April 16-19
Garden fence
Spent a few days at Shelby's (daughter) house in Denver doing chores. Put a fence up for the garden, fixed water garden, put some hooks on the front porch for lights, cleaned up and fixed the pergola. Cleaned up back yard and went and picked up two loads of mulch and spread in beds in back yard. Fixed door in guest room so it would latch and fixed door step on front door. Also spent some time getting the camper fixed. Took it to Camping World in Denver and had them add a second battery for boon docking and put a cut-off on the battery system to save batteries when not in use. They were supposed to fix the roof vent that had broken with the high winds when driving across Kansas but they supposedly ran out of time and just left a hole in the roof with nothing on it. Luckily it wasn't raining so I just bought a new roof vent and fixed it myself. I had tried earlier to just replace the see through cover and couldn't find one that would work, so that is what they were supposed to do, but they couldn't find one that matched either and they didn't have time to take the whole roof vent off and replace it. I didn't appreciate them not telling me that they hadn't fixed it though. I didn't find out until the girl at the check out let me know. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.
Shelby's backyard
April 20, Friday
Spring/winter/summer
Campsite at Colorado National Monument
Left Shelby's and drove to Grand Junction. I took I-70 across the mountains. The passes were wet, icy, and had lots of cinders do the truck and camper were a mess when I got to Grand Junction. I stopped at an RV park just east of Grand Junction and filled the propane bottle and water tank. I got some fried chicken at KFC and then washed the truck and camper. Went on up to Colorado National Monument at about 1:00 and found a campsite. There were plenty available. Stayed at site 21 with morning sun and afternoon shade. After I got set up I went to the visitor center. Drove Rim Rock Drive and went back into Grand Junction to get some groceries and fill the gas tank. I got back to the camper around 7:30 and ate KFC and went for a walk around the campground. I met Dennis and Karen because I stopped to ask them about their Kangaroo tent camper. Dennis was very familiar with the south Utah area. He told me about a loop hike in Natural Bridges National Monument and Upper Muley Twist at Capitol Reef. We agreed to shuttle cars and take the Monument Canyon hike on Sunday.
Dennis and Karen's Kamparoo
April 21, Saturday
Day pack in upper Echo Canyo
Hiked Echo Canyon. I used my new hiking boots that I had gotten at REI in Denver. Feet were a little sore even though it was just three miles in and out. Meet Dennis and Karen on their way in when I was going out. Echo canyon ends up in a box canyon with some water and quite a bit of vegetation. I also got a photo of a painted lizard on the way out. Dennis and Karen came by this evening to set up a time to meet for out hike tomorrow. Total miles 3.
Pretty lizard
April 22, Sunday
Independence Monument in the background
Met Dennis and Karen at 8:00 and we took my truck to the lower trail head of Monument Trail and drove back in theirs. We got on the trail around 9:00 and hit the lower trail head around 1:00 and got back to the campground around 2:00. This is about a 6 mile hike. I went over and looked at Dennis and Karen's solar electric system. I is very simple and quite inexpensive. They have two panels, one is 15w and the other 25w and they feed into a collector. The collector has a plug in that allows you to recharge IPad, phone, camera, etc.
On the hike Dennis talked about the Grand Canyon (north side) and mentioned a nice boondocking area near the rim but I can't remember how they said to get there, it is west of the north side lodge along the rim. They were teachers in southern California until they retired and moved to Sedona, Arizona about 13 years ago. He taught history and then computers at the secondary level. She taught elementary.
I called Carol and Fluff after I got back and settled in. Hiked six miles and two miles in the evening for a total of 8 miles.
I actually have someone to take my picture on this hike
Dennis and Karen
April 22, Monday
A couple of the arches in Rattlesnake Canyon
I headed out to Rattlesnake Canyon this morning. Wow, ten miles in and ten out, all 4WD and a pucker factor of 3 on a 1-5 scale.
I hiked into the Arches section of Rattlesnake Canyon. I had been told about a way to climb out of the area through the First Arch, but I just didn't feel comfortable doing it since I was by myself and it just looked too risky, I thought I might fall and that could ruin my whole trip. I headed back the way I had come. When I got back to the trail head I went out to the overlook for the First Arch where I would have ended up and decided it was a good thing I went back the way I came because it looked even harder from this end. It was a good hike but it was really hot. I went through two liters of water and wished I had some more in an ice chest when I got back to the truck. The air conditioning sure felt good. I got back about 4:00 and had chips and salsa and bourbon and coke. Yum. Took a shower in the camper that night. It is nice to have a dry bath I have decided.
Rattlesnake Canyon
April 23, Tuesday
Campsite at Goose Island
Broke camp at Colorado National Monument and headed to Fruita. Dumped black and gray water at the Colorado Welcome Center there and refilled with fresh water. I headed west on I-70 into Utah and then took 128 south toward Moab. I found several campgrounds along the Colorado River down this stretch but wanted something closer to Moab. When I got to Arches NP I found that all the campsites are preservable and they didn't have any openings so I went back up 128 to Goose Island Campground (BLM) and found a site and set up. It is a nice campground, no hookups or water but right beside the river. It was only $6 a night with my senior pass. It was really hot again so I went into Moab to get oil changed in the truck, do laundry, and then shopped around a little bit. I ended up at Moab Brewery about 5:00. I couldn't get a table outside since they were full and I got one inside which was actually a table for 4. I ordered Porcupine Pilsner (very good) and while I was waiting an older couple, yet younger than me :-) walked by looking for a table so I invited them to sit with me. Dick and Yvette were their names. He was retired as president of the college in Grand Junction. He had lost his first wife to cancer about 5 years ago and married Yvette about 2 years ago. They had moved to Park City, Utah because Grand Junction reminded him too much of his first wife. They had a small Winnebago and were just heading to Grand Junction from the Grand Canyon and Sedona, etc. They had just bid on a house there and they were going to do some work on it and turn it. They were considering keeping it though and living in both Park City and Grand Junction. They both had a lot of friends in Grand Junction and kind of missed it. The place they bought in Park City was a junker that they got for $345,000, but it was right in the middle of town and they had fixed it up very nice and now was worth in excess of $1million. They were a very nice couple and were in Moab to visit her brother who was considering buying land in the area for an environmentally friendly RV park. After two beers and some chicken wings I headed back to read and slept really good.
April 25, Wednesday
Photos of Fiery Furnace
Went by Arches Vistor Center at 8:00 and got a permit to hike the Fiery Furnace area. Wow, what a place. Dennis had told me about it. I had to watch a video that emphasized LNT (leave no trace) and then answer some questions before they would give me a permit. It cost $4. I spent about 4 hours in there. I didn't cover much ground but it was very strenuous and there were lots of slots and different rock formations and climbing through holes, etc. It is really a unique place. The rangers that give out the permits warn you about getting lost. I wasn't worried about that since I had my GPS unit with me but I did get to one place where I couldn't go any further and had kind of a difficult time figuring out how I got there in the first place. Probably did about 2 miles in this place. It is really unique. From here I went to Devil's Garden and hiked about 2 miles up this trial to refresh my memory of this area. I hiked to Landscape/Tunnel/Pine Tree Arches. It was very hot and crowded so didn't spend too much time on this trail. About 2 miles total hiking here on this trail. I left Arches and went into Moab to get gas and some groceries and then dropped them back by the camper and went up to Negro Bill Canyon which I had discovered in a hiking book. I hiked to the end of the canyon and saw Morning Glory Arch. It was a nice hike and I did see a mule deer. I found a matte (Indian grinding stone) beside the creek. This trail was about 4.5 miles total. Had tacos and Tecate for supper. Did about 8.5 miles today.
Landscape arch and double arch
At the end of Negro Bill Canyon
Flowers in Negro Bill Canyon
Mule deer
April 26, Thursday
Campsite at Goblin Valley State Park
I headed up 191 to I-70 this morning and then west on I-70 to Green River. Green River is almost a ghost town except for the traffic from I-70. I found a grocery store and bought a couple of things for the next couple of days. Practically all the stores in town seemed to be closed. Everyone probably thinks I do a lot of grocery shopping but really I buy small quantities and only enough for a couple of days. I then headed west on I-70 to highway 24 south and went down to Goblin Valley state park. They had one campsite left so I took that for one night. I hate reservations because I don't want to be tied down trying to get to a certain place, oh well. Had some strong winds and rain that afternoon so I went out in the truck exploring. I found the trail head for Little Wild Horse Canyon. It is about an 8 mile loop and would be great to try in better weather. Lots of dispersed campsites in this area too. The rain stopped about 4:00 and I headed for Goblin Valley. I went into all three valleys, probably about 2 miles of total hiking. Very unique area. I encountered a photo group who came out after the rain an were taking all kinds of pictures of the area. My brother Mike would have loved this place. I got back to the camper about 7:00 and had salad for supper. It got downright cold that night (40s).
The unique rock formations of Goblin Valley
Antelope on the range
April 27, Friday
Campsite at Capitol Reef NP
An oasis in the desert
Cathedral Valley
Packed up and headed to Capitol Reef NP today. Got there about 10:00 and found a campsite. I wanted to get there early enough to find a descent site since I knew it was a popular place. This is one of the prettiest national park campgrounds I have ever seen. It is an old orchard that was planted by Morman settlers back in the 1800s and has been maintained by the park service. It is like an oasis in the middle of the desert. Just beautiful. After I got the camper set up I headed for Cathedral Valley. Snow melt had made the river ford on the west entrance to the loop too deep so I decided to go in the back way. This turned out to be a really rough road so I just went into Cathedral Valley and back out. Went to Tuney to get gas. The main street here is gorgeous but the rest of the town is pretty shabby. Made calls to Carol, Bob and Shelby. Got back to the camper and grilled steak and had some salad, then walked around the campground. Ran into a camp host with a truck camper. I had actually met him at Colorado National Monument a few days earlier and we chatted for awhile.
April 28, Saturday
Shots from Upper Muley Twist
Upper Muley Twist
Drove out to and down Notom Road down to the Burr Trail intersection, about 35 miles, and mostly washboard. Just about shook my teeth loose. The switchbacks were bad too, real wash boardy. When got to Upper Muley Twist had to drive back about 3 miles on 4 wheel drive road. It was only about a 2 pucker factor though. Started hike about 2:00 and got back about 3:00. It was about 8 miles total in and out. Met a couple from Moab and ate lunch with them at the narrows. He is in computers and telecommutes. He actually works for Stanford University in California but works from home in Moab. She works for Utah Family Services. As remote and hard to get to as this hike it I was surprised at how many people I saw on this hike, about 20. I drove back to the campground along the Burr Trail to Boulder and then back to Capitol Reef, about 70 miles. I didn't get back until about 6:00 but I just didn't want a repeat of the washboard road.
Above the narrows in Upper Muley Twist
Driving out of Upper Muley Twist trailhead
April 29, Sunday
Boondocking outside of Natural Bridges NP
Arch Canyon overlook up between the Bears Ears
I made a decision today. With only about 10 days left before I needed to be back I decided to forego the Escalante/Staircase area and head back east I thought I would head to Natural Bridges and spend the night around there. I had heard from Dennis they had a neat loop trail and I wanted to try that. I made it to Natural Bridges about noon but the campground was already full. I stopped at the visitor center and a ranger told me about a dispersed camp area up on Bears Ear Road, so I headed up there. I found a great spot (N 37 35.508 W 109 55.128 6876') It was a little tricky getting the trailer in there but I managed it with a lot of maneuverer. I finally got the trailer set up about 2:00 and decided to explore up toward the Bears Ears, a couple of butte like areas up on top of a mountain. It was a very steep ascent of about 1500 feet but once I went between the ears a whole new world opened up to me. Wow, pine forests with beautiful green meadows and a spattering of aspen trees not yet leafed out. There were many, many great campsites. I just kept driving and got to Arch Canyon overlook. Just as I got there my phone beeped. I had cell coverage up here, amazing. I checked voice mails and called Shelby. I can never get her to answer her phone so I left a voice mail for her. Then I called Carol and told her about my change of plans and where I was camped. I picked up some fresh pine cones for Carol and then explored some side roads and found more and more great campsites. This is beautiful country. I do think I prefer mountain terrain to desert terrain. Had tacos for supper.
Mountain meadow camping areas over the ridge between the Bears Ears
Looking down at my campsite from just below the Bears Ears
April 30, Monday
On the way down into the canyon at Natural Bridges
Some of the natural bridges from below
Hiked the loop trail at Natural Bridges today. Saw three natural bridges and some ancient ruins known as 'Horsecollar Ruins'. This was named such due to the design around one of the doors that resembles a horse collar. I climbed up a log to get to the ruins, but luckily found an easier way down. It was a 9 mile hike and got very hot toward the end of the day. I ran low on water again. I was pretty drained this evening. I had salad with sardines and jalapeno peppers for supper. After a bourbon and coke I was ready for bed.
Horsecollar Ruins
After coming up out of the canyon
May 1, Tuesday
Utah highway
Left Natural Bridges boondock site and headed for Bluff, Utah. Will rent a regular RV site for a night or two. I need to recharge batteries, camera, Kindle, etc. I got to Bluff around 10:00 and found a nice RV site at Cadilac Ranch RV Park. Full hookups were $25 a night so I took two nights. Showers were private bathrooms, very roomy and clean. I got things recharging and I went to a laundromat to wash a few things. This laundromat was sketchy to say the least. 90% of the machines and dryers didn't work. I meet a lady named April while I was there. She is really into the outdoors and is an MD in Ft. Collins, CO. She knows the area well and told me about a pictograph panel along Comb Ridge that I needed to check out. After laundry I headed to Hovenweep National Monument. It was interesting but not as impressive as Mesa Verde or Chaco Canyon. I went to Blanding on the way back to camp to pick up some groceries. There is no store in Bluff.
Went to the Twin Rocks Cafe for supper and had Navajo Fry Bread Pizza. It was good. This was the first restaurant I had been to since Denver. When I got back to the campground I actually had wifi so I downloaded photos from the camera and then wrote a few emails.
Prickly Pear Cactus
May 2, Wednesday
Scenes from Wolfman Panel
Scenes from Procession Panel
Headed out to Butler Wash today. I wasn't sure where to turn but finally found it between mile marker 40 and 41. My first stop was about one mile down the road to search for Wolfman Panel. Found it easily - very nice, some great pictographs. By the way, I'm using Mike Kelsey's 'Hiking the Colorado Plateau' for a reference. When I finished here I went in search of the Procession Panel, a must see according to April at the laundromat. Unfortunately, Kelsey had not been there so I was flying by the seat of my pants on this one. I had a vague idea of where it was. I pulled into a couple of side roads, the first of which didn't look right so I went on down to about 7.2 miles and there was a van that had 'Far Out Expeditions' painted on the side of it so I figured that was probably the spot. Even though there weren't any people there I figured somebody had taken a group in at this point. I had a heck of a time once the trail hit the slick rock. I kept trying to follow some cairns but that wasn't so easy. I think the group that leads the expeditions in were trying to keep the place to themselves. I almost turned around a couple of times, but both times I stumbled onto a slight trail or a cairn that kept me going. I finally did find it and it was pretty impressive. It was about 2.5 miles in from the trail head and about 1000' higher. The nice thing about going up when you are going in, you know it will be downhill coming out. It was at the top and on the far side of Comb Ridge. Pretty impressive. I was there when the 'Far Out' guy and a couple he was leading came by. Then I passed them on the way back out.
Slickrock on way to Procession Panel
Hidden Pool Ruins
Remnants of everyday life of the ancient Puebloans
Crossing the foot trail and exiting the ruins
Next I headed for Hidden Pool Ruins. I found what I thought was the parking area and hiked in about 1.5 miles. Some good ruins here along with mattes and pottery shards, corn cobs, and some great petroglyphs. It was evident how they had made their roofs here because there was still some remnant of roofs. I met Sally Fuller from Glenwood Springs, CO here and her sister from back east was with her. It was obvious that her sister just wasn't use to the altitude and see seemed pretty overheated as well. She took some photos of me crossing over a precarious foot area that connected one part of the ruins with another. She has since sent me a copy of the photo. It was a little iffy due to the fact that if you slipped you would end up sliding about 50' down a pretty steep incline on your rear, but I made it with no problem. Total I ended up doing about 9 miles today. When I got back to the truck I decided to head up the Valley of the Gods and then up to Muley Point. I sat on the tailgate of my pickup and drank a beer and admired the view of Monument Valley as a tribute to the 'Duke' (John Wayne). He made a lot of movies in that area. I got back to the RV park around 7:00 and showered, had tacos for supper, did emails and went to bed.
Muley Point with Monument Valley in the distance
Drinking a cold one on the tailgate of my truck as a tribute to the 'Duke'
May 3, Thursday
Campsite at Mesa Verde
At Mesa Verde
I headed over to Mesa Verde today and found a campsite at the park. This is a pretty dilapidated campground. It needs some work on the roads and just general cleanup. It was also more expensive than most at $20 a night. It is contracted out to Aramark and I don't think they do much to provide a clean campground. I don't like the contracted national park campgrounds. They are not nearly as well maintained as the ones maintained by the park service.
I went to the Visitor Center and signed up for a tour of Cliff Palace. It was interesting but short. From there I went to the museum and saw a video and looked at the exhibits. I walked down to Spruce House Ruins and back, and then back to the camper. I forgot to lay out meat to thaw so I had a grilled ham sandwich with dill an onion slices and ketchup. It was really good.
Cliff Palace
Deer near campsite
May 4, Friday
Lowry Pueblo
I went to Cortez and filled with gas $95 and then ate a big breakfast at Denny's. Headed to Delores and went to the Anasazi Cultural Center. Interesting. Drove out toward Lowry Pueblo from there. Pass McPhee Resevior and had to drive through to check out the camping there. It is a National Forest campground with electric hookups and was very nice. Much better than Mesa Verde campground. Next time will stay there. I then drove on out to Lowry Pueblo and toured it and drove on out to Painted Hand Pueblo. Painted hand is pretty much gone, just remenents of one or two buildings. Lowry had been excavated and was cleaned up a real contrast to Painted Hand. Camera quit on me at Painted Hand so didn't get many photos. On my way back to the campground I stopped in Cortez and got a can of air to spray out the camera. That didn't work though. I had thought it might be dust in the lens.
I may have bumped it against a rock since I carry it in the lower pocket of my shorts.
I grilled steak and had salad and cottage cheese for supper. A deer came within 20' of me while I was eating. She was browsing too. I met a young couple who were getting married in five weeks. He is from Minnesota and she is from Australia. I told them about Butler Wash/Comb Ridge and Valley of the Gods and Muley Point. I'm not sure they have time to get there though. They had to be in Boulder Colorado in about 4 days for a family thing.
Painted Hand Pueblo
May 5, Saturday
I packed up and headed east today. I guess I'm ready to head home. I got all the way from Mesa Verde to Greensburg KS. It was pretty late when I got to Greensburg though and I had a hard time finding the fishing lake I have camped at in the past. Finally stopped a a service station and asked where it was. It was a long day of driving.
May 6, Sunday
Got home this afternoon. Another great trip under my belt. Found some new and exciting things on this trip and hope I can get the grandkids out that way sometime to show them some of the ruins and canyons before I get too old to hike.
