The Traveller

Llano Estacado, November 2005

With Abby sick, though better, I wanted somewhere to hike that was less than a day away from home. I decided to revisit Caprock Canyons State Park and Palo Duro State Park in northwest Texas, camp a couple of nights, and see what developed.

West Texas Sunrise

Since this was something of a whirlwind trip, I chose not to write about it day by day, but to summarize the entire three days in the wild.

•Shot well on my drive, then set up camp at Caprock, this time in the Little Red tent camping area.

Reshoot, Leaning Tower of Brittain

•Hiked the surprisingly rugged Haynes Ridge Overlook Trail.

View from Haynes Overlook

•My campsite faces west. At night I can hear coyotes, like when we camped at Chaco. Midnight at Caprock: the moon, crescent, and a bright star set in front of me. Above, all the stars there are. Behind me, the flickering orange of my camp fire. It is breezy and warm, and I don’t need my camp coat. It is a good night on the llano estacado.

•I hiked so much in the last 24 hours that it seems like I have been here a week.

•The wind is insane in my tent at night. It keeps me awake with the flapping of my tent, and blows sand in through the rain fly.

•Trails I hiked: Canyon Loop, Eagle Point, Lower Canyon, Upper Canyon, and Haynes Overlook.

Upper Canyon

Natural Arch, Lower Canyon

•After breaking camp, I drove to Palo Duro Canyon nearby and hiked to the Lighthouse.

Lighthouse, Palo Duro Canyon

See the Llano Estacado gallery at richardbarron.net HERE.

Mokee Mokee, October 2005

For our first anniversary, Abby and I let Mitchell stay with a friend while she and I headed west.

With my wife at our favorite Texas rest stop

Day 1…

•Travel day. We make our usual stop at our favorite rest area in the Texas panhandle, which we visited on our first vacation together, the High Road, in 2003. We had fun playing around on the grounds and making a few pictures.

Abby photographs the Texas rest stop

•Staying in Santa Fe, we discovered that the Chinese place we liked so much the last two times we were here, Ten Ten, had become a truck salvage yard. We had Chinese food delivered by a place called “Little House” instead, and it was delicious.

Day 2…

• The next morning, we drove the Chama Valley and into Colorado, not shooting much, but instead just enjoying being together. We did, however, stop to shoot some nicely golden trees by the roadside in a valley.

Yellow trees and foothills in Colorado

• By late afternoon, we were fortunate to be at Mesa Verde National Park in time for sunset at Square Tower House.

Abby at Mesa Verde

•We stayed at the charming Mokee Motel in Bluff, Utah. On the High Road, Abby and I drove a cool high road called the Mokee Dugway. After that, and to this day, one of our nicknames for each other has been some permutation of Mokee, Dugway, or Mokee Dugway. Sometimes we answer phone calls from each other, “Mokee mokee!” Last year I discovered this motel in Bluff, and I told Abby we had to stay there. So this vacation, celebrating a year of being married, is named Mokee Mokee. By the way, we found the Mokee Motel to be among the nicest, most comfortable, and friendliest we have ever visited.

Mokee Motel, Bluff, Utah

Day 3…

•We made our way up to the Moab, Utah, area. We had a very nice drive through Arches National Park, where we got married last year, but Abby wasn’t feeling well enough to hike, so she insisted that I hike up to Delicate Arch anyway to shoot it at sunset. Despite Abby’s absence, and a sea of tourists, it was a worthwhile endeavor.

Delicate Arch near sunset

Day 4…

•We slept in, then had a very relaxing, romantic breakfast. We headed south, stopping at Hatch Point to see the Needles Overlook. It was a beautiful day. I think Abby and I were both surprised and delighted by what we experienced looking out over the vastness of this place, one of my favorite in the world. It was an excellent way to introduce Abby to Canyonlands.

Abby makes video at the Needles Overlook

It was an exceptionally romantic first anniversary trip. There is simple nowhere I would rather be than with her, on the road or on the trail, or just by her side.

See the Mokee Mokee page at richardbarron.net HERE. 

Sundance, July 2005

Many years ago, Abby and her family traveled to the open rangeland of Wyoming to hunt and camp. She wanted to return and see the sites as an adult, so we decided this would be a good time to go.

Devil’s Tower, Wyoming

Day 1…

•Travel Day. We drove into Nebraska, and on the way stopped and shot the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas, and a place called The Chubby Pickle by the side of the road somewhere.

Mitchell with the Twine Ball

Abby at The Chubby Pickle

Day 2…

•We stopped by Courthouse Rock and Jailhouse Rock in Nebraska, which didn’t make pictures. We also stopped at Chimney Rock, which was interesting from a historical perspective.

Chimney Rock, Nebraska

•Scotts Bluff National Monument

•Carhenge, the coolest stop of the trip so far. Exactly like it sounds, it is a replica of Stonehenge, made of grey painted cars. It was a beautiful day, and the light and sky were perfect for it.

Abby shooting in Nebraska

Abby at Carhenge

Day 3…

•It was a nice day, but hot. We drove to Devil’s Tower National Monument, where the Marklars were out in force. We left them behind by simply taking the first real trail around the tower, the Red Beds Trail. It was a 2.8-mile trail that took us the long way around the Tower.

Red Beds Trail, Devil’s Tower

On the Red Beds Trail

•Next was Sundance, Wyoming, and after visiting we named this trip “Sundance.” We saw and photographed a bronze statue of The Sundance Kid.

Mitchell and Sundance

•A brief stop at Sturgis to honor Abby’s motorcycle riding history was followed by our final stop at the Black Hills National Cemetery, which was elegant, beautiful, and according to Abby, “sobering.”

Abby’s image of the Black Hills National Cemetery

Day 4…

•We started the day at a tourist attaction/tourist trap called “Wall Drug.” It was garish, crowded and enormous, but we all had fun, especially Abby.

Mitchell riding giant jackrabbit at Wall Drug

•We arrived at Badlands National Park at 10 am, and while we saw the whole thing as fascinating, the light was harsh and bland, and the scenery itself was redundant. The Badlands are epic in scope, but not as interesting as, say, the Bisti Wilderness or Angel Peak.

Shooting at Badlands

•By far the most interesting thing about the day was the tour of the Minuteman Missile National Historical Site. It included the tour of a launch facility, as well as a drive out into the middle of nowehere to see an actual missile in its silo.

Ranger giving launch facility tour

•By late afternoon we drove the length of Badlands, making a few passable images. Then tonight at the motel, Mitchell swam with a very cute girl from Chicago who gave him her phone number.

Day 5…

•Two visits to Mount Rushmore, the first in the morning. They were powerwashing the mountain. It was amazingly crowded.

With Mitchell at Mount Rushmore

•Between visits we saw the Crazy Horse monument, and oddity that seems to have turned into a huge tourist affair. The monument itself is on a 100-year completion timetable.

With Mitchell at Crazy Horse

•Also, we had an excellent drive through Custer State Park.

Mitchell with wild burros, Custer State Park

•By nightfall, we had returned to Mount Rushmore for the lighting ceremony.

Day 6…

•We slept in, then took a tour of the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Air Force Base, which allowed us to actually go down inside a decommissioned Minuteman Missile silo.

•Abby and Mitchell were tired, and Mitchell wanted to swim, so I dropped them off at the motel and headed for Badlands, where I had a nice, decently difficult hike and made some really nice images.

Hiking at Badlands National Park

Day 7…

•Travel day. We were able to see the Enchanted World Doll Museum in Mitchell, South Dakota, and while we were there, photographed Mitchell with one of the four towns we visited called Mitchell. Later we photographed Abby in Abbyville, Kansas. It was an excellent end to a great family vacation.

Mitchell in Mitchell, South Dakota

Abby in Abbyville, Kansas

See the Sundance galleries at richardbarron.net HERE.

Any Trail, March 2005

Day 1…

•Up early in Farmington, New Mexico, I was at Shiprock by 8 am. I tried several rutted, rough roads, and was able to drive to the Shiprock Peak. It was gloomy, so I shot it in black-and-white.

The Road to Shiprock Peak

•Drove to Canyonlands and was on the trails by midday.

•Slickrock Foot Trail

Slickrock Foot Trail

•Confluence Trail (first section)

•Pothole Point Trail

•Squaw Flat Trail

Hiking at Squaw Flat

•Cove Spring Trail.

•Ended the day at Looking Glass Rock for excellent last light.

Shooting Looking Glass Rock

Day 2…

•Excellent hike at Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons in the San Rafael Swell. The day started out pretty cold, but the sun was out, and it was warming up by midday. My hikes totaled 9.2 miles, including some fairly narrow slots that required a bit of squeezing.

Hiking Little Wild Horse Canyon

Day 3…

•Made camp at Squaw Flat Campground in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.

Camp Site, Squaw Flat

•Absolutely epic day of hiking. I took the Peek-a-Boo Trail 5.2 miles to its end, where I hiked another two miles to a beautiful natural arch with the crass name “Paul Bunyan’s Potty.” Insanely cold, whipping wind.

On the Peek-a-Boo Trail

Day 4…

•Hiked from Squaw Flat to Chesler Park, one of the best features of the Needles. The trail itself is spectacular. Starting from the campground instead of Elephant Hill allowed me to see lots more of the Needles.

Hiking in Chesler Park

•Back at camp after a long, full day of hiking, I searched for a short spur trail where I could shoot the sunset.

Sunset, the Needles

•In camp, another cold night with a huge fire in my fire ring.

Camp Fire

Day 5…

•On the road home, I stopped at Hovenweep National Monument, with ruins architecturally similar to Chaco Canyon. The trail was just two easy miles, and provided a nice wind-down from the long hikes all week.

Hovenweep

•Finally, the long drive east, and the long-awaited warmth with Abby. As much I would have loved to have her along, some of my adventures on this trip were a test for me. It was cold and windy most of the time, too.

The Road Home

See the Any Trail galleries on richardbarron.net HERE.

The Ring, October 2004

This is our wedding trip. Abby and I discussed may options for when and where to get married, and we finally decided on a very special and beautiful place, Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah. Abby’s parents got married on October 12, and since early autumn seemed like a perfect time for an outdoor wedding, we agreed to that date. With Abby’s son (now our son) Mitchell with us, and a few friends and relatives meeting us in Moab, we tied the knot in the most beautiful place on earth.

Our wedding rings

Day 1…

•We convoyed with David Wheelock to Farmington, New Mexico, stopping for dinner at Ten Ten Chinese restaurant in Santa Fe, where Abby and I ate on the High Road in 2003. We all had a good trip, and were very excited about the upcoming events.

Abby at Ten Ten

Day 2…

•Drove north from Farmington, stopping first at Four Corners National Monument.

Photographing Four Corners

•Wilson Arch was next. Abby has an uncle named Wilson. We hiked all around the arch and had fun. Not far up the road was Hole ‘N the Rock, a tourist stop that was funny to see.

Abby at Hole ‘N the Rock

•After lunch in Moab, we hiked for a while in Arches, in the Devil’s Garden section.

Hiking in the Devil’s Garden

•My sister Nicole and her guest Stuart called to say they were running late, and were not here by bed time.

•Abby’s daughter Chele called to say she was running late because of a broken airliner in Phoenix.

Day 3…

•Married! Nearly private wedding ceremony at the Delicate Arch that was both simple and very emotional. (Funny side note: two Japanese women wanted to be photographed with us after the ceremony.)

•Pearl blue sky and moderate temperatures for the hike, which included Park Ranger Annie Corson, Abby, me, Mitchell, Chele, Nicole, Stuart, Michael, Thea, Wheelock, and surprise guest Robert Stinson.

Wedding Party

Wedding Party

•Good hike down and out, followed by lunch in Moab and the legal marriage ceremony at the Grand County Courthouse. Unknown to us ahead of time, Delicate Arch appears on our marriage license.

•Solid though easy hike with Mitch, Wheelock and Stinson down the Park Avenue trail (the rest of the crew returned to Moab for a nap), followed by shooting the golden moment at Balanced Rock.

•Wedding night bliss.

•”That was the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen.” -Nicole on the phone later

Day 4…

•Giant day in the Devil’s Garden, at first in whipping wind. We reached the Dark Angel at the end of the trail, then returned via the Primitive Loop Trail, which was difficult in spots and extraordinarily beautiful, and which Abby and Mitchell handled very well. Wheelock had a great time too. And you know me - give me a trail and watch me thrive. We are all very happy.

Abby and Mitchel, Devil’s Garden

Day 5…

•Drove without haste to Canyon de Chelly, where we hiked to the White House Ruin. It was a fine end to a perfect wedding trip.

Our Wedding

See our wedding photos at richardbarron.net HERE.

See our wedding at zig81.net HERE.

See The Ring gallery at richardbarron.net HERE.

First Light, July 2004

Day 1…

•Not bad for a travel day. It was a definite score at White Deer, Texas, where I was able to enter and photograph a wind farm. For lunch, burritos I made last night.

•By 4:30 I was at Capulin Volcano National Monument, which I hiked. The site was familiar from the 1999 visit, but the light was entirely different due to a huge thunderstorm that had just passed through.

At Capulin Volcano

Day 2…

•I arrived at Great Sand Dunes National Monument by mid-morning and hiked. Point of No Return Trail, Mosca Pass Trail, Sand Pit Trail. I also hiked to the top of High Dune, which is difficult because the sand itself is so loose. I was more alone the higher I went; I didn’t see anyone at the top. The sand was blowing fiercely on the dune peak.

Hiking at Great Sand Dunes

•Ended up in Alamosa, Colorado, for the night, as sandy as I have ever been.

Day 3…

•The drive north from Alamosa was fun but made few pictures. There were lots of hairpin turns and alpine scenery that all looked kind of alike.

•I was at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park by 1 pm. At the north rim ranger station, I had to change the date on the stamp because no one had used it.

•Went to reserve a camp site and found I had my pick of all 13.

•Hiked the 3.5-mile Green Mountain Trail, which offers excellent views of the entire canyon. In the four hours up and down, I never saw anyone else.

View from Green Mountain

•No cell phone service in the canyon, but got it suddenly from up high. I called Abby and told her I couldn’t call later.

•Slept well in my nearly-private camp site.

My only visitor for the night

Day 4…

•Up before dawn, I wanted to photograph the sunrise at the Chasm View Overlook, which was nice.

Self Portrait, Sunrise, Black Canyon

•Broke camp and drove to Colorado National Monument.

•Fair light and some very interesting popcorn thunderstorms made good pictures. I hiked a few trails.

Thunderstorm, Colorado National Monument

•Decided to drive through the passes to Denver, which is a spectacular journey through the Rockies.

Day 5…

•I slept until 7 am in Denver, then headed south. In Colorado Springs, I saw a sign for the Air Force Academy, where I stopped and shot their very beautiful chapel.

At Air Force Chapel

•Also in Colorado Springs, I hiked around Garden of the Gods for about an hour. It was crowded, but not bad for a city park.

Mule Deer, Garden of the Gods

•Slipped over the mountains for a peek at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, which wasn’t very interesting or very photogenic.

•Shot a lot on the rest of my drive to Amarillo. In all, this trip made excellent pictures.

Perico, Texas

See the First Light galleries at richardbarron.net HERE.

The Confluence, March 2004

Day 1…

•Up early and on the road all day with Michael.

Driving Michael’s Element, New Mexico

•We made two or three good images, and, except for worthless restaurant service, we’ve had a pretty decent travel day. Michael’s Honda Element is well-suited to piling-style packing, and seems like a good road vehicle. We are sharing the driving.

Sign in Moriarty, in motion

•As usual, we drove from gloomy weather in Oklahoma to sunshine and a great sunset in New Mexico.

Michael, abandoned car along I-40

•Michael is all about shooting. For a while east of and through Albuquerque, he had his camera in his hands for an hour, sometimes even shooting out the window through the glass.

Day 2…

•The drive from Farmington to Moab has produced nice images, including the Hogback, the Abajo Mountains, Church Rock, and Wilson Arch.

•Michael got his Element stuck in some hidden mud east of Monticello while we were photographing the Abajos. I got out and pushed, but we had more luck when he got out and pushed and I drove.

•After lunch in Moab, UT, we hit the trail in Arches National Park, hiking the Devils Garden trail to Double-O Arch. Along the trail were some arches that I had no idea would be so cool.

Hiking in the Devil’s Garden

Day 3…

•Shot the Courthouse Towers on the way in to Arches at first light.

•Found our way to the Windows section for the classic shot through the North Window of Turret Arch.

•Hiked to Delicate Arch, which we then explored more than we had in 2002. We also drove to the Delicate Arch viewpoint.

Michael in Arches NP

At Delicate Arch Viewpoint

•After lunch and a few miscellaneous items to kill time, we took the ranger-guided tour of the Fiery Furnace.

Fiery Furnace Tour

•Shot a nice wave-like formation in the Windows section as evening approached. Met a nice woman in Double Arch who said it was her favorite place in the world, and we bid each other “Namasté.” We caught last light at the Garden of Eden section.

Garden of Eden, Sunset

Day 4…

•Drove to the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. Stopped at the visitor center to buy gifts for Abby and Mitchell.

•Made the short hike to Mesa Arch, which didn’t really make pictures.

•Hiked the Crater View trail at the Syncline Loop.

At Upheaval Dome, Canyonlands

•Hiked the short trails at Whale Rock and Aztec Butte.

•After lunch, during which I spilled lentils on my 300mm, we drove to the Green River Overlook.

•Hiked the Murphy Point trail to the point.

•Hiked the White Rim Overlook Trail to the overlook.

Michael at Green River Overlook

•Finally, a niiiice sunset at Grand View.

Sunset, Grand View Point

Day 5…

•Our longest hike of the trip, in the Needles district in Canyonlands, to Druid Arch. The hike follows Elephant Canyon for most of its length, which is very beautiful. As the day progressed, we were greeted by record heat, and by noon it was 80 degrees. The last quarter mile of the approach involved a bit of scrambling. The arch itself was much larger and more impressive than I thought it would be. By the time we reached the arch, Michael’s knee was killing him. He made it back to the trailhead, but ended the day in considerable pain.

Michael in Elephant Canyon

Near Druid Arch

Druid Arch, Canyonlands

•Paul the Park Ranger found gummy bears stuck to the tips of yuccas near Elephant Hill.

Day 6…

•Drove to Canyon de Chelly, where we walked to a few of the overlooks.

•By evening, we were in Petrified Forest National Park for last light.

Sunset, Petrified Forest

I shot well and we had a lot of fun, and I was very happy to come home to Abby and share it with her.

See the Confluence galleries at richardbarron.net HERE.

See the Confluence at zig81.com HERE.

Desert Cold, November 2003

David Martin is very, very interested in Chaco Canyon and the Anasazi (a Navajo word meaning “Ancient Ones”). Two years ago was an excellent trip for both of us, but we both feel powerfully drawn to return to the beauty and mystery of Chaco.

Chacra Mesa and Fajada Butte at sunset, Chaco Canyon

Day 1…

•We got off to an early start. As usual, we drove through gloomy weather until we hit the New Mexico border, where the clouds parted. Forecasts for our destination indicate a slight chance of rain. Snow would be nice. At the visitor’s center near Tumcumcari, we got materials about all kinds of stuff we don’t have time to see. Next time, next time.

•Military truck: NPOKUS.

•Sign at Cline’s Corners: “Mugs, spoons, shotglasses: huge selection.”

•In Moriarty, stopped at El Comedor Restaurant to photograph large spiked, rotating sign, later nicknamed “The Mohedrus.”

Sign at El Comedor, Moriarty, NM

•Made camp before dark, then hiked the Chaco Canyon Overlook Trail for a brief sunset image.

Cairn, Chaco Overlook Trail

Day 2…

•It rained off and on all night, but was dry by morning

•We hiked the Peñasco Blanco Trail, the longest in the canyon, in the morning, in some very unusual light, with a cold wind swirling around us. Peñasco Blanco is an outlier of the main Chacoan community. A spur trail took us to the famous Supernova Platograph, which is believed to represent the sighting of the Crab Supernova of July 5, 1054, which was also recorded by Chinese and Arab astronomers, and may have been visible during daylight hours for 23 days after it occurred.

Supernova Platograph, Chaco Canyon

•Very nice afternoon hike to the Canyon Overlook, followed by last light at Pueblo Bonito

At the overlook trail

Pueblo Bonito, last light

Day 3…

•Very cold last night.

•Pearl blue skies and bright sun for this morning’s hike to Tsin Kletsin, one of the best in the canyon. We made the loop, starting at Casa Rinconada, and returning via the south gap. We have now hiked every trail in Chaco Canyon.

David at Casa Rinconada

•After lunch we broke camp, then hiked Wijiji, one of the lonelier trails in the canyon, under perfectly blue skies.

David at Tsin Kletsin

Along the Tsin Kletsin trail

Day 4…

•Aztec Ruins National Monument; I shot more and better than I expected, including some interesting black-and-white. Cold air and blue skies - I shot the cliché view inside the great kiva.

At Aztec Ruins National Monument

•We spent the rest of the day at Angel Peak Recreation Area, which we found to be visually very interesting, but lacking in trails and facilities. We hiked to the bottom of some canyons and arroyos before positioning ourselves for sunset.

David with empty trail register, Angel Peak

Day 5…

•At the “Plague Town,” made better pictures than the last two times combined.

•Odd event, near the New Mexico-Texas border: we saw state troopers stop the entire flow of traffic in the opposite direction on I-40. About five minutes later, they stopped all traffic in our direction of travel. After about 15 minutes, with no explanation, they opened our direction.

Chaco Canyon pictographs

See the Desert Cold galleries on richardbarron.net HERE.

The High Road, July 2003

This was my first vacation with Abby Milligan, who was destined to become my wife.

Abby at our first rest stop in Texas

We got the name for this trip from the Third Eye Blind song Crystal Baller. We had a tape of Third Eye hits and listened to it over and over, singing along the whole time…

Can we try and take the high road though we don’t know where it ends
I want to be your Crystal Baller
I want to show you how it ends…

Day 1…

•Traveled well together. Abby is so excited that she is giggling.

•Perfectly timed to shoot the sunset and last light at Cuervo, a town in disrepair that we dubbed a “ghost town,” that I had photographed once before.

Cuervo “ghost town”, New Mexico

Day 2…

•We took the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway (instead of driving), then hiked through the trail system to the peak, where we had lunch. It was Abby’s first veggie burger.

•Hiked the shorter of the two loops at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, which was far more interesting and more expansive than I imagined it would be.

Abby at Tent Rocks

•In Santa Fe, we discovered one of the best Chinese places we have even experienced, next door to our motel, called “Ten Ten.” It was Abby’s first time to have Egg Foo Yung.

After dinner in Santa Fe
Day 3…

This trip is getting increasingly good. We are so happy. It’s hot, but we are tolerating it well.

•White Rock Overlook.

At White Rock Overlook

•Bandelier National Monument

Abby at Bandelier

•Soda Dam.

•Jemez State Monument.

•Church at San Ysidro.

Everything today was a beautiful surprise.

Day 4…

Another succulent, energetic, creative passage down the High Road…

•Acoma Sky City

Abby at Acoma Sky City

•La Ventana (Spanish for The Window) Natural Arch. The trail that was closed two years ago was open this time, and we hiked up to and under the arch.

Abby at the Petrified Forest

•Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park. Wild wind; light was muted by smoke from distant forest fires.

Day 5…

•Long drive from Page, Arizona into Utah, through Monument Valley. Still experienced haze from smoke to our south.

•Drove up the Mokee Dugway, a steep, narrow gravel section of Utah 261 that ascends Cedar Mesa.

The Mokee Dugway

•At Natural Bridges National Monument, we hiked down to Sipapu Bridge. Nice little hike. We both had a great time.

•Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park.

Abby at Goosenecks of the San Juan

•Sunset near Kayenta.

Day 6…

•Vermilion Cliffs and Navajo Bridge over the Colorado.

With Abby at Vermilion Cliffs

•Grand Canyon. Though crowded, being there together was great.

•Kaibab National Forest.

•Giant Jackrabbit near Winslow, Arizona.

Riding the giant jackrabbit

Originally this trip was just intended to explore the area around Tent Rocks and Bandelier in New Mexico, but as we traveled and had so much fun together, we decided to see more and more. We had the times of our lives.

See The High Road at richardbarron.net HERE.

Chihuahua, April 2003

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Day 1…

•Nine-hour drive to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas. I arrived early enough to get the key to the gate that allowed me to photograph the gypsum dunes on the west end of the park. There are four keys to the gate, but I had the only one checked out, so I was entirely alone.

Gypsum Dunes, Guadalupe Mountains NP

•Set up camp in the Pine Springs Campground. Set up my camp chair and discovered I had excellent cellular service, so I talked to Abby for over an hour.

•With two deer right next to my tent watching, I made a two-hour star trace photo.

Two-hour Star Trace

Day 2…

•Hiked the El Capitan Trail, where I met a guy named John from San Antonio, who told me he was training for the Appalachian Trail. I hiked with him for a couple of hours.

•Hiked the Smith Spring Trail in the afternoon. Fair images on both.

Along the El Capitan Trail

•Warned of forecast for 60mph winds for the night, so I broke camp and headed to Carlsbad.

Day 3…

•Took the Natural Entrance at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Made some decent pictures, since I had my tripod.

Natural Entrance, Carlsbad Caverns

•Drove long, lonely county road to Sitting Bull Falls in the Lincoln National Forest west of the Carlsbad area.

•I’m 39. The last time I saw Carlsbad Caverns, my parents were 39.

Day 4…

•Hiked to the top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. It was, as the Park Service claims, strenuous, ascending about 3000 feet from the trailhead to an elevation of 8749. It was hazy all day, but still very fun. I called Abby from the top.

With marker, Guadalupe Peak

Overall, I had an exceptional trip, and I felt like I accomplished all my goals.

See the Chihuahuan Desert photos at richardbarron.net HERE.