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March 29, 2008 - location: Primm, NV
We had a splendid visit at Bryce Canyon. The trails were snowy, so we elected to stay up around the rim and check out the view from various vantage points. Next time through we'll take the time to hike. The dogs can't go, though, so they will have to be penned up in the camper while we hike around to see the beautiful spires from below. After returning to our camper, which we left outside the park, we hit the road again and drove through Utah and Arizona to Nevada. The gas prices are stunning. We stopped to fill up my truck at $3.95 per gallon and I thought we would find cheaper gas near Vegas. Wrong. We paid an astronomical $4.05 to fill the motorhome. The traffic on I-15 in Vegas was bad and we eventually got through town and headed towards California. Just before crossing the border we stopped at a casino area and spent the night parked in a free-camp parking lot. There were a bunch of other people camping out, many of whom had off-road racing vehicles. At 7am we found out why they were there, there was a dirt race track a couple hundred yards from our camp. We hightailled it out of there as the traffic began filing in. Now I am sitting in the shade of a tree at our new camp. We are going to stay here at Edwards Air Force base for at least two nights. The campground is quiet and only $15 for full hook-ups. If we move to Poing Mugu, we'll have to pay $23 per night, but will have views of the ocean. We have time to decide. Tomorrow we are heading to Bakersfield to buy some parts for Gerry's jeep. We may run some errands along the way and will be home by dinner time. Tonight is red snapper for dinner and Gerry is deciding how to cook it now. Asparagus was only $0.79 cents per pound so we're having that as well. Perhaps some baked red potatoes with garlic and rosemary for a side.
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March 28, 2008 - location: Hole-in-the-Rock Rd, UT (N 37°,46.138'; W 111°,31.728')
I could have stayed at this campsite for a week or two. With it being BLM land, we could have technically stayed here for 14 days for free before having to move on. Some day I hope we slow down that much. Gas prices may help persuade us, but for now we really enjoy seeing new places and getting on with it. Today we are going to another new place for Gerry....Bryce Canyon. This is my favorite national park and I look forward to seeing it the snow and sharing it with Gerry.
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March 27, 2008 - location: Hole-in-the-Rock Rd, UT (N 37°,46.138'; W 111°,31.728')
We spent today driving down Hole-in-the-Rock road to the point where the Mormon settlers crossed the river back in 1880. This is the same trail that we drove parts of when we were camped to the southeast down by Bluff. It was amazing to see the place where the wagons were lowered down to the river. I am amazed that they made it. I sure wouldn't lower my jeep down the crack.
Our drive yesterday went well and we found a nice campsite with views of the ridgeline near Escalante. We made a fire and had an enjoyable evening just hanging out. We're going to stay here again tonight and then heading towards Bryce Canyon.
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March 26, 2008 - location: near Factory Butte, UT (N 38°,23.574'; W 110°,53.496')
Goblin Valley was neat with sandstone blebs perched atop softer bases. We hiked with the dogs for a while ,exploring the valley floor and climbing in and around the "goblins". Honey went into crazy hunt mode and was very alert and darted to and fro. After the visit in the park, we headed back to tear down camp. A really nice BLM guy stopped by and chatted for a while, telling us about other places to see. Then off we went down to Hanksville to visit and the BLM office there. The woman at the desk said sharks teeth can be found around Factory Butte, so off we went. After finding a campsite, we set off across the road and then down a neat wash that soon became a spectacular canyon. We found selenite crystals but no sharks teeth. We eventually had to turn around because we just couldn't climb safely down the waterfalls in the canyon, especially with the dogs. It is amazing the difference in experiencing the land on foot versus in truck on roads. By foot, the seemingly innocent washes become canyons and it becomes an arduous route on foot to navigate a region. I have developed a new sense of appreciation for what the early explorers and pioneers went through in their quest for "streets of gold". I can imagine writing a letter home from the frontier in which I would cite "the streets here are not paved with gold. In fact, there are no streets and travel away from established routes is almost impossible. These wild and vast lands impart a freedom unknown at home. I can go for weeks without seeing another soul and am perfectly content to wandering between the tracks until I reach the next outpost whereby I can replenish my supplies."
So much for the fantasy world. Once back at camp, we disconnected the truck from the trailer and headed further towards the butte in search of the sharks teeth. I think a lot of ground would have to be covered on foot to find any and I contented myself to return to camp and begin preparing enchiladas for dinner. We have the generator running so our convection oven can bake up the dish. There is goes now.
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March 25, 2008 - location: Goblin Valley, UT (N 38°,39.291'; W 110°,39.633')
Our drive was delightfully short and we arrived at our new site mid-afternoon. The dogs ran around like crazy and Gerry and I relaxed in the sun, enjoying the views of the rocks nearby and the white-capped mountains in the distance. It doesn't get any better than this. We had a fire for the first time in quite some time and it was great to watch the coals and flames jump about. The temperature dropped quickly, though, and we retired to the warm comforts of our RV. Today we are off to see Goblin Valley State Park and then move to our next campsite. I could stay camped here for quite a while and hope to return someday.
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March 24, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
Bees bussing on blossoms blooming and it must be time to go. There is a cherry tree growing in our campsite and we have had the pleasure of watching the buds become blossoms. Now the bees have discovered their succulence and we are departing. This morning was spent doing laundry, packing up, and preparing for the road. We haven't decided on an exact route yet, but I am thinking of going north to I-70 and then cutting down through Hanksville and around on back roads to Nevada and eventually ending up on I-15 to California. We hope to pick up Gerry's new front end from a guy in Bakersfield and then work on both our jeeps. I will put my new transfer case in with the 5 to 1 low range versus 2.73 to 1 stock low range. Perhaps we'll go to Camarillo and Pt Mugu for the work. Our other option is Edward's Air Force Base.
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March 23, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
Today was great fun. We headed out to do the Golden Spike trail, but ended up restricting ourselves to the Poison Spider trail after Gerry broke his rear drive shaft. He was trying to get up a real tough optional climb when he broke. We parked his jeep and did the rest of the trail in my jeep. Gerry wasn't too upset because he was planning on changing the rear drive shaft when he goes spring over with his jeep next month. He just won't be able to wheel until then. We had hoped to stay here a little longer and try out more trails, but we decided to head out tomorrow. I hope to have time for laundry and cleaning before we go.
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March 22, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
Metal Masher was the trail of the day for Gerry and I. We met in downtown Moab along with all the other runs of this biggest day of the event. The local officers blocked traffic and directed us through intersections and out of town. It was incredible and a great start to the day. We picked a really fun run and got lucky in that all the vehicles were capable and no one broke. We ended up at the Widowmaker after lunch. The Widowmaker is an "optional" obstacle on the trail. I opted for and most opted against. Well, that makes it a little to egotistical. The real facts are that most people aren't insane enough to attempt the hill when they find out it is a no-return trail. About 6 of us drove our vehicles to the base of the rock and parked there while we first stared at it and then watched others try it. Everyone made it up. Only one guy did it totally unaided. I was probably second least aided. I hooked a tow-strap onto my winch because I didn't want to go over backwards if I caught air at the top. The guy at the other end gave a little tug when I backed off after not having my front locker engage, but then my locker engaged and I gassed it hard and was up top all of a sudden. There has been debate as to how much I did on my own versus the "tug". I'll only be happy when I go back and drive it on my own. The safety tow strap is definately a good idea, though.
We stopped for a BBQ dinner at some friend's campsite. I'm full and the food was excellent. Most of all the chatting was good and I look forward to a trail run with them tomorrow. I'm too tired to get pictures up tonight, but I'll sort through those from today and post a few of our run.
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March 21, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
Decisions have been made and good times had. Ahhh, where to start. I suppose I'll try the first-things-first approach. Yesterday Gerry and I collectively decided on the 5to1 2-speed transfer case. This will give me a good option of crawl ratios and I can always go to lower rack-n-pinion gears if I want to go slower. The price was good and one was available to pick up here to avoid freight and wait. So, I am now the proud owner of an Atlas transfer case from Advanced Adapters. It sits in my truck as I write since I picked it up this evening after our trail run. There I go, getting ahead of myself. First-things-first. This morning was crisp and clear when we headed over to the arena to set aside a seat for tonight and then hook up with friends for a trail run. The object of the day was fins-n-things. This trail started out fun, then got too easy, then fun again. By the end of it (about 11:30am), we were ready for a bigger challenge and headed over to "Hells Revenge". Dave had done it twice this week already, so was the obvious leader and I am glad he led because he knew all the tricky tougher routes to take. The views were awesome and the hills amazing. We all did a "hot-tub". This isn't what you may think. A hot tub is a deep hole that may or may not have water. The sides are steep and you slowly go down one side, flatten out at the bottom, and then head straight up the other side. It was awesome. Oh, before the dip, there was "hells-gate". This was a real tricky down and up that only a few people take. I felt really macho for doing it, but had to hold my ego in check when I saw 2 rhinos do it. A rhino isn't a big gray thing with horns found in Africa. Well it is, but that's now what I'm talking about. The rhino that did Hells Gate are like a quad all-terrain-vehicle. They are awesome. Maybe these ones were really called mules, I don't know much about them except...watch out. After hells gate, where Dave caught some air, and the hot tub, we approached the escalator. The escalator is a steep long climb of rock with a nasty hole in the middle. Gerry tried first and ended up on his right side, then his left side, then winched out. My turn was next. Yes, I was still crazy enough to want to try. I thought my width and length (which are both greater than Gerry's jeep) would give me an advantage. Well, I aced the first hill and kept climbing up the right side of the steep wall while straddling the hole. I climbed so well that I ended up on my right side. Schatter went my side mirror and I immediately backed up, turning my wheels to get off my side. What an awesome feeling. My first time for righting myself. Then I tried and tried to make it around the hole, but my bumper kept scraping on the rock. I eventually winched out and the casualties....one broken side mirror, a scraped rear quarter panel, a really scraped bumper, and some scratches on the right fender flare. After that we had more fun on the way out and tested the "tilt-hill" where Gerry almost got air and I used the aid of a spotter after getting off line.
We're heading to dinner now but I'll go back through and add pictures. So, if you read this and there weren't any hyperlinks to pictures, just check back over the next couple of days.
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March 20, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
We are spending today wandering around the vendor displays here at the arena in Moab. All the major manufacturers of parts for our jeeps are here. I am thinking about a new transfer case and am leaning real strongly towards an Atlas, but cannot decide which one. They are a lot of money and the one I want will end up costing about $4000 to do the job. That's a pretty big birthday present. Perhaps I should buy the cheaper one for now. Decisions, decisions. Maybe I should just go jeeping.
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March 19, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
Our day was spent jeeping and hiking on the Moab Rim. It was a great run, fun hike, and interesting new people. Most of all I like the trail officials and a few guys from Rhode Island. We ended up going to dinner with the R.I. guys and gorged ourselves on pizza, washed down with a bit of beer. I know I will sleep well tonight from all the excitement and excersize today.
We were near the end of the group of jeeps and the going was slow over the first two big obstacles. The leader placed spotters at these two spots who told you where to put your tires to make it over them. Gerry and I moved quickly up these hard spots and Gerry made the ledge look easy. We eventually wound our way to the trailhead for the hike. Well, it wasn't much of a trailhead and at times I thought we might not find it, but our leader had a madness to his method and after some great scenery, eventually we wound up on a ridge overlooking the arch. Some of us hiked down a crack to see the arch up close. After a while spent exploring the area on foot, we headed back to the jeeps and moved on for another short hike. This one took us to petrographs. My favorite was this one. Although most of the group seemed to like the ant-like marchers. The rocks had their own unique character. It was an excellent day and I am thinking a jeep-cam is in order to be able to snap shots of the trail as I go along. I wonder how to do it. I'll have to seek the help of those more computer-savy than me.
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March 18, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
We're having a great day today. We met up with Richard and Pete this morning for a run to the Flat Iron Trail. It was a lot of fun finding our way along this little-used trail. There were plenty of tracks because the club did it yesterday as part of the Jeep Safari event. Still, we managed to get lost and were fortunate to meet a jeep coming the other way who was headed for the 2nd half of the trail. We ended up following him and had a good time winding along the trail and climbing up and down obstacles. The scariest part was a narrow ledge with an off-camber turn. I stayed as close to the cliff as I could without scraping my jeep. Everyone in our group made it through without incident and we really enjoyed running with our new friend from Arkansas, Jim. We were going to re-run the first half of the trail backwards, but Gerry's spare tire rack was cracked and he wanted to head back to camp to fix it. Today is much warmer than yesterday and we were glad that Curie Enterprises had a free car wash downtown. All of our gang took advantage of their generosity and washed our jeeps on our way back to camp. Well, we had to wash them ourselves as it was a self-car wash, but we didn't have to pay. Tomorrow morning Gerry and I go on our first official run of this event. We are doing the Moab Rim trail with a 3 hour hike. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people. The weather is supposed to be good and we are going to take the dogs along. I hope they behave themselves and don't bark at the other people too much. I have a load of laundry in so I guess I better wander over there and see if it's ready for the dryer.
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March 17, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
This morning is a lazy one for me as I am nestled in the warm confines of our motorcoach reading a book and watching the weather drift by. I am resting for something I cannot yet define. Even though I find myself in a place of grandeur scenes, I feel a ho-hum sleepiness in my soul as I look out at the expanses of red rock intricately laid before my eyes. I close my eyes and dream of the massive waterway of the Amazon, the green jutting mountains of Asia, and the ancient wonders of Peru. The borders of my splendid homeland feel as close as the walls of our motorcoach and I long to venture to points beyond this splendid nation. I busy myself in the day with sights and explorations, urging my soul to appreciate the wonders of this place. They are most certainly here and perhaps I rely too much on new adventure to elevate my senses. It is the way I have always been. When young, I was not satified if I could not reach higher into the maze of branches in our expansive olive tree growing taller than our house and incringing upon the street. On the street I was contented only when my cycle explorations took me further from my home. Friendships were never the key for me, nor were accomplishments. The key of my existence is the wanderlust culminated by an extreme sense of wonder and admiration for new places. I am sure I can find a way to content myself and live the rest of my life in a particular place, but why must I? We live in a global society where travel is easy and I have a husband who is willing to go anywhere the wind may take us. Our only hinderance is our commitment to our dogs interlaced with our own apprehensions of a troubled world. Perhaps I should more studiously research the travel requirements for both us and our dogs to explore points beyond our borders. In my youth, my thirst for adventure was quenched by merely being new places and seeing new things. Now as I age I desire to share my experiences with my mate and with others. This is why I write.
Yesterday our jeeps took us up a fun trail, the "Poison Spider", with a combination of rock climbs, sand, and slick rock drives. The weather was great for me, but a little chilly for Gerry in his open jeep. The rain held off and the snow waited until we were back at camp relaxing after dinner. There was no accumulation here, but I can see some on points higher and when the mountains briefly poked out of the clouds, they were decked in a bright white cloak. They remain hidden now and I hope the sky clears by sunset for a photo or two of the newly decorated land.
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My tiredness last night led to an night of couch potoato land followed by an early-to-bed and an hour or so of reading before closing my eyes at about 10pm. I woke this morning feeling a bit groggy, but noticably better. I am working on downloading the pictures from yesterday and will post a couple from our run. This morning we are meeting Richard to hit the "Metal Masher" trail. Hopefully his wife and their friends will come along as well. Gerry plans to drive his jeep despite the rain forecast so we should have four jeeps again today. The trail yesterday was easy with the exception of one hill near the end. Gerry showed off by getting some air while Pete showed his persistence with one of the obstacles and Richard demonstrated articulation. I was in front and had to take the easier line up a couple of bumps. Near the end there was a surprise turn to the left after a section of the trail had washed out and we lost Pete. He ended up going straight up the wash, which was shorter, and got ahead of us. We spent about 45 minutes waiting and looking. First Gerry went back and then the rest of us when Gerry started having his fuel problems (due to the clogged filter). We eventually met Pete at the end of the trail where he was sitting waiting. It was a relief to see him and I'm glad we didn't get separated worse. Gerry insisted that the guy in the rear has to have a cb. We all had one except Pete and the problem would have been avoided if he had a cb because I broadcast the confusing turn. Hope today is even more fun.
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March 15, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
It's only 7:30 and I feel real tired. I slept lightly and then was up eating breakfast earlier than normal to head over to the Jeep Safari event registration when it openned at 7am. Gerry and I signed up for two runs. One on Wednesday and one on Saturday. The hardest run was booked all week, so we settled for a little easier trails. Gerry and I successfully extracted the fuel pump and sending unit from the scrap yard yesterday and then went out jeeping with Richard and a couple of his friends. Gerry left his jeep at home since it was cool and cloudy. He rode along with me and gawked at the scenery. It was absolutely gorgeous. I love this area.
Today was a little more challenging with the jeeps and we had fun with Richard and his friend Pete. Gerry drove his jeep and showed us all up with his low gears and eagerness for a challenge. Unfortunately his fuel filter in his carburetor clogged up and he limped home with gas barely getting in. I had a strange problem with my jeep this morning. On the way home from registration everything seemed normal until I pulled into our campsite and went to turn the car off. The key wouldn't turn off. Eventually Gerry unplugged the wires to the ignition coil and the car turnned off. Well, this was no good, but I decided to go jeeping anyways. I just had to open the hood and unplug the wires to turn the car off. Fortunately we never stopped long enough to drain the battery (of course I could have disconnected it). When we got back to camp I set to taking the steering column apart. Gerry went out and bought me a steering wheel puller and I eventually got the key switch out. It was bad and the Checkers in town had one. The cherokee is all back together now and running great. I have a new key now to start it, which is good, too because the old one was pretty worn out. Well, I'm heading over to the couch now to veg out. If I get the strength up I may go out with Gerry in search of music, but right now I'm thinking couch potato sounds good.
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March 14, 2008 - location: OK RV Park, Moab, UT
We elected to drive the 100 miles to Moab and check in a day early to the campground where we will spend the next week or two. It is beautiful here with views of the mountains and the large red-rock cliff to the west of Moab. I just had to run outside to cover up the seats in Gerry's jeep for what I thought was rain coming down. The drops from the sky turned out to be little pellets of snow/ice. It stopped as quickly as it started and the sun is shining through the clouds. My outside temperature reads 36.7° F and I am glad to be inside my warm home with a cup of hot tea waiting by my side. After setting up camp we drove Gerry's jeep into town for lunch, errands, and shopping. Our salmon dinner was delicious. I baked it in the oven with some fresh garlic and tarragon until it was just cooked through. It was deliciously tender and well accompanied by the kale and red potatoes. Yesterday had a milestone in life. For the first time in the United States, I saw the price of diesel fuel over $4 per gallon. There were three gas stations along my drive that had a price of $4.09. I wonder now how long it will be before the price is over $5. Perhaps this year. Someday I'll be sitting around a fire telling stories from beneath gray hair about how the gas prices were once $0.88. By then it might be over $8.88. Fortunately the rest of our expenses don't inflate at the same rate as fuel.
Today we are heading back over to the junk yard on the outskirts of town. We went there yesterday after I had noticed they had a jeep cherokee about my year and color. I had the hopes of using the doors for mine in order to fix all my power lock and window problems. The owner was real nice and suggested we try the window motors out of one he had ready to be crushed. He moved a couple cars out of the way with his loader with homemade front-end crusher that was the reverse of the jaws of life. Awesome power. We are going back to retreive the fuel sending/fuel pump unit from the gas tank since the one in my cherokee is cracked. Gerry ran out this morning to the RV repair shop in town to see if he can buy a new trailer jack. Ours broke yesterday when cranking the trailer up. We'll have a quick breakfast and then head to the salvage yard. Hopefully we'll do some jeeping in the afternoon.
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March 13, 2008 - location: Cadillac Ranch, Bluff, UT
Farewell to Cadillac Ranch. We depart this morning for points north. Either Moab or somewhere between. Our reservation at the campground up there isn't for another day, so we are open to go where the wind takes us. And it might be windy today as a storm is expected. The locals are all hoping for rain, so I will not hope otherwise out of respect for their needs. I know that any storm will be short and not impinge upon our lives too greatly. Yesterday was a fabulous day along Comb Wash. We saw a cliff dwelling, fabulous petroglyphs, and drove part of the trail early Mormon pioneers built. It sure is a lot easier with our equipment today, but there are places they went that I wouldn't take my jeep. Gerry and I are very excited about Moab. Our friend, Richard, will be driving some of the trails with another friend of his and with Gerry and I there will be 4 jeeps, which is a great number for enjoying the trails.
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March 12, 2008 - location: Cadillac Ranch, Bluff, UT
I wonder how many days I can wake up and say "another day in paradise". I've said it for 2 weeks straight and I admire the glorious landscape this morning as well as I look out the windows and feel the early morning sun shining through the front window of our motorcoach. Yesterday was absolutely splendid. We went out with our friend Richard, he drove his jeep and we drove my cherokee. We started out driving up Butler Wash Rd, taking side trips to see caves, ruins, and petroglyphs. Then we headed for our destination of the day....Hotel Rock. This is a prominent rock on the map with cliff dwellings, presumably at the base. I can't say for sure because we never got there. Oh, our trip went well and there were no problems on our end. We found the beginning of the trail in Arch Canyon and headed west up the canyon, crossing the river several times as we wound our way towards our turnoff. We made it to the turnoff only to find "closed area" signs all over the old trail. We continued on up Arch Canyon until three pm and then turned around and headed back. I would like to go back up the canyon with two days and sleeping bags. The route seems to be about 20 miles long and culminates with arches up the beautiful canyon. There was snow and ice along the way with one ice spot on the cliff resembling an angel. It's a little cold right now to sleep out under the stars, so we'll wait until the next trip through.
Today we plan to visit petroglyphs and cliff dwelling with a combination of jeeping and hiking. The clouds that rolled in yesterday are gone and it looks to be another glorious day here in paradise.
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March 11, 2008 - location: Cadillac Ranch, Bluff, UT
We spent yesterday exploring Comb Ridge and hiking in the south fork of Mule Canyon. We explored with the jeep and took a short hike to some ruins near Comb Ridge. Then off to Mule Canyon we went. We saw two cliff dwellings and had a delightful 6 mile hike. Gerry rested along the way while I took photos. The first cliff dwelling photographed better at the end of the hike.
Today we're heading out with Richard, as he ended up going exploring with his wife yesterday. We are going to try one of the local jeep trails that sounds like fun.
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March 10, 2008 - location: Cadillac Ranch, Bluff, UT
Four more days until Moab. This is Monday now and we leave Friday morning for Moab. What to do with our remaining four days. Well, today we are heading out to explore Comb Ridge, Arch Canyon, and Mule Canyon. Our friend, Richard, whom we met at Panamint Valley Days last year, is going as well. It should be a lot of fun and we're taking our jeeps out.
Yesterday was a great tour of Hovenweep National Monument and a creek bed nearby. We went to the visitor center and main hiking trail to see the ruins. The hike was 2 miles and took us on a tour of the structures remaining. They were put together with chinking, which is small rocks between the big ones. Some had views of the mountains. One was built into a boulder and my favorite was the twin towers. From the monument we headed to Montezuma Creek Canyon, to the NW of where we were. We saw many petroglyphs and I climbed up to get pictures of the best ones along with neat scenes. The tour culminated with a fruitless walk up the wash with deer and a stop at a small cliff dwelling.
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March 9, 2008 - location: Salt Point Campground, UT (N 37°,15.787'; W 109°,36.783')
We saw many beautiful sights yesterday. Gerry was unable to find the Navajo who had told us the day before he would make a silver watch band for him, so we packed up camp and headed out. Our travels took us through Mexican Hat, a town in Utah on the river, and to the symbol of the town, Mexican Hat Rock. We were soon headed into Bluff, UT, and stopped at the BLM campground outside town to see if we could fit our camper in a space. It turned out to be a great place with a perfect campsite for us. There is an awesome petroglyph wall here with art at least 700 years old. After setting up camp, we drove into Bluff to check out campgrounds and decided to move to a hook-up site tomorrow night at the campground a friend recommended. There was still plenty of day left, so we headed out to see the sights. Valley of the Gods was first. The first formation of note was the seven sailors, although only 5 show up well in my photo. I also liked the lady in the bathtub, which when viewed from the side was a balancing rock. From there it was on to the "Goosenecks", which is a spot where the San Juan River flows in a tight meander, cut deep into the canyon. Then we headed up to Natural Bridges, which required climbing a really large cliff at Moqui Dugway. The road was quite twisty and the view from the top of Valley of the Gods was incredible. This was Gerry's favorite part of the day. Mine came a bit later at Natural Bridges National Monument. Gerry bought his lifetime senior parks pass for $10 (which saved us $6 at the monument and $5 on camping tonight). I particularly loved the short hike to the last bridge in the loop, Owachomo Bridge. Honey loved it, too, and was like a bunny hopping around the patches of snow on the rocks. We got back to camp just before dark and Gerry set to making dinner while I showered. Today we are moving camp and then going to Hovenweep National Monument to see the ancient ruins there.
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March 8, 2008 - location: Monument Valley Tribal Park (N 36°,59.323'; W 110°,06.864')
We had a delightful drive to our new camp spot yesterday. There is no one else camped here and we have the grand views of the mesas and buttes to ourselves. It truly is glorious. We had considered taking a guided tour into the "back country" of the park, but the $250 they wanted to take the two of us is just a bit too much. We opted for the 17-mile self-guided dirt road tour and stopped for plenty of pictures. The dogs especially liked it when we got out and walked, despite having to be kept on leashes. Last night wasn't as cold, only 37 degrees F compared to the 24 degrees of the night before. This morning Gerry wants to go back and talk to a silversmith about getting a watch band made. Then we will head northeast through Mexican Hat and look for a new campsite. The new spot we will use as a base until we need to get services and then we'll probably head to a campground in Bluff that a friend recommended and will be at himself in a few days. The clouds coalesced overhead through the night and we have heard reports of rain for tonight. Our new campsite will have to be on high ground. Check out the photos of Monument Valley.
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March 7, 2008 - location: Veterans Memorial Park, Hopi Reservation, AZ (N 36°,20.120'; W 110°,53.527')
Our campsite is so peaceful that we decided to spend another night. We found the post office and mailled our letters. The woman told us about the "forever stamps", which are always good, despite any rate increases. We bought two packets of the liberty bell forever stamps. It's nice not to have to worry about rate increases. It seems like I use stamps so slowly that there are new rate increases before I use up a book. No longer an issue. The postal employees also confirmed that we could drive out to the natural bridge, but we are not allowed in the ruins without hiring a local guide. We were advised to just start asking around for a guide if we want to see the ruins. We may wait until we get to Monument Valley Tribal Park to see ruins. That is where we are heading tomorrow. We could see the natural bridge from the road, but never did make it to it. We had a great time driving around on the dirt tracks and crossing the electric train tracks. We saw some a neat pond, cactus, and rocks, but were too far south of the bridge and finally turned around with one last look at the bridge. We drove around the mesa and saw the square butte and returned to camp by passing the elephant feet. After all our driving, we figured we could get to the bridge by taking a different road, but we were tired and hungry and opted to call it quits for the day.
Today we move on to Monument Valley and hope for warmer weather.
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March 6, 2008 - location: Veterans Memorial Park, Hopi Reservation, AZ (N 36°,20.120'; W 110°,53.527')
We had a successful delivery of our slide-in camper to the new owners. I really hope they love it as much as we did. It was sad to see it go, but I am confident they will use it and enjoy it. Our route took us from the saguaro-filled desert to the snowy mountains around Flagstaff to our final stop amoungst the red rocks of the high desert. After the rendevous and transfer, Gerry and I headed out to look for a campground. We didn't see anything around Tuba City on route 160, so we kept going and eventually pulled off after 8pm on a dirt road in search of "Veterans Memorial Park" 2 miles in per the sign on the highway. The road was quite bumpy and Gerry was going quite a bit slower than me, which gave me a chance to look for it. I took a right at the only fork in the road and I drove another half mile without finding the park and going well past the 2 miles. So, I found a spot to turn around and had to use 4-low to get through the soft dirt. Gerry hadn't come to the fork yet, so I stopped a native on the road and asked about the park. She said it was the first right after taking the left fork, so I had Gerry wait at the fork while I drove up to check it out. In the dark, I couldn't see it and was concerned about driving up into what I thought was the park because of my experience in the soft dirt when turning around. I turned around in someone's driveway instead and a truck coming out had to wait for me to get the trailer backed around the corner. The truck stopped to see if I was lost and I told the woman that we were looking for a place to sleep tonight. She looked at our rigs and said to go to the park. She said "follow me" and off we went back to the park while Gerry continued to wait at the fork. I left my rig there and went back in her truck to meet up with Gerry. She was really nice and I am thankful for her help. Gerry made it up through the ditch and into the park with no problem and we quickly settled in. I made chicken burritos for a late dinner and we were sound asleep by 11pm. It's cold here and we woke to a chilly 24 degrees F and and icicle hanging from the fresh water tank drain valve. We are worried that the slider gate valve may have been damaged by the 2" diameter and 12" long icicle, and are prepared for the possibility of losing our fresh water when things thaw today. In the meantime, we are headed out to explore the area. There is a natural bridge and some indian ruins on my map that we hope to see. I'm not sure where we can go, though, since this is a reservation.
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March 5, 2008 - location: Black Rock Dessert CG, Brenda, AZ (N 33°,40.815'; W 113°,56.691')
Gerry had a great birthday and he woke up happy. I accomplished a lot yesterday with getting laundry and grocery shopping done. Gerry had the oil changed in our new motorcoach and got a thumbs up on the condition of the engine. Our drive to Brenda, AZ was short and easy with us arriving mid-afternoon. We got a really long pull-through site that fit both our rigs without having to disconnect anything and we're right across from Gerry's brother. It was a pleasure visiting with them and hearing about their adventures in the desert. It's too bad we're not staying longer because it would be great to have them show us the sights around here. We'll have to make the time next year. We have a few things to take care of on the computer this morning and then we'll be off towards Flagstaff. We will meet the new owners of our slide-in either this evening or tomorrow to complete the transfer.
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March 4, 2008 - location: Hidden Beach Resort, Blythe, CA
Happy Birthday to Gerry! Another day older. This year marks a milestone of being eligible for certain government benefits including social security and golden age passports for federal parks. We're going to make this the best year yet with lots of exploring and jeeping. As I sit here in our motorcoach watching the river drift by, I feel reassured that between Gerry and I we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. We are just having so much fun right now jeeping and travelling that we can't imagine doing anything else. Yet the time may come where another hobby calls us and we depart and a journey of a different kind. And always with the utmost resolve, we seek to enjoy each day and the beauty of the world around us. On to our chores and then driving to Brenda, AZ to visit with Gerry's brother and sister-in-law.
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March 3, 2008 - location: Octillo Wells OHV Area, CA (N 33°,09.142'; W 116°,09.046')
We were among the last people to abandon the TDS base camp and now we are nestled in a campground on the Colorado River. It was a quiet night last night with no motorcycles or atvs touring the camp. I'm sitting outside with the breeze blowing in my hair and the river flowing between me and the mountains in the distance. It's a warm evening as the sun approaches the horizon and I smile at the wonders of life. There is so much to see and experience that I cannot foresee growing weary of our travels. From this point, we will head over to see Gerry's brother and then begin the trek to Moab, exploring ancient trails and paths along the way. There are many cliff dwellings and petroglyphs near the Arizona/Utah border and I hope to linger there for a few days.
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March 2, 2008 - location: Octillo Wells OHV Area, CA (N 33°,09.142'; W 116°,09.046')
Yesterday and last night was a blast, even though we didn't win anything at the raffle. There were lots of great prizes and everyone got just one ticket with their registration, unlike other events where you can buy hundreds of tickets to improve the odds of winning. The run went great and our group made it back with no problems or breakages. We did all the hard options and even a good one at the end that wasn't part of the run. Today we went for a cruise in the windy desert to see an artesian spring and bubbling mud pots. Check out some photos of the fun.
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March 1, 2008 - location: Octillo Wells OHV Area, CA (N 33°,09.142'; W 116°,09.046')
Today is the big run and I'm looking forward to having over a hundred people on the trail. It's more self-guided than normal organized events and there are optional harder routes for those of us who want the challenge. We have a couple other jeeps we plan to stay with and do the tough stuff. Yeseterday turned out good in the end. Gerry met up with the guy bringing him parts, but not in the morning as anticipated and we weren't able to hit the trails until mid-afternoon. That was okay, though, as we just ended up playing on the big sand hill by camp and the nearby rocks. Then we had BBQ chicken for dinner and hooked up with some friends who are camping with us. The weather is awesome - in the low 80's - and sunny as can be.
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