Road Trip!

When my daughter invited me to drive with her from Ithaca, New York, to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I jumped at the chance. It gave me a rare opportunity to spend time with her, and a chance to enjoy a quintessential American experience: the road trip.

We covered over 2,200 miles in three and a half days so she would arrive in time to start her summer job with the National Park Service. It made for a tight schedule, but we still fit in visits to two friends and a couple of sightseeing stops along the way.

Our longest stop was at Badlands National Park, just a few miles south of Interstate 90 in the southwestern part of South Dakota. Eager to stretch our legs after hours in the car, we jumped out at the first parking lot and hiked the Door Trail into the beautiful, but forbidding landscape.

Having only visited the Badlands once before, briefly and on a grey morning, I was surprised at how colorful it is, and how lushly green the surrounding plains are.

We were delighted to see quite a few big horn sheep, none of which seemed bothered by gawking people or cars rolling past.

Since it was so late in the day we drove the Badlands Loop Road, then headed back to I-90 and Wall Drug for dinner.

Wall Drug is an unabashedly touristy spot, but the only option for many miles around, and worth a visit for the sheer spectacle of it. If you want a momento of your travels, you can certainly find one here. 

On our last day we crossed Wyoming, watching the prairies give way to mountains.

Our final stop before reaching Jackson Hole was in the tiny but colorful town of Dubois. The barista at Perch Coffee House kindly pointed us down the street to the local yarn shop, Wyoming Wookworks. I knew it existed because I had seen a lovely blog post about it, and it is definitely worth a visit. Anita Thatcher, the proprietor, gave us a complete tour.

It is crammed full of all kinds of wool and crafty items. You can buy yarn, much of it locally sourced,

and all kinds of finished items, from handmade saddle blankets

to small gifts.

And then it was over the Togwotee Pass to Jackson Hole and the really big mountains! I've flown in to Jackson Hole many times, but I have to say that there is something special about driving in and watching the landscape slowly unfold in front of you.

One other important benefit of a road trip in which you share the driving with someone else: time for knitting! On my flight from Austin to New York I cast on a new sweater, the cropped cardigan from Vogue Knitting's early fall 2014 issue. I have already finished the back and am halfway through both front pieces.

Wishing everyone safe travels on their summer adventures!

Off the Tourist Track in Oman

Oman and its capital Muscat have a lot to offer visitors: historic forts, colorful souqs (traditional markets), a glittering new opera house, and a spectacular mosque. But, if you have the time, I suggest venturing beyond the conventional highlights to see others parts of the country. You may just find the most memorable experiences of your trip.

Accompanying Steve on another geology field trip I had the chance to see some of the mountains surrounding Muscat. Once the paved road ran out, we drove across bare ground and dry washes.

Then set out on foot to reach the outcrops.

We found spectacular formations,

 and local wildlife.

 We spent two surprisingly cold nights camping under the stars.

Instead of taking the highway back to Muscat, we chose the scenic route across the Al Hajar Mountains near Jebel Shams, the highest peak in Oman. Notice the line across the hillside in the upper part of this photo. That is the road. Yes, it really is that steep. And it is unpaved, deeply rutted in places, and has no guardrail. Plus it is mostly a single track road so that if you encounter another vehicle coming in the opposite direction, one of you might have to back up to allow the other to pass.

When you can tear your eyes from the road, you see that the mountains are spectacularly beautiful.

For a sense of the scale, note the vehicle on the road on the left hand side of this photo.

And the line of buildings in front of these cliffs.

The mountains really are better suited to goats than people.

Outside of Muscat you also have a good chance of seeing camels.

I think they have very odd, but interesting, faces.

Note that this one in the back of the pick up truck is lying down on a cushion. They are clearly highly valued.

One could surmise the camel's value from the frequency with which they are represented, as in the lid of this small silver box.

Don't you just love the guitar player sitting on this toy camel?

The camels on this pashmina make me think they would make a great motif for appliqué in quilting. Might just be a future project!

Westering Women: Reaching the End of the Trail

I have finally completed my Westering Women quilt!

This was a 2016 block of the month project put together by Barbara Brackman, celebrating women who traveled west on the overland trails in the 19th century. You can find Barbara's introduction to it here. I stuck with fabrics that were either 19th century reproductions or in the 19th century style, all of which I pulled from my stash.

I pieced all of the blocks by hand, but assembled the sashing and borders by machine,

and custom quilted it on my longarm machine.

I have given this quilt to a good friend, who, as a female research geologist, I consider a pioneer of her generation. Years ago she traveled westward a very great distance from her native England to live in central Texas, so it seemed an appropriate gift.

Several months ago she and I agreed to make an attempt on the Grand Teton in 2018, so I am including a couple photos of that beautiful peak. This one, taken along Mormon Row early in the morning, shows the Grand immediately to the right of the barn.

The Grand is the peak on the far left hand side of this image, taken from the south fork of Cascade Canyon (on the west side of the big peaks). 

I just love those high, lush meadows! For scale, note the two hikers in the top right.

While I'm at it with photos from Grand Teton National Park, here are a few wildlife shots from last summer that I never managed to include in a post. This moose may look a little crazed, but really he was just tearing at branches for his meal, and seemed completely oblivious to our presence.

This mule deer, on the other hand, was totally aware of us and seemed to be posing for the camera.

Finally, here is my favorite Teton critter, the pica. Not only are they incredibly adorable, they are great fun to watch.  If you take the time to sit quietly on open, rocky slopes, you will likely see picas scampering among the boulders gathering greenery for their nests, and hear their calls, which sound to me like a squeaky toy you might give your pet.

Any day, sunny or grey, is brightened by a pica sighting. Wishing you many days of pica cuteness!

Oman: The Mutrah Souq

If you are in Oman and looking for some local color, visit Mutrah, at the eastern end of Muscat. Tucked between mountains and the bay, you will find old-fashioned homes, shops, and mosques topped with blue domes and minarets.

Stroll along the corniche and stop into a cafe for traditional coffee served with dates, or fresh juice - mango as in this photo - or my favorite, lemon mint.

Be sure to leave plenty of time for wandering around the Mutrah Souq, Oman's largest.

If you visit on a day when no cruise ships are in port you'll see more locals than tourists.

Narrow aisles radiate from large central courtyards.

Shops are crammed with all kinds of wares, 

from rose oil and frankincense (an aromatic tree resin),

to home and commercial cookware,

and elaborate gold jewelry.

You'll find all kinds of enamelware

and lovely silver jewelry.

Naturally, I found the textiles the most intriguing, and came home with quite a pile of cashmere scarves. Most aren't actually made locally, but they are a popular item among Omanis, many of whom  wrap them carefully into a kind of headwear.

I couldn't resist the exquisite embroidery on this one,

and the vibrant colors on this one.

There are also brightly colored Bedoiun embroideries, a local product.

 I picked up these small bags to contain my sewing paraphenalia.

Here is what I usually carry around in my little sewing bags. I have pre-cut squares of scraps, needle, thread, thimble, ruler and pencil for marking sewing lines, and scissors for patchwork on the go. In the security process prior to boarding our outbound flight from Muscat, Oman Airlines confiscated my orange-handled Fiskars embroidery scissors, which I had carried on flights for years. I picked up these tiny ones at Liberty in London as a replacement. I also have a few knitting tools, an extra SD card for my camera, and tweezers, most often used for pulling cactus spines out of my husband's fingers.

It's amazing how much I can get done in spare moments when I have these few essentials with me.