1-11-26 Coyotye Crossing, Hiking, & Larry Fell

 

Camping at Cedar Grove Camping Area

 

We had another beautiful day with a lot of sunshine and no wind. The morning temperature was a brisk 34 degrees and the high was 60 degrees.

When I woke up at 7:45 Larry was bundled up with the unicorn blanket and both heaters were running. I got dressed and then made mini waffles for breakfast.

After breakfast we got ready to go on a hike. Our hike was for two and a half hours for a total of 3.75 miles. We started on the same trail as yesterday on Fossil Ridge Trail (blue) for about a mile to the road. This part of the trail was very challenging because we had to climb up a hill with rocks. Fossil Ridge goes along the park boundaries. When we got to the road we crossed it and got on White-Tail Hollow Trail (pink). White-Tail Hollow is a 1.9 mile loop. It wasn't marked very well. There were multiple places, where it Y'd off and we had to guess which way to go. The direction we took wasn't right so we had to back track because Larry had the map on his phone. Even with the map it was hard to keep track because the trail zig zagged through the trees. Don't get me wrong we had fun figuring it out but it would have been nice if it was marked. We hiked along the spillway and over rocks. At one place Larry helped me over and down a rock. When we got back to the spot he tried to help me up and over the same rock but I didn't step up I decided to sit down. He's a great helper. The trail took us along the spillway to the dam which was built by the CCC back in the 30s. We found a bench and took advantage of it and rested. It was at a great place because we had a great view of Cedar Lake. After resting we continued our hike. We hiked to the main road and walked for about .1 of a mile and got back on the trail, which took us to the fishing pier. We hiked the trail through the parking area and back to the road, which took us back to Cedar Grove Camping Area. We had an outstanding hike. 

At one point in the trail Larry caught his boot on a tree root and took a fall. He landed on the right side of his chest. He is in a bit of pain but nothing too serious. We can't remember the last time he fell, it has been a couple of years. I tend to fall more often. 

 

Spillway built by the CCC

 

Cedar Lake

 

Yesterday we hiked around Cedar Lake and today we hiked part of it. We had two super hikes.

At the beginning of the hike we saw a painted rock on a fallen tree on the site right next to our site. On the way back walking through the fishing area to our camping area was another one. Larry had to point them out because he's more observant than me. We were just talking about the painted rocks and wondering if they were still around. I guess they are at some places.   

 

Fishing bobbin

 

Little girl with a flower

 

Larry finished his book and wrote a review on Goodreads. He didn't want to start another book so he read the news groups he follows. I played my games and continue reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Medium Mayhem Mini of 15 games. It took me 52 minutes and 6 seconds, which put me in 17th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

In the evening I walked around the camping area for an hour and got 2.15 miles. Larry walked with me for a half hour of the walk. As we walked we walked by the group area, which had a dining hall with the women barracks to the right and the men barracks to the left. The barracks are identical except one has a women's bathroom and the other has a men's bathroom. We walked through the other loop of Cedar Grove. When Larry went inside I walked around our loop a few times to get my 2 miles. I ended up doing 18,000 steps at the end of the day. We had an awesome day.

 

Dining Hall

 

Men's Barret's 

 

Outdoor fireplace at the Cedar Lodge