A Day

The oven didn't work at the main house, then the grill didn't work, so Teresa drove over and got their pizza and cooked it for them at the lodge. When it was ready she got in my former bunny costume trick or treating with Kobae in the Tortoise and the Hare Halloween and delivered the pizza to them in the bunny suit which went pretty well I am told. Not so well on the way back when Jax, despite having no fox, no raccoon, and unfortunately no skunk fear went crazy when the bunny walked up the driveway. Teresa had to take the bunny head off to get him to calm down.

Came across a petrified wood area hiking with John, a guest.

Stuff

Hayduker showed up. Trail name is Flash, because sometimes he hikes naked. I don't have a picture of him not because you might think but it was dark when I got back and not yet light when he left.

Got three 80 plus degree days coming up. Last time with just two of them it almost got to the top of the boat ramp across the river with two days of 80. I checked last year's blog and water didn't hit the boat ramp last year until May 14. This year it was about April 14 or so.

Taco Bell.

Man the days are nice.

Jax and I hiked over to Stairway to Heaven. I don't think I can climb it anymore.

Stuff

There is a place where things don't grow under the Desert Willow. My theory is, when people get here we tell them not to drink the sink water. Nothing wrong with it but it's salty coming out of the well down the hill a bit. When they wake up in the morning I think they forget. Go in the kitchen, make coffee with sink water, step outside to enjoy the amazing scenery, take a drink of coffee and that's the spot they spit it out. Seventeen years of sink coffee have done it.

My wallet tore in town yesterday. I think I've had it since I've been here and probably before. Tosha, a guest who has stayed here previously gave me a pretty cool wallet she made a year or two ago but I don't think I want to use it, it's so nicely done. Here's both sides.

When the red winged-blackbirds leave the cowbirds had traditionally showed up the same day. This year one cowbird showed up and he's been sitting in the top of the Cottonwood tree every day looking up river to see where everybody was. They showed up today, first wave, twenty or so of them. Blowers have begun to bloom. Indian Paintbrush is about.

River

Temps got into the 80s and the river starting rising quickly with the snowmelt from the Rockies. Jesse took a picture every day.

Temps have dropped back down now and no more 80s for a couple weeks. But if you see the lower open area below the next two pics that's all going to flood at some point.

Heather and Family

Were here for four days.

Jax waiting for someone to open the hood so he can get the squirrel he has detected.

The River is Rising, Quickly

I think it was Monday Jax and I hike down to the river through the creek bed and walked along the quarter mile or so beach we had. On Wednesday it was gone and today Thursday, it was a foot under. You can't get down the creek bed all the way to the beach as the water has come about 20 feet up the creek bed. Three or four days ago Jesse pulled the kayaks up the boat ramp and on Wednesday they needed pulling way further as the river has reached the bottom of the boat ramp.

Haydukers

Jax and I got a morning hike in and then got visited by four Haydukers. They're making a documentary on the Hayduke Trail and interviewed me for awhile. Much like when the TV people followed me in San Diego trick or treating years ago with Kobae I'm going to be famous again so don't forget to ask for my autograph when we next meet.

They all met online admiring each others photography and video work and have dome some docs before and coming together for the Hayduke. Upper left is Andy/Camel trail name from San Diego, North Park to be exact just a few blocks from where our indoor soccer facility was. Lower left is Elina Osborne, the most famous person in New Zealand I'm told. I looked her up and every list I looked at she was top ten. Upper right is right is Peter, trail name Chopper from Vienna Austria and lower right is Zelzin Aketzalli/Quetzl from Mexico City, now Grand Junction and she will be in a couple months the only person to have hiked the Hayduke twice as far as I know.

Wait, wrong picture, I left out the most famous guy in the Moab Desert, me.