We had offered to take Linda and Dominik out of town with us. They were headed to Goblin State Park and then the other 3 national parks in the area. In order for them to get there, they either had to backtrack many many miles, or travel across Interstate 70. Since we were leaving on the same day, we met them at the Maverick Station and packed their gear in the Jeep and the bikes in the RV and we set out. There were many places along 191 where there was no shoulder or the shoulder was composed of a rumble strip. Once we were on 70, there was no other bicycle traffic and it is a very busy highway with a speed limit of 80 mph. I did check and we were 1,757 miles from home on 70…amazing really that we could just get on 70 and go straight home! We took Linda and Dominik to Route 24 where we left them on the side of the road. A quieter country road with less traffic. They were grateful for the lift. We once again parted ways, but it is possible we will catch up with them again in one of the parks. For now, we are headed north toward Price. We have to get the Jeep serviced and that was the nearest Jeep dealer.
The view was fairly unremarkable. Once we left Moab, we left the red rock behind. The view was rather grey and plain with stubby desert bushes.
As we traveled north, we found ourselves in a small town called Wellington. A Google search recommended a stay at the Nine Mile Ranch in Nine Mile Canyon. We called and they could accommodate us. As soon as we turned onto Nine Mile Canyon Road, the view got much prettier. We were on a Backcountry Byway.
Signs of autumn.
Open range.
Back at the ranch.
We stayed inside most of the afternoon. It was very windy. As I was cooking dinner, Tim thought he could hear cattle. Nine Mile Ranch is actually a working cattle ranch. The cattle had wandered into the campground and were mooing rather loudly!
We decided to go for a sunset ride through the canyon.
Today was our last day in
Moab. We wanted to go to Arches National
Park. We had noticed that there have
been really long lines of cars waiting to get in. A gentleman the other day told us to go very
early in the morning. Yesterday, Dominik
and Linda went early in the morning.
They said that seeing the moon and the sunrise were amazing. So, we set our alarm for 5:30. We stopped for coffee and headed to the
park. There was no line to get in, but
at 6:15 there was a steady stream of traffic headed up the hill. The stars and the Milky Way were incredible.
As we drove down the park road, we could see forms, shapes, and shadows. There was the tiniest sliver of moon. Then, the light began to change.
This is North Window and South Window.
There was an off-road trail. From here we could see Delicate Arch, the
park icon.
We hiked to Sand Dune Arch.
And then, to Broken Arch.
Desert life.
We drove to the end of the
park road. In addition to the arches
there are spires, pinnacles, balanced rocks, fins, and monoliths.
We hiked to Tunnel Arch.
And then, to Pine Tree Arch.
Arches National Park has a higher
concentration of arches than anywhere else in the world. The more than 2,000 arches were formed over
the course of 100 million years of erosion by a combination of gravity, wind,
water, ice, extreme temperatures, and the movement of salt deep in the
ground. 300 million years ago, this area
was a sea. The water evaporated over
time, leaving behind salt deposits. In
places, this bed of salt is thousands of feet thick. This salt isn’t dense enough to support the
heavy rock on top. It liquifies and
moves, causing arches to form. In this
area, it is not common to have earthquakes.
For this reason, the arches have been geologically sound for about
50,000 years. In time, these arches will
revert to the sand that shaped them, even as new arches are continuously forming.
Native American peoples lived
here for thousands of years and for them and for their ancestors these are
sacred grounds. Tim and I certainly felt
like Arches is a really special place and seeing it by the brightness of the scant
moon, in the early morning light gave us an entirely new perspective.
As we left the park, the was
a line of 130 cars, (I counted), waiting to get in!
We took naps and enjoyed a
quiet, relaxing afternoon. Actually, I
had what I call a two-boy day!! That’s
when I hear from both David and Kyle on the same day…it always makes my heart
happy!
This evening we headed to town for dinner. We had Chinese food at the Moab Food Truck Court.
Today we decided to take a break from being in the car and driving so much…we don’t want our driver to get too burnt out!
But first, a short ride on the gravel road behind the campground.
The lake and campground.
We took the bikes into town. The first order of business was to sit somewhere long enough to post the blog from the last 3 days…then we could ride. There is a nice paved path from the edge of town to the Colorado River.
This pedestrian bridge “celebrates connections, beauty, people and place on shared trails through time.”
We rode back into town and got some lunch at Zax.
I was able to get an appointment at a hair salon this afternoon. It felt good to get a good haircut!
The sky looked a little threatening when we returned…but it never did rain.
I love cool clouds, especially with cool rocks!
And then…this…the rainbow was brilliant!!!
And then this rain curtain glowing as the sun sets on the other side of the mountain, the angry grey bank of storm clouds…kind of an awesome picture.
Today we took the White Rim
Trail from Canyonlands National Park. To
drive on this trail, you must have a 4×4 and you must have a permit. The entire trail is 110 miles long. In a Jeep, it takes 2 days to complete. It was our intention to travel the whole distance
but all of the tent sites along the way were taken. Tim had seen the trail from the scenic
overlooks yesterday and he really wanted to drive “down there.” We decided to do part of it as a day trip. See the road down there…
The White Rim Trail begins with
a portion of the Shafer Trail that we did yesterday. So, we went back down the steep and narrow
ledge, with tight switchbacks and gorgeous views. This road took us down 1,400 feet to the
roadbed below. This is the equivalent of
descending 140 stories.
The White Rim Road is named
for the white rim sandstone that encircles most of the canyon, around the river
gorge.
This road was originally
built in the 1950’s by miners hauling uranium out of these cliffs. There are several places in Moab where uranium
was harvested. There is a huge project
called the UMTRA project that has been undertaken by the US Department of Energy. The goal is to remove 16 million tons of contaminated uranium tailings from a location along
the Colorado River.
This is the Colorado River
Overlook. We are standing on the roadbed
above the river gorge. Our view is of
sheer canyon walls, majestic cliffs, and the river flowing far below. Tim called this a “holy crap” edge…we didn’t
venture too close.
We stopped to see Musselman
Arch.
Even in this dry desert
environment we see reminders of life. This
prickly pear cactus is bearing fruit.
Something enjoyed a meal, leaving
the hull empty after devouring the fleshy insides.
We saw lots of ground squirrels
today. There are all kinds of burrows
beneath rocks and in cliffsides. Bighorn
sheep thrive in this area. I spent a lot
of the day scanning for sheep, tarantulas, and scorpions. The spiders are
nocturnal. At this time of year though,
the male tarantulas walk together in lines looking for mates.
These rock formations were
interesting.
Pillars…so impressive here in
person…
Airport Tower.
We took a spur to Lathrop
Canyon for lunch. This was my favorite
part of the drive. The landscape was otherworldly
as we descended I to the river gorge into the jumble of giant boulders below.
As we headed back, I started
to wonder where all of the material that was swept out of the canyon by erosion
and water ended up…somewhere south of here…the river flows south…
We climbed back up to the mesa. This was an amazing day! Again, we were able to see something that most people never see…
The sunrises and sunsets here are usually fairly unremarkable. The sun slides down behind the mountain and then sneaks up over the peaks the next morning. The air is so dry and there are few clouds. Tonight there were a few wispy clouds and so the colors were pretty!
We moved the RV and packed
our cooler. Linda and Dominik wanted to come
with us today to Canyonlands. We put
their bikes on the back of the Jeep and packed all of their bags. They were hoping to stay in the campground at
the park.
We stopped at the Canyonlands
Visitor Center so that they could fill their water bottles. We walked across to the overlook…and WOW! This portion of the National Park is called
Island in the Sky. The accessible area
is on the top of a very large mesa. The
mesa is surrounded by the meandering Colorado River and fabulous canyons.
We went to the campground and
there was not one available site. There
was one woman from Oregon parked by herself on a large space. Linda and Dominik asked her if they might set
up their tent on her site. She explained
that she had to get there at 6 in the morning and wait for someone to leave in
order to get a site. Monday evening, she
shared with 6 other people who needed a space.
She allowed them to stay.
After they unloaded all of their gear, the young couple toured the rest of the park with us.
They shared our picnic lunch and then Tim and the two of them walked to Upheaval Dome, the site of what was probably a meteor impact.
After we completed the scenic
drive, we took Dominik and Linda back to there home for the night.
We took the Shafer Trail back to Moab. This gravel road took us to the bottom of the canyon where we followed the course of the Colorado River. It was gorgeous!
Moab Salt Mining Company.
WE stopped at the store on our way back to the RV. We grilled salmon and enjoyed our dinner outside by a campfire. Another excellent day!
This day was about riding
around Moab looking for a place to camp for the next several days. We began at the Moab Field Office of the
BLM. The man there gave Tim a good map
of camping options and some suggestions about where we might stay.
The first stop was along 279. There were 4 campgrounds but only 2 that could
accommodate our RV. One was along the
river.
We decided to keep
looking. We arrived at Sand Flats. This is a destination for 4×4 drivers. There were tons of available sites. We went for a ride on a 4WD trail while we were
there. We rode on the Fins and Things
trail. The route was slickrock and soft
sand. Slickrock is polished sandstone and
it is…well… slick! The geology was
pretty interesting and different than anything else we had seen so far.
A really, really steep
decline…the video doesn’t really show just how steep it was!
After finishing most of the
trail, we knew we had seen enough of the park.
The last stop was Ken’s
Lake. There were a couple of really pretty
sites with beautiful views. We would
move here on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, we had received a text for Linda and Dominik. They wanted to let us know that they were coming to Moab. They wanted to know where we were staying. We were waiting to turn at this stop sign and Tim spotted them biking toward us…such a weird coincidence.
We invited them to stay with us. The two cycled to the RV after driving an extra 6 miles so that they could bring us beer and Lindt (Swiss) chocolate.
We made salad and fruit and
ordered pizza from Dominos. They
delivered the hot pizza right to our RV.
We had a pleasant evening visiting and telling stories.
Wilson Arch. I watched the guy in the white shirt hike
down the hill with this cello strapped to his back…not sure what he was doing
with it way up there!
We had hoped to make some
plans and reservations on the road, but we had very limited WiFi for the past
three days. We tried the Koa just south
of town. They were full and they wished
us luck. It is finally lower than 100
degrees here and it is their very busy season.
We were also waiting for it to be cooler before we came so we get it. We did find a site at Spanish Trail RV Park
but only for one night, tomorrow we can stay here if we move to another site
and then only for one night. At least
this gives us a chance to scope out the area, see what we want to do, and find
another place to stay. The campground is
not lovely, but it has everything we need.
I spent the afternoon catching up on the blog and doing laundry. Tim was able to watch the Ravens game and
rest today. We did go get groceries and
the store was mobbed. We are not
accustomed to being around so many people!
We rode along the Colorado
River. There are several BLM campgrounds
right by the water. They are first come,
first serve. I don’t know if we will get
to stay there or if we will find something else.
I love these imposing burnished coppery cliffs.
Later this evening we went to Fiesta Mexicana for dinner. The food was good and the margaritas even better!
Superbowl Campground BLM
Indian Creek Recreation Area Monticello, Utah
Yesterday, we were able to
obtain a permit for the Elephant Hill 4WD Trail. Permits are limited to 25 vehicles each day. This helps to protect the fragile environment
and keep the trails safe. The ranger
asked us a bunch of questions so that he was sure that we were able to handle
this level of driving. He asked Tim if
we had a self-rescue plan? Tim was
thinking… “I’m riding with a nurse…”
What the ranger wanted to know was whether or not we had a winch so that
if we got hung up or stuck, we could pull ourselves out…YES, we have a
winch! Only modified Jeeps are suitable
on this particular trail. It is listed
as one of the most challenging 4×4 trails in Utah. The ranger also asked for an emergency
contact. As I gave him Kyle’s number, I
wondered what we were getting ourselves into and I really hoped they would
never have to call Kyle.
The beginning of this trail was a serious test. If you can’t get up and over the hill…you don’t belong here. It is steep, there are stair steps, and there are lots of immovable, very large boulders in the path of the Jeep. There is lots of rock crawling. There are caves, cliffs, tight switchbacks, and narrow passageways. There is lots of precariously balanced rock. It was equal parts terrifying and thrilling. In the beginning, tensions were a little high. Though it was hard, it was not impassable and with a careful, slow, and steady approach, we made it just fine.
Here, we had to back down the steep switchback on a narrow ledge…I was down below spotting…a little nerve-wracking!
The payoff for all this
tedious and difficult driving is amazing.
We had the rare privilege to be in this rugged and remote place. We are not separated from it by distance on
an overlook, observing from high above.
We are really immersed in the terrain and a part of it. There are no tour buses, no tour guides…it’s
just us seeing this in its most pure form…in the raw. From the tops of the mesas and back down
again into the canyons below, and then to climb back out again…it is exhilarating
and beautiful.
Our breakfast spot.
Through the grabens or vertical blocks of rock separated by a rift, usually on a fault line.
And on the other side…
Another Jeep behind us…a four door. Because our wheel base is so much shorter, we were able to drive down the steep slope. This Jeep had to back down.
Here is was easy to imagine
how ancient people would have seen and experienced this harsh place. The reality is that there has been little change
in the vegetation and rock formations in this canyon for thousands of
years.
A short time later, we found
evidence that people really lived here.
There was an archeological site with pictographs nearly 800 years old. They had been defaced and vandalized. I cannot imagine what inspires someone to
write on something so precious…
Another narrow cleft to slip through.
We saw this snake sunning
himself in the road…not sure what he is.
The Silver Stairs were a fun
little diversion in the trail.
There was a portion of the
trail that we had to travel again. The
advantage is that we kind of knew what to expect and where the trail turned. The disadvantage is that the same rocks look
completely different coming from the other direction!
This is biological soil. It looks dark and lumpy. This crust is composed of fungi, lichen,
algae, and bacteria. It serves important
ecological purposes. The soil absorbs
water, provides nitrogen to the soil, and protects the area from erosion. It is essential to preserve this fragile
surface. If you step on the soil, it
crushes it and it can take 50 to 100 years to regrow. For this reason, it is imperative that you
stay on the designated trails in Canyonlands.
We drove as far as we could toward the Confluence Overlook. The Green River and the Colrado River merge here. We had to hike the last ½ mile. It was well worth the effort it took to get there. We were 1,000 feet above the confluence.
Tim really does not like for me to be too close to the edge.
We saw lots of these tiny little lizards. This one actually stayed in one place long enough for me to get his picture.
Our lunch spot.
The hardest part of the trail
was here, going back over Elephant Hill.
Tim said “See that tree? That was
plan B our self-extraction plan!” We
made it up just fine.
A raven posing for pictures.
We stopped for a short hike at Pothole Point. Communities of shrimp and other minuscule creatures live in these potholes. These diverse plants and animals lie dormant and when it rains and the small ponds fill and they are teeming with life. When it is hot and dry, the organisms wait again for rain.
The trails here are all marked with cairns. Only rangers are allowed to erect cairns in this park.
Superbowl Campground BLM
Indian Creek Recreation Area Monticello, Utah
This morning we fixed a
pancake breakfast for our guests. We all
had packing and preparing to do for the day, but it was nice to watch the
changing morning light and eat together before we took off in opposite
directions.
Our first stop today was the
Blanding Visitor Center. I sat in the RV
and published yesterday’s blog while Tim got information about camping and travel
to Canyonlands National Park. The ranger
recommended a back road to Route 211 where we were afforded spectacular views
of the surrounding landscape.
We stopped at Newspaper
Rock. I prefer the Navajo name for this
place, “Rock That Tells A Story” or Tse’ Hane. These are petroglyphs etched into the
desert varnish on this sandstone rockface.
We found our overnight spot
in Superbowl Campground, a BLM property.
$7.50 each night with our Senior Access Pass…no hookups…but our view…tremendous!
We rested for a while before
heading into Canyonlands. We are in The
Needles area of the park.
Raven in the parking lot.
In the backcountry office, Adam helped us to make decisions about how to spend our time in the park. He suggested that we take the 4WD trail, Colorado River Overlook, today.
This trail was mild for the first 5 miles and then the last 2 miles involved a lot of rock climbing…but nothing radical! The drive was definitely worth it. When we got to the top…WOW!!! The pictures truly do not do this justice. This is Meander Canyon.
We needed gas before tomorrow’s planned 4WD trip. According to the literature we were given we needed to travel 35 miles to the nearest gas station…ugh! As we were deliberating whether we should go tonight or tomorrow, I saw a sign for an RV park with a convenience store, Needles Outpost and they had GAS! They closed at 6:00 and we got there at 5:58…they were happy to help us. The woman and her husband had come here many years ago after living in northern Virginia, near DC. She doesn’t miss a thing about it…not the hurry or the noise. She is happier here where it is slower and peaceful and where people are friendlier. She was certainly kind to us. Oh, and the gas was $6.00 a gallon…
We had our dinner and again enjoyed watching the light on the surrounding cliffs.
Valley of the Gods BLM
Dispersed Camping Blanding, Utah
We drove a short distance today
and returned to the Valley of the Gods. While
we were riding around yesterday, we saw there was dispersed camping here with
amazing views…
Valley of the Gods.
Once we were settled, we packed the cooler and headed out for today’s adventure. We had met a woman who told us that 261, Trail of the Ancients, was a gravel road on the edge of a mesa and so of course we wanted to go and see for ourselves.
Most people would have
researched the route. They might have known
ahead of time where they were going and they definitely might have had
reservations for overnight. This is NOT
how we travel. Most of the time it works
just fine. We met a couple the other day
who live in their RV fulltime. They
always have reservations 5 months out.
They couldn’t understand our free form decision making. We believe that it allows us to enjoy the
ride and see where it takes us…other people would be very anxious traveling this
way!
Unfortunately, the gravel road was only 3 miles long and then we were on smooth, brand new, paved road. We went to Natural Bridges National Monument. There is a difference between arches and bridges and it has to do with the way they are formed. Bridges are formed by erosive damage by flowing water. Arches are formed by seeping water, frost, and other eroding forces.
The first bridge overlook was
at Sipapu Bridge. Sipapu means “place of
emergence.” This is one of the largest natural
bridges in the world.
Horse Collar Ruin was a pueblo cliff dwelling from about AD 1050 to 1300. There is evidence that people have lived here on this mesa and in the canyon below from 9,000 to 700 years ago. There was a short and pleasant hike to the overlook.
Good advice…
Hidey hole for some clever creature. Look how the entrance is blocked by the
cactus.
Erosive forces at work.
The canyon and the ruins beneath the arches far below.
The second bridge was Kachina
Bridge.
The third bridge, Owachomo,
is the thinnest and oldest. It could
crack and fall tomorrow, or last for many more years.
We met Joe and his wife from
Nashville, Tennessee as we were exploring the park. We had fun sharing travel stories with
them. They were headed to Route
261. He was excited about it, his wife
not so much! We hope that they enjoyed
their adventure today!
We could see Bears Ears as we
left the park.
Route 95 from Natural Bridges
to Blanding is a scenic route. I will
let the pictures speak for themselves.
On our way back, we passed a
young couple on bicycles working hard to get up a steep hill and fighting a
stiff headwind. The wind was strong
enough that it was battering the sides of the Jeep. Tim decided to turn around and offer the two
cyclists some cold water. The woman
gratefully accepted. The young man had
just filled his water. The couple
planned to camp in Valley of the Gods.
Tim told them where to find us.
Later this afternoon, I heard voices behind the RV. Linda and Dominik found us! We enjoyed an evening of trading travel stories. This couple left Switzerland a year ago. They had been saving money to take a bike tour. They gave up their apartment and their jobs. They biked to Belgium then Poland. At one point in their journey, Dominic was injured in a car accident and the couple returned to Switzerland while he recovered. Then they took a container ship to Nova Scotia. They arrived in Canada last September. They came to the U.S. and biked most of the east coast of the United States all the way to Key West. Their visas are only good for 3 months at a time here in the States. They spent several months in South America touring Ecuador, Guatemala, and Columbia. They also went to the Galapagos. They are now biking in the western states…such courage, such an inspiration. We cooked them dinner and they used our shower. We all watched the heavens erupt with stars…so many stars that it was difficult to find the constellations we know well. We could see the Milky Way so clearly and I even saw a shooting star. Linda and Dominic went to bed in their tent, full, clean, and happy. It was such a pleasure to share time with them, it makes our lives so much richer as we meet people along our path.
