Full Moon Forest

The sun sets over the Grand Mesa National Forest.
Blazing fire clouds of bright orange and red.
The snow capped mountains in silhouette.

I climb into my tent and immediately slip deep into the sleeping bag.
The air is cold and biting my skin.
I can see a few lone stars through the cloudy sky.

The full moon is rising.

When it appears over the horizon, it is like the sun.
Bright and shining.
Lighting up the entire forest surrounding me.

It's a beautiful sight, and I'm thankful the clouds don't open up and pour out their snow, sleet or rain.

Life in the forest is quiet and still.
Just the wind blows, bringing the leaves of the trees to life with each gust.

The sound of flowing water murmurs in the distance.
A mountain stream thriving on melted snow from far above.

I close my eyes and hibernate until morning.

A Patch Of Autumn

A journey into the higher regions shows that Autumn is on its way.  The aspen leaves are beginning to change from green to bright yellow, and other trees are boasting their oranges and reds.  It is a welcoming sign that excites me.

It can still be hot here in the desert, but our average highs are getting cooler, and soon Autumn will reach us in the desert, as well.

This season especially reminds me of home: the crunchy leaves, morning frosts, cozy fires and hot coffee.  It will be interesting to see the transition of Summer to Autumn in the desert and compare that to the familiar Georgia Autumns I know and love.

Here's to crunchy leaves and cacti colliding.

A patch of Autumn

"The Mountains Are Calling"

"...and I must go."
-John Muir

The desert is beginning to cool down a little.  Instead of highs in the upper 90s and 100s, it's been in the mid 80s.  A nice change, actually.

But I still crave the mountains.

The cool, refreshing mountain air.  Lush greenery.  Cold mountain streams.  Aspen trees!  This is what I especially enjoy.

I decided to check out Grand Mesa National Forest, about a three hour drive from Moab into Colorado (recommended by Miss Anna Tucker).

I hiked the 10.3 mile Crag Crest trail along the summit of the mountain forest.  About five hours and breathtaking at every turn.  The aspen leaves are beginning to turn from green to bright yellow for Fall, and the clear mountain lakes reflect a bright blue mirror image of the surrounding trees.

The desert is great and glorious in its own right, but the mountains are bliss.



Note:  I also had the added bonus of editing this video in a Chick-fil-a in Grand Junction.  However, I must have been so enthralled with my Georgia lunch that I forgot to add a quotation mark in the end of my video.  A small, yet disturbing grammatical mistake that is not worth correcting.  Many apologies to my grammar OCD friends (and sister).