My bright blue Eagle Creek small day pack adds a little color to the scene of earth tones. I carried lots of water and trail mix (Endulgence blend), with enough calories per handful to meet the needs of a horse. Don't want to go hungry in the wilderness. The binoculars, leather gloves, and GPS I carried served me well on this hike. I also carried both my Canon G9 & G10 cameras, in case I had a technical problem with one of them. Heading along the cliff terrace to the mud & wattle ruins, you come first to these excellent masonry buildings. Notice the large, thin sandstone slabs, stacked to the left of the ruins. They were used as doors, windows, interior wall sheets, and to seal up grain storage buildings and niches. NOTE: During my visit to these ruins I did not enter or touch any of them. You can get fine photographs without doing either. PLEASE respect these fine cliff dwelling ruins by doing the same (Don't touch. Don't enter). After leaving the crowds behind at Arches National Park, I drove to Kane Ranger Station on Cedar Mesa. I had all my maps and waypoints that I had created, with me, but I thought it best to ask for advice, and I'm glad I did. A BIG thank you to King and Eppie (volunteers at Kane), who were very experienced hikers; familiar with the ruins I wanted to visit; and were professional, helpful, and most kind. Without their information I would not have made it to either of my intended destinations; waypoints or no waypoints. I camped between Road and Lime Canyons, right on the lip edge of Road Canyon. High clearance important and 4WD most helpful. One other couple came in and camped at the same spot. Outdoors people from Idaho, who were perfect camp neighbors. I slept well under a high desert black night sky filled with white diamond stars. The air was cool. I got up before dawn to take my first hike. It was an easy hike but required a little route finding and some cautious travel on a section or two of steep slick rock. The leather gloves I brought along helped. Once back at my truck, I had a bite to eat, drank lots of water, and then prepared to drive to the next hike in Road Canyon. The ruins I wanted to visit there, would be much more difficult to find, and I only felt confident armed with the GPS coordinates of the ruins AND the invaluable route information, that King and Eppie were willing to share with me. To keep the two hikes and the ruins separated, I will call the first hike the Citadel Ruins hike and the second hike the Upper Road Canyon Ruins hike. Upper Road Canyon Ruins: I parked my truck just off the dirt road; I had come in on the evening before. Where I started my hike was very close to the Lime Canyon dirt road. I had already loaded in the GPS waypoint for the Upper Road Canyon ruins, that I hoped to find - - into my hand held GPS unit (Garmin etrex). Next I took a reading on where my truck was parked and entered that waypoint as well. I started hiking north through a dense grove of juniper trees. I followed the drainage system ever downward until I entered a fairly deep canyon. I was pretty sure I was in the “correct” canyon based on what I saw on my topo map and the information that King and Eppie had given me. As I entered the rock bottom canyon sections, the hiking was easy and a pleasure. Then I came to a ten foot pour over in a restricted part of the canyon. I found a narrow but handy “ledge crack” to place my hiking boots on the right bank of the canyon, and made my way past the pour over. Here I ran into thick brush in the canyon bottom. I thought I remembered King and Eppie talking about both the pour over and the brush, but the brush seemed so thick and hard to travel through, that I decided to retrace my path up the canyon, past the pour over again, then climb the left bank canyon ridge for a good look at the terrain. That turned out to be a good decision. From on top the left bank canyon rim, I could see clearly the confluence of the two canyons I was looking for. I had indeed been hiking in the correct canyon. Next I took a GPS reading on my etrex, which made three waypoints entered (my truck, the ruins, and where I was standing). By going to the map page of the GPS and scaling it properly I could determine just where the ruins should be in relation to where I was standing. I pulled the binoculars out of my day pack and soon spotted them. Now I knew exactly where to go (down to the confluence then up the other main canyon branch), and where I could climb out of the canyon to reach the ruin’s ledge. I backtracked back down into the canyon I had just come from and passed the pour over for the third time. I found I could bypass most of the brushy section and soon arrived at the confluence of the two canyons. From here it was a straightforward trip up canyon, then up to the proper ledge. When reaching the correct ledge and starting to hike along it, I was pleased and surprised to find several other “ruin groups” along the way. I stopp

310/365 - 10/52 Love, love is a verb Love is a doing word Fearless on my breath Gentle impulsion Shakes me, makes me lighter Fearless on my breath Teardrop on the fire Fearless on my breath Nine night of matter Black flowers blossom Fearless on my breath Black flowers blossom Fearless on my breath Teardrop on the fire Fearless on my... Water is my eye Most faithful mirror Fearless on my breath Teardrop on the fire Of a confession Fearless on my breath Most faithful mirror Fearless on my breath Teardrop on the fire Fearless on my breath You're stumbling a little You're stumbling a little I hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday today, i have pretty much enjoyed what was one very nice day! It was sunny and quiet, i got loads done and to top that all off i was watching telly and a butterfly out of nowhere flew out from underneath the television and into my lap! Random but a very cool moment, i released it of course into the sunlight and fresh air but then realised i should have taken a picture!!! Doh! Anyhoo this is one major undertaking by me, i used 98 layers for this and it was a little nightmare! I am still not pleased with it completely but i am spending way too long on these shots now, but it is great fun! :) Funny thing is looking at my recent shots they could have been used for this weeks theme shot but i wanted to stray a little from the general idea of under the rain, and be a little abstract. I guess if you are under water you are also under the rain but then i guess part of it as well. Its all a cycle of precipitation. I really would have loved some help this weekend though as i had some really good ideas involving me a hose and a lot of spraying water! Another to be completed idea i think! Catch you later peeps, i hope you enjoy. :)