Mooooo…ving On

Friday 4 June 2015 

Nine Mile was the last major stop on the trip so it’s UP before dawn to get going back, BUT NOT because we’re in a hurry.  About 5 in the morning (est. as the alarm clock ((we never set the alarm)) broke a couple of weeks ago), I was rudely awaken with the rocking of the Funmobile, along with a huff of warm, moist and funky smelling air blowing my hair through the screen window just inches from my head.  (I thought it might be Val.)   I turn my head enough to come in intimate contact with a large, hairy, snotty nose pressed up against the screen. (It wasn't Val.)

It appears, for our 2^nd night’s stray, we’d chosen a campsite that sits astride the path from the overnight cow pasture to the morning cow pasture, and thus the cows, (being curious creatures), felt obligated to lick, snort, bump, and generally explore all the interesting aspects of this strange new arrival to their world.

Checking out the other windows, there appeared another dozen or more inspecting the picnic table and butting over the folding chair left out last night.

Having had my morning kiss, it was time to move on.  We made one more 10 mile trip up the canyon to try and find the "Owl Panel" in Current Canyon.  Although we found several other small panels, the Owl was not to be. 

Disappointed, we leave Nine Mile and turn for home. 

One more stop, at Sego Canyon Petroglyphs Utah yields a particularly nice set of Pictographs and Petroglyphs.  A great finish for the trip, even without the Owl.

Oddly spooky.

From here, it’s a 2-3 day run for the barn on I-70 across Colorado and then I-80 through Nebraska and Iowa.  Val hates this part of t trip, not because Nebraska and Iowa don’t have a whole lot of scenery to offer, but because I STOP FOR NOTHING, once past Denver.

This is the final post for this trip barring something exciting, interesting, unusual, funny….. all of which are unlikely from this point to Downer Grove (knock on wood).

We enjoyed sharing parts of our trip with you all and see you soon.

Good night from North Sterling Reservoir SP, Sterling Colorado.

Brad and Val

The Grand Finale

Tuesday/Wednesday, 2 and 3 June 2015

After sunrise coffee, (and you thought I never got up till 10), we headed out to one of my most anticipated destinations of the trip. 

Nine Mile Canyon is little known outside of the archeologist circuit, but has one of the highest concentrations of native American rock art in the country.  Little visited because of its distance from any major recreational sites, it promised to be a highlight of the trip.  It’s 45 miles from the nearest town and until recently only accessible by a rough dirt road.  However, “thanks” to a nearby oil discovery at the far end of the canyon, the road was just paved.

We spend the next two days exploring the canyon and viewing many of the hundreds of rock art sites along the canyon’s length (actually about 20 miles, despite its name) as well as several of its side canyons.

We stayed two nights at the Nine Mile Ranch Campground which promises to be the best campground in the canyon, (it IS the best, but mostly because it’s the ONLY place to camp along the 45 mile stretch.)  A working cattle ranch, the campground itself appears to be much of an afterthought.  We saw the owners only once for about 5 minutes.  Still, all-in-all, it was an enjoyable (if somewhat rustic) camping location.

They say every petroglyph tells a story.
I'm thinking I wouldn't want to be the guy on the horse.

The "Great Hunt" panel.
Famous among archaeological circles.

She still thinks bright colors scare away rattlesnakes.

Typical Nine Mile Canyon country.

I KNOW there's a petroglyph up here somewhere.

You coming up here or not?

I TOLD you there was cool stuff up here.

I hate to admit it, but she CAN walk on water sometimes.

The "Pregnant Buffalo" panel.

The canyon was everything it was said to be and a definite destination for anyone traveling in the region.

Good night from Nine Mile Ranch

Brad and Val

Rainbow III

1 June 2015

Monday 1 June 2015

After last night’s rainbow we anticipate a good day today as we set off for a couple of “in the wild” rock art sites and the Cleveland Loyd Dinosaur Quarry also out in the middle of nowhere.  The day is clear and warm which is not the best hiking weather, but assures no rain to turn the back roads to a quagmire.

The first site is the Molen Panel located about 6 paved miles out in the desert east of Moore (actually “less”) Utah.  Not particularly publicized but easy to find and a good stop in any case.

This sign says "CAUTION!  There's a snake THIS big living under this rock."

Then backtrack and about 8 dirt miles to the Rochester Panel, a better known, but still pretty obscure site due to it’s remoteness.

Rainbow III

Its mid day and warming up, and we head to the dinosaur quarry.  It’s an active quarry dino quarry project and interesting for what it is.  But for the 15 mile bumpy dirt ride, we’ve seen better sites.  

I think living out here in the hot sun affects some people in strange ways.
  (Or maybe I've got the cause and effect mixed up?)

What WAS perfect, was the camp site we found or the evening.  Just a small dirt side rode off the bigger dirt road, it led to a boulder alcove (full of jack rabbits) overlooking a wide expanse of rolling desert.  Not particularly dramatic, but it was ours, and ours alone.  I know people will snicker, but it must have been much as it was for the first pioneers 150 years earlier.

Good night from N39.33852°, W110.74149°

Brad and Val

Rainbow II

This morning, (31 May) we made the second "ZAG" which turns us generally towards home.  So procrastination and sloth have set in and I'll start rationalizing double, or slower, (if not completely missing) posts.

So yesterday Saturday 29 May, we "sat" around all morning nursing our backsides from the previous day's trail ride.  Mostly recovered by about noon we packed up and moved all of about 20 miles down the road to Red Canyon Campground which is located in a ..... RED CANYON!  Here we decided to stretch our legs out on a short late afternoon hike.

So who's brilliant idea was this?

OK, nice view.

Lets go take a nap.

Then today, (Sunday 31 May), we turn north to gain some elevation and stay ahead of the forecasted warming trend. Its a scenic byway, great for diving (3 small towns in 60 miles) with almost no traffic and nice broad vistas, and even some wildlife, (which we haven't seen that much of).

Ok.  It's only an over-sized squirrel, (Marmot actually), but we hadn't seen one
of these yet so PHOTO OP.

And a zillion pelicans.

Real open range-cowboys.

 Arrived at Millsite State Park late afternoon and served with nice view out the bedroom window.

Followed by a post sunset, full rainbow as a small rain squall passed through.  Who would have thought a pre-sunrise and post sunset full rainbow all in the same trip.

It was actually a weak double.

So good night from Millsite.  Tomorrow has some good stuff planned.

Brad and Val

And            HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY JULIA!

Whooaaaa Geraldine

Friday 29 May

First of all, no, there is no post from yesterday.  Took most of the day to drive to Cedar City for the emergency software retrieval.  Happy to say the trip planner is back on line so I know where I'm going again.  Nice drive, but I'm too lazy to do a post.

Today was a treat.  We took a half day "horseback" ride down into Bryce Canyon.  If you've been around horse places, you know they are usually populated with colorful people.  Here was no exception. Stereotype cowboy/girl wranglers, although probably for real,  and the paying customers a broad swath from people who looked like they knew what they were doing, to greenhorns like me. Not to mention the chippie in daisy dukes and black tights who mysteriously found her place second in line behind the trail guide, Tim, (in aviator glasses).

My horse, Geraldine was actually a mule, as were 80% of the other "horses".   (Or is it 40% since a mule is half horse.)  Anyway, I was a bit off-put being assigned a mule since we were paying for a horse.  (Should'a been 1/2 price.)  Didn't seem very cowboy-like.

Never having ridden a mule I wasn't sure what to expect, but shortly into the ride I realized I was 100% putting my life into the hands hooves of an ass descending 1,000 feet down a very narrow trail with precipitous drop-offs.  I also quickly found out that mules prefer to hug the outside edge of the trail and swing their head out over the abyss as they make hairpin turns.  The trail guide gave some inane reason for that, but I'm convinced it was just to scare the ju-ju-bees out of the rider. Lastly, a mule doesn't trot, it hops, (if and when it decides to go faster).

Once I got used to knowing that I had little (actually no) control over the transport, (and thus my life), it was great to just sit back and enjoy the incredible scenery unfolding at every bend as shown below.

I got the hottie in red.  The geezer in blue is yours.

That's Val in front.
(Geraldine in foreground.)

A little more to the right would be nice!

If I had just passed on that last apple....

You are going to wait for us... RIGHT?

No outing is complete without a little rain.

Back at the park campground and tucked in for the evening.

Good night from Brice Canyon

Brad and Val

Eroded Red Dirt on Steroids

Wednesday 27 May

Moved from Kodachrome SP over to Bryce Canyon National Park this morning.  Snagged one of the few remaining campsites inside the park.

As a side note, the Feds do offer at least one very nice perk.  For 10$, the OPP (Old Peoples Pass, aka Senior Pass) gives you free access to almost all US Federal Access Fee locations in the world. It also gets you campground sites at 1/2 price, typically $5 - $7.50 per night.  There aren't a lot of advantages to getting old, but that's one of them.

This afternoon we did a scouting trip out to the end of the 18 mile road through the park to see what we want to do for a couple of days.  Tomorrow will be a morning walk along the rim of the main canyon since we need to drive 1.5 hrs to UPS center in Cedar City UT to retrieve routing software backup discs Blaine sent out to us yesterday.  Thanks to her we don't have to shut down the trip early.  (Just kidding.)

The next day we'll do some more intensive hiking down to the canyon floor and back.

Resident Pronghorn

Friday's planned hike.

Good night from Bryce Canyon

Brad and Val

Ho Hum

Tuesday 26 May 2015 

Nothing special happening today.  Took a nice hike in red rock (aka eroded dirt) country of Kodachrome Basin SP.  Started off a little on the cool side with scattered clouds.   Trail moist, but not sloppy from yesterday’s downpour.  Good hiking weather. 

Basically no one on the trail but a couple of mountain bikers.  Guy in the lead happily cruising down the hill into the dry (not) wash yelling back disapprovingly to the trailing girl,   “Don’t dismount, it’s not that muddy.”  Girl dismounting, obviously struggling on the steep trail and staring daggers at the guy’s back.  This is a relationship doomed to be a short one.  (Met her again about 10 minutes later, returning to the trailhead, alone and none too happy looking.  Never saw him again.  Even shorter relationship than expected?)

Clouding up after a couple of hours.  One storm cell in the distance to the SW and pouring out rain.  CBDR (an old sailor’s term meaning constant bearing - decreasing range, and also meaning imminent collision unless somebody changes course).

The trail ends at “Cool Cave” where we plan to wait out the storm and eat lunch.  Except the last 100 feet is up a deep wash, which if it fills with water, we could be spending the night in the cave.  Not the end of the world, but not my first choice either.

Turn around and head back in what turns out to be a fairly gentle rain but boomers nearby.

A little rain is fun as long as you're dressed for it.

 Spent about an hour cleaning that "eroded red dirt" off our boots.

Back at camp after a trip into “town” to do some laundry and check out the grocery store.  Val, not happy with the food selections, questions, “What do people eat around  here???”

Good night again from Kodachrome SP campground.

Brad and Val