Fun (Wet) Times in (Very Wet) (and Cold) Vancouver

While i was naturally very excited to go to Vancouver to shoot Scott & Christi's bridals and wedding i was also very excited to see my aunt and uncle (and my cousin & her baby), and to go HIKE to some beautiful waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge!
i managed to talk my aunt into hiking out to Ramona Falls out by Mt. Hood. I was very encouraged (and a little surprised) to see blue skies (between all the clouds, naturally) when i landed in Vancouver. We stopped by the house, dropped off my bags, and then headed out towards the trailhead which was about an hour away.
Our enthusiasm begin to shrink just a little as we got closer to the mountain and the skies got darker and darker. By the time we were half way the rain was coming down pretty hard. We stopped at a ranger station to get a Forest Service permit and maybe some maps and also some advice that it was too "dangerous" to hike out there in these conditions.
Fortunately my aunt wasn't deterred and neither was i! Even the continuing rain and occasional lightning couldn't turn us around. And fortunately, i had brought my raincoat. Because it was still coming down when we started hiking. But it was still a really pretty trail and hiking in the rain seemed almost like a right of passage for hiking in the pacific northwest.
About half way (or so) to the falls the rain stopped and patches of blue started to peek through the clouds. We even caught a couple of (partial) glimpses of Mt. Hood! Unfortunately, by the time we got to the falls it was already getting a little late and we were losing daylight rather quickly, especially with all the clouds.
So i took as many pictures as i could, but it was cold, getting darker, and the mist from the falls kept blowing all over my lens. I guess i'll just have to go back again when i have more time to take more pictures (and when it's not so cold!). But it was definitely VERY beautiful!

We hiked out to Ramona Falls on Monday and on Tuesday i shot Scott & Christi's bridals. Wednesday morning i drove out to the Japanese Gardens in Portland. And guess what... it was raining. Again. i even bought a rain cover for my camera, but it was always raining so hard i didn't want to get it out and put it on my camera. I know, makes a lot of sense. I had an umbrella, but let me tell you, setting up your camera and tripod to take a photo while simultaneously trying to hold an umbrella over yourself and your gear is a PAIN!

And yes, it REALLY was that green! And that's probably the nice thing about the rain and the clouds. It really just made everything feel lush and fresh.

But don't be disappointed if you don't get the same results. I did use one special tool, a polarizing filter. What does a polarizing filter do? Simple, the same thing your polarized sunglasses do - remove reflections. Without a polarizing filter, a lot of what you see as green would be white instead from the light reflecting off all the wet leaves. If i'm not too lazy i'll try to find one of the ones i took without the filter to show you the difference. But you know me, i'm pretty lazy.

Yes, i know these are all the same waterfall. But it was really pretty, so too bad. If you don't like it just close your eyes and scroll down a couple of lines.

One difference between your polarized sunglasses and a polarized filter is that you have to turn the filter to get the results you want. Screw the filter onto your lens and then twist the filter until the reflections are diminished. Also, usually a polarizing filter works best when it's used perpendicular to the light source (sun). But here, when everything was wet and the light was filtering through the clouds, it seemed to work well in any direction. In just about all the pictures here i was using a polarizing filter.

One other thing about polarizing filters is that they reduce the light coming through so a tripod comes in handy for the subsequent slower shutter speeds.

I absolutely LOVED this little section! I love Zen gardens, and i thought this was SO cool! i definitely want one, but i'd want some bonsai trees, or trees in addition to the rocks in the garden. And this was definitely more gravel than sand, probably easier to maintain.

It's so simple yet just striking and beautiful in an odd sort of way. I don't know, maybe just the simplicity of it brings this peaceful feeling. And while i like playing with the little desktop ones, the act of raking and all that is soothing and calming. But the bigger, lifesize one has a much more profound effect.

I love this tree! i want to get my little bonsai tree to look like a miniature version of this. So much thought and effort goes into shaping and trimming these trees. Of course i'm clueless on trimming mine. Every time i try to trim it i just make it worse i think.


After the Japanese Gardens i went over to the rehearsal for the upcoming wedding. It was good to meet the very competent wedding planner and get a feel for where i'd be shooting the next day. After the rehearsal i had planned to get another hike in, but Scott and Christi's incredibly nice families invited me out to the luncheon with them. Of course it was raining when i arrived and i had to find a parking spot on the street and because of the rain i didn't really pay that much attention to where i parked. i figured i'd just be walking right back from the ballroom. But instead we walked over to the restaurant which kind of disoriented me. So i had to go refresh the meter half way through lunch. i walked out the back of the hotel thinking i'd be on the right street, but i couldn't see the car. So i ran up one block and turned left, ran down that block, still didn't see it (i'm running because the meter has expired by now and it's pouring rain), so i turned left again and ran down that block, turned left again (now i'm back on the street where i started just a block down) and sure enough the car was there, i just went the wrong direction when i came out of the hotel. But at least now i was all wet! Doh!
So after lunch i headed out too see if i could still fit a couple of hikes in. I had grand plans and i wanted to see how much i could still get accomplished. So i headed about 40 miles down the Gorge to Cascade Locks and the Bridge of the Gods. As you're going from the freeway to the bridge there's a little trailhead for the PCT. For those in the know, that's the Pacific Crest Trail. Anyway, of course it was STILL raining, but i had my rain coat and figured i'd be fine. This is only one shot i took going down the PCT. SOOOOO pretty and green! I would've taken more pictures, but it kept pouring rain. There were a couple breaks, but otherwise it POURED!!! But it was still really pretty. I wish i'd had time to put my polarizer on or set up my tripod, but it was just too wet.

Oh, right, i forgot to mention where i was going. I headed down the PCT for Dry Creek Falls. Obviously, there was nothing "dry" about this hike or the waterfall. Soooooo pretty! Now keep in mind that i had just purchased some rain covers for my camera, but did i think to bring them again? Nope. That would be too smart. And of course it started pouring again when i got there. And this time i didn't have an umbrella! Doh!

But i had brought my lightweight camping towel to dry myself off in case i got wet. So i just put that over the camera and lens while i set up my shot, then i'd move the towel real quick, take the picture, wipe the lens off, and then put the towel back. Yeah it worked real great, seeing as how part of the towel ended up in a bunch of my pictures. Doh again! But at least the camera stayed (mostly) dry.

A sane person would probably just take a couple of pictures and then bust out of there as quickly as possible, but i couldn't. It was just too pretty! i even switched out lenses in the rain so i could shoot some photos with my wide angle lens.

And of course even after i finished taking pictures of the falls i had to walk back down stream to get more pictures of the pretty creek. Yes, it was still raining.

Think it was worth it? You can see the falls there off to the right. Everything is just so crazy lush and green!

i want to live out here and just go find the source of a creek and then just walk down it and take tons and tons of pictures. Each section is different and absolutely beautiful. So many little falls, i could've spent SO much longer here! But i did still want to try and get another couple of hikes in so off i went back to the car.
By the time i got back to the car i was DRENCHED. Apparently my rain coat is only so waterproof. My coat was drenched, my shirt was drenched, my shoes were drenched, my pants were drenched, EVERYTHING was soaking wet. Well, except my backpack, i wisely brought my waterproof one and that ended up being a VERY good idea. It was also a good idea to at least bring a dry shirt too. i brought dry socks too, but since i wanted to hike more i figured i might as well leave the wet ones on (they were smartwool, of course, so they were still keeping my feet warm... kinda).

The daylight was fading fast, it was still raining, and now i was wet and cold, but i wasn't giving up on my crazy plans. So i figured i'd head out across the Bridge of the Gods back into Washington, down the highway to Carson and up the Wind River Rd. (or something) to Panther Creek Falls. It was probably at least 30-45 minutes away, but a really short hike. i followed the directions in Curious Gorge (a great hiking guide to the Gorge) and found the unmarked trailhead. I hiked down the trail a few hundred yards and found this - two falls combining into one spectacular display!

There's a viewing platform from the top of the falls, but the guidebook also said you could scramble down to the base of the falls. Of course, my raincoat was soaked, but at least it had stopped raining for a little bit. So downclimbed a little (wet) mossy wall, and then hiked down to the base of the falls (nearly sliding onto my butt in the mud on more than one occasion).

It was super pretty and green and mossy from the bottom, but the mist kept getting all over my lens again, and it was making me VERY cold. There still more falls below this one, but i couldn't figure out how to get there and i was too cold anyway.

But naturally by the time i got back up to the top of the falls i just had to take more pictures of the pretty creek leading down to the falls. If they seem a little dark it was because i was frustrated from earlier pictures where the waterfall was just a solid white line, i didn't want to lose the detail in the water.

I absolutely love this one! The falls with all the old growth trees along the banks in the background. i wish i could've gotten a better angle with more of the falls, but i wasn't willing to get any more wet and it had started raining again.

So i snapped a few more pictures and headed back for the car. i would've loved to head out to Falls Creek Falls, but it was still another 30-45 minutes away, plus at least that much hiking. And i just didn't think there'd be enough light by the time i got out there to take any pictures. Plus it was cold and rainy and i couldn't put my rainjacket back on because it was still drenched. i thought maybe i could hit Beacon Rock on the way back instead, a short little mile long out-n-back, but then i picked up a severe wind advisory on my phone's weather alert. And of course it had started raining again. Oh well, i still had a BLAST!

The next day, before the wedding, i had really wanted to head up Oneonta Gorge. But i knew i'd have to swim a little ways up it and when i woke up guess what it was doing outside. Yep, raining. And the rain i could handle, but it was also barely 40 degrees. Being that wet, swimming up a rather cold creek, and all that on day where i'd be lucky if it broke 50 degrees. Even i'm not THAT crazy. Oh well, one more reason to come back out there again!
Now don't get me wrong, in spite of all the rain, and somewhat colder weather, i still had a great time. And i would still love to live out there. I think it just comes down to being better prepared. Getting a better rain coat, wearing my waterproof shoes and gore tex pants, bring some waterproof gloves, actually using the raincover for my camera. It might rain a lot, but if that's the price you pay for all the green, then i guess i'll take... at least for a little while. Plus i don't think it'd be so bad if it was a little warmer.
Oh, and a little teaser for future posts, i still have MORE waterfall pictures from my last trip i've yet to post. I just haven't been able to decide which ones i liked best yet.

Hooray for Snowshoes!

Ummm... In case you're wondering, no, i am not posting these in any particular order. See, here's the deal. I'd really like to post some of the pictures i took from my last trip to Moab, or Death Valley or any number of trips i've taken. But the problem is that i take WA-HA-HA-HAY too many pictures. i can't decide which ones to post. And by now, geesh, i probably can't remember where i was when i took a particular picture anyway. So i suppose the order i'm posting these in is by which ones are easiest to post.
So i finally broke down (half way through the winter) and bought a pair of nice snowshoes. Why, you ask? Duh, so i could go hiking in the winter! No, not so i could die in an avalanche. Anyway, i was very excited to try my new snowshoes out on my first winter hike. So you can imagine my disappointment when i got to the trail and saw this...

Yep, that's mud. Look, there's even a mud PUDDLE right there. And no, this is not the beginning of the trail. It's probably about half way (see, i already don't remember).

By the time i got near the top it looked like this. Yeah, that's a blizzard! Crazy! But go figure, i STILL didn't need the snowshoes. Oh, by the way, don't you love how sometimes my text for the picture is above and sometimes below the picture? Ummm, so now i don't know if i should caption the next picture right here, or below the picture...

Fine, i'll go below. That funny looking guy is me. Yeah, this time i didn't have my ultrapod, and besides, i was at the top, there was nowhere to put it (that means i had to do one of those goofy "hold the camera at arm's length" things - i hate those). And besides, from the picture, can you tell if anything is missing? Go on, look hard... No, the answer is not good lucks, that's too obvious. The answer is my coat. Yeah, i forgot my coat. i drove all the way up Millcreek Canyon, got all my stuff out, and realized i forgot my coat at home. i had my fleece liner, and of course the snowshoes, but no coat. Fortunately, when i started the hike, it wasn't very cold so i figured it wouldn't be a big deal. Obviously by the time i got to the top i didn't want to spend any longer up there in the blizzard than necessary.
Oh, and look, i forgot to tell you where i even went hiking. I thought i'd start easy be attempting the relatively easy (and avalanche free) 5 mile hike up to Grandeur Peak. There's supposed to be a great view, but i obviously wouldn't know anything about that (it was a blizzard, remember? Even i remember that.). Guess i'll have to go back. But it was still really fun to get out and go hiking in the winter.
Aw man, see, now i have to go back to the top or you won't know what this next pictures is of. So i think this was my next attempt to use my snowshoes. This is Big Cottonwood Canyon on the trail up to Lake Blanche - which i had never done. The idea was to hike to Lake Blanche and then potentially on up to Sundial Peak. Unfortunately, in spite of my best efforts to obtain a hiking partner (using craigslist of course) i ended up going alone (i did find someone, but he had to bail last minute). Alright, i'm going to stick to the top now (for my captions).
So on my way up the trail (which, of course, is hard packed snow so i don't need the snowshoes - AGAIN!) i met a guy coming down who said to watch out for the moose and her calf a ways up the trail. I was like, "Great, a momma moose and her baby, she's going to be all paranoid and stuff." So i get up to where i can see the moose (worrying every step that she's moved and on the trail ready to charge me) and decided i better go off trail to give her PLENTY of room (the trees they're in are, like, five feet from the trail). So i veer off the trail and immediately start wishing i was wearing the snowshoes. The trail was packed, everything else was NOT. I'm sinking up to my knees, my waist, past my waist in snow. Great, well i'm definitely not a sitting duck now if she decides to charge me. But it was still cool to see some wildlife.

Geesh, i just noticed that it's really hard to tell what animal (if any) that is behind all the trees. Sorry, i was being a little paranoid. While going way out and around the moose, go figure, two more guys come along, stick to the trail, get up close and get some undoubtedly MUCH better pictures and just keep going. Meanwhile i'm still stuck up to my neck in snow. Doh.
Anyway... This is one of the first views you get of the top of Sundial Peak. It may also be where i either put my snowshoes on, or took off my coat.

This is a much closer and better view of Sundial Peak. It's supposedly one of the most picturesque peaks of the Wasatch Front. Up ahead is a little lake. It's hard to tell because it's obviously frozen and covered in snow.

Once i got to where the lake was i saw a trail branching off to the right and figured it might be the route around the lake and then on up the mountain. Eventually i got to around this point and discovered it was just an alternate route back down. But i didn't want to go down yet.

See that little clump of trees i circled? That's where i hit the lake and then headed off to the right. Where the tracks started heading back this way is where i realized that trail was just going back down. Looking back up the mountain i could see at least one person had gone up in this general direction before me (backcountry skiers - you could see their tracks carving sweet lines down the surrounding mountains). So off i went, and no, i did not fall down that cliff-looking section. Then i hiked all the way up to where i am taking the picture from, those are my fresh tracks in that powder. Now THAT was what i got the snowshoes for! But man, it was exhausting work! I still sank a good 6-12 inches in the snow with every step. I know, probably too fat for my snowshoes - doh! Anyway, i got up to this point and realized a couple things. If i kept heading up the mountain i'd probably be late for my racquetball appointment with Bill later that evening, and the surrounding terrain was much steeper (which means increased avalanche danger) than i originally thought and i probably shouldn't head up by myself.

This is just a close-up so you can see my tracks and also the little clump of trees by the lake.

Coming down was WAY faster than going up, i figured out that you could kind of just take these big running steps directly down the hillside! SO FUN! Granted you have to make sure you get your strides just right or you wipe out. Uh, not that i would know that or anything though...
So right here i've just gotten back across the lake. i actually just walked across it. Those are my tracks going across what i can only imagine has to be the lake. That did make me a little nervous. Not knowing where the lake actually was, how deep it was, how thick the ice was. But i made it across. Woo hoo!

And here i met some other hikers (who did NOT have snowshoes and wished they did) and i took some pictures for them and they took some for me. I know, sorry, like you wanted to see that.


I even talked them into taking some pictures of me running real quick. But the picture doesn't do it justice.

Well, that was definitely a fun hike and i will most certainly be headed back up there. i'd love to still get to the top of Sundial and the lake location with Sundial in the back is sure to make some beautiful pictures.
Alright, you can wake up now, i'm done.

Havasu Day 3: Edits

Man, i'm a slacker. I'm not even close to a vacation post per day! I tell ya! I guess just work and other stuff (like broken down cars) have kept me fairly busy lately. But here are the Day 3 edits i promised from Mooney and Beaver Falls. I also finally got some of the GPS issues worked out and should be able to post better maps here soon too. ("Soon" of course is relative, but i don't think anyone really cares about the maps anyway).
These first few pics are Mooney Falls. I used one of my favorite softening techniques on this edit, but i'm not sure how well it worked. (Don't forget that you can click on the picture to make it bigger). i used it on a bunch of these pictures to add to the dreamy feeling of watefalls, but i'm wondering if the soft feel detracts from the canyon's walls too much. Let me know what you think.

I was hoping to have some time to catch up next week while i'm out of town on business. I'm going to Williamsburg, Virginia for a week for my first of three (seperate) weeks of the New Leader Program course. I'm excited and nervous about the course. Technically, this should be a great opportuntiy to learn some valuable skills and will really benefit my resume and future job opportunities. But i'm also nervous that i'll be the youngest person in the class and that the local parts of the course (it's actually 6 months long) that i have to complete at my job will detract from its effectiveness. We'll see.

But the point was that i was hoping i'd have time to catch up some of these vacation posts while i'm away. Then i realized how much cool stuff there's going to be to do in the area and how little time i'll have!

Check it out: Colonial Williamsburg is a whole one mile away from my hotel! I think the potential for great shots (like from Rachel's recent trip to San Francisco) will be great. But you know, i'll be the photographer. That and by the time i get out of class everything will already be closed.

I'm really bummed about how little time i'll actually have out there. But there was only one flight out from SLC to Newport News on Sunday that would actually get me there in time for the orientation. So i get there too late to do anything on Sunday. And our hotels are only booked through Friday, and my flight out departs (again the only one) right after the last class. Doh!
I know these next two are the same, but i softened one and sharpened the other, what do you think, which do you like better?

As if having Colonial Williamsburg right down the street wasn't enough, there's also Busch Gardens Europe (i love roller coasters), the Jamestown Settlement, as well as the Yorkktown Historic Battlefield. Maybe they'll let class out really early a couple of days. Somehow i doubt they'd appreciate sick days, kinda ruins the whole point of the trip too.

And as if not having enough time weren't enough, of course there's this too. Let me tell you, i sure have missed humidity, er, no wait, no i haven't. But who knows, maybe it'll just be cloudy (and really hot and humid) and i'll be able to get better pics. (Cause that's the kind of luck i usually get, you know).
This is your first view of Mooney Falls hiking back up from Beaver.

I've had a few comments on people wanting (or not wanting) to come down here and all i have to say is i can't wait to do it again. Make sure you call me, 'cause i wanna go too!

And if you don't think you (or your kids) can do it, well, you're crazy. Number one, there's packhorses (definitely what i'll be doing for my gear next time) and number two, there's a helicopter! Oh, and you could ride the horse down too (not just your bags). And if my pictures haven't convinced you that the $160 round trip helicopter ride would be more than worth it, well, then i'm a worse photographer than even i thought.

The place is definitely magical and hopefully i can get at least a couple more posts out over the next few days as well as some material for some future Williamsburg posts (and by "future" i of course mean a couple of months).

Havasu Day 3: Mooney Falls & Beyond

After a very comfortable night’s sleep in a very comfy bed and an air-conditioned room we all woke up – rather late, I might add. I always have these lofty intentions of getting up early and taking advantage of that good morning light – I mean, I figure you don’t get to come to places like this every day, so I should be able to wake up a couple of hours early, just for these few days, right? Wrong. Lazy bum!
Sheila was lobbying everyone to hike down to the Colorado River, which was well over 15 miles round trip. I don’t think anyone was really up for that (except Sheila) after hiking over 12 miles the day before.
We eventually decided that Jen, Pat, and Kayla would relax in some of the lower pools above Havasu Falls with the kids while Sheila, Britny, Adam and I all went down to Mooney and then Beaver falls. I think Mooney Falls was only one mile past Havasu Falls which should have made it about 3 miles total from the lodge and then Beaver was 2 miles past Mooney (10 or 11 miles round trip from the village).
Shortly after passing Havasu Falls we came to the campground (where unfortunately, I did not take any pictures). Technically, the campground is much closer to all the falls, seems very big, was mostly shaded and had lots of sites right next to the creek. There’s even porto-potties and a tapped spring (no need to filter).
Naturally, the lodge was much nicer – I mean, hey, shower and AC, you can’t beat that. But you definitely pay much, much more for the lodge. I may consider camping next time, especially if I don’t let my aunt pick the time for the trip and we go when it’s a little cooler (but not too cool to still swim, oh, and not during monsoon season either).

Shortly after hiking through the campground we came to Mooney Falls (named for an old prospector who fell to his death there). Mooney Falls pours 200 feet over a cliff that blocks the canyon with the falls falling (duh, what else would they do, but what else could I say) down to the pools below.
If you look closely (click on the picture to enlarge it), you can see Adam and me standing just to the right of the falls.

Along the edge of the cliff are a few signs that caution you to not walk close to the edge. Looking at the cliff from this perspective it’s obvious why; the travertine deposited from the wider falls of long ago are actually overhanging. I thought we were walking far enough away from the edge, but if you look closely at this picture you can see that it probably wasn’t far enough after all. (btw, thanks to Sheila who obviously took some of the pictures with me in them).

We eventually made our way around to the side of the cliff and started looking for the way down. A sign indicated that we should “descend at our own risk” and so I went and looked for the trail that would take us down the cliff, only to find it dead-ended.

That was because the sign was actually above the trail!


A series of tunnels,…


…chains,…


…and ladders would take us down and through the cliff to the bottom. Glad I didn’t take the kids. But it was fun! I seriously can’t wait to do it again!

We made it to the bottom (which was very crowded, next time I’ll pick a time when kids and scouts are in school), briefly admired the falls (it was bad light, remember?) and headed on down towards Beaver Falls.
If you look closely you can see Sheila leading the line of waders and Britny and Adams bring up the rear. They’re actually following a travertine terrace, otherwise they’d all be up to at least their wastes. And the water wasn’t actually that color, it’s just the bad light. As always, the water was crystal-clear with a blue-green tint.


Britny and Adam made Sheila promise to keep the camera in the camera bag until we got to the falls so we could actually get there in time to still get back in time (she obviously manages to sneak it out a few times anyway). But the hike down was absolutely beautiful! We all voted to change the location of the Garden of Eden to this portion of the Canyon. It was just so green!


The creek itself is just beautiful and it can’t seem to go more than 10 yards without being interrupted by little travertine terraces and falls.


After multiple stream crossings, wading through waist- (probably everyone else’s knees) deep water, …

… and a couple of minor obstacles …

… we finally came to what we later found out were only the upper falls of Beaver Falls.


Man but that was the longest two miles ever! But what a fun little hike! And although I had heard only so-so reviews of Beaver Falls, they were well worth the hike.

Of course I spent so much time taking pictures of the falls when we finally got there that I really didn’t have any time to enjoy swimming around in the pools before we had to rush back again.

I wish we had had time to keep hiking down, but Shiela needed to get back for a dinner she had promised Kayla.

I often say that the Subway in Zion National Park is a great introductory hike to adventure hiking (I’ll review that later, and don’t get me wrong, you still need technical gear and an experienced guide), but this hike is an even more introductory adventure hike what with the obstacles and stream crossings. The only real “obstacle” is a short cliff you have to climb up using a rope and ladder. Of course, as you can see, the ladder, for some odd reason, only has two rungs (man, that was a lot of commas). We promised ourselves that next time we’ll bring some nails and another rung. Don’t forget to remind me.


For a good section of the canyon the walls and canyon floor were just covered in green vines. It’s a good thing I couldn’t take pictures on the way down because it would’ve been impossible to capture even a thousandth portion of the canyon’s beauty (plus we wouldn’t have gotten to Beaver Falls before dark).


On the way back I actually wanted to take pictures. This meant running ahead of everyone and taking pictures as they hiked towards me and then running ahead again (you can only stand so many pictures of people’s butts as they hike away from you). That was exhausting!

The canyon was seriously breathtaking! The greenery just climbed up the canyon walls and made the place seem more like a tropical garden then the middle of the desert.



Keeping the camera accessible for pictures on the way back also meant you were always a little nervous during those stream crossings that you’d lose your balance and be washing your camera prematurely.


When we got back to Mooney Falls everyone had actually cleared out a bit and the light was decent.


So while everyone else hiked back up for dinner I hung around and took some pictures of Mooney Falls.


Naturally, I (finally) got back to the lodge just after dark but couldn’t find anyone. I didn’t know where this restaurant was where everyone planned to eat so I found the hotel manager’s room and asked for a spare key so I could make myself some dinner while I waited.

This is a view of the canyon from the top of Mooney Falls.



When everyone finally returned from dinner (which I’m told was rather tasty) Jen told me the kids had had a great time playing in the pools and playing with some of the local village kids.
After filling my stomach and another refreshing shower it was off to bed again. Of course we had to pack our bags first, because tomorrow morning dark and early it would already be time to head back out again (sniffle, sniffle). Summary:
Distance traveled: Alan – 11 miles by foot; Jen & kids – about 4 miles by foot
Time traveled: I don’t even remember, a lot
Total cost today: $130(2nd of two nights)
Total cost so far:$532