John & Anne Wiley

2014/06/11

Lifetimes

Filed under: 4C Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random — John @ 19:39

Our 4C Adventure seems lifetimes ago, even though just over a month has passed. April 23 we parted paths with Zubair and family to fly on a wide detour from Cortez to Durango. After circling and snapping these pix of Shiprock we headed southwest toward Canyon de Chelly, not realizing that would take us across the edge of the area of AZ identified as Red Rock on the aviation chart.

9753 Lukachukai Life

9753 Lukachukai Life

In little more than an hour we’d gone from a life of flying with friends, to circling stupendous Shiprock and now to taking in these wonders of sculpted stone where N-13 descends from Roof Butte to Lukachukai. Even after so many rock formations of this kind, we couldn’t help detouring to the northwest along the ridge to explore more. Where we finally turned back direct to Canyon de Chelly we saw these blades and spires quite similar to Monument Valley.

9780 Mini Monuments

9780 Mini Monuments

A few minutes later we were gazing into the towering cliffs of Canyon de Chelly, drinking in an entirely different life down on that broad riverbed.

9875 Canyon de Chelly

9875 Canyon de Chelly

Even with the dust kicking up all across the region, the views were spectacular. In many places like this, time seemed to stand still even though it also seemed to speed us across more lifetimes as we lazily toured these enchantments.

9987 Carved Canyons

9987 Carved Canyons

We stopped at Chinle for fuel, stretch, and a tiny taste of the life there as we spoke with the friendly airport manager. Then back into dream time on a different route past Cove, AZ along the edge of the area identified as Red Valley on gMaps and past many other wonderments until we reached Durango. So close to Cortez, yet after these six hours, now many lifetimes away as we wandered in silence past the antique train Anne had once ridden up into the Rockies.

0175 Train-ing

0175 Train-ing

2014/06/09

Contrast

Filed under: 4C Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 07:19

There was a “yarn bomb” in the SB mountains this weekend, and it was quite a contrast with our 4C trip.

3707 Yarn Bomb, Lizard's Mouth

3707 Yarn Bomb, Lizard’s Mouth (click to enlarge)

Most of our rocks have mild colors, compared with the bright yarns woven into patterns and then carefully wrapped around selected rocks in the area named Lizard’s Mouth. The temporary art was removed after the weekend, but it drew crowds while there. But back during our 4C Adventure, the strong wind had kicked up dust so there wasn’t much contrast as we spotted Monument Valley in the distance.

8740 Dusty Monument Valley

8740 Dusty Monument Valley

That same wind also made for strong turbulence, especially on the far side of the rocks. But we passed close approaching on the upwind side for this shot of my fav among these formations.

9031 Statue Family

9031 Statue Family

For me it’s a family standing in a solemn line. A collection of individual columns, with the first two in the smaller left section pressing their “heads” together for comfort. As we passed, the sunny side came into view in context along with a lone column next to the distant butte.

9087 Sunny Side

9087 Sunny Side

But we pressed on toward Cortez, arriving in time to rent a car and drive out for a hike around Mesa Verde. Another major contrast to the flight we’d just made from Page across the fantasy terrain and through Monument Valley.

9310 Mesa Verde

9310 Mesa Verde

It never ceases to amaze me how much contrast flying can put into a single day!

2014/06/08

Strange Colors

Filed under: 4C Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature — John @ 18:25

Back on that day we flew out of Page, AZ toward Cortez, CO looking for a safe path across broken terrain, there were strange colors.

8639 Colors & Caves

8639 Colors & Caves

The camera couldn’t seem to capture the colors, but the rock was really interesting here far from roads. The caves accented alternating layers of whitish lines eroded from the sandstone. The shapes made a magical topographic effect in many places.

8646 Topo Tumult

8646 Topo Tumult

When we finally approached the edge of Monument Valley, the colors had shifted and the air was more laden with dust but the views were still striking.

8695 Into Monument

8695 Into Monument

Off to the left of these buttes was a lonely spire, small by Monument Valley standards yet towering far above the trees at the bend in that dry creek bed.

8708 Tiny Giant

8708 Tiny Giant

I seem to alternate between enchantment with the arid spirit of this place, and fascination with what geologic forces could have possibly left that thin spire in a miles-wide valley.

2014/06/01

Alternates

Filed under: 4C Adventure,Aviation,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 22:36

Pilots think about Alternates, and visually I also enjoy alternates. Like taking a break from the intriguing formations of reddish rock on our 4C Adventure, to look at pix like this from our recent overnite trip to “shower” love on our recently-engaged niece in San Diego.

3608 Alternate

3608 Alternate

The lush blues and greens of coastal California near Laguna Niguel offer a welcome alternate scene. Aviation alternates include planning for extra airports along the route in case the need should arise, and even alternatives to airports in rare and extreme situations. “In a car you can just pull over,” people say. But pilots know that aircraft are designed and maintained to much higher standards making that a very rare need. Also that most planes glide quite well and most areas offer plenty of safe places to land other than airports. Most areas.

8599 No Airport

8599 No Airport

Beautiful as this area near Lake Powell is, it’s no airport. The day we took off from Page headed to Cortez, CO the idea was to fly past Monument Valley. Since we’d flown that basic route along the lake shore before, my hope was to find a different route farther South. Lest I worry the majority who harbor an unreasoned terror of flight, I hasten to add Fact #1: We detoured along the edge of this unwelcoming terrain.

8593 On Edge

8593 On Edge

As you can see, the inhospitable view toward the lake didn’t match what we were actually flying over. Fact #2: We adapted to the terrain, and climbed higher once we chose a safe route across it at a narrower point with plains on both sides. But along the way we quite enjoyed the variety of slot canyons, sandstone amphitheaters, shallow caves, open spaces, vegetation variations, and majestic buttes.

8630 Butte Beauty

8630 Butte Beauty

I’m learning to understand the unreasoned fear of flying, yet it’s still surprising to me that people will skydive out of a perfectly good airplane yet be afraid to even think about flying in it. 🙂

“Fear is the little-death”     –Frank Herbert

2014/05/25

Invitations

Filed under: 4C Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 20:01

Yesterday I was avoiding the tragic Isla Vista events partly by posting more pix from our 4C trip with Zubair & family. Last night a dear friend came over and we all faced it together, watching the news with many tears and much thoughtful conversation. Today I’m contemplating a connection between the horrific events, and my post yesterday. For me, the common thread is Invitations. When someone says or does something that triggers anger or sadness in me, it’s an Invitation to those feelings. I then choose, still too often unconsciously, what to feel. My life is a long story of learning this, and transforming my choice of feelings from childhood reactive impulse to conscious compassion for myself and others.

So today it’s helpful for me to take this news that has so shaken our entire community, as an Invitation to reconnect with happiness and beauty. That’s already happening in conversation with friends and loved ones, so right now I’m also taking a moment to complete a review of the final Invitation we accepted on that one enchanted day that began inside Antelope Canyon and included an experience of earth and sky on the rim of Horseshoe Bend.

8292 Returning

8292 Returning

As we descended quietly over the high mesa between the Paria and the Colorado, warm feelings of Return washed over me. Returning to an ancient yet for us recent place, with new perspective. Beyond this tight bend in the river of time, looking to the right where it takes a turn in the other direction we saw the place we’d be standing in a couple of hours.

8295 Viewpoint

8295 Viewpoint

Coming out the highway from Page and turning onto the short road to a parking lot at top right, we’d hike that dusty trail out to the rim and watch the sunset at this turning of the river where millions of people have gathered in awe.

8307 Horseshoe Bend

8307 Horseshoe Bend

Down there we’d have a different perspective on this view, with solid rock beneath us and the thrill of a sheer ledge open at our feet. We’d feel our hearts soaring with a raven in the wind and remember being up here looking down. From that sunset viewpoint we’d climb the outcrop at the bottom right where I embraced a powerful invitation to capture a new fav pic of my lifetime fav person with a passing squall in the distance and the sunlight in her hair. An invitation to feel and release pain, as consciousness expands to ever more fully enjoy this gift of Life.

8456 Life Invitation

8456 Life Invitation

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