71.01 Portugal: Geres: Opening with a superb lake: Canicada, a multi-faceted body of water.

Sitting on the dock of the bay...well almost, more like a couple of thousand feet above the Canicada Lake.
Geres' own Stonehenge has a wonderful view of the lake.
  We returned to Geres, some eighteen months post our first trip to Portugal. We think this is a region, the only national park in the country, where a person is able to capture tranquility that seems to be fast disappearing from Mother Earth. Of course, there are many similar places (unlimited actually), but one has to seek them out, and of course, they are invariably remote. Be that as it may, the scenery is lush, colorful and contains many lakes and mountains, the latter less common in this country. 

  We found over the course of our earlier visit that we would take to the mountains, and as we climbed, feel ourselves meld into the environment. The fact that it is devoid of cars, except for those traveling along limited roads through the park, as well as few hikers about, gives us many opportunities to absorb the surrounding beauty. And beauty, is no exaggeration. After 3 hikes, we have found no differences from that feeling of unifying with the environment. Perhaps, we are a little more experienced and are less likely to get lost, although I would not take that bet. 

  As with all travel, it seems, we invariably have unusual experiences en-route to our destinations. We had a long layover in London, some 6 hours, as well as arriving too early at the local airport of San Diego because of issues of government shenanigans. We ended up sitting in San Diego for over 4 hours. Our journey from the time we stood before the entry to baggage checking, expected to be at least an hour or more, was our fastest time ever, barely 5 minutes. It seems when the employees are not paid, they work more efficiently. Go figure! 

  Anyway, back to London's Heathrow. As an aside, I'm always tickled when the term "London's Heathrow" is uttered. People generally tend to cut down on words, shorten sentences and presume one knows what one is talking about when throwing out buzzwords. But it appears not in this case. After all, perhaps one could mistake Heathrow for Paris' or New York's or Oxford's...Heathrow. Anyway, that is another of my peculiarities. Should you have the time, I could list many more. Having mentioned this, I think I feel much better about the situation having got it off my chest. Hopefully, you'll all agree and that will make me feel even better. 

Many situations similar to this with houses and apartments tucked into the mountains and forests.
A truly wonderful viewpoint where we stopped for brunch.
Another such position with the trees giving off something hard to explain, but nevertheless, very attractive. Perhaps the coloring and density were distinctive.
We will be viewing the lakes from so many vantage points, including heights ,over the next period. The bridge at rear, moving from left to right, brings traffic into Geres allowing one to drive toward the main church and be on left side of lake. Instead of continuing on that route, a sharp right turn allows a person to cross the water over the fore-bridge and head to the main part of the town.
Jen captures the solitude, even on a road, this one along a mountain, as we return home.
The beach juts into the lake making for a nice view.
To the right is a dirt road that heads down to the lake, reaching the houses below. Further to the right and higher is the official road that takes one across the mountain.
Below left is the that part of a residential district alongside the lake.
This provides perspective of town and lake positioning. Continuing along the lake, it makes a right turn at the bridge and that opens a whole section of another town above the lake.   

  We left London's Heathrow and headed for Lisbon which of course is in Portugal, I think. This is when our journey became more interesting. Our arrival time after clearing the airport would be after midnight. At first light, we were due to collect a rental car. This gave us a few hours to waste. Usually, we head to an hotel to close the gap: shower, eat and sleep. However, it has become so painful these days--find a taxi, get to the hotel while lugging the luggage, check-in, try to sleep for few hours (almost impossible), and then reverse the process, all in the early hours. Instead, we tried a different idea once before in Tenerife where there were no hotels in the vicinity and it worked well. 

  We sought a quite spot in the airport with comfortable lounge chairs to rest our bodies. (By the way, airport lounges in Lisbon don't cover our situation). This proved to be a little difficult. Upon finding something tucked away in what we thought was a quiet spot, we surrounded ourselves with baggage, withdrew some thick clothing to soften the 'concrete' floor and lay down to absorb the tranquility of a deserted airport between two large pillars. I assured Jen that as the early hours of the morning ticked by, we could expect a very quiet period. 

  She woke me, together with an unruly rumble, at about 3am at which time there were lines of people surrounding us. They did appear to be queued to check-in counters heading for other destinations which may have included London's Heathrow. After feeling a little embarrassed, two homeless people, the focus of hundreds of travelers standing above us, we packed up and sought a new temporary home. If nothing else, Hike-about provides many varied, and often allows for, unusual experiences. We regrouped and headed for another section which was not as noisy but not without traffic either. We stopped for refreshments and got back onto the computers and did some planning. Funnily enough, it was quite pleasant. The real kicker was the rental car company ended up being late in collecting us. 

  Thereafter, we drove about 200 miles to our destination, checking regularly to ensure our driver was alert. We suppose the real test is whether we would do it again. On any stay less then 8 hours, we think we'd prefer to hang around the airport rather than depart from the building, have to clear immigration and security again, where appropriate, and the rest of the process. Some airports have terrific loungers which makes a difference. In the end, there is no simple solution. It does appear to us that as travel becomes more sophisticated, it is also far less pleasant. 

Jen faces the waterfall and decides to retreat...for now.
Moving toward the other side of the lake brings the bridges into better view as well as the lake extension.
Jen heads for a shady spot, the covering provided by a thick, lush and very green tree.
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey

Delightful as we pass through the town after making a full circuit.
We finally understand how clouds are formed.

65.20 Utah: Outside Salt Lake City, the autumn weather 'salts' color into the flora and literally stuns us...a color bonanza and much more.

  We begin the next phase of Hike-about, in Portugal. The photographs that follow are the last set of 'recalling the past', to be followed by those mostly from Geres, et sequens. 

 The first 2 photographs are on Aire Mountain, a taste of much to follow. Jen makes her way along narrow paths.

The mass coloring of plants affects the sight of a mountain. 

    We were heading for Idaho for an extended period, with a stopover outside Salt Lake City, Utah, for 9 days. After a few days of being immersed in such amazing colors and other sights, presented with staggering climbs and experiences, we decided to extend our stay. Apparently, this trend of extending the period caught on and the final tally included the occurrence of a number of renewals. 

  I remember a few occasions when I approached Jen to try to determine her level of comfort about staying longer. It was mostly enjoyable with the occasional feeling of trepidation should she have a need to move onwards. The result was we extended our stay from the original 9 days to slightly longer duration: 61 days. Jen asked me whether we had a visa for that length of time. You never know these days. Suffice to say: I think we enjoyed the trip. It certainly had an effect upon us: No doubts, it colored our feelings. 

A serious meeting occurring before the (Bells) Falls.
Jen makes her way on Wire Mountain via Red Butte Ridge.
On the way to the falls, we appreciate the reflections
We found particularly stunning, perhaps the height achieved with the angle of the view, upon Grandeur Peak.
Shades of mostly green of autumn...going against the grain.
Bloods Lake and Clayton Peak.
Broads Fork and friends follow.
Searching without effort for color.
Cardiff color: Nice view, dangerous position.
A week later, the dangerous Cardiff slope is easily apparent, referred to above. Where's the color?
Circle Awle.
Clayton Trail via Brighton, the long climb route.
Wire Mountain.
Jen tries to suppress a smile, but how long can it last?
Told you so. The colors are just too gorgeous to hold in one's delight, as she climbs to Jack's Peak, obviously an impressive guy.
'Try to keep your balance, old man.'
This may be termed a 'rush of color'.
A real classy sight...actually, aren't they all?
She took a chance and summoned an Uber. We probably have a long wait. Sometimes it's better to try obtain a lyft. 

Upon Grandeur Peak, probably our favorite place during the period.
Jen finds a path and takes it despite the threat of the serpent class.
This area appears to be a predominantly 'yellow' region.
We can never get over the miraculous formations created by nature, filled with amazing, rich coloring, recurring annually.
The Surgeon-General of the US suggests one should clear the build-up of color channels periodically by absorbing some white light...or something to that effect. This is our suggested solution.
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey

65:19 Some memorable, interesting and just plain good times in a tiny corner of the Western Deserts of the United States on a single trip during 2018.

  These photographs were selected from a single trip in a tiny part of the Western United States deserts. It's quite frustrating for a number of reasons when selecting pictures. Firstly, where does one search for subjects. Secondly, on another trip, we might have much better selection of photographs or even a single one of the same subjects. Thirdly, there is a limit to display. I'll stop there as I have expressed myself adequately and can now continue with that removed from my chest. Thanks for your patience. Hopefully, we'll see you from the other side! 

Jen focuses on the issues of climbing Angel's Landing in Zion National Park, Utah. She begins the initial ascent after reaching the platform below, a popular turning point, quite a long hike in-and-of-itself.

The addendum seated upon the 'Angel'.
Jen about to reach the peak, her 10th occasion.
Bryce Canyon in Utah.
Calico Basin and Hills in Nevada.
London's Tower Bridge has moved to Bryce for the winter. (Please: No swimming below.)
Bryce's Fairyland for humans. Spot and take the gap.
Arriving at Kelso Dunes for real fun. I love the way Jen smooths out the dune tops to 'cutting like edges' before commencing the climb.
Kelso Dunes in California at sunset. Jen heads home in the 'spotlight'.
That is a sunset indeed.
A contrast with 'Death Valley's' Mesquite Flats, a true treasure...not forgetting the Dunes, too.
A view from 'Molly's Nipple' outside Zion National Park.
A view of 'Molly's Nipple' as one of us went up for a more circumspect view.
And they say it never rains in the deserts. So why do we need rainbows?
The following 3 are from Observation Point in Zion National Park, Utah. Jen relaxes again.
The big Rocks of the park accompanied by rock-heads, too.
Wherever one wanders, one is surrounding in wonders.
Views from Red-and-Black Mountains in Nevada of a tiny section of Lake Mead.
Jen hikes through Snow Canyon, some amazing flora.
Jen positions herself on the way up to Turtle Head in Las Vegas. Mount Charleston peeps at rear.
A view of the city from the peak.
Amboy Crater, California.
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey