Gohan's 12th Birthday

Gohan eats a cupcake and we sing to him.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Sun breaks through the clouds near trail ridge road.

There, they're, their

We saw this signage at the Lazy Lizard Hostel in Moab, Utah.

Catio Enjoyment

Zilla demonstrates proper catio use. Her favorite technique is to strike a comfortable pose and supervise as the help toils over the lawn.

Come Back to Texas!



Treasure Falls near Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado. This is a

gorgeous 100 foot high fall close to the Continental Divide.



Mystery Melon: I kept spotting strange patches of vegetation along the highway on our drive out of Texas.

Jeff promised he would stop and let me investigate on our way back. I was surprised to find what seem to be

melons growing along the highway. Are these the products of melons that fell off a train or truck? If you know

the origins of these misplaced melons, please comment!

Faux Falls



My parents enjoying a view of Faux Falls near Moab, Utah. The falls are man made and flow through a tunnel

from Moab's favorite swimming hole, Mill Creek.




Faux Falls was created in 1980,

to fill the reservoir below it.



Don't miss the little lizard hiding at the lower left corner.

The La Sal mountains of our previous day's adventure peek from behind the red rock walls above Moab. We met

a local artist as she stood and painted this vista. I thought it was a nice view myself. I've had a great time using

my camera's panoramic stitching abilities on this trip.

That's SO Moab!

Glissading Down the La Sals

We took a short cut and cut a few miles off of our descent from 12,000 feet up in the La Sals. We had several different takes on how to slide without a proper sled. Jeff's first approach involved a convieniently shaped rock. My dad and I opted to use our raincoats. Kudos to Columbia for creating coats that could hold up for this abuse!

Treasure Hunt on a Volcano




Jeff heads out across a cornice atop the La Sals, a range of extinct volcanoes near Moab, Utah.

 


Carnivorous snow claims another victim every five minutes.
Though it can be heart wrenching to watch a loved one being consumed,
the best course of action is to sit on a nearby log and enjoy the spectacle...



As we climbed into the thin air, we were forced to leave

behind those who were too hindered by heavy reading

materials...

My father, retired petroleum exploration geologist, 

Christopher Kierst, displays the rock he found in his shoe.

Luckily, these deer decided not to attack us.



The view from the top - somewhere above Miners Basin. The National Forest Service barricaded the old mine
road, left it off the maps and changed the name from Gold Basin to Miners Basin. My dad calls this
"lying on maps," I call it an opportunity for adventure. Through the trees, you can see the switchbacks
of the 40-year-old road highlighted by snow.
We skipped the switchbacks and slid down the snow on our descent.



Inching along at 12,000 feet, we stumble up the last

switchback. To get to the drilling site everyday, my dad's

driver had to back the truck up every other switchback.

The hairpin turns were too narrow to drive the three-mile

road forward!



Among the summits, somewhere under the 30 foot cornice

in the foreground is Panama Vent. The vent is the source

of the amethyst crystals we're searching for.



HAMMER TIME! Jeff enthusiastically cracked open

every rock he could get his hands on looking for crystal.



Forty years ago, my dad worked with a team of exploratory miners who drilled core samples from this 12,000
foot peak. His foot rests on the drilling head. They didn't find the minerals they were drilling for and we
didn't find the amethyst we searching for, but we did find adventure and a great way to celebrate Father's
Day and my dad's retirement.

 



We found these rocks on our way up the mountain.

The blue-green color indicates the presence of copper

in the stones and that we are approaching the vents at

the top of the extinct volcano.

The Lazy Lizard Hostel

We're in Moab, Utah now. The place we're staying has cats.