Had to say goodbye to my parents today, as they headed home. Went for a hike along Norbeck Ridge with ranger Tyler in the afternoon. On our way down from the ridge we took a route that landed us near the loop road. Just behind some of the buttes, in a drainage, we found concrete slabs, a rail tie, and rock that clearly didn't belong in that area. Our best guess is that these are washed away remnants of the old roadway. The loop road has changed course multiple times over the years as park staff work to maintain a safe road on a quickly eroding landscape. I don't know whether our hypothesis is accurate, but I plan to do some research to find out. Later in the afternoon I headed to the Wagon Wheel with dozens of others to take part in a surprise birthday party for a good friend. She was properly surprised, and we all had a great time celebrating by dressing 80s, the decade in which she was born.

Looking down on the loop road from Norbeck Ridge.

View of the loop road where it navigates Norbeck Pass.

Looking back along the ridge.

Looking up to the ridge from the
brushy area halfway down.

One of the pieces of concrete we found.

I had my parents for the full day today, and gave them the grand tour. We drove west on Hwy 44, south of the North Unit of the park, to the all-but-ghost town of Scenic. Went south on Hwy 27 to BIA Hwy 2 and west across Cuny Table at the edge of the Stronghold Unit. This route allows just a few glimpses into the Stronghold. At Hwy 41 we went north to the park overlook at Redshirt Table. Spent a little time wandering around above the rim, enjoying the view across the Stronghold. Here we turned around and retraced our route back up toward Scenic, with a side trip over and up onto Sheep Mountain. Happily the road was dry enough that I could navigate my little car up to the top. We didn't hike, but getting up to the parking/overlook gave my parents a view west across the Stronghold that complimented their earlier view east. We continued north to Scenic, then took Sage Creek Rd back into the North Unit with a stop at the remote campground for a picnic lunch. Drove the loop road east back to my apartment behind the visitors center for a total of 186 miles of driving today. I went for a walk with my mom, then we all drove down to the Wagon Wheel in Interior for dinner. Came home again somewhat late, and played a few rounds of dice before turning in.