COMPLETED: The Big Western Trip - September 2009

[The Roadie]

I guess its obvious, I need to head to California and meet up with Roadie again!

And Teebes, and maybe JamesDub. The Racetrack is a very special place, and Saline Valley and Owens Valley around Bishop.

It's not like I'm EVER going near Missouri again. The "Missouri" check box on my Bucket List is filled.

[teebes]

Wait, did I miss something or are you doing this trip again?! I would love to join in on the action after a few more mods are dont to the ol TB!

Nothing definite, but I think Zero is referring to my Toronto to Colorado and Back trip 2 years ago. I was supposed to do this one last year but it had to be delayed. So next year I need to top this one I guess its obvious, I need to head to California and meet up with Roadie again!

AG

Or anyone interested in a long trek up to Alaska? I'm targeting within the next two years (hopefully after some major upgrades).

[bgwolfpack]

OMG Teebes. You have a perfect use of words. Alaska, Two years. Oh My.

What research needs to be done? Major upgrades? List please.

Can I go? I'm on the way.

[cowboy63645]

[/quote]And Teebes, and maybe JamesDub. The Racetrack is a very special place, and Saline Valley and Owens Valley around Bishop.

It's not like I'm EVER going near Missouri again. The "Missouri" check box on my Bucket List is filled. [/quote]

Roadie, I cant say I blame you after the last trip you made to Missouri! LOL But, on another note, I would be VERY interested in making a trip out your way and make a trip with you and teebes, after a few more mods that is, I would hate to be the "mall rated" one of the group!

[AlekG]

Or anyone interested in a long trek up to Alaska? I'm targeting within the next two years (hopefully after some major upgrades).

Sorry dude, I would be a bad Canadian if I went to Alaska before exploring our own Yukon Territory. This is actually something I have been dreaming about but its sooooooo far from out east here.





AG

[AlekG]

Day 13 - September 16 - Part 1

I planned this day to head into the San Rafael Swell area of Utah. This area is covered in the Trails of the Central Region part of the Massey/Wilson book. I decided to explore the area south of I70 because I liked how I could tackle 4 or 5 trails with one trip. As usual, this area of Utah has an abundance of interesting areas to explore and trails to conquer. Some of the places I really would like to see but had to miss on this trip were:

1. The 7 hour Cathedral Valley Trail
2. Three Fingers Petroglyphs
3. Black Dragon Pictographs
4. Robbers Roost
5. The Black Box of the San Rafael River

The day started off with perfect weather as I headed east on I70 through Fishlake and Manti la Sal National Forests and onto the swell. My starting point was the northern terminus of the Temple Mountain Trail (Central #12, page 466 of the book). This trail is rated a difficulty 2 with a scenic of 7, so I was really using it to get to more interesting areas.

Five miles in is the turn off for Swasey's Cabin Trail (Central #13, page 468) which is a short track to what the book calls one of the oldest remaining structures in the desert as it dates back to the 1920s. It stands in front of a unique and striking rock formation. The Swasey's used a cool cave in that formation as a year-round meat locker.



I then backtracked 1 mile to the fork where Rods Valley Trail (Central #14, page 470) heads south . This trail is rated a 3 because it crosses through the wash in Rods Valley several times as well as some rough rocky sections. Its a good shortcut down to the trail where I would spend most of my time this day - Reds Canyon Trail (Central #15, page 472).



Reds Canyon is a 2.5 hour loop trail that starts up on the plateau as a graded dirt road and then drops into the canyon where it follows the wash for about 75% of the northern part of the loop. Its difficulty is rated a 3 and scenic a 10. Here is how the book describes it:

The road's rating of 3 is contingent upon the amount of erosion from recent rain and/or how long it has been since the road was last graded. If graded and dry, the road would rate a 2. However, if there have been recent washouts, the trail could be considerably more difficult, perhaps even impassable without some road repairs.

As I was there in the tail end of Utah's monsoon season, the road was about 50% washed out from a recent heavy thunderstorm. By this I mean that half the time I could tell where the road was but the other half I had no clue. Except for 1 set of tracks that I was lucky enough to be able to follow for the most part (see the third picture). Using the tracks and the road as it was displayed on my GPS, I was able to not drive astray the entire length except for 1 place, where both the person there before me (the tracks) and I ended up missing a turn-off and driving down the wash too far. I reversed in a three point turn when I noticed the tracks I was following did the same.

As for the trail, I would rate it a 5 or 6 when I was there. The recent water created several high and soft dirt mounds to get over. I think a non-lifted vehicle would have had problems on some of those. I didn't have to use my shovel anywhere but I did need to stack rocks in 2 places where the drop and climb were significant.



Once the trail leaves the wash for good, it heads towards Tomsich Butte which looks monolithic from a distance. Its the one in the background in the picture with the abandoned pickup cab and engine block. At the very far end of the loop, the road drops down to Muddy Creek where there is a great viewpoint for Hondoo Arch. I parked the Trailblazer here in the shade under a big Cottonwood tree and had some lunch.



On the way back to the southern part of the loop, I took some photos of the abandoned uranium mine at the foot of Tomsich Butte. The trail then climbs up to McKay Flat and becomes a 1-rated road that takes you through rolling grassland and sagebrush back to the Temple Mountain Trail.



Continued ...

[AlekG]

Day 13 - September 16 - Part 2

Reds Canyon Trail ends back at Temple Mountain Trail, which then continues east back to pavement. Along the way it navigates around Temple Mountain, into a canyon, and finally ends back on the flat.



My last stop for the day was Goblin Valley State Park and the very interesting Valley of the Goblins.



Here's how the book describes the natural formations:

These unique rock formations have been carved out over millions of years by wind and rain and are thought by many to resemble little goblin-like creatures.

I arrived there just before the sun started to go down so I stayed a while waiting for the sunset to really light up the valley. Here's a series of photos showing the wide view and some close ups.





I snapped a picture of myself next to a goblin and on the way out of the park I saw the "Three Sisters" formation.



As I was leaving a great sunset was shaping up with the Henry Mountains in the distance. This remote range were the last mountains to be mapped in the lower 48 states (in 1872). In between me and the mountains were some great rock outcroppings that just lit up in the setting sun.





I then headed north to Green River for the night. I could see heavy thunderstorms shaping up in the distance, and when I was driving into Green River the skies looked ominous in the dark, but the rain stayed away all night. Good news because the next day was going to be a big one.




Garmin GPS Track (large file)
Garmin GPS Track - Reds Canyon (large file)

September 16 Google Map

[Philberto]

Or anyone interested in a long trek up to Alaska? I'm targeting within the next two years (hopefully after some major upgrades).

I've always wanted to go up there! the long way! Count me in if everything pans out.

[Trail X]

Wow Alek,... not sure how Day 14 can be better than day 13.

That scenery is simply amazing...

[AlekG]

Wow Alek,... not sure how Day 14 can be better than day 13.

That scenery is simply amazing...

Thanks James!

Oh it can, because here come the Canyonlands.

AG

[foosh]

Simply Awesome... oh the places to go and see. I wish i had the time to take a trip like that and see that kind of natural beauty with my truck.

[AlekG]

Day 14 - September 17 - Part 1

This day started with absolute clear skies, the ominous weather from the night before seemed to just disappear. As I leave the hotel and out to the Trailblazer I see this sitting in the parking lot:



Now that is a real Expedition Vehicle! A bit more on this later.

After I gassed up and headed east from Green River, I noticed an interesting sign by the side of the road (no picture) and then snapped a few photos while driving.



Nothing special right? Except that the Interstate passes right through the Green River Launch Complex, an annex of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The U. S. Air Force, built the Green River Launch Complex, just out of Green River, 1964. It was an annex of the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range. From 1964 to 1973 the U. S. Air Force launched 141 Athena Missiles from the Green River launching area, near the Crystal Geyser. From those firings research was done to improve nuclear missiles.

My first stop today was Canyonlands National Park visitor center and ranger station. To plan my day and decide how much time I would spend on the Island in the Sky and when I would head down the Shafer Trail (Southeast Region Trail #1, page 108), I spoke to a ranger and asked about the storm clouds to the east. He looked up weather radar on his computer and said I should be OK today as the storm did not look to be heading west from Moab, only south.

So I decided I would head south first and check out the Green River overlook. The views were spectacular to say the least.





If you look carefully you can spot the White Rim Trail winding its way around the canyon drop offs on the plateau. This may be where Roadie took his photos.

I decided against heading further south to Grandview Point, and instead drove back towards the beginning of the Shafer Trail. But first I grabbed some photos at the overlook.





You can see the summer monsoon storm I was worried about in the distance in the first photo. But true to what the ranger predicted, the rain didn't even come close to me that day at the Canyonlands, although I did encounter it later on in the evening.

The overlook is an interesting place to watch the traffic go up and down the Shafer trail (mostly down). The trail itself starts north of the overlook, winds its way around it, and then heads seriously down into the canyon using the switchbacks you can see. Part of the entertainment is watching how drivers pass each other. Sometimes there's room for two vehicles, other times not. Its up to the driver heading down to pay attention and to decide whether to wait at a wide switchback for the driver heading up, because as everybody should know, uphill drivers have the right of way, so says proper trail etiquette.

Continued ...

[AlekG]

Day 14 - September 17 - Part 2

After taking some photos of the Shafer Trail descent, it was time to head on down. For the steep switchback parts, I was basically in 4LO - 1st gear all the way. This resulted in a nice slow descent with the use of the breaks kept to a minimum. I had one vehicle coming the opposite way so I pulled to the side of wide switchback and waited till they passed.



Once at the bottom, the trail widened and became mostly a graded dirt road. There were some wash crossings which combined with the steep, narrow descent rates the trail a 3 in the Utah book, with a scenic rating of 10 of course. The washes were quite a bit drier than over at Reds Canyon trail so this area must not have experienced that much rain lately. The first picture below shows the Shafer Trail overlook, its that outcropping with the little point at the top. The Google terrain map indicates a vertical drop of about 1400 feet.



Very close by was the turn off for the White Rim Trail. The Utah book shows the trail as 68.4 miles and strongly suggests a 2 day drive with camping. Particularly if one were to explore some interesting spur trails like Lathrop Trail which takes you right down to the Colorado river, and Taylor Canyon Trail which takes you to Moses and Zeus rocks.

I was considering reserving a camping site (reservations are mandatory) and doing the entire White Rim but in the end, time was against me and I'm not sure if I would be comfortable tackling this trail by myself with my current set up. But it gives me a beautiful excuse to come back and give it a try!

A bit past the turn-off, Shafer Trail leaves Canyonlands NP and continues east. The scenery just keeps going, its incredible.





The trail continues along a cliff and comes up close enough to the canyon's edge to see the Colorado river below.




The next grand overlook was at the Goose Neck where the Colorado river almost doubles back on itself. Several vehicles were stopped here with a group of young Germans taking pictures and horse-playing awfully close to the edge. On the Colorado River below there were 2 separate river trips on opposite sides of the Goose Neck. So I got out my 500mm lens and took some photos. I believe both were setting up for the night.





The final quarter of the Shafer Trail heads into private land, owned by a Potash producer. The border is right around Chimney Rock.



After this point the trail winds around the potash ponds and signs ask drivers to stay on the main road as other roads are private.

The Shafer Trail ends on Utah 279 which follows the Colorado River and heads into Moab. Just before pavement, there is access to the Colorado River, mainly for raft put-ins. I finally was able to dunk my toes into the mighty Colorado.



Its along this scenic byway where I spotted a rally of EarthRoamers set up at a campsite. It's feasible that I crossed paths with Scott Brady from the Overland Journal and his Jeep JK EarthRoamer. The thread on this board places him at Valley of the Gods right around the day I was there, the 18th. Small world!

You may ask why I didn't end up staying in Moab? Well it seems it was filling up for the weekend and I could not find a hotel at a decent price at all. So I ended up down in Blanding. On the way I ran into the tail end of some of those Utah monsoons.




Garmin GPS Track (large file)
Garmin GPS Track - Shafer Trail (large file)

September 17 Google Map

[AlekG]

Day 15 - September 18

This was a melancholy day for me as it was time to start to head back home. Originally I planned 4 days for the trips out and back so that I could stop here and there at interesting places instead of just tearing along the Interstates. However, Utah has so much to offer that I decided to reserve half the day for one final set of local exploration and the other half would be the beginning of my drive back east.

So early that morning I got out the Massey/Wilson Utah book and worked out a route that would start close to Blanding and make its way south and then east. To maximize my time the trails needed to not be return trails (i.e. ones with a dead end).

Comb Ridge was close by so I started at the north end of Comb Wash Trail (Southeast #46, page 202 of the book), it's rated difficulty 2 and scenic 9. Comb Ridge is a monocline which is a type of ground upheaval.





The first picture is of the cut made for the highway that allows for travel across the ridge. The book provides a historical perspective:

To the 1880 Mormon Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition, Comb Ridge appeared an impassable barrier as they descended from Cedar Mesa. They were forced to swing south and eventually succeeded in crossing Comb Ridge at San Juan Hill near where the San Juan River cuts through the ridge.

The trail follows parallel to the ridge on the west side and crosses through Comb Wash several times. Recent rains left many of the crossing wet and muddy although with good momentum, I did not have any issues.

Almost at the end of Comb Wash Trail, there is a turn-off for Snow Flat Road (Southeast #45, page 199 of the book). Snow Flat Road is described as a little more difficult rating a 3 due to a section of exposed rock with climbs and drops called "The Twist". After making a right turn, the road starts heading back north but fairly quickly heads east.



At about the halfway point, the trail heads up through the rocks. Its easy to follow but definitely slow going as there are many areas where wheel placement is key.





The last picture shows an area where it is quite narrow, definitely room for only 1 vehicle. As I headed in, I met up with a motorcycle coming the other way. We exchanged greetings and he indicated that he was scouting ahead for his wife and their pickup. He then headed back and I followed. A little while later I passed by their pickup and told them they should not have any problems as long as they take is slow and are careful with wheel placement.

After clearing "The Twist" you end up on a plateau called Cedar Mesa. I should note that this whole area is rich in Native American ruins, Petroglyphs, and Pictographs but unfortunately I could not explore on this day as I still had one more area I wanted to get to plus the drive starting back home.



The drive west on Cedar Mesa was a smooth one as there were not many areas of washboarding. There was one short area of exposed rock to traverse and then close to the highway a long, fairly deep, and muddy stretch that ultimately posed no problem.

As I headed south on State Route 261, I basically ran out of plateau. The highway turns into a wide graded gravel road and descends the cliffs, known as the Moki Dugway. I tried to snap a few photos heading down but could not stop as these switchbacks are trafficked quite a bit since the road has been made wide enough for 2 way traffic including campers and RVs.





Continued ...

[AlekG]

Day 15 - September 18 - Part 2

After descending the Moki Dugway, I turned onto the western end of the Valley of the Gods Trail (Southeast #43, page 195). This is also an easy 2 rated graded dirt road but I happened to be there at a great time of day which brought out the amazing colors of the various buttes and rock formations with imaginative names like Setting Hen, Rooster Butte, Rudolph and Santa Claus.



The trail winds its way through and around the impressive rock formations with short side trails that lead to what look like spectacular backcountry campsites at the base of the buttes along the ridge. Towards the end I stopped at a grand overlook whith an impressive view of the entire valley.





The 500mm lens captured a close up of the 2 spires that the road passes between - see the middle picture at the top. From the same overlook, I noticed some interesting formations way in the distance to the south so I tried to capture those as well. They are in fact part of Monument Valley.



I decided then that I would make time to head a bit more south than I originally planned to pass through Monument Valley, although I didn't have time to stop by the visitor center and drive the 17 mile loop road. I did get some nice shots from the Trailblazer as I was approaching.



As an aside, while I was working on this post an image kept popping into my head of a very thin spire in the middle of nowhere with Clint Eastwood climbing it. I realized that this was from the movie "The Eiger Sanction" where his character is training for a climb of the Eiger in Switzerland, noted for its dangerous climb. The spire is in fact in Monument Valley and is called The Totem Pole. What does all this have to do with my trip and traveling offroad?

Well nothing directly except that through some side research and linking, I came across a still from the movie that shows the vehicle Clint Eastwood's character was driving in the area, which led me to this site:
http://imcdb.org/
The Internet Cars Movie Database. So if anyone wants to know for example:

• What SUV was Clint Eastwood driving in The Eiger Sanction?
• What offroad-equipped car was Pierce Brosnan driving in The Thomas Crown Affair?
• What did that crazy river jump in Romancing the Stone?
• What snorkel-equipped truck crossed that deep water in Dante's Peak?

Its all in the database. Sometimes the Internet still amazes me!

OK, back to the trip. As the sun was setting I was driving east through Arizona and then onto New Mexico.



As was the case earlier with Yellowstone and Grand Teton, some very worthwhile areas would unfortunately have to be missed on this trip. Places like Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona and Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico which I passed through in the dark on my way to Espanola.



Garmin GPS Track (large file)
Garmin GPS Track - Comb Ridge & Valley of the Gods (large file)

September 18 Google Map

[teebes]

Once again.. Great pics

Utah.. Everyone should set a goal to wheel some trails through this glorious state. So many scenic trails off the beaten path.

[bgwolfpack]

I agree with Teebes that the pics are great. I also feel compelled to salute you and your work involved in this write up. You've put this together so nicely and with clear passion for the area and tribute to your vehicle and experiences.
I hope your effort inspires others to copy your style and hard work involved in this write up. Well down and thanks for the vicarious trip.

[The Roadie]

Ditto from the Roadie, and you can enjoy and boast about your new offroadtb.com RANK, not applicable to weekend warriors but for those who are fully committed to the journey.

[AlekG]

I agree with Teebes that the pics are great. I also feel compelled to salute you and your work involved in this write up. You've put this together so nicely and with clear passion for the area and tribute to your vehicle and experiences.
I hope your effort inspires others to copy your style and hard work involved in this write up. Well down and thanks for the vicarious trip.

Ditto from the Roadie, and you can enjoy and boast about your new offroadtb.com RANK, not applicable to weekend warriors but for those who are fully committed to the journey.

Thanks everybody, I enjoy a mostly picture thread as much as the next guy, but when I can, I try to give something extra ... the thinking/planning behind a trip, informative tidbits, how I felt at the time, even a bit of (so called) humor. Now if only I could afford to do more of these trips.



AG

[AlekG]

Day 16 - September 19

This day was going to be a very long drive across mostly flatland. I started out heading south from Espanola, NM and around the other portion of the Santa Fe National Forest. The road actually took me right through Santa Fe.



Once on I40 it was pretty much a straight drive through Amarillo, TX, then around Oklahoma City, OK, and finally into a suburb of Tulsa.



The weather held up nicely and although quite long, the drive ended up being OK. Having XM Radio is really a lifesaver on these long drives. Not only does it give me access to the channels I really like from anywhere, but when combined with this product:



from USA Spec, it lets me play everything I have on my iPod, including being able to use the steering wheel controls!


Garmin GPS Track (large file)

September 19 Google Map