1147 September 28, 2024 Onion Creek and Other “Fun Stuff”

I drove to town this morning and parked the Jeep in the City Market parking lot.  I walked all the way to the end of town and then crossed the street and walked the other side.  I took longer than usual because there was a lot of traffic and I had to wait at each of the intersections for the lights to change…but it was a much better walk than the campground neighborhood!

I stopped at the bookstore and bought a trail guide for the White Rim Road.

I shopped at City Market and drove back home.

We packed our cooler and went out for a 4WD ride. 

We began on the Colorado Riverway or Route 128. The imposing high and varnished red cliffs rose up, reaching the impossibly blue sky.  The solid and severe red wall went on for miles, mammoth in size.

There were lots of nice BLM campgrounds along the river.

  We followed the river, watching the kayakers and rafters, and even some people on SUPs.

The idea was that today we would take a really easy ride and not be gone all day.  We know that driving the canyon tomorrow and Monday will be a lot.  Tim chose the Onion Creek Trail.  This was an incredibly sweet drive.  There were 27 water crossings and we drove through a pretty little canyon.    The road was easy to follow and we had fun. 

We stopped near the end for lunch.  We looked at the map and we had two options.  We could turn around and go back the way we came OR we could take another connecting trail and make a loop.  The Thompson Canyon/Polar Mesa Trail was also marked as an easy trail.  The guidebook said: “Easy.  The road is fairly wide and in good condition most of the way.”  We decided to see something we had not seen before and complete the loop in lieu of backtracking.  We hadn’t gone very far…maybe three miles when Tim was reevaluating this decision.  Should we turn back?  This road was really rough and slow and bumpy.  The book said that this was an easy trail.  We continued.  There were lots of steep and narrow switchbacks.  There were rough rock shelfs.  There were rock obstacles.  There were deep ruts.  There was soft sand.  It was not anything that was dangerous and it wasn’t anything that my excellent driver and our sturdy Jeep could not handle…but it was NOT supposed to be like that!  There were two places where I actually closed my eyes…I do trust Tim completely!  It was hard to appreciate the scenery because the road required intense concentration.  There were mountain bikers coming in both directions and guys in Razors and dirt bikers as well.  And other people in Jeeps making their way steadily up and down the mountainsides.

At long last, we were on smooth flatter road and then on pavement!

The view from an overlook in the National Forest.

The trees are golden on the mountains; so pretty!

The rock formations in Castle Valley were really cool. This is Priest and Nuns.

Castle Rock.

Almost back to Moab!

It was almost 4pm.  We decided to stop in town for an early dinner and we both had excellent burgers at Zax.

This evening, we are working to pack and prepare for our overnight trip tomorrow!

1146 September 27, 2024 Long Canyon Road And Pucker Pass

I took a lethargic and unremarkable walk in the neighborhood behind the campground.  I did not have my usual morning energy.  The walk ended with a ¼ mile uphill.  I will find somewhere else to walk tomorrow!

We packed the cooler and the Jeep and went for a 4WD ride.  We started on the Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway.  There were dramatic, sheer cliffs.  There was a petroglyph site and a dinosaur tracks site that was reachable by hiking.  We bypassed that today.  There were rock climbers climbing in pairs. 

We turned onto Long Canyon Road to Pucker Pass.

There were lots of balanced rocks.  These seem to defy explanation and gravity!

We saw dozens of chipmunks scurrying across the road and into the boulders as we approached.

The layers of rock and the passage of time that is indicated by those layers is awe inspiring.

We took a series of switchbacks, steadily climbing.  There were steep drop-offs.

The view below and behind…

A hoodoo.

The road was narrow and I could taste crunchy bits of dust!

More below and behind…

We passed through bighorn sheep habitat near their water source but no sheep today.

We stopped for a snack and Tim took the roof off the Jeep.  We had been craning our necks to see the tops of the cliffs and now we could see it all.

He took it off just in time.  We arrived at this arch and drove through.

The pass became narrow and we were still climbing.   We finally reached the summit.

Thanks, Tim, for researching and finding this fun trail!

From the summit, the road was gravel and smooth and wide and flat.  We rode past oil rigs.

We took the park road into Canyonlands National Park at Island in the Sky.  This was but an appetizer to whet our appetite for Sunday’s big trip!  We walked the trail to the Shafer Trail Overlook.  This is the winding road that leads down to the White Rim Trail.  We will take this road down when we come back.

We traveled across the Lone Mesa.  Traveling on this large wide-open mesa, it doesn’t really look like anything special…that is until you have the chance to peer over the edge.  We have seen this park before but that didn’t diminish the impact of that spectacular view into the canyons from Grand View Point Overlook.  We walked along the ledge and we could see far below, the White Rim Road.

We stopped to hike and take pictures at Candlestick Tower Overlook.

We drove to Upheaval Dome and hiked the 1/3 mile steep trail up to the edge of the crater. This circular depression in the rock is more than two miles across. It was probably caused by the impact of a meteorite.

It was late afternoon and time to go back to Moab.  We are eagerly looking forward to our overnight adventure! 

1145 September 26, 2024 Moab

Oh my…the stars last night were lovely! We slept with the windows open…life is good!

I wanted to take a walk all the around Ken’s Lake. It started off very easy! I texted Tim when I was at the other end of the lake and he couldn’t even see me…I was very far away!

I kept walking and all at once I was faced with a fast moving stream. It looked deep and I was not able to cross. That was the way back to the campground! I knew that if I turned around, I could easily get back but I had already walked more than 2 miles. I saw some human footprints and followed them to a place where at last, I saw a sign pointing to the campground!

Desert globe mallow.

Nature’s wildflower bouquet.

Pricklypear.

Walking companion.

Now I wasn’t just walking, I was hiking! I followed the stream for a long while and saw a spot where I might be able to cross…but I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t get wet! Looking ahead, I found a rough wooden bridge. It looked sturdy enough and I made my way across. I dead ended at the base of some rocks but then followed the trail through a rather overgrown section and saw a steep embankment; others had climbed here…so I did too. The ground was loose and dusty so I had to make my way on hands and feet but I made it up! I had arrived at Campground B about a mile from the RV.

There was a dirt path connecting the two loops and I got back safely and happy. The hike wasn’t hard but challenged me in a different way. Did I have the self confidence to make my own way?? I did it!

At 10:30, we prepared to leave Ken’s Lake. We had a campsite reserved in Moab for the next 6 nights. It took us about 15 minutes to get there and then we settled in.

We spent the afternoon cleaning and doing some small repairs. We had quite a few screws loose and Tim was walking around with a screwdriver! All that bouncing on bumpy roads!

We looked at maps and made some plans.

This evening, we took the Jeep into downtown Moab. We walked the main street and did a bunch of browsing in the many shops. There were souvenir touristy t-shirt shops and there were high end art and jewelry shops.

This is something that we hardly ever see! This payphone is not operable but any change that is inserted is given to those in need!

We made our way to the Moab Food Truck Court. We both chose gyro rice bowls and found a shady spot to eat.

The people getting into this pickup truck were trying to take a selfie. Tim volunteered to take their picture. The one woman told us that they had just come from a two week trip on the river. They came to town to eat cheeseburgers. They were headed to take their first shower!!!

We wandered over to the Moab Information Center because we could see a bunch of vendor tents set up in the lawn. It was a festival to celebrate public lands in Moab. There was also live music. The Butch Cassidies played soft folk music. They were easy too listen to and their harmony was beautiful.

1144 September 25, 2024 Ken’s Lake

We slept with the windows open for most of the night.  What a pleasure!

It was sunny with a nice breeze as I walked along the Colorado River.

Tim was ready to go when I got back to the RV.  We took 70W.  When we left Fruita, there was a sign saying that there were no services for 60 miles.  We traveled across desert.

We avoided the scenic route today but the highway was rough and bumpy.

We took a break at the Utah Welcome Center.

We turned off of the interstate at Jackass Joe’s Twilight Zone.

We took 191 all the way into Moab.

We arrived at Ken’s Lake around noon.

This afternoon, we went to the Canyonlands Backcountry Camping Office.  We were able to make a reservation to ride the 4WD White Rim Trail in the park.  We got our permit and all the maps and information we needed for our overnight Jeep trip on Sunday.  We stopped at the Village Market for a picnic.

This evening, we went down to the lake and had dinner.

As we were eating, we saw two paragliders come over the cliffs.

Then we saw a guy with a powered paraglider…a kite with a motor and propeller.  We could hear him in the parking lot testing his gear.  We saw him take off and fly.

We took the dirt road up the steep hill behind the campground.  The view was nice.

We saw the powered paraglider making passes and Tim took some video.

We took the road to the left and crossed a stream and at the dead-end, we saw these two holes in the rock…mines?!?

We took the road to the right and saw that the trail was called “Steelbender.”  The road curved abruptly down to the left on a steep bank and then crossed the stream and went up a steep incline…not in this Jeep!

Evening primrose.

There was a place to park and we saw a trail leading to the rockface.  Pictographs painted on the rock eons ago.

Old chiseled names in the rock.

Petroglyphs carved into the dark varnish on the rock surface.

This odd rock formation definitely caught our attention.  How did that black rock get on top of that red pillar???  Tim estimated that the rock on top was several tons.  There is no other black rock in this area…hmmmm…

What a pleasant evening!

1143 September 24, 2024 Colorado River State Park, Fruita

Happy Birthday, Mom!!! We hope you had the very best day!

The air was fresh and the sun was shining.  I walked today without thinking and I had gone almost 1 ½ before checking my distance.  I walked though a portion of downtown Vernal and then turned back.

Last of the roses.

We were ready to move again.  We drove from Utah into “Colorful Colorado.”  We took Route 139 or the Stegosaurus Freeway.  This is the gateway to the Colorado section of Dinosaur National Monument.  We will have to save that for another day.

We entered BLM and, the Canyon Pintado or the painted canyon.  The road was rough and heaving but the scenery was quite pretty.

We stopped at the East 4 Mile Rest Area for our breakfast.

There was a trail that led to petroglyphs.  There was also a sign warning of black widows, scorpions, and rattlesnakes.  I walked the trail for awhile but when it became overgrown, I went back to the parking lot.  I did spot these petroglyphs of cornstalks.  The Native People planted corn here.

As we drove on, we could see all kinds of 4WD trails…no time today!

There were lots of yellow signs and orange posts indicating that there was a natural gas pipeline that ran underground and in some place on supports over creeks and ditches.  They seemed out of place and definitely detracted from the landscape but I realize how important they are.    There were lots of cows interspersed among the gas fields, comingling.  The cows show up in the oddest places.  I don’t know a lot about cows but they seem kind of oblivious!

We traveled up and over Douglas Pass.  We are so grateful for our diesel pusher that gets us up these hills and also for the diesel exhaust brake that gets us safely down!

We took a break at the summit.

Rocky Mountain Maple Tree.

Every day I promise myself that I am not going to take so many pictures and then Tim takes me to another beautiful place!  I feel compelled to write the words.  Someday, these pictures and this story will be all that is left of our amazing adventures!

We arrived in Fruita in the early afternoon.  We both took naps and then we hopped on our bikes and rode on the Colorado River Trail. 

This is a fairly new and really nice park.  We have a 93 foot pull-through site right along Bookcliff  Lake.

This evening, we were tired. We decided to drive into downtown Fruita and try Karma Kitchen, an Indian and Nepali restaurant.

We started with vegetable pokada and then we both ordered the garlic naan and the butter chicken. I got mild and Tim got medium spice. The chicken was tender and the sauce was delicious! We thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

After eating, we walked the town circle and up and down main street. There is so much art.

Another fine day!

1142 September 23, 2024 Blair Spring Road

We heard coyotes yipping and howling last evening as we settled for bed.  The sounds came from far across the river.  We got up during the night and the moon was glowing over the water.

When we woke up, the sun still had not made its way over the mountains.  Tim had coffee ready and the fire going by the time I got out of the tent. 

We took our time, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun.  When we left, we decided to take the long way home.  We took another dirt and gravel road, Blair Spring Road.  We traveled up and up; through wide expanses of sagebrush and juniper bushes.  We arrived at the top.  What gorgeous views of the river and mountains below!

Harvester anthill…do NOT disturb!

At last, we arrived at pavement and we made our way back to Vernal. 

We saw a Jeep dealer and stopped to ask if they had time for routine Jeep maintenance.  Tim went back with the Jeep this afternoon while I did laundry and dishes and stuff!

The remainder of the day was spent gathering a few supplies and then planning for the week ahead. We thought about hanging here a little longer but opted to move on. Tomorrow we will go south to Fruita, Colorado.

1141 September 22, 2024 Rainbow Park

I took a nice walk through the town of Vernal or Dinosaurland.  The theme here is or course…dinosaurs!

We packed the Jeep for an overnight adventure and headed to Buckskin Hills. We found Island Park Road which was initially paved.  The sky was true blue with small smudges of puffy white clouds.  It was a perfect day!

The road became gravel and the scenery improved. 

Saltlover.

We saw some petroglyphs left behind by the Fremont People.

The view of the Green River from the Island Park Overlook.

We took the road to its end.  We were hoping for a pretty little isolated campsite right along the river but the road ended abruptly and we were forced to turn around.

We took Ruple Tree Road up to the top of the hill but there was no good place to stay.

We went back down the hill to Rainbow Park Campground.  There were just 3 sites and it was $3.00 to stay with our senior pass! I was happy because I thought this was such a sweet campsite!  We spent the afternoon walking and exploring and reading and just being.  It was nice to listen to the sounds of the river current.  Later in the day we could hear peepers.  We watched magpies and yellow canaries darting in and out of the vegetation along the water’s edge.  It was peaceful and soothing.  Tim took a walk and saw a deer drinking from the river.  He came back to get me but by the time we got there, the deer had moved on. 

We enjoyed our dinner and our fire.  We were by ourselves until later in the evening when a single guy came and put up his tent. 

Boxelder bug – nymph.

Golden hour.

Another wonderful outing!

1140 September 21, 2024 Dinosaur National Monument

Overnight, I heard a chorus of coyotes serenading.  This morning, I walked a little more than a mile down Little Hole Road, a country lane.  The air was crisp and cool.

We left Dutch John and traveled toward Flaming Gorge Reservoir Dam.

We stopped at the recreation area.

We drove through the forest.  The golden aspen trees are lovely.

We came to a section of road that was 8-10% grade over 9 miles with 10 switchbacks.  I didn’t get a picture until we were around the first switchback!

All along the ride, there were these tan and green signs.  They indicated what kind of rock was present and if there were fossils.  There were even signs saying that stegosaurus roamed here or raptors hunted here.  It was a reminder of all that had come before us.  We could picture dinosaurs roaming in this part of the world.

We arrived at Fossil Valley RV Park in Vernal, Utah at around 10:30.  We settled and packed lunch.  We took the Jeep to Dinosaur National Monument.

We went into the Visitor Center and got information about Blue Mountain Road, a 4WD dirt and gravel road.  The rangers strongly discouraged us from taking this road.  This only intrigued Tim more!

We took the shuttle to the Quarry or the “Wall of Bones.”  In 1909, Earl Douglass, a paleontologist, found dinosaur bones sticking out of a rock wall.  Over 10 species of dinosaurs and thousands of bones were unearthed.  These bones were buried in an ancient river 149 million years ago.  It was the wish of this scientist that some of the findings be left in the quarry wall and displayed for people to view.  This exhibit totally wowed me!  To stand in the same place where these dinosaurs lived, walked, and ultimately perished was jaw dropping.  I was also able to put my hand on a bone where it has existed for millions of years, embedded in that stone wall.  I truly hope that someday, my grandsons are able to see this.

This camarasaurus femur was a big as Tim.

This allosaurus skull was found almost completely intact.  The fragile nature of the skull bones often results in lots of fragments. 

We took Cub Creek Road, an 11-mile scenic drive through the park.

We walked to the petroglyphs at the Swelter Shelter.  Stone tools used by indigenous peoples were found here.  The tools dated up to 10,000 years ago.  The existing petroglyphs and pictographs are about 1,000 years old.

We drove to the Split Mountain Picnic Area.  The scenery was gorgeous!

Turtle Rock.

We traveled to the Josie Morris Ranch.  This pioneer woman came to live here in 1914.  She was a single woman who built her own cabin, raised her own fruit and vegetables and raised and butchered her own meat.  She liked living here in isolation and beauty.  She stayed well into her 80’s.  She slipped on ice and broke her hip.  She crawled back to the cabin where friends found her several days later.  She was never able to return to the ranch.  She was one tough lady!

It occurred to me as we explored this park that we were traveling through time.  We began with the dinosaurs and then we viewed the shelter and art of the Native American People who made this their home.  We visited the homestead.  We think that we own this world that we live in but our time here is so very short. 

We took Blue Mountain Road.  The road climbed straight up the side of the mountain.  The view from the summit was spectacular.

We drove across the road to see the view from the other side of the ridge.

A doe.

We made our way back down.

As we approached Vernal, we could see storm cells ahead.  It is very difficult to judge distance here…the sky is so big and open.  The rain seemed to be hovering over the distant mountains.

Tim spoke to the campground owner, a native of Vernal, this evening.  Now we have lots of ideas for more adventure in this area.

1139 September 20, 2024 Flaming Gorge

I waited until the sun came up at 7:08am before beginning my walk.  It was 40 degrees and cold and I could see my breath!  There was lots of dense fog and it was going to take some time for the sun to make its way over the mountains.

I walked along the Karns Meadow Park and then down past the Teton County Fairgrounds.

I could have stayed in Jackson longer.  It is a quirky and fun western town.  Everything is extremely well done.  The architecture fits into the natural environment.  Even McDonalds was dressed in western wear.  There was still lots to do…museums, biking on miles of pristine paved paths, more Tetons to see…But it is time to move on and leave this winter playground.

We left in dense fog that gave way to sunshine as we gained elevation.  We took the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway over the Snake River and then south at Hoback and then along the Hoback River.

There were 8 miles of avalanche warnings.  There were steep bluffs on each side of the road.

At last, we arrived in the high plains; open and filled with sagebrush.  There were horse and cattle ranches.  We also saw llamas and donkeys.

Our breakfast spot.

A wildlife crossing bridge.  I hope that the animals know to use it!

We saw grazing antelopes and always more mountains.

We arrived in the town of Pinedale at 10am.  I had just read a flashing highway sign saying that Main Street was going to be closed at 10am for a parade.  We were the first in line behind the sheriff’s car and we got to watch the whole parade through the RV windshield.  Our timing was perfect!  It was the Pinedale Wranglers Homecoming Parade.   The children marched first, small kids and then middle school kids, and then high school kids. 

The cheerleaders performed.

The football players had their own float.

When the parade was over, we got to follow the firetruck and the sheriff’s car.  Tim was honking the airhorn and people were waving and cheering for us as we slowly passed by.  We never know what we are going to run into!  It was great fun!  We were delighted by this diversion.  I am not sure about the long line of traffic behind us…

We continued on to Rock Springs where we stopped for a large Walmart run.

We took 191S or the Green River Basin Scenic Byway and the scenery began to change.  There were large rolling hills and different vegetation.

We rode along Flaming Gorge.  This was a beautiful ride.

There was a section of highway with 9% downhill grade.

Welcome to Utah…Life Elevated!  More change in scenery as red rocks began to make an appearance.

We planned to stay at Mustang Ridge, a national forest campground on the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.  We arrived and there was a closed sign…this despite the fact that the website said sites were available first come first serve.  I knew that there was a private campground a couple of miles down the road and that is where we ended up.  This evening, we wandered down to the station for dinner.  Authentic Mexican food; my barbacoa quesadilla was delicious!

Moving further south tomorrow!

1138 September 19, 2024 Mountain Majesty

I took a morning walk through the town of Jackson.  The almost full moon was still up.

Elk is the theme here!

We waited to leave for Grand Teton National Park.  It was very foggy and we were hoping that as the sun came out, the fog would burn off.  When we left, there was still significant fog.  Conditions did seem to improve as we climbed out of Jackson Hole.  We took Moose-Wilson Road.  This is a less used backdoor into the park.

We took the dirt and gravel road to the Death Canyon Trailhead.  We saw a couple of guys with big cameras tracking something in the trees.  It was a grizzly bear!  He was ambling along, further into the forest. 

We chose to hike to the Phelps Lake Overlook.  Tim did carry bear spray.  It was a long hard climb.  We started at 6,600 feet and at the top we were at 7,200 feet. We had gained 600 feet of elevation in a little more than a mile! I was lagging behind and out of breath but I persevered!  There were lots of stone steps and it was a challenging hike for me!

The view of the lake was breathtaking.  The fog was beginning to lift and we could see mountains! 

We saw lots of hoof prints and a paw print or two.   We saw moose poop too. 

There was a young buck in the trees not too far from the trail.  Later, we saw a mama and twins.

As we descended from the overlook, we came upon an area where a bear had definitely been and definitely more than once!  Bear scat!!!

We walked a short distance further and I knew we were headed downhill.  I asked Tim if we could turn around!  I knew that whatever distance we traveled down the hill, we would have to regain that elevation on the way back!

We hiked back to the Jeep and then found a nice spot to have a picnic lunch.

Rose meadowsweet.

Nodding thistle.

Common tansy.

As we arrived at the Inner Park Road, the sun began to come out.

We stopped at several turnouts to take pictures.  As we stood there, the veil of clouds rose and the rugged grey mountains and the snow topped peaks were revealed to us. 

We drove down the road to the Lupine Meadow Trailhead.  Here we were as close to the mountains as we could get, on a road a little less traveled.

We also drove down to the boat launch at Jenny Lake.

More pretty views.

The Jenny Lake Scenic Road was busy and the overlook was so crowded that we couldn’t park.  We decided to head back to the campground.

I loved this park.  It was smaller and intimate.  I think that because we were there just yesterday and couldn’t even discern the mountains and then today, we were able to return and see them in their glory…it felt almost magical.  This is truly a special and magnificent place.