  Milton and I managed to get out of the house at 6:40 a.m. and were at the Moab Rim trailhead by 6:45 a.m.  There were five or six other cars there - all locals, I presume - and we met several parties on their way down as we churned our way up the Moab Stairmaster trail.  We made it to the top in fifty-five minutes.

Nice day out there

It was pretty warm because we were later than I had hope, plus no shade once on top, so I made Milt wear his white t-shirt to try to reflect some of the sun's rays.  We headed out along the 4x4 road, and went left at the start of the loop, heading down into the wash.  There was a little bit of shade down in there, the sun not having come over the sandstone cliffs yet, plus Milton found a good-sized pothole with lots of water in it.  He splashed around for quite a while - which was good, because not ten minutes later, after launching himself into the prickly desert shrubs after something small and furry, he came back out sans t-shirt.  I gave him some water and tucked a long-sleeved white shirt that I had in my pack into his harness, then put him on the leash.  He wasn't thrilled with that but he was really panting heavily after chasing the squirrels and I needed to keep him from overexerting himself.

Woohoo water!

We slogged our way up Sand Hill (that was awful) and then, after pausing to dump the sand out of my shoes, continued around the loop.  We didn't see anyone else out there until we got back to the front descent.  We went back down the Stairmaster trail, instead of the 4x4 trail, because it actually still was in the shade under the cliffs.  When we got back to the car (a little after 9), we sat in its shade for about half an hour, watching the traffic and the river and listening to all the bird song.  Also: drank a post-hike beer because it's the weekend.

right hand fork

Off we went to Moab, because if it's going to be 100+ all around the state, you might as well be in the desert.  We drove down Thursday night which gave us all day on Friday.  Milton and I wanted to do some hiking so we got up early-ish and were at the Millcreek trailhead ready to go by 6:40 a.m.  I had picked Millcreek because of the year-round water flow; because of the Pack Creek fire, however, the right hand fork was dry, the creek there having been diverted for fire-fighting.

A bit shocking to see this

There were still some pools of water, with fat polliwogs and crayfish all present and accounted for (except for those being snacked on as evidenced by all the raccoon tracks) and Milt splashed around as much as he could.  It was disconcerting to see the creek bed all muddy and drying, though, and I felt badly for the wildlife who depends on this water.  We went as far as the indigenous sites and then turned around.

Pretty sure that's a raccoon

The Millcreek canyons are super-dog friendly and Milton got to meet several new friends, including a doodle named Jasper and Erin, an eight year old golden retriever who was very sweet.  I chatted for a little while with Erin's person, a local woman who said that she'd been up hiking around Oowah Lake just the day before the Pack Creek fire started.  We both expressed frustration and outrage over the idiocy that started the fire but were encouraged that the firefighters (heroes!) seemed to be getting a handle on it.

Cowboy hot tub

dog days come early this year

 After a couple of delightfully cool (in the 70s!) days, the heat rushed into Utah with a vengeance.  Saturday wasn't terrible - topping out in the low 90s - so in the morning, H got out for a road ride while Milt and I did our 4-ish mile loop up through the neighborhood and down through Dimple Dell.  Then it was yard work - mowing and edging and sweeping and weeding - until we couldn't take it anymore.  We'd obviously earned our beers so we checked out the dog-friendly patios list on DogfriendlySLC and headed off to the Brickyard Bar, formerly known as Lumpy's.

Desert dog likes the heat I

It's been completely renovated since the Lumpy's days and the patio has been tripled.  While H and Milton waited outside, I popped in to the inside bar and let a server know that we had a dog with us.  She came around to the gate to let us in and, before she had even taken our order was showing us photos of her dog, Winston.  Everyone was very nice, constantly checking to see if Milton needed more ice cubes in his water dish.  For his part, Milt alternated cooking himself in the sun and then cooling off under our table.  He also got to meet a tiny bichon frise (or similar) puppy named Tank.  Tank couldn't have weighed more than a box of kleenex.

Ted in motion

We had made arrangements to meet up with Ted for MTBing Sunday morning at 9 a.m. It's hard to believe that we didn't get to Round Valley until mid-June this year; last year, even with more snow and pandemic restrictions, we did our first MTB there a full month earlier.  It wasn't even that busy when we started out.  We warmed up on the double track, then headed to PorcUClimb and Down Dog.  Ted and I are pretty closely matched MTB-wise: he's fitter (and possibly lighter) than I am right now, and he's a good bike handler, catching H on the downhills, but I'm a stronger climber and have better endurance.  H kicks both our butts.

A in motion

From there, we took Matt's Flat to Kari's to High Side (maybe High Line? I dunno) to the top of Rambler, then descended Rambler through the sagebrush switchbacks.  That's where we found all the people; we need to remember to do Rambler early.  After coming out on Round Valley Express, we jumped on the new Big Easy trail.  I really like that one: it's wide for singletrack and not rocky, and the climbing is steady but not steep.  We connected back up with Ramble On and Rambler, making it back to the truck that way.  We only did about twelve miles but it was already heating up.

Desert dog likes the heat II

Back on the SLC side, we waited out the midday heat, then braved the partially shaded driveway to wash the bikes (making sure to capture any usable water we could to help the trees and shrubs) and drink beers (probably slightly scandalous to the neighbors but it was so hot no one else was outside).  Milton made up for the fact that he'd been locked in the house all morning by sunbathing: 99 F in the sun with the cement driveway not quite hot enough to burn.  I guess summer is here, y'all.

jordanelle state park

We finally reconnected with our friend Ted for a MTB ride, after having had to cancel on him for sprinkler issues.  The last time H had seen him was skiing at Deer Valley this February; the last time I had seen him was MTBing last fall.  He asked us if we'd ever ridden at Jordanelle State Park, which he lives near.  We hadn't and were eager to try something new, so we loaded up the MTBs and drove to, and just past, Park City, picking Ted up at his place and then driving to the Ross Creek trailhead.

The park's Hailstone Recreation Area is where all the action is: boat ramp, wet slips, dry storage, picnic cabanas, pro shop, marina store, campground, restrooms and showers, pavilions ... it's a zoo.  Rock Cliff has boardwalks, interpretive trails, a boat ramp, walk-in campsites and a nature center.  Ross Creek, where we were on the northwest shore, has pit toilets, a big parking lot and non-motorized day-use access and is the least-frequented area of the park.  It also has access to the Perimeter Trail - for hikers, runners, dog-walkers, MTBers and equestrian use only - which follows the shoreline around the north end of the reservoir to the eastern side.

Ted took us out along the Perimeter Trail and we did around thirteen miles round trip (out and back because it doesn't appear to go all the way around, at least not without some road riding).  This is a very friendly trail: mostly double-track, some short single-track sections, dirt and gravel with undulating ups and downs and just a couple very steep hills.  For being a state park, we were surprised that there were so few people out on the trail.  We saw four other MTBers and two runners, which was a nice change from the hordes at Round Valley just up the road (that said, RV has much more fun terrain for MTBing) - obviously people come to Jordanelle State Park for the water sports, not the trails.  The water is awfully, terribly low right now, though.

After our ride, we took Ted home, pausing for a beer and to catch up.  It's nice to have a friend over there on the Park City side, doing the leg work to find new trails for us.  

wrapping it up

 Monday (Memorial Day - yes, still haven't gotten around to Memorial Day yet) ended up being a bonus day for us down in Moab.  Having learned from past experience that the drive to SLC on the last day of a long weekend entails bucketloads of traffic and multiple additional hours in the car - where north-bound Route 6 goes from two lanes to one just before Spanish Fork is a particularly bad pinch point - we now leave very early Tuesday mornings instead, and just get in to work late.  This gives us the whole day to play when all the other weekend warriors have to pack up and go home.

Prickly pear

H's ribs were sore from the previous day's crash so we didn't want to do anything too rugged.  We three went to MOAB Brand trails where H MTBed - slowly and a bit gingerly - while M and I hiked.  We did our usual routes and Milton was pleased to find a still-full pothole out on Circle O.  H didn't break any land speed records but it was probably good that he got out and rode to shake out some of the stiffness and soreness that had set in.

Hooray for potholes!

Since we had one more night, we decided to make the most of it.  The Spitfire Smokehouse is a relatively new bar/restaurant in Moab, located where the old Rio used to be.  We don't eat BBQ anymore but they have a large bar behind the restaurant and the bar's patio is dog-friendly.  We walked over with Milton mid-afternoon, after the lunch crowd but before the evening crowd.  This was kind of brilliant on our part because we got a seat at the bar where we could chat with bartender Scott (whom we know from Woody's and whom we hadn't seen for months).  We hung out for quite a while, drinkin draft Hop Nosh IPAs, befriending locals and chatting with tourists.  

Waiting patiently for the people

Milton was in his element.  He loves people but he isn't pushy in the least.  So as the bar filled up, he would quietly walk up to people and just stand there until they noticed him and started patting him.  A couple of tourist girls (from Miami and NYC) thought he was the sweetest (he is); a bartender on her way out after her shift brought him a bowl of water with ice cubes, "because my dogs like ice," she said.  We even caught one guy sitting at a table behind us letting Milt lick his fingers after the guy finished his ribs: "They didn't bring me any napkins," he said with a grin, napkins clearly on the table in front of him.  We'll have to go back, if only so Milton can greet his adoring fans again.

sometimes upright, sometimes not

 Since Milton had gotten to go on that great creek hike the day before, we didn't feel too guilty about leaving him home on Sunday to MTB at Dead Horse Point State Park.  The parking lot was about one-third full when we got there but most of those folks must have been hikers/lookielous because we were the first riders out on the trail.  Proof: ours were the only tire tracks.  We did see one family around the Big Chief overlook, then four riders out on the Whiptail return, and then a fair number on Raven Roll - although far fewer than we expected.  One little girl shouted at me, "I like your bike!"  Which I thought was funny since my bike is older than she was.

It was also cool enough that we saw some critters: lots of birds, a couple of rabbits, some squirrels and lizards, and I saw a big ol' snake sunning itself on a rock.  It definitely wasn't a rattler and I would guess it was a gopher snake since it was yellow with brown blotches.  I wish I'd taken a photo but I was too busy with the combination of not running it over while also not falling off my MTB.

Me not falling over on Whiptail

Speaking of falling off one's MTB, H went down in a patch of sand near the Whiptail/Twisted Tree intersection, landing on his side with his arm between his ribs and the ground.  He was back up when I caught up to him and I never would have known - he wasn't scraped up at all - except I caught him checking for bruises back at the parking lot.  He never bruised up, so we think he probably didn't break his ribs, but one week later he's still sore.  You just take longer to heal as you get older, I guess.

mary jane slot canyon

 It's starting to get hot in Utah - as I write this, northern Utah is about twenty degrees warmer than it should be for early June, ugh - which means that we have to pick our Milton-friendly hikes with more care: hiking in creeks or up in the mountains where it's cooler.  Since the La Sals have scarcely any snow left on them, we're a little worried about how long the creeks will last this year.  To take advantage while they're still flowing, we decided to head out to Professor Creek and do the Mary Jane slot canyon.  We'd gone out there once before (August 2019) but took the right/dry fork and never made it to the waterfall.  We were waterfall-bound this time.

Look at how gorgeous that is

The ranch road in to the trailhead was terribly washboarded (I thought the doors were going to shake right off the truck) but the parking area has been improved and expanded.  There were only about five other vehicles there when we arrived, although more were coming in behind us, so we wasted no time in getting on the trail.  We actually timed it just right: we were the fifth group in but everyone was spread out so that we had the canyon to ourselves on the inbound leg; and we didn't encounter the hordes until we were on our way out.

Why bother trying to stay dry? 

We did manage to pick the correct fork this time.  It's the one with the creek and you will get your feet wet.  We counted how many times we crossed the creek: 156.  The deepest spot was only calf-deep and it was mostly only up to our ankles.  Milton loved it, running back and forth and splashing and wading and drinking whenever he wanted to.  This trail is off-leash dog-friendly, although we did call him to us whenever we saw someone with their own dog leashed.

Lots of shade all morning

The wash starts out fairly wide open but the canyon narrows and the walls get higher as you head upstream.  The cliff walls are dark red rock and there's pretty good shade.  The waterfall itself is totally shaded and about thirty feet tall, bifurcated around a chockstone.  The creek water is colder up at the waterfall - my toes actually got numb as we were standing there - but it warms up as it moves downstream, over the sun-warmed sand.  Milton didn't much like the waterfall, which echoed loudly off the canyon walls, but H and I loved the cool, mist-filled air.

Mr. "I hate getting my picture taken"

The hike out seemed to go quickly but we were surprised at the number of people coming in.  This hike is not a secret, and we had chosen to come on the Saturday of a long holiday weekend.  When we got back to the truck, the parking lot was overflowing and a Subaru hovered patiently to nab our spot as soon as we could wriggle our way out of it.

So narrow that there's nowhere not in the creek

We ended up stopping at a pull-out along the Colorado River for our sandwiches and beers, although we had to drive almost all the way back to town before we found a spot.  The picnic areas and river launches were packed with people, cars parked along the road for a half mile on either side.  Milton, tired but not overheated, snoozed in the truck while H and I waved to the paddleboarders, kayakers and various tubing flotillas that rode the river current past us.  

Had the waterfall to ourselves

Hike stats:  8.56 miles; 3:17 hours moving/3:32 overall; a whopping 640 feet of elevation

Exploring a side canyon

double session

 By working extra M-W, and bringing a little work home with me, we were able to head south Thursday evening, avoiding the crush of holiday weekend traffic that would be flooding into Moab Friday afternoon.  For Friday morning, we went MTBing at MOAB Brand Trails, getting a slow-ish start because the temperatures had not yet climbed, and leaving the house around 8:30 a.m.  It was sunny and the day's high would only get to 90 F - it wasn't nearly there yet so it was pretty pleasant.

Session 1.  Despite our late start, it still wasn't too crowded at the trailhead.  We climbed up the parking lot cutoff to Copper Ridge Road, then connected to Rusty Spur, to Lazy-EZ, to Bar M, to Circle O.  I didn't ride Circle O particularly well even though Milton and I had walked it so many times over the winter and spring.  At the end of Circle O, H continued around the north end of Bar M while I doubled back to the parking lot cutoff.  We met back at the truck for sandwiches and beers.

Nice day out on the rock

Session 2.  When we got home, we tackled the weeds in the front yard, then put down a cover of weed-block fabric.  We refuse to plant a lawn in the desert but our neighbors on either side of us have been putting in some effort with native plants and we've felt badly about our dirt-with-weeds.  After we rolled out the black weed-block, however, we realized that it was going to radiate heat something crazy and needed to be covered up.  There was an ad for unscreened mulch from the dump, $15/yard, so we hopped in the truck and got 'er filled up.  One load was enough for a thin layer so H went back for a second.  That provided good coverage and will hopefully discourage the weeds for a while.

Load #1

After unloading and spreading both loads of mulch by hand - via shovel and bucket, and H got a nasty blister from wielding the shovel for multiple hours - we were filthy with sweaty mulch dust.  And, needless to say, very thirsty.  A quick brush-off/hose-down later, we were at the bar at Woody's, chatting up locals and tourists and drinking our well-earned beers.

And, as we were sitting there, we mentioned being from Maine, which caused a girl across the bar to look up.  I know you guys, she exclaimed - and we realized that we had talked with her about a year ago, right on those bar stools there in Woody's.  She was a Delta flight attendant from Oklahoma and had been on a solo road trip during the pandemic furloughs.  After her trip, she'd gone home, gotten a boyfriend and then moved to SLC (a Delta hub) with him in November.  "You changed my life!" she said, as the boyfriend grinned and waved to us from the pool table.  That was pretty cool - and proof that talking to folks at bars is often worthwhile.

excuses, but this time with flowers

 I am just an excuse-making machine when it comes to getting new content posted after a long weekend (or more): there's so much laundry; there's so many photos to sort through; we're worn out from going back to work and just want to veg in front of the idiot box for an hour or so before dragging ourselves to bed; those leaky sprinklers aren't going to repair themselves; I have to re-polish my toes because an eight mile hike in a creek wore all my nail polish off; what the actual heck are we going to have for dinner?

Anyway, pick one (or more) of the above and then please enjoy this yellow-flowering prickly pear until I can get my butt in gear.