Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
Thank you for helping them. The dogs on the Rez, even out number the ones I have seen in Mexico, and South America. Almost double it seems.
My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
PNWY.....It's tough to see the underfed, mangy, wild dogs wandering around searching for a handout.....but the one positive thing regarding the wild dogs on the reservation, if there is indeed one positive thing regarding those wild dogs, is that I never saw anyone being abusive towards the wild dogs.....it's almost as if the wild dogs were invisible.....I can't say the same for the lands further south.....
I guess that one could say that it only seemed natural at this point in time, at least to me anyhow, that our next stop would be at the Bears Ears National Monument.....and more specifically.....at the truly magical.....Valley of the Gods.....it was just a few miles north of the bridge that spanned over the San Juan River.....so why not.....
It's difficult for me to put into words just how much I love it here.....as could be evidenced by my many visits over these past years and to having spent so many days & nights walking the road, & exploring throughout these magnificent cliffs and canyons.....
If one were to turn back the pages of My Journey, you'd find plenty of colorful pictures of these same colossal rock formations that you see here in today's post.....that make up the Valley of the Gods.....
In an attempt to not repeat my presentation.....in an attempt not to display the same type of photographs as in posts before.....I thought maybe that by displaying these photographs in black & white (have I done this before ? I don't recall actually).....that it might make things a bit more interesting (it sure worked for Edward S. Curtis to present in black & white.....thanks again TripLeader).....
I guess that one could say that it only seemed natural at this point in time, at least to me anyhow, that our next stop would be at the Bears Ears National Monument.....and more specifically.....at the truly magical.....Valley of the Gods.....it was just a few miles north of the bridge that spanned over the San Juan River.....so why not.....
It's difficult for me to put into words just how much I love it here.....as could be evidenced by my many visits over these past years and to having spent so many days & nights walking the road, & exploring throughout these magnificent cliffs and canyons.....
If one were to turn back the pages of My Journey, you'd find plenty of colorful pictures of these same colossal rock formations that you see here in today's post.....that make up the Valley of the Gods.....
In an attempt to not repeat my presentation.....in an attempt not to display the same type of photographs as in posts before.....I thought maybe that by displaying these photographs in black & white (have I done this before ? I don't recall actually).....that it might make things a bit more interesting (it sure worked for Edward S. Curtis to present in black & white.....thanks again TripLeader).....
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ghostdancer
Member
While traveling throughout Türkiye we saw stray dogs, and cats everywhere. It seemed to be part of their culture to take care of them though. Restaurants put out their leftover food for them. Neighborhoods seem to adopt them. They all seemed happy and fair healthy. one neighborhood actually took up a collection and had a statue commissioned for a dog that was struck and killed by a car.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Riversdad.....it's such a small gesture.....honestly, it probably makes me feel better than it does the dogs.....
Ace.....I guess that once you're a sailor, you're always a sailor ? I'm surprised you didn't end up on a sailboat traveling the world (a dream of mine).....
ghostdancer.....I want that Golden Retriever ! I donate to Humane Society International (HSI) and as the name implies, they do rescues all over the world. In the past, I've seen HSI bring rescue Goldens, (as well as other breeds) from Turkey to the U.S. (many after the earthquake). As a matter of fact, the Director of HSI took in a rescue Golden.....I wish I could as well.....
The Valley of the Gods is truly the perfect place for the man that enjoys wandering in his boots.....other than the 17 mile long road that meanders through "the towering red rock formations", there truly is nothing else here.....
Once again we walked along the road.....rarely seeing any traffic here.....my guess is that it's a cause of this time of the year.....
We set up our camp above a dry wash.....not too far from the road.....
And from here we set out to explore this wild country.....
The wash.....well, we had been here many times in the past.....but that's not really so important.....to me anyhow.....it never loses it's allure ("the quality of being powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating").....
We explored deep into places that we probaby shouldn't have.....
But sometimes we're just so intriqued by these small mysteries, that we seem to have no other choice.....
Sometimes we'd hike up to higher ground.....just to see what we could see.....
We watched the sunrise.....
Ace.....I guess that once you're a sailor, you're always a sailor ? I'm surprised you didn't end up on a sailboat traveling the world (a dream of mine).....
ghostdancer.....I want that Golden Retriever ! I donate to Humane Society International (HSI) and as the name implies, they do rescues all over the world. In the past, I've seen HSI bring rescue Goldens, (as well as other breeds) from Turkey to the U.S. (many after the earthquake). As a matter of fact, the Director of HSI took in a rescue Golden.....I wish I could as well.....
The Valley of the Gods is truly the perfect place for the man that enjoys wandering in his boots.....other than the 17 mile long road that meanders through "the towering red rock formations", there truly is nothing else here.....
Once again we walked along the road.....rarely seeing any traffic here.....my guess is that it's a cause of this time of the year.....
We set up our camp above a dry wash.....not too far from the road.....
And from here we set out to explore this wild country.....
The wash.....well, we had been here many times in the past.....but that's not really so important.....to me anyhow.....it never loses it's allure ("the quality of being powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating").....
We explored deep into places that we probaby shouldn't have.....
But sometimes we're just so intriqued by these small mysteries, that we seem to have no other choice.....
Sometimes we'd hike up to higher ground.....just to see what we could see.....
We watched the sunrise.....
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YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
.....and we watched the sun set.....
The Valley of the Gods.....truly such a majical place.....
And that full moon.....
.....also dominated our skyline.....and brought a sense of calmness & relaxation to our majical days.....
The Valley of the Gods.....truly such a majical place.....
And that full moon.....
.....also dominated our skyline.....and brought a sense of calmness & relaxation to our majical days.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Riversdad.....here's our history on rattlesnake encounters.....as best that I can recall.....
1.) At my cabin in the Appalachian Mountains.....nearly picked one up while collecting stone for a wall that I was building.
2.) Again, at my cabin in the Appalachian Mountains.....I was walking along the road one evening with Yukon & Montana. Unfortunately, Montana stepped on one, got bit, and spent a couple of days in an emergency vet hospital.
3.) While climbing Kings Peak (13,528') in Utah, I nearly stepped on one.....it was probably 2 feet away.....that one scared me pretty good as he was certainly about to attack.
4.) Encountered one while walking on the road thru the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area in southeast Arizona. There's actually a picture of that rattler somewhere amongst the many pages I've posted here.
5.) There were a bunch of rattlesnakes on a property here in Montana where I was collecting stone but there were no close encounters.
6.) A few years back there was one hidden in the rocks at Raptor Lake in southern New Mexico. We nearly stepped on that one as well. I believe that there's also a picture of that one somewhere in My Journey.
Fortunately we've never had an encounter with a rattler when sticking our faces into places that we shouldn't.....we probably live on borrowed time.....
A moment in Shangri-la (think Lost Horizon by James Hilton).....is how I would describe this next short story.....
While we were camped at the Valley of the Gods, I met 4 crazy college students out of Colorado driving a Subaru filled with climbing gear (dang ! I wish I had taken a group photo of them to post here).....
These guys were so much fun.....they're so fortunate to still be in that stage of life where the word "care" is generally preceded by "I don't".....where laughter is a part of everything.....
.....they don't grumble like us old guys.....they don't talk about their achy knees, their sore backs, or the side effects of their medications.....none of that nonsense.....
So for me.....to be there with them.....it was like a step back in time.....a time when I too saw life the same way.....where laughter was commonplace.....
When I too felt like my youth was eternal.....heck, when I felt like my life was eternal as well.....
Surely these guys will never know how much it meant to me just to stand at the base of that great monolith and shout out from my lungs at the young climbers as they climbed.....
I have no gear (mine was stolen).....and I more than likely have no ability to climb.....like this anyhow.....
But I still have my dreams.....my dreams of a Shangri-la.....
.....and my never ending dreams of climbing a wall.....
1.) At my cabin in the Appalachian Mountains.....nearly picked one up while collecting stone for a wall that I was building.
2.) Again, at my cabin in the Appalachian Mountains.....I was walking along the road one evening with Yukon & Montana. Unfortunately, Montana stepped on one, got bit, and spent a couple of days in an emergency vet hospital.
3.) While climbing Kings Peak (13,528') in Utah, I nearly stepped on one.....it was probably 2 feet away.....that one scared me pretty good as he was certainly about to attack.
4.) Encountered one while walking on the road thru the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area in southeast Arizona. There's actually a picture of that rattler somewhere amongst the many pages I've posted here.
5.) There were a bunch of rattlesnakes on a property here in Montana where I was collecting stone but there were no close encounters.
6.) A few years back there was one hidden in the rocks at Raptor Lake in southern New Mexico. We nearly stepped on that one as well. I believe that there's also a picture of that one somewhere in My Journey.
Fortunately we've never had an encounter with a rattler when sticking our faces into places that we shouldn't.....we probably live on borrowed time.....
A moment in Shangri-la (think Lost Horizon by James Hilton).....is how I would describe this next short story.....
While we were camped at the Valley of the Gods, I met 4 crazy college students out of Colorado driving a Subaru filled with climbing gear (dang ! I wish I had taken a group photo of them to post here).....
These guys were so much fun.....they're so fortunate to still be in that stage of life where the word "care" is generally preceded by "I don't".....where laughter is a part of everything.....
.....they don't grumble like us old guys.....they don't talk about their achy knees, their sore backs, or the side effects of their medications.....none of that nonsense.....
So for me.....to be there with them.....it was like a step back in time.....a time when I too saw life the same way.....where laughter was commonplace.....
When I too felt like my youth was eternal.....heck, when I felt like my life was eternal as well.....
Surely these guys will never know how much it meant to me just to stand at the base of that great monolith and shout out from my lungs at the young climbers as they climbed.....
I have no gear (mine was stolen).....and I more than likely have no ability to climb.....like this anyhow.....
But I still have my dreams.....my dreams of a Shangri-la.....
.....and my never ending dreams of climbing a wall.....
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YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Ace.....I went down the same path.....for awhile anyhow.....
It was here.....at some point.....that I'd finally made the decision to go home. It's always a difficult decision to leave the enchanted lands of southeast Utah, yet at the same time I was yearning to spend winter days at the cabin. A last sunset.....
.....and we continued north.....
Not my first time here.....not my second.....
But somehow I had it in my mind that this time would be different.....
The plan was to actually camp here.....the plan was to stay at the campground at the end of the road.....
Even at this time of year, the campground was nearly full. Combine that with the fact that I thought the sites (all of them) pretty much sucked.....so we moved on. Once again nothing more than a day trip into Arches National Park.....
We continued north on Highway 191.....
.....eventually driving down a random BLM roadway looking for a campsite that offered the always sought after silence & solitude.....
It was here.....at some point.....that I'd finally made the decision to go home. It's always a difficult decision to leave the enchanted lands of southeast Utah, yet at the same time I was yearning to spend winter days at the cabin. A last sunset.....
.....and we continued north.....
Not my first time here.....not my second.....
But somehow I had it in my mind that this time would be different.....
The plan was to actually camp here.....the plan was to stay at the campground at the end of the road.....
Even at this time of year, the campground was nearly full. Combine that with the fact that I thought the sites (all of them) pretty much sucked.....so we moved on. Once again nothing more than a day trip into Arches National Park.....
We continued north on Highway 191.....
.....eventually driving down a random BLM roadway looking for a campsite that offered the always sought after silence & solitude.....
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Groverland
Member
Only two things I liked about the campground in Arches:. 1. You don't have to worry about timed-entry with campground reservations. 2. Some pretty good hiking trailheads in the campground.
Otherwise, I thought it(the campground- not the park) was very overrated. Sure, there's some beautiful scenery, but just one road with a loop at the end. Huge RVs parked on the both sides of the road and zero shade(not really the campground's fault, however).
Otherwise, I thought it(the campground- not the park) was very overrated. Sure, there's some beautiful scenery, but just one road with a loop at the end. Huge RVs parked on the both sides of the road and zero shade(not really the campground's fault, however).
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Our campsite was a good one.....not only did we have the silence & solitude that we yearned for.....we also had some really magnificent views.....
The following day we headed for CanyonLands National Park.....just a short drive south along Highway 191.....
I'm not sure why it would be, but I had never actually visited this national park before.....driven right by it many a time.....
Of course CanyonLands National Park was sensational......but there was one thing that I didn't care for. It was the people.....it's always the people really. I drive the speed limit.....maybe a bit less due to the size of my rig.....and I never, ever exceed the speed limit.....I just don't do it.....
For whatever reason, people were in a hurry here (actually probably everywhere really). I had a guy in a Sprinter van pass me on the double solid line on a blind curve.....a few minutes later I saw the same Sprinter van stopped at an overlook taking pictures.....
Anyhow.....the scenery.....it was outstanding.....
Since this was a national park, we were unable to hike a single trail.....sadly it was yet another drive by.....
.....but we left here grateful.....in awe of everything that we saw that day (except for the dead cow that someone hit while driving way too fast.....an assumption on my part).....
The following day we headed for CanyonLands National Park.....just a short drive south along Highway 191.....
I'm not sure why it would be, but I had never actually visited this national park before.....driven right by it many a time.....
Of course CanyonLands National Park was sensational......but there was one thing that I didn't care for. It was the people.....it's always the people really. I drive the speed limit.....maybe a bit less due to the size of my rig.....and I never, ever exceed the speed limit.....I just don't do it.....
For whatever reason, people were in a hurry here (actually probably everywhere really). I had a guy in a Sprinter van pass me on the double solid line on a blind curve.....a few minutes later I saw the same Sprinter van stopped at an overlook taking pictures.....
Anyhow.....the scenery.....it was outstanding.....
Since this was a national park, we were unable to hike a single trail.....sadly it was yet another drive by.....
.....but we left here grateful.....in awe of everything that we saw that day (except for the dead cow that someone hit while driving way too fast.....an assumption on my part).....
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Riversdad
Active member
Jerry, thanks for taking the time for the detailed reply. I've known two people who lost dogs due to rattlesnake bites so I'm always overly cautious.