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Docked in Nampa, Idaho
Ann’s parents are getting ready to float a stretch of the Snake river in their kayaks with a group of friends when we meet at Celebration Park on the river. We see them off and head for their house in Nampa. This will be our chance to reconfigure our mobile living setup with access to…
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Bruneau Dunes Overnight
It’s a little stormy when we pull in to Bruneau Dunes state park. A blustery wind whips sand off the tall dunes like spindrift on a snowy peak. We’ve seen on the map that there are two small lakes at the base of the dunes, an odd juxtaposition, but we can’t see them from the…
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Twin Falls, Idaho
We want to check out the climbing in Twin Falls before rushing off, so we spend a few days. Idaho feels like a different world from Nevada – there are rain clouds when we cross the border! We parallel Salmon creek north – a flow of water that would be a major river in New…
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Cave Creek Trail
We’re fortunate we choose to go clockwise around this loop. The western trailhead is well marked, and there are plenty of signs along the trail, then they disappear. At least there is still tread to follow, and it eventually spills onto the forest service with no marking other than a “closed to motor vehicles” post.…
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Mission to Square Top
We’re curious about any climbing routes on the unmistakable Squaretop limestone summit, but information is scarce. Rather than try to haul climbing gear up for nothing, we make a hike of it. The Cave Lake state park trail system is newly maintained and well-signed, so we no trouble getting to the pass south of Square…
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Boondocked near Cave Lake State Park
Extra driving and a very snowy looking Wheeler Peak convince us to pass Great Basin National Park. Before reaching Ely, Nevada, we turn toward Cave Lake State Park, where enticing limestone formations jut up out of the earth. I need a phone signal to work, so we camp outside the park on an open hillside…
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Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada
We pull in knowing nothing about this park. Up the canyon a ways we can see some strange looking landscapes, but first we’re interested in the shower. We had to use our on-board shower in Saint George. It’s functional, but a full size shower and water heater feel luxurious now. We sleep soundly under our…
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The Dinky Cone
Today we put the rig together and head north. Saint George has been great, but it’s getting hot. There are some climbing crags in the mountains outside of Cedar City, 48 miles north, but when we reach the access road a sign says the road is closed at Cedar Breaks. Thoughts of alpine meadows and…
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A last trip to Prophesy Wall
This is my favorite of the areas we’ve visited while in Saint George, and it’s shady in the morning, so we offer to take Justin here before his shift at work. High clouds make the morning feel especially cool. This is a much higher wall than Green Valley Gap and Chuckawalla offer, and at first…
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Ubimark.com
This is one of a couple of projects I’ve been working on with Dr. Sorin Matei at Purdue University. The website is related to content in print books, with Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days illustrating the launch. Geo Mashup maps represent locations in the book, which contains print links that can be…