A look back at 2022

If there’s any theme for 2022, it’s a continuation of 2021. With ourselves putting even more roots into the Moab area.

This past year cemented our decision to make a home for ourselves in Moab.

Joan and I are at our new home. PCO Mike H.

Our home buying proved fortunate as we purchased the home just before mortgage rates skyrocketed, inflation kicked in even more, and the stock market tanked. With 25% of new homes in 2022 going towards Air BnB in Moab, we somehow found a house we can afford. And beat the rental market squeeze. I could link studies and market reports. But I think an Onion article, as usual, seems rather apt.

Becoming homeowners makes for the most significant change in our life for 2022. And beyond.

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.If the overall theme for 2022 makes for continuation, then we enjoy that theme. We continue to volunteer and even won the “Ralph Waldo Emerson Award for most poetic site reports” and received a most useful award!

Pancake mix and syrup!

Joan made some yummy pancakes on a recent winter camping trip.

We, of course, get outside as much as we can.

Among some outdoor highlights – 

• Joan and I continue to take the NPS interns out for some hiking and camping, with some cooking from me, to introduce them to the outdoors.

And the poncho liners come in handy!

• Joan’s parents visited us in Moab, and then a week later, we joined them in Eugene, OR, to meet up with her sister and family. A treat to see the Pacific Ocean as well.

• We continue to enjoy seeing different parts of the Colorado Plateau via packraft.

• Almost every weekend, we enjoy seeing the nooks and crannies of our Colorado Plateau home.

The scenery, of course – 

And the archeological and cultural landscape, too – 

• And when it gets too hot, the La Sal Mountains, Abajos, and San Juans provide cooler temperatures and mountain views.

• Our daily bike riding gives us an enjoyable and practical outdoor experience in our beautiful town.

On the Solstice morning

• I managed to cobble together an interesting walk from Grand Junction to Moab that linked together areas I’ve come to enjoy over the years.

• And just before 2022 ended, we spent over a  week in Arizona. Most of which was spent in the stunning Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

The Online World

With the theme of continuing trends, I did not write as much as in previous years. No reason in particular, but I feel that unless I want to generate numbers, I’d be regurgitating similar material over and over. I’ll revise the articles, of course. But I don’t want to write “new” articles ala Backpacker Magazine that’s nothing more than Top 10-clickbait under a different name each year. Nor do I want to become a gear review/marketing factory.

I do enjoy Instagram for photos and microblogging, and I seem to have growth there. And I enjoy the interaction on Reddit /ul as well.

The most popular articles on this website seem remarkably consistent from year to year –

1. The Colorado Trail End-to-End Guide 
2. Talus vs. Scree
3. The Scourge of Rec DOT Gov
4. Build a gear sled the dirt bagger way
5. Off-season backpacking destinations in Colorado
6. The Budget Backpacking Kit
7. Toyota Tacoma – Our Camping Rig
8. Quit Tip – Buring end of cord.
9. The Frugal Backpacker – The $300 Challenge
10. Sleeping Pads – A grounded view

A truck camp in Cedar Mesa this past November.

In other words, as before, all “evergreen” content except for the Rec DOT Gov article (shared on a software developer network, apparently). I’m a bit surprised at the “Burning the end of cord” popularity, but there you have it. And I think the Toyota Tacoma article fits into the aspirational yearning category for many.

As for new articles, the account of my Grand-Moab Route proved the most popular overall.

What’s ahead?

More of the same. And no complaints about that!