all is bright

Saturday was the best day of the holiday weekend: bright blue skies, good sunshine and temperatures reaching (just barely) into the low 40s (F).  H, Milton and I walked to Dave's Market for coffee, where Milton received a gratuitous dog biscuit from the nice cashier, and then we went up to the Sand Flats Recreation Area once temperatures had left the 20s behind.

At the start of the Slickrock trail

What a difference the off season makes!  The entry station was unoccupied, so we waved our season pass at the camera and drove on in.  There was no one at the Hell's Revenge trailer lot, no one camping at the first two campgrounds and only a couple other cars at the Slickrock trailhead.

Ice ice baby

We just did the practice loop ("Just as hard [as the Slickrock trail]!), peeking out into the Abyss and Echo Canyon at the overlooks.  There was water in many of the potholes but this time it was frozen - and thick too, at least 1.5 inches in the bigger pools.  When we cracked the ice, it had these interesting vertical striations although it was very clear.  Milton enjoyed licking at it.

Tailgating

When we got back to the parking lot, there were a couple additional vehicles, with a few MTBers and hikers heading out.  We tailgated for a bit, just because it was so pleasant in the sunshine.  There was one campsite occupied on the way out, with some dirtbikers gearing up for a run at Hell's Revenge.  Other than that, it was so quiet, delightful really, and just a nice break from the noise and activity of busy season.

Josie Wyatt's

That afternoon we had another stop to make, to Josie Wyatt's at the Hoodoo, to see our favorite bartender. Although the hotel was apparently at 90% occupancy (!!), the bar wasn't too busy at that time and we were able to catch up with her and meet her boyfriend when he stopped by.  She gave us big hugs when we left, with Merry Christmas wishes all around.

So handsome

Christmas itself was pleasant too, slightly cloudier but still fairly reasonable temperature-wise.  We three grabbed our neighbor and her dog and drove out to do the Jeep Arch loop.  She had been in the wash before but had never done the hike to the arch.  The dogs enjoyed themselves immensely, playing tag and parkour-ing off the rocks.  We saw seven people and five dogs, divided among three separate groups, but managed to time it to have the arch to ourselves.  That's a great way to spend Christmas morning - much more satisfying (I think) than presents around the tree.