Sound the Shofar

It's a new year, and a new beginning.
What does 5772 have in store for us?

Climbing Mount Peale was definitely one of the most strenuous hikes I've ever taken.
Climbing straight up about two thousand feet on loose rocks.
Not an easy stroll in the park.
But four hours later (and two very sore legs) I made it to the 12,721 ft summit.

It was Erev Rosh Hashanah.



May you all have a sweet new year filled with adventure and the wonder of God's Creation.

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).

Desert Aroma

Mighty Mice part IV

It is finished.

Mighty Mice part III

Fell asleep 1:15a.
Discovered at 1:30a.
Approximately 5 inches away from face.

Mighty Mice part II

The battle rages on.

Mostly a game of hide-and-seek.
The enemy employed a strategy of cuteness early on, however that has quickly subsided.

As I am submitting this report, a captive mouse is trying to escape his bathroom barricade. I discovered him as I made a necessary (and risky) trip to the bathroom, sleeping next to the toilet. The door is sealed shut, but who knows how much longer the stronghold will last?

Daylight enabled us to assemble an arsenal and lay our defenses. Roughly 12 traps were set, though night is upon us, and the darkest hour is still to come.

These nocturnal savages show no mercy.

And until dawn, mercy is all we can ask for.

Mighty Mice

They have invaded.
The battle begins.