The Beautiful Colors of Lichen

The other day, I got up early and went clambering around the boulders in one of the canyons off Lost Horse Road. This canyon trail used to be one of our favorite breakfast hikes in the warm weather. We'd get up at the crack of dawn, make coffee, warm some bagels, take a little fruit salad, the newspaper and head up the canyon where there was a sandy bench out of the wash. You had to do a little bouldering to get to the spot, but it was a place you could enjoy the coolness of the morning until about nine, then the sun would come peeking over the rocks above us, signaling it was time to head for home. We have to do that again sometime, that was fun. Anyway... as I was bouldering around, I kept noticing the beautiful Lichen on the rocks in the early morning light and started taking some pictures. I love the shapes of the rocks intersecting, the textures, and the subtle, rich colors, almost like abstract paintings. It's always the small things that bring the greatest pleasure.

A Nice Hike Out to Willow Hole

This is an enjoyable winter 'ramble', not too many ups and downs, but there's some wide open country with a pleasing mix of vegetation and beautiful views. You start at the Boy Scout Trailhead and follow the path for a little over a mile and then the trail to Willow Hole branches off to the right for another 2 miles. The trail gradually leads into a rock filled wash and finally into a canyon with huge rock formations on either side. At the end of the wash is a group of Desert Willows and a shallow pond, a good place for a picnic, so bring your lunch and rest a bit before heading back. The round trip is a little over 6 miles. On the way back, we found a perfect spot to have lunch, where we had some expansive views of the countryside. Leaning back against a flat rock, we enjoyed our homemade chicken sandwiches with a bottle of crisp, dry Sauvignon Blanc. Everything always tastes so good when you're out in nature. For dessert, we sliced up some apple, nibbled a little dark chocolate and sipped hot tea from our thermos. Life couldn't be better. When we stop for lunch on the trail, I'm always struck by how quiet it is in the park. The lively conversation slowly ceases and you look around and listen. Absolute silence. It doesn't get any better than that.

Happy New Year! Thank You For Staying At Spin and Margies.

This past year has been a whirlwind of activity for us. During the summer, we renovated all the windows on the north side of the Inn, putting in glass block and double pane windows. We added interior doors to Suite #2 and gave it a fresh coat of paint in soothing, desert colors. We now have flat screen TV's with DVD players in all of our rooms. NEW fluffy white towels and crisp white sheets. And saving the best for last, brand new Euro pillow-top mattresses for an even more restful stay. We do it all for you. Hope to see you soon.
All the best from Spin and Margie for 2011!