The Upper Canyon now! Antelope Slot… Utah

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

This is going to be one of those entries the pictures will not match its context at all!!! And then again, they fill in the void being here today projecting some Peace and Serenity much needed these present hours. As I have written before, the upper canyon is well worth seeing of course, but be ready for a crowd and around noon a barrage of photographers you might have to elbow if you want your own photos! This one below is my favorite… this “the one” everyone tries to take… there has to be millions of them in circulation. Now I have my own. Dogs are allowed by the way, up to 60lbs or so, as this canyon is wider than the lower one, with much more room to walk around if you can avoid  getting hit by a camera and a tripod.

upper 1 Gd

Today is one of those days wishing I could just blink and make it go away. Today is a “test day” seems like for so many reasons. It is Father’s Day and the heart is heavy filled with emotions, emotions that  loose me with no end and no understanding, too strong to even try to look around me for the beauty of the Earth as I usually do. Will make it through as tomorrow will be another day, which hopefully will allow me to confront other issues that have risen in such a short time since we left Cortez and moved to Escalante. I do wish everyone a Happy Father’s Day, give your children a big hug from me, you all deserve it so strongly.

upper 3 Dg  

upper 8 Dg

I am wondering as so many things have gone wrong, why suddenly “karma” is letting me have it… today! Maybe to keep my mind of it’s date? Who knows? Little things… like finding a tire with a big bubble in it, Internet Dish not working, a closet door in “white elephant” actually breaking off, and the worse, besides a very slow leak from under the front belt cover of Old Faithful, a major final drive leak right where the wheel mounts! Those are times I will not even take a step forward to address the issues, will give it a day to go by, specially the last one which only means we are bikeless right now, not my favorite situation to be in.

upper 7 Dg  

upper 12 Dg

I should actually be thankful that we did not get off the road due to the bubble in the tire! If you have never done 95/24, you owe it to yourself to do it either way. From forests to the Escalante Staircase to red rocks as never seen before it was named an All-American road and that title does not even do justice to it. But it is curvy and up to 14% grades, a blow out would have been detrimental, most likely to our health and more, as the saying goes. So that is an easy fix. The front cover leak, through the help again of BMW Sport Touring forum seems also hopefully be an easy fix. Internet connection? Well, I do pick up the WI FI from a Motel near by that must have a great antenna. I took a walk there this morning and pretended I was staying there and got the code!

upper 5 Dg  

upper 9 Dg

The worse obstacle that has materialized is the rear hub oil leak. My first thought of course is as to how close am I from a BMW dealer or independent shop? Staying in Colorado would have been easier for that matter, but, I only discovered this as we arrived! Las Vegas seems to be the closest one with just a bit under 300 miles, each way. It is also busy season and generally every shop is about 2 weeks behind it all. So my next step is to take the wheel off, take some pictures and again post it on the forum… might be an easy fix if I can get a part here soon hopefully not requiring special tools.

upper 10 Dg  

upper 15 Dg

I am honestly just waiting for Monday morning for a course of action, just numb about it all. Strange enough, only took one picture throughout the 320 miles we traveled to get here! I only wanted to “look” and as the miles where passing by, my mind already was making notes of all the places to visit, the many primitive roads that looked so inviting, this is huge and overwhelming, the center of the Big Circle, as I was not expecting such diversity. Page is truly the geographical center, but we are not too far from it with so many easily accessible sights to visit.

upper 17 Dg 

upper 13 Dg  

There are weeks of exploring here! Even Zion which I would not mind seeing again when the tourist season slows down a bit. Bryce Canyon, the Grand Staircase Escalante which is huge, back toward Blanding the Glen Canyon’s sights are incredible, the northern tip of Lake Powell is not too far with a Ferry crossing and right around here many fairly easy to ride gravel roads, such as the east fork of the Sevier Scenic Backway, the Cottonwood Backway, Griffin Top, Posey Lake, Hole in the Rock Backway with access to Devils Garden and Dance Hall Rock, Burr Trail Backway, Hell’s Backbone road, Notom road, Bull Mountain… and on and on! Almost a lifetime of camping, including Capitol Reef and Red Canyon, the Dixie National Forest with a totally different scenery filled with Aspens and all the shades of greens you can imagine, Kodachrome State Park… Just hoping the camera lasts that long and Old Faithful gets back to good health.

upper 19 Dg  

upper 18 Dg

A reader wrote me yesterday regarding my past Blog depicting my “employment possibility” in Bluff and Life as I see it…

“I’m trying to find something positive to say about your, I’m sure, hurtful experience. Seems like the devil was out to interrupt your inner peace. No one is exempt from such people, but keep it out of your soul and fill that space with earth vibes.
When you are out in the beautiful open spaces, you write like your talking to your inner spirit, and sometimes I have to read it more than once to understand, and when you are in towns and around people, you write like your talking outward. I can’t explain it any other way. Stay safe you two!”

I don’t know her name, only her “forum handle”, Calgal, it has really touched me, specially reading words from someone else that understands my inner feelings according to where we are at times… Thank you “Calgal”. More and more I am realizing where we are comfortable and not sometimes so much at Peace, I am also learning that sometimes one just cannot avoid situations that arise. I think I will quit writing for now, while maybe ahead of it all… maybe do go take that wheel off and access the damage.

upper 4 Dg

Till next time… enjoy and all be well…

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3 Responses to “The Upper Canyon now! Antelope Slot… Utah”

  1. Louise Says:

    Something about this group of photos really struck me. You are, of course, familiar with images of the Madonna and Child? The curves of the rocks in your pictures are so similar, and yet more masculine. Father and son? I see the link between you and Lance strongly in the images: they mirror and reflect each other’s shape, and yet are separated.

    The separation of the rock faces is air and light; less substantial than the rock. The separation between you and Lance is time, memory, this lifetime. This, too, is less substantial than the bond, the rock, of your love for each other.

    Ultimately, what looks like two rocks is really all one earth. And what looks like two people is really, also, all One.

    Father’s day is a day of grieving for many. We, too, are One. This does not diminish the grief, only gives it shape, twisting and red like your rocks.

  2. tina hayes Says:

    the pics r great but i have one dumb question how did he get out of there ha ha love the pictures they were amazing

  3. tjaard du plessis Says:

    when i get a “down” feeling during the day I get onto your site and relax a bit in nature. The pics are great! and i’m tempted to get on the raod myself. I have an architectural practice in Pretoria, South Africa and enjoy your site

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