Thursday, April 21, 2011 - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Hite UT
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Camped at Glen Canyon, Hite UT, April 21, 2011
Just passing through
This is a one night stop as I make my way slowly east toward Blanding UT where I've made arrangements to pick up my mail next week. On the way I hope to find a camping spot or two along White Canyon and hike the canyon floor. There are ruins of Anasazi cave dwellings in the canyon walls I'd like to have a look at from below. I saw some of them from an overlook on a trip out here with a friend many years ago and they've peeked my curiosity. I think it would be neat to get an idea of what it might feel like to live in the canyon.
Night camp
Boondocked - Primitive Campground West of Rt 95 Bridge over Lake Powell.
- Verizon cell phone and EVDO service - none
- Visit the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area website
- Locate this campground on my Night Camps map
- Check the weather here
Heliograph route between Fort Cummings NM and Tubac, AZ
1886 heliograph transmissions between Tubac near Nogales Arizona/Mexico, and Fort Cummings New Mexico: Joe Marques (Flagstaff) was doing some research in old Flagstaff newspapers and found something that might interest. In the Arizona Weekly Champion, Saturday August 7, 1886, page 2 column 1, it says: "A message was recently sent by the government heliograph (signalling by sunlight flashes) from Fort Cummings, N.M. to Tubac, Ariz., a distance of 400 miles, and an answer received in four hours." What a great [research] find! This was during the Geronimo Campaign of 1886, and the heliograph system at that time did indeed extend between the two stations. From Tubac, the most westerly terminus, the intermediate stations were Baldy Peak or possibly Josephine Peak just a little south of Baldy), Fort Huachuca, Antelope Spring, Emma Monk, White's Ranch, Bowie Peak (or Helen's Dome), Steins Peak, and Camp Henely (east of Fort Cummings). This means the message would have been relayed seven times, one way. It most likely was a test message, and relatively short, but I would love to know what it and the reply really said. The 1886 "airline" distance between Tubac and Fort Cummings; and of course on to Fort Cummings. I calculate the one-way distance between the two extremes as being 241 miles, with round trip of course being 482 miles.