The Dance

Darin, Suzanne and family were here for the week-end and talked us into going to the SUU Ballrooom Dance performance Saturday night. Suzanne's nephew was performing and she wanted me to take some photos. When I asked about it they said it was okay to take photos but not to use a flash. It made it a little challenging not to blur everything, but then sometimes blurring gives an interesting effect. I thought some of the photos were worth posting. Scroll down and see what you think.

Time With Nathan and Ashlynn

Last week we were in Idaho to spend some time with Clay and his family. We brought two of our grandchildren, Nathan and Ashlynn home with us. We got to have them from Monday to Saturday. Of course Monday and Saturday were travel days so we really didn't have as much time as it sounds like. It went by way too fast, and tomorrow we take them to Lehi to meet their Mom.

We had lots of fun while they were here. Nathan and I worked in the yard quite a bit, mowing the lawn, weeding the orchard, picking up rocks and making an outlet for the pond.

When we weren't working we played a lot. On Wednesday we hiked Kanarra Creek up to the first falls. These next few photos are of that hike.

Hiking the creek
Through the brush

A snack break

Ellie navigating the narrows

The first falls

Ashlynn posing

Nathan contemplating going up?

Alas, grandma Ellie thought this was far enough. Left to us kids we would have probably gone further, and gotten really wet.

We took the kids to "Cats" at Tuacahn after making a stop to see their Great Grandpa Prince on thursday night. I think they liked it a little bit, and so did I, a little bit. I did like the music and dancing, even if the story left a lot to the imagination.

On Friday we took a picnic and went four-wheeling on Harmony Mountain.

At the monument where great-grandpa James Franklin died at 33 years of age, over 100 years ago.

Ashlynn has a great camera smile

A picnic in the quakies

Off riding again

Nathan with the Kolob Canyons in the background

Friday afternoon we made pop bottle water rockets, and the kids enjoyed shooting them off and hunting them down for about two hours. I think they especially enjoyed the occasional wetting down when they rockets fired prematurely. Friday evening we had a hot dog roast at our walnut tree picnic area. In addition to the hod dogs we had root beer floats with berry cheesecake ice cream and we toasted marshmallows and made smores.

Ashlynn among the Goldenpeas in the meadow

Whenever there was a lull in the action Nathan and I were at the pond fishing. By Friday night we were ready for bigger game so we went to a neighbor's pond where the fish are a little bigger.

Grandpa showing how it's done.

We are going to hate to see these kids go back home, and I think they would be happy to stay a little longer, but hopefully they will want to come and stay with us every summer from now on.

Kanarra Falls

Kanarra Falls

Having grown up in New harmony you would think I would know all the good places to hike in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, I didn't hike much when I was growing up. We did a lot of walking while hunting, but mostly we rode horses as far as we could, then hiked. I don't ever remember looking for a place specifically to go hiking.

When I returned to the area a few years ago I heard people talk about Kanarra Falls. I thought it couldn't be much or I would know about it. Finally I decided to find out by asking around and talking to people who had been there. Based on their descriptions I decided it was definitely somewhere I should go and started making plans.

On July 11, 2009 Jillyn and Kenny were here and wanting to do a hike. We talked about going back up to the Beaver area and trying for Delano Peak again (last time we climbed Mount Holly by mistake instead of Delano) but decided it was too far for the time we had available. I suggested Kanarra Falls and they agreed.

The trail starts on the east side of Kanarraville up toward the water tank. There is a parking area below the tank, then the trail goes up the road past the tank, which is the hardest part of the entire hike.

First thing up the trail we met this wild-eyed guy who was muttering somewhat incoherently that he had almost stepped on a rattlesnake. Lucky for the snake because he weighed about 300 pounds. He pointed a shaky finger to a bush and we found the snake there scared half to death.

The Kanarra Falls hike, in my opinion, is one of the best kept secrets in the area. It is a beautiful slot canyon within walking distance for even the most inept. Small children can do it as it is only a couple of miles on pretty flat terrain. It might even be nice to have some younger folks along to protect you from the snakes. Some of the hike involves getting wet, and the creek probably flows higher and colder in the spring of the year, but in mid summer the water level is low and hot temperatures make a little soaking quite pleasant.

The canyon is wide at the bottom, but soon narrows and displays some beautiful sandstone formations made by years of erosion. As you continue you will find yourself walking through narrow winding slots barely wide enough to walk through and a hundred or so feet deep, cut through the sandstone by the stream's incessant flow.

At the first falls there is a log ladder that isn't too difficult to climb. It even has a rope handrail. If you don't want to climb this you can turn around here and still have had a great hike. If you are the adventurous type and have to see what is at the top of the falls, continue on.

Above are more slot canyons and more wading. It is kind of hard to avoid getting wet, at least to your knees.

About midway between the lower and upper falls you encounter this water park. There is no entrance fee, but there may be some waiting in line as there is only one slide. Kids were sliding down the slick rocks into the pool below while parents cooled off. I think we may have interrupted a wet tee shirt contest.

I have hiked Buckskin Gulch, which is considered one of the premier slot canyons in the world, but some of the places in Kanarra Creek are just as impressive and are much more accessible.

After some more slot canyon you arrive at the second falls. this one is a little more difficult, mainly because there is no log ladder. The only help is a rickety board ladder of sorts that has been nailed together. I put my camera into a plastic bag and then in my pack and tried to make the ascent. About half way up you have to grab a wet rope and pull yourself the rest of the way.

About the time I grabbed the rope, the ladder skipped and I found myself hanging by the rope directly under the falls. As my pack filled up with water and my clothes got soaked my grip on the rope slipped and I made a not so gentle descent. I checked and my camera stayed dry, thank goodness, but everything else was wet and even on a warm summer day it seemed quite cold. Jillyn and Kenny knew they could not better my display of sportsmanship, so they declined to try the ascent. We turned around at that point and returned back the way we had come.

Right after my failed attempt a strong young show-off came and showed us how to do it, but by then we had decided there couldn't be anything up there more impressive than what we had already seen.

Fishing Canada

Several years ago I got involved with a bunch of fishing crazies and was invited to go fishing with them in Canada. I enjoyed the trip so much that I got a little crazy myself and this year made my fourth trip with the gang to the same area. It worked out so that my three sons and son-in-law could all go, so I decided it was time to give them fishing lessons. I found excellent air fare, and after a mad rush to secure passports and fishing gear we were all ready.

Feeding the Mosquitoes while waiting at the dock

The area is Lake Of The Woods, Ontario, which is a huge lake that extends from northern Minnesota into Canada, covering almost a million acres. It has 65,000 miles of shoreline and over 14,000 islands. We fish out of Ash Rapids Fishing Camp, which is on a peninsula about 20 miles southwest of Kenora, Ontario, and only accessible by boat or a really long hike.

Ash Rapids Lodge

We Took the early morning flight to Fargo, North Dakota, via Minneapolis, and drove from there north to Winnipeg, then east for a couple more hours. We were supposed to be picked up on the dock and transported to the lodge, but they forgot to tell me they had changed docks so we provided sport for the mosquitoes while we waited for them to find us. It was almost dark when we finally got there, but they waited dinner and we enjoyed Ribs and Walleye, an excellent meal. Our cabin slept six, so Dan Olsen hooked up with us. He is one of the regulars that I fished with on my 2007 trip. His snoring made Kenny sound like a kitten purring.

Kenny's big One!

First morning out was clear and sunny with just a light breeze. Kenny, Darin and I were in one boat and Joel and Clay were in the other. We drift fished the east end of Copper Island for Walleye the first couple of hours, I caught six and the boys caught about that many combined. I guess you can call it experience but I'm just a darn good fisherman. Had to show the boys how to do it. Later we started skirting the island, casting for Northerns and Small mouth and did pretty well. We stopped for lunch and Kenny went for a swim. He said he slipped on the rocks, but I think he just wanted to see how the water was. He forgot to take his cell phone and camera out of his pocket. The phone dried out and was okay, but the camera drowned and could not be resuscitated..

Joel's first Northern Pike

We spent most of the day fishing for Northerns in a few different spots, then went back to where we started and fished for Walleye again in the evening. We had better luck and I think everyone caught some. We were back at camp by 7:00 pm and had a fine dinner of Walleye and roast beef.

Daddy caught the biggest Walleye

Second day it was a little more windy so we decided to go to a place called Nebraska Avenue (don't ask me why) where the islands are plentiful and provide a wind break. We were casting for Northerns and low and behold I caught the first fish again! Darn but I am good! We hadn't been fishing long when I told Joel and Darin to reel in and we would go over where Clay and Kenny were fishing. Darin replied that he couldn't reel in because he had something. It turned out to be a 40 inch, 14.5 pound Musky.

Darin and his “Hog”

Muskies are a first cousin to Northern Pike, but they are a lot more elusive and not nearly as aggressive. They are what everyone at camp talks about catching, but hardly anyone does. As it turned out, this was the only one caught out of our camp on this visit. Darin did us all proud. We fished that area most of the morning, catching more pike and bass and having lunch. We found one area where there was Walleye, but they were pretty small and the wind was blowing us around so we decided to go elsewhere.

Notice Joel is wearing the glove on the hand next to the poop vent, not the teeth.
Is there such a thing as poop-phobia?

We hit the east side of Copper and I caught a 27 inch walleye on the first drift, a 24 incher in the second and a large Northern on the third. No one else was catching anything so we decided to move on. We made a little trip up the rapids, which aren't very rapid, and fished some new area. We found one unnamed lake that we had all to ourselves and the Northerns started hitting just as it was time to go back to camp. Reluctantly returning we had dinner of Walleye and Southern Fried Chicken. Southern Canada is different from Southern USA, and so it the chicken, but it was good. After dinner Jared taught us how to play a card game called "Wits", but he got mad because we beat him at his own game.



We thought this was Billy Big Mouth, but it turned out to be a smallmouth.

Third day it was cold and rainy, and we decided not to fish for Walleye, but to try to find some area out of the wind to fish for Northerns. We went up the rapids quite a ways and found some secluded channels that were quite calm. It didn't rain much and occasionally we would see blue sky, but it stayed chilly most of the day. Everyone caught fish, but it was fairly slow at first, picking up around noon, then slowing down again in the afternoon. Joel was doing pretty well, catching quite a few Northerns, until he cast his lure in front of our boat and the prop cut his line. He accused me of speeding up and cutting it on purpose, but I wouldn't do that just because he was out fishing me. Anyhow, his luck changed and he didn't catch another fish until I got tired of listening to him whine and gave him another lure just like the one he had lost.

Daddy also caught the biggest pike! (At least they let me think so.)

Mid afternoon we got hit by a real downpour. Luckily we had our rain gear. We found a place to go ashore and explored the woods for a while until the rain stopped. Back on the lake we watched some curious otters playing peek-a-boo with us. We also saw a couple of really large turtles as well as a few smaller ones. I think they are snapping turtles.

We stayed out fishing as long as we could because it was our last chance. It was getting dark and stormy again when we made camp. We had dinner of Walleye and spaghetti and meat balls. We got things pretty well packed up before going to bed so we could be ready to leave right after breakfast.

The fishing crew, ready to head home

I think Clay caught some fish, but I don't have any evidence of it since he won't sent me his photos. Maybe when life is less hectic he will do a blog and give us the proof.

After eating, saying our good-byes and a photo session, we loaded the boats and headed back to the dock. The drive back to Fargo was uneventful. We didn't even have to get out of the car at customs, but just passed right through. We made good time and were a couple of hours early for our flight so we went to TGI Friday's for lunch. the flight home was also uneventful. It was a direct flight and we were back in Salt Lake by 7:30 pm. Joel and I could neither one find our car in the parking lot, but finally did after a diligent search. Clay caught the shuttle buss to Rexburg, Joel headed home to Willard and Darin, Kenny and I went to Kenny's place in Lehi. Darin's car was there and he headed home. I stayed the night and left early the next morning, arriving in New Harmony around 9:00 am.

Four Wheeling, Whitney Pockets to Grand Wash

Tuesday, 1-3-09, we loaded up the four wheeler and went on an adventure. It seems good to have gas prices at a place where you don't spend your entire month's budget on one fill-up.

The Sierra loaded and ready to roll.

We met Claudine and John at the Texaco around 10:00am and headed south to Mesquite, then further south on Gold Mesa Road. You follow the Virgin River for several miles, then cut out into the desert. You pass a virtual oasis with palm trees and everything called Juanita Springs, then come over a hill for a distant view of Lake Mead.

Here you can see Lake Mead if you look closely

Unloading at Whitney Pockets

After some 20 miles the sort of asphalt road ends and from there it is dirt. We stopped here at a place called Whitney Pockets to unload and begin the adventure in earnest.

One of the few signs telling you to go.

We unloaded and decided to check out this place nearby where the CCC workers built a small dam back in the 1930's. They dammed off one of the cracks in the rocks and piped the water it would collect out to a watering trough for livestock. There must have been more water then though because it was bone dry and looked like it had been quite a while since it had water in it.

This has become known as Whitney Pockets Dam. We called it "Little Hoover".

We spent quite a bit of time exploring the nearby rock formations and looking for a geocache that was hidden a little too good. There is one rock that looks like it must have been tipped over. Normally the red and white layers are separated horizontally, but on this one they were serrated almost vertically. Locally they call it two-toned rock.

Two-Toned Rock

Notice the strange way this rock has eroded to form the pattern on its face.

I called this "Jonah's Demise"

I thought this is probably like looking into a whale's throat. I got a little taste of what Jonah must have felt as he passed through an entrance like this.

Lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe

After exploring for a while we had enhanced our appetite and finally had lunch. By then it tasted really good. Chicken salad spread on a soft roll enhanced with tomato and lemon pepper rings and Sunny D. Yummy!

After lunch we explored another rock feature that had a hole in it about the size of a good sized rabbit hole. I was sure if I could just get in far enough I would find Alice.

What can I say? I am naturally curious.

And I almost made it!

Later we drove east over a ridge or two into another valley which seemed to go forever. We found another route to Saint George, but decided not to take it on this trip.

So many choices...

We passed an itty-bitty cemetery where two people were buried, one in 1997 and one in 2000. We decided it would probably be a lot cheaper than the New Harmony Cemetery, especially for us "outsiders".

An "alternative" cemetery

It was here I found a cactus that I felt kinship with. I have been reading a little about eastern religions and reincarnation. I think this might be one of my relatives. John said its belly looked exactly like mine, and Ellie said that sometimes I am about that prickly too.

Kindred spirits?

We went from desert scrub to forests of pinion and Joshua. The desert is just starting to show a little green. I think in a month the spring flowers will be in bloom and it will be quite gorgeous for a few weeks.

The Joshua Forest

At the return point a sign said we were only seven miles form Grand Wash Bay. We wanted to see Lake Mead since we were so close, so we decided by majority vote (John & I) to take that little side trip. It was disappointing because we went as far as we could and were still at least a mile from the water. It the lake was full it would have been 20 feet deep there, but unfortunately the lake is really low. We returned the seven miles and realized we only had about an hour of daylight left and the trucks were still 25 miles away.

On the way back we explored a place called 'The Devil's Throat". It is a huge sink hole right out in the middle of the desert. It is probably about 80 feet in diameter and perhaps 100 feet deep. It would be quite a rude interruption if you happened to be walking through the area on a dark night.

We arrived back at the trucks just as it was getting dark. Though we had put on a lot of miles, we still hadn't seen all we wanted to. There are a lot of Indian petroglyphs in the area that we didn't get to explore so we want to go back again for another adventure.

We stopped in Mesquite and ate at the Eureka Casino buffet until we were stuffed. We had heard that it was great food but decided it was probably a little over-rated. They did have a pasta bar where they would custom make your dish. I had Fettuccini Alfredo with mushrooms, red peppers and shrimp. It was really good. So were the egg rolls and fillet Mignon. The lemon catfish was pretty good too, and the crab cakes. I almost didn't have room for the bread pudding in vanilla sauce and blueberry cobbler for desert!

We arrived home around 10:45pm. We entered the house very carefully and listened for the sound of running water. Last time we went on an adventure like this we came home to a flooded basement. This time I was sawing logs by 11:00. It was a very enjoyable day.