Bishop Pass from South Lake

 Screenshot of the route

Well, the breathing trick allowed me to keep up with Kathy for a change. I consider this hike to be one of the best in the Sierra because it is difficult, but not for the usual reasons. The Piute Pass trail out of North Lake is made for horses, with big drop steps. It's hard on the horses too. On our last hike there, Kathy and I saw one sympathetic cowboy get off and lead his horse down the steps. 

We got to the trailhead at about the same time as yesterday, about 8:30. The temperature was warmer, about 40 degrees. My pack was completely prepared because I knew what was needed and packed the night before. We got out of the van and started at a good pace with me using the breath step, emphasizing the exhale part of the cycle. It worked and for the most part I kept up with Kathy. 

The trail had a strong female presence and the people we met were either neutral on greetings or friendly. The trail was in excellent shape. The Bishop Pass trail always means coming home, because it is an easy pass to exit from the Le Conte canyon. One common route is from North Lake, over Piute Pass down to the JMT and then south  over the Muir Pass and back over Bishop Pass to South Lake.

Denny on the Piute Pass to Bishop Pass loop 

        

We joined up with friends that did the Lamarck Col shortcut at the Muir Hut

The shuttle from North Lake to South Lake can be done within the highway 168 in a matter of 20 minutes or so. Kathy and I have also done the Kearsarge Pass to Bishop Pass, but it requires having two cars and the drive back and forth from Big Pine. Here is the write up for that one:

Five Passes in 4 days

Approaching the headwall

Slightly wider perspective

Going around a corner to get to ramp

At this point we were .75 mile from the Bishop Pass and decided we were both too tired to do the pass and get back without risk. We were at 11,400 feet and had done 1600 feet elevation gain above 10,000. Maybe next year when I'm 80. If you believe that I have a few things you may be interested in buying. The round trip was 6.5 hours and 9.5 miles.

Lake Sabrina Basin

 

Getting on an iceberg   photo John Knadle (click to enlarge, x to get back)

Surfing an iceberg   photo John Knadle

Sorry for the click bait, but I've got to get your attention somehow. This was taken many years ago, when whitie tighties were standard multipurpose shorts and the author had black hair and beard. Those days are gone, but I would like to recount a recent trip to the Sabrina Basin which kindled old memories. But first, please let me set the context for this most recent trip. 

I have always loved the big lake approach to backpacking in the Sierra. You start high, but have the fisher folk and merchants to thank for paved, plowed roads leading to adequate parking at high elevations. For me, the Sierra is at it's most pristine and wild above 10,000 ft. The above pictures were taken above 11,000 feet at Echo Lake, one of the highest in the basin. 

My favorite lake in the Blue Lake and up drainage is Midnight Lake. It's stark beauty makes for deep thoughts and access cross-country to other higher lakes. I picked it to dazzle my wife Kathy when we were first dating. As you can see from the map, there is a lot of territory between Blue Lake (our objective on Tuesday 9/5) and Midnight Lake. This made for a long first day and stressed the mating ritual, but Kathy hung in there and we had a great time overall. Never fear, the details of the recent Sabrina to Blue Lake will be explained in detail that the map doesn't cover.

Echo Lake on bottom Midnight left of red line near center

Kathy and I celebrating our 25th at Midnight Lake

So, now that I have given a little history of this basin, let's get back to this week's adventures. As any of you who have reached the age of reason, let's say 60, what you could do in the past only becomes relevant at high school reunions or after too much alcohol. I am pushing 80 and Kathy is 15 years younger. Some of my previous behaviors probably could not pass muster in today's world. 

We get to the parking lot at Sabrina at 8:30. It is 36 degrees and Kathy has a very small daypack without gloves or hat. One of her pet peeves is that I monkey around too much getting ready. So, she says " I'm going". From the looks of the ridge we are following, we will not see the sun for an hour or more. This drainage is supposed to be a warm up for Bishop Pass, tomorrow's goal and things are looking bad. 

The Lake is full and there is a great view from the trail

I still can't seem to get my rhythm in order to make good time. Then I remember the breath step. It is inhale through the nose on one step, exhale with pursed lips to two or three steps. The emphasis on the exhalation gets the bottom of the lung clear and allows gravity to fill it. 

So, I'm starting to make better time and there is hope for tomorrow.

Blue Lake looking towards Echo Lake in far distance

So, we take a 15 minute lunch break and head back to the trailhead.

Should have brought the Crocs, which work great 

Sabrina, looking toward the Whites

So, the stats were 3 hours to Blue Lake and 2.5 hours back to trailhead. I will publish another blog on the South Lake to Bishop Pass done on Tuesday 9/6.

Back to our campsite at 4 Jeffries

Sears Point

 

      Carrizo Overlook from our campsite looking north

We wanted to get an early start on the Sears petroglyph site, so Carrizo Overlook was an easy choice. The ground flowers were everywhere, so we enjoyed them while having coffee, before getting back on highway 8 towards Yuma.

The traffic wasn't bad on the 80 miles to Yuma. After a fuel stop, we took about half an hour to get to the turnoff for Spot Road. Our plan was to go about 5 miles in and find some decent place to camp, just before the washboarded road runs into the sand washes that were once the Gila River. We had e-bikes with 2.3 inch tires to do the remaining 2 or 3 miles to the Sears Petroglyph site. We camped on a solid desert pavement flat spot, across from some off road types with a generator and toys. Plenty of room for everyone and they were friendly. It was a little windy, but not to the point of blowing sand yet. We unloaded the bikes and got going.

Kathy heading out on road that was a little sandy in sections

(click to enlarge, x to get back)

The views were expansive and the horizon seemed endless. Once we got to the sandy sections, Kathy's and my riding styles became somewhat different. Her philosophy was to go to level 5 (the max) pedal assist and go fast enough to stay on top of the sand as long as no mistakes or whims of fate took her by surprise. My approach was to use level 3 and struggle a bit more with the front end taking off this was or the other. She had a big smile whenever I would catch up. 

Saguaro Cactus

We got to a few muddy parts and had some question about our intended goal, but made it to the signed site without too much trouble. Locked the bikes together behind some trees and proceeded to the info boards. We had seen no  one to this point, and everything was open dirt except for some marginal fences to keep OHV out.

The surrounding area was mostly volcanic large rock boulders with perhaps 300 feet of elevation from the desert floor. I could see that there was at least a mile of similar terrain towards the west. The area had faint trails that I am sure had nothing to do with indigenous occupation. We took one and were quickly rewarded with some petroglyphs.

My go to authority on rock art is Don Liponi, a San Diego native who was the main author of "La Rumorosa Rock Art Along the Border", although many other subject matter experts are quoted therein. He is a true friend of the Kumeyaay tribes and has helped provide the members with avenues toward recognition and education. 

He says " Sears Point is the eastern frontier of Patayan landscape when it meets Honokam culture." Lowland Yuman, such as Quechan, Mohave, Maricopa, Kumeyaay, Cocopah etc. are historic descendants of the Patayan. The Hohokam were the pit dwelling archaic base east of  Sears Point (see my post before this one). Lipponi says of the the Sears Point rock art "here we have some familiar Patayan or Yuman elements such as multiple sunbursts, rectangular grids, geometric forms including some possibly stylized snake representations, centipedes and perhaps some anthropomorphs."

Kathy with welcome sign (it is also on the art to her left)

One of the best rock art sites that I have visited. We saw no other people on this visit, but heard some OHV stuff  beyond the site. This is a very unusual place of peace and time. 

Painted Rock and Three Rivers Petroglyph Sites

       Three Rivers New Mexico and Painted Rock in Arizona

                        (click to enlarge, x to get back)

We actually drove the 5 hours from SD to Painted Rock first, but thought I'd better lead with my best picture. This beautiful lady looks back at you from 600 years ago at the Three Rivers Petroglyph site in New Mexico. There is a cool thing about basaltic rocks (from an upheaving volcano) and their life in the desert. They take on a "desert varnish" from weathering and provide a great canvas for someone with artistic talent and a stone or two.  As you pick at the rock, it becomes a canvas. The Three Rivers art is realistic, in contrast to the San Francisco or La Rumorosa style.  The spiritual journeys of the medicine men in Baja and San Diego were carried out in remote, dark, lonely spots best frequented by snakes and other vermin. The sites I am about to describe are a more social and less introspective variety. Painted Rock in particular is "more Facebook" as my better half noted.

We get to the Painted Rock turnoff by exiting Highway 8 on a road by the same name. We are a little road dazed, but manage to fill out the BLM fee envelope and get  spot close to the rock mound that is the centerpiece to the the campground. We are happy to be somewhere and start unpacking the bikes and other gear we will be using. We have 10 days, so no big rush. It is a typical BLM campground with vault toilets, big trash cans and paths around the central pile of rocks with more petroglyphs (scratch the desert pavement not paint) than I have ever seen anywhere.

I am pretty stoked about the Gila River thing. It was the way the early pioneers went westward without dying in larger numbers. The Gila was the basis for the Great Southern Route to the resort city of San Diego. It had shade, potable water, and animals to sacrifice for the good of westward expansion. The next day we took off on our Rad City e-bikes to explore the Gila River and pioneer history. Unfortunately, the road to the Gila River Dam terminates about 300 yards from the earthen dam. Darn, Homeland Security wins again over any attempt to see  water in the Gila River. No Trespassing! We go back toward the campground and go west by the corporate alfalfa fields, waving at the operators of $100 K tractors. At the end of the fields on the south side there are 6 javelina (Pecarry) taking it to the man by eating the highly green alfalfa a la carte. They jump around at our excitement and seem more like teddy bears than aggressive wild boar.

                       Javelina tracks on farm road

So, I didn't get any pictures of the peccary.  I only had an iPhone, not my weapon of choice, the Panasonic sx60 with a bigger telephoto lens. Three subsequent trips to the same field yielded zip on the same subject.

So, let's talk a bit on the pictographs at Painted Rock. They date from 7,000 BC and contain the archaic style (mostly geometric patterns) to the Gila Style with human forms and anthropomorphic images  with other parts added. Don Lipponi, who wrote "La Rumorosa Rock Art Along the Border" recommended an iPhone app "iDstretch", which helps to bring out faint pictograph or pictoglyph images. For me, it is kind of a poor man's Photoshop ($6).

           This is a mix of the archaic and Gila styles

The thing about the Painted Rock site is that it has art from the earliest markings (7000 BC) and those that are in the Hohokam occupation from 50 BC on. The first artists were desert survivors who gathered plants and had occasional meat. At about 9000 BC, the large animals such as elephants, bison, horses etc. died out from climate change not caused by petrol dependency. Anything that looks vaguely like a human is not the archaic period, think ladders and geometric designs.

The e-bikes gave us a break from the tourists going around the big rock pile that is Painted Rock. We kept trying to catch the pesky pecarrys, but to no avail. The major volcanic mountain toward the west is Oatman Peak. We braved the washboard and uncertainty for ten miles or so out into the volcanic desert pavement and traded power levels for the lead in this endeavor. It was a pounding ride without rear suspension, but you use what you have. 

                      At the right end of the road is camp

                             Beauty in the Lava

We spent 4 days at Painted Rock to a mostly deserted BLM campground. Though we were there in early December, it was the warmest part of the trip with big starry skies. The next stop was a short hop to Lordsburg, New Mexico for a shower and Subway. Got to Three Rivers Petroglyph site in late afternoon the next day and scored a BLM with electricity to run our little 1500 watt space heater. Life is good.

      Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, NM near White Sands

The area where archaic pit houses and more permanent pit houses were located.

 

Archaic Period Pit House

As you can see the pit house style of home ownership is pretty basic. You put some twigs, mud over the top and have a small hole in the middle to let the smoke escape. The Mogollon culture in the early period were hunter gatherers who moved through the southwest as opportunity presented itself. The village site is to the east of the hills that contain the petroglyphs. They were originally a mountain people, tough and resourceful. Their art style is often quite realistic, as can be seen from the lead photograph. As farming became another source of food, the hunting and gathering still made them more independent than other groups that relied on river flooding exclusively. After crossing about 10 signed rivers with no water running (unless you count the New River, which is really disgusting), I think our infatuation with dams has reached a logical conclusion.

Many of the petroglyph have patterns within the main figure.

The mountain sheep were a prey that was highly prized.

There are over 20,000 petroglyphs at the Three Rivers site. I chose it from a book titled "Rock Art Along the Way" by Janet Farnsworth. She gives a thumbnail descriptions of sites you can visit in the southwestern states. A more formal description of current knowledge and best guesses of the experts is "The Archaeology of Ancient Arizona" by Reid and Whittlesey. If you want to get down in the weeds on pit houses and current Gila River archaeology, try:

    Assorted Pictograph Pictures

4 Nights and 5 Days over Cottonwood Pass with my brother Marty

 I hadn't been backpacking since going with my brother a few years ago, so was happy to join him in another Sierra adventure a few weeks ago. Our trip started at Cottonwood Pass and the last night I took this picture of my tent at 11,000 foot elevation as the moon was setting.

Click on any picture to enlarge. Click on upper right x to return to text

We had originally planned to exit at Kearsarge Pass, but changed our itinerary when the Onion Valley hiker parking lot was more crowded than either of us had ever seen. We decided to learn more about this area that is a little south of Whitney. I have identified each camp we made while doing the Cottonwood to New Army Pass loop on the map below.

The last camp is south of the marked location, near Long Lake

We left the truck at 4 pm and got over Cottonwood Pass just before dark. A helo had been circling around the pass for about 20 minute and was at Chicken Spring Lake at dark when we arrived there. It was a very tight takeoff, with bright lights flashing and very noisy. A young woman had altitude sickness or a diabetic episode and her father called in the rescue. It was probably very expensive but a good decision.

Helo takeoff

When Marty did the PCT in 1979, the route from Kennedy Meadows followed the flat contour of many giant meadows that led to Siberian Pass and then joined the current PCT route. We did a day hike from our second camp below Major General Mountain to the Siberian Pass for old times sake. It is not used any more to preserve the fragile meadows.  Marty did a 17 day long slog without reprovision in snowy weather and deep snow, exiting at Kearsarge Pass. I remembered that a with a friend we had attempted delivering the resupply with some search and rescue assistance. We didn't make it over Kearsarge Pass in avalanching conditions, but that's another story.

Marty near Siberian Pass

The meadow in front of our camp below Major General Mountain was pristine and very wet. There were many marmots and no other campsites could be seen. We stayed at a large, flat camp with great views and easy water access.

We got an early start on New Army Pass to avoid the heat and accomplish the 2000 foot elevation gain with the rising sun. We had the pass to ourselves until almost at the top.

Marty starting up the steep portion of New Army Pass

Great view of the south side of New Army Pass

The New Army Pass is quite a perch. It's south aspect is nearly vertical and is a tribute to the trail builders non existent fear of heights. The second lake in the chain was the site of our last camp. It was a perfect night for gazing at the stars and reflecting our good luck to live in such a beautiful world. God bless whoever saved this wilderness for the future.

Backstory:

The last time I had backpacked was about two years ago. Kathy, Marty and I did about 70 miles on the John Muir Trail. By the end of the backpack, I was peeing blood and my fingers had started cramping up from all the stuffing, putting the tent up and down, and getting in  and out of the bear canister. The way my fingers would freeze up in odd positions was quite comical, but kind of a show stopper. Kathy started doing a lot of the work to help me out, so I knew that a few senior adaptive techniques were in order to make me more self sufficient. 

First, rather than use the small bags and cramming the sleeping bag or tent into them, I used some winter stuff bags that have straps that use buckles to cinch down the load. Second, bought a small pair of pliers to deal with the velcro tabs in my self supporting Black Diamond Bibler tent and the straps on the stuff sacks.

Dehydration was probably the source of the pee problem on the last backpack. For some reason, I don't drink well on the move. On this trip I got the idea to wake early and drink a quart before getting out of the tent. This saved the water weight in the pack and seemed to work much better at keeping me hydrated. 

A person younger than 76 probably wouldn't have any trouble using a quarter to turn the three screws in my Kevlar bear canister that make it bear proof. After this trip, I now have a small slot screwdriver in my side pocket to accomplish this frequent task easily!

4 States in 6 Days with Our New Cattle Dog

Coco the wonder runt cattle dog

Overview

Our usual pattern for vacations was to head up 395 and camp somewhere close to the Eastern Sierra. In past few years the summer season has been very crowded and we wanted to find some new places in our 20 foot RV, keep social distancing, and use secondary roads for less stress while driving.

We became adoptive parents of CoCo, wonder runt cattle dog at just about the start of the virus lock down. She made the stay at home mandate easier to take and we began a mutual attachment relationship amid the boredom of the groundhog day repetition that all of us have learned to live with. When her shots were up to date and immunity intact, we were anxious for a road trip. Usually we go to Baja Sur, but their virus problems and the new dog put the nix on that destination.

We decided to see America first, even though the virus was peaking in a few of our favorite states. The plan would involve visiting Kathy's parents in Kingman, Arizona, heading north of Flagstaff to the Sunset Crater National Monument, on through Navajo country to just north of Page, Arizona to Lone Rock at Lake Powell, through Utah to Cedar Breaks National Park and then to Lincoln County in Nevada. We made no reservations and would be using our 20 year old Wilderness 20 foot RV, which has less than 50K miles on the odometer. After Lincoln County the details were more vague, with a possible link to the Eastern Sierra from highway 6, out of Ely, Nevada.

First Day

Kathy's parents moved from San Diego to Kingman about 25 years ago for the excellent hunting and fishing in the vicinity. It had been many months since we last visited because of the virus. We backed the RV onto their large cement slab, which provided a nice blend of closeness and our own space. Kathy was concerned about social distancing so we agreed to visit outside on their patio. It was a beautiful late afternoon when we arrived and caught up on all the recent family news without getting into any pesky political topics. We ate separately and talked well into the night. The next morning we said our goodbyes over coffee and hit the road.

Kathy's mother Nancy "Nanny" and Clyde 

Second and Third Day

It had been near 100 degrees in the desert the day before, so we were glad to experience the high mountain rolling hills leading to Flagstaff on highway 40. Being used to the 395 congestion provided quite a contrast to the miles and miles of juniper groves and broad expanses of valleys with golden acres of flat grazing area without many bovines or signs of human activity.

It was paradise lost as we attempted to take 89 north through Flagstaff. The town has grown exponentially and let us just say that development planning was not a strong suit for the city fathers of this fair city. There was some snow left on the higher peaks and we were hopeful that our Monday morning arrival would give us some luck in finding a place in the campground just at the entrance to the Sunset Crater National Monument. Lucky campsite 9 became our new abode and the Golden Age Pass got us a $13 rate. Decided to pay for two nights and slow down the pace of time's passing.

View of campsite 9 from our screen door

I would rate this campground at near 5 star. Pleasant hosts, clean restrooms with a big jug of hand sanitizer out front, spacious and well spaced campsites that insure social distancing. The mostly Arizona campers were friendly without being too nosy, kept control of their dogs and kept any domestic disputes indoors. For most of our stay, the weather was cool with wind that was quite strong in the pine forest. The floor around the monument was between pumice, volcanic pebbles and fine black dust.

Coco's first hike

The next morning we took our first hike with Coco along a trail that went to the crater parking lot, about 1.5 miles. The hiking was a bit more difficult than hiking on soft sand. It ended at a fenced sign reading "no dogs". It was a beautiful hike with moss on the volcanic boulders and shady from the pines. The hiking surface I would rate as less than two stars. There were no trails like the ones in San Diego or the Sierras. The next morning we rose early and headed for Navajo country to the north.

Fourth Day

The lower altitude portions of the Navajo country are much as Tony Hillerman describes it, with poor vegetation only suitable for goat herders. The homes are a montage of trailers, traditional hogans, non traditional hogans with rectangular additions, and cars in various states of functionality. The road has numerous rough structures at any wide point, where Navajo jewelry is sold.  As the elevation increases, there is not only the eye popping beauty of the marbled red rock but also enough vegetation to have cattle and horses wandering around in bucolic splendor. The rez has been hard hit by the virus and the FM radio stations give the numbers on the various tribal areas. It does not sound good.

As we get to Page, Kathy goes into the Safeway for some potatoes and wine. She reported that all the employees were native american and that they were doing the good social distance and masking. The tourists not so much. While she was gone, a middle aged, handsome man approached the RV. He appeared Navajo and did not look intoxicated in any way. I told him that I was paranoid of the virus and didn't want contact. He had kind eyes, looked intelligent and gracefully acceded to my request. In retrospect I wish that my solution would have been quicker and just gave a few bucks out of the window crack at the top. Oh well, will get it right next time or in another life.

Lone Rock and the shore of Lake Powell

We get to the turn off for the Lone Rock state park and are impressed with the view of Lake Powell.We passed the Glen Canyon Dam just prior to the turnoff. It was hard not to think of Edward Abbey's books on the destruction of Glen Canyon that was necessary to create Lake Powell. The lake is quite shallow so the evaporation water loss is considerable. Also, the cultural artifacts and rock art of Glenn Canyon were forever lost by this flooding. The water's edge is filled with RVs, tents, cars and people. It is about 95 degrees, so it all looks inviting, even if not politically correct.

From the pavement, there are 10 or 15 possible dirt/sand access roads. I pick one that looks pretty good and keep up the momentum through the sandy parts. Once I let off on the gas briefly and could feel the vehicle sinking fast. Gassed it again and got through. I had read some reviews about people getting stuck, but surely that wouldn't happen to me. By the time we found a high camping spot away from the crowd, Kathy was thinking we should try to get out. My take was that it was the middle of the day and if we were to get stuck, the 90 plus degree heat could cook my 76 year old corporal container.

Instead, we decided to hike all the sandy trails and decide on the best one for tomorrow morning. Kathy hiked in flip flops but after three decades of marriage I have learned at least part of the time to keep my mouth shut. After about a 45 minute extreme exercise component, we decided that there were no slam dunk exits, though some were certainly worse than others.The rest of the day was spent drowning our troubles and watching people get stuck going downhill, uphill and sideways. The most comical was a Prius potential grand prix racer, who detached his rear bumper except for a few bolts that allowed him to drag the bumper until he almost reached the water.

The sky and sun took an eerie glow from the dust and smoke

I talked to our neighbors, who looked like they might know what they were doing, about the best exit road. We walked that one before nightfall and decided to call it a day. By this time the smoke from the North Rim fire was pretty thick and the dust had begun to blow in earnest. At that point, the fire had consumed 85,000 acres. We went to bed and Kathy reported in the morning that she had been too anxious to sleep.

Day Five

At daybreak, I warmed up the engine, took it out of overdrive and into 2nd gear. We got a good running start on the first sand section and began getting thrown from one side to the other while bouncing on the woop dee dos. It was very exciting and I was hoping that the vehicle wouldn't break somewhere. The second bad section was almost to the road and the speed kept us on top of the sand well enough. We were very happy to bid Lone Rock goodbye and celebrated by dumping the bad stuff and taking on some cool, clear water.

We continued on 98 up into Utah, turning back toward Cedar City on 14. Cedar Breaks National Monument was our destination. We called about campsites, but the virus made it almost impossible to get a current status. We passed through some of the most beautiful, lush farmland and tourist services in the narrow valley from Mt. Carmel northward to 14. As we gained altitude from the turnoff, the landscape became dominated by lava flows with intermittent large grassy meadows. As we got to Cedar Breaks, the high altitude provided cool breezes. At the park entrance, Kathy noted that Coco had a slight limp. At Lone Rock I remembered her yelping at some point. Bad omen. Equally bad was the fact that the campground was still closed, with some snow patches.

Descended through Cedar City and out toward 56 westward toward Cathedral Gorge. Flat grassland meadows with depressing looking residences and trailers at about 4000 ft elevation. At the the Cathedral Gorge campground in Lincoln County we found a small, claustrophobic setup where every other camp was closed off with wooden poles. No room at the inn.

BLM campsite well south of Ely, Nevada

note the metal, high shade and cement table

Beautiful views to the east

Continued on 93 to a BLM ohv camp on a dirt road. We were overjoyed to see an excellent trail head setup with two sites that fit our needs. It was a no fee campground. There were three other rigs, but everyone was quiet and it had beautiful views. When Coco got out of the RV, her foot had gotten worse and she was putting no weight on it. I spent a beautiful hour doing yoga on the concrete dining table while Kathy and Coco called it a day. The next day we agreed to head for home to make things easier on Coco, taking a shortcut to 15, through Las Vegas and more or less retracing our route home on 95. We stopped at Palo Verde, but the 102 degree temperature was daunting, so finished the trip off with a 12 hour day to highway 8 and home, safe and sound. The vet bill the next day was $500, but Coco is doing much better after four days at home. The trip was a great change from being stuck at home for three months!


Lessons Learned

The use of secondary roads made the driving much easier and for the most part the traffic was quite light. In the future, would return to Lincoln County (south of Ely) via a more direct route through Las Vegas. The area north of Flagstaff is nice, but the hiking is quite limited. Lake Powell and Cedar Breaks were not places of solitude and the latter is probably better served in the winter on cross country skis, which we have done many times out of Brianhead. We liked the area south of Ely and it looks like a good summer destination because of the generally high altitude, which keeps it cool in the shade and warm in the sun. Oh yeah, I have decided not to wear my size 13 shoes in the motor home, to safeguard Coco's little toes.