February 4th - 6th, 2011: Hitting the Hot Parks

In just a matter of days, JonnyB and I ventured from the sub-zero temps of the high Colorado towns to the 80 degree temps at the sub-zero elevations of California. It was a nice break for the ski muscles and the DAS Parkas.

February 4th: A Geometric Wonder
"In Colorado. And New Mexico. And Arizona. And Utah."

A happy bonus en route to the Grand Canyon. The $3 price of admission to walk around a lot of concrete, surrounded by souvenir stalls, was not a happy bonus. Still pretty impressive.

February 5th: The Grand Canyon
AM: "The Grand Canyon. Not your average canyon... Heading down to the Colorado River."

Our ambitions were to reach the Colorado River, a 9 mile hike from the South Rim. 6 miles in, we re-evaluated and opted to visit Plateau Point, which still gave us an impressive view of the mighty muddy river.

Look at my river!

My ol' bronze metallic Subaru had been playing tag with a twin for a while. It was a bit cleaner than my ride and I left a note to compliment the ride. When we reached the rim after our 14 mile hike, we found a reciprocal note and I have to agree: Brown on brown does look good on a Subi.

Our backcountry quiver. Dukes, Dynafits, O1s, Hammerheads, and NNNs. What fun!

PM: "Holy Hoover Dam. One of the most impressive structures on Earth. And tighter security than the border."

Wow. Another awesome bonus on the road west. Closed at night, I'll be back for the tour.

February 6th: Death Valley - A Cool 80 Degrees
AM: "80 and sunny at the bottom of the states. Death Valley is a wild place."

I thought we'd just swing through Death Valley National Park, see the sights, and hit the road. Little did I know that Death Valley is one of the biggest parks around and there is enough to keep one busy for days and days on end. It also seems to be where all the RVs of America migrate for the winter. Why not, it's 80 and sunny in February.

 JonnyB kicks the salt of Badwater Basin, 282 feet below Sea Level. In the distance, Telescope Peak tops out at over 11,000 feet and reminds us that more snow and turns are not far away.

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