Occupation of Independence

 The gravel road seemed in pretty good shape.  And that made me suspicious.  I vaguely remembered some wet arroyo crossings on this road. Sure enough.  We soon came upon a wet crossing with tire ruts over a foot deep in the muck.  I stopped and walked the ruts.  They appeared to have good traction.  I got so much satisfaction at being patient with this crossing!  Why does it take so much effort for a driver to 'look before they leap?'  Of course there is a big off-road 4WD industry out there who pushes just the opposite approach: be in a hurry, be on a macho and noisy rampage, and solve your transportation problems by spending huge amounts of money. Further on, there were hopeless wet spots as suspected.  I didn't even challenge them.  Instead I used another road that resulted in one of the most satisfying bike rides in years.  It was satisfying because it was close enough to see some marvelous scenery, but not too close, where...

People who are new to camping must think that coldness is the main issue with camping in winter.  But actually coldness is a secondary issue.  The real problem is short daylight hours.  Some people -- myself included -- start thinking of going to sleep when it gets dark in the evening.  Well, that is fine if you are capable of sleeping that many hours.  But most people aren't, especially older people. How do you break this habit of letting darkness lure you into going to sleep?   1.  Use lots of electrical lighting.  This is easier than it used to be, because of better batteries and LED lights. 2.  Make an effort to walk around more.  Don't just sit in a chair.  People who have larger RVs must have an easier time with this.  Van people must have a terrible time. 3.  Put on a headlamp and do chores at the tow vehicle or just outside your RV.  What about walking the dog at night?  Concern about night-time pred...

Central Utah.  How could any place on planet Earth be as lifeless and plant-free as this place?  Even somebody who has previously visited rocky and barren places in the Southwest can't help but ask this.  But it can make for some interesting photos if the sunlight is low in the sky or if clouds help by making shadows. No trees, no grass.  Just a few scrubby bushes with a sickly grey yellow color. But this isn't the hottest and dryest land in the Southwest.  The geology must have something to do with the lack of vegetation. But a person can learn to enjoy the "negative beauty of tragic tones", as Thomas Hardy would put it.  But in small doses!  You wouldn't want to see too many months of this. I usually descend to the lower elevations of this area, near the Green and Colorado Rivers, during the Thermal Collapse of late October.  Typically some rain happens.  And all this rock can make you appreciate that you are not stuck in mud.  I somet...

 Despite the warm autumn weather I have made it down into central Utah.  It certainly is the kind of place that keeps photographers happy. But I found something more interesting than the scenery.  Once again, consider the hunters.  They are not really finding food in an economical way: for what they are spending on their sport they could buy an awful lot of food at the grocery store.   But they must have enough perspicuity to find satisfaction in connecting with something fundamental in life.  Our species didn't come into existence a couple hundred thousand years ago as scenery tourists.  They hunted and gathered for a living.  What about me, today?  Could I connect with something fundamental?  How would I find food here? I noticed a thick carpet of pinyon pine cones on the ground, and felt embarrassed that I knew nothing about the timing of pine nut production.  Then, a few steps from my camper, I found some cones still on the...