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Monday, May 09, 2005 - It�s 4:45am and I�m up making some coffee, watering the dog, turning on some heat to offset the morning chill, and will be getting ready to roll this morning. We rendezvous at 8:00am near here to leave for the trail. We�ll pack a lunch, some water, chairs, umbrella, and extra clothes. It�s expected to be 80 degrees today. That will feel very warm in this country. So we�ll dress light, but if we get back late it could cool quickly. When the sun goes down the chill is on. This will be our last ride here in Moab. We�ll head back west tomorrow morning. In the meantime, staying in the now, I�ll start packing the jeep. I need to leave for fuel, before we all meet. A full tank is required for today�s run. We arrive at the arena as planned this morning. There are eight Jeeps here for this trail. We leave south on 191 passing Wilson Arch, and Hole in the Rock, which we may stop and visit on the way out of here tomorrow, and a new housing development along the canyon rim. We drive about 50 miles south and turn west towards Canyonlands National Park. We have our receipt from the trip with Craig and Diane last week, which is valid for the week, and don�t have to pay the $10 to get in again. Everyone stops at the visitor�s center where Patty buys two books, A Guide to Moab Backroads, and an Audubon book depicting flowers and animals of the Southwest. The group airs down here and disconnects their sway bars too. We continue on towards the trail, making a couple more stops. One was at Newspaper Rock. This is a rock with many petroglyphs created many years ago. As we travel we have Jack on the CB radio who knows everything and every trail in this country. He gives us a history lesson along the way, and we find him very entertaining. I�m sure a tour of this type would cost lots of $$ if you paid for it. We arrive at Elephant Hill. It is called this because after the ascent on a switchback so tight that requires you back up in places to make the turns, the rocks at the top look like elephant heads. This trail is rated at 3.5. Meaning it is somewhat difficult. The country here is like everywhere else around here, absolutely beautiful. The trail is exiting, thrilling, and lots of fun! Sherm and Jean are our leaders and do an excellent job of it too. As a former school teacher (where are they all coming from?), he is so helpful teaching how to handle situations on the trail, and watches my wheels for me, which I appreciate. This trail takes about four hours to run, and we get back to Ol School about seven. The day was perfect, about 75 degrees and clear. No one had any problems. When we returned, a man named John Aryes and his wife Donna stopped and disconnected our steering wheel lock on the Jeep. Now, we don�t have to leave the key on to unlock the wheel while towing. Afterwards, we had a couple of beers with Sherm, Auburn, and Sandy. We went in and had a bowl of chili and crackers about nine. Then we made a quick walk over to Sherm and Jean�s Safari to say goodbye, thank them, and leave a bottle of pear wine we bought in Mt. Pleasant. These are some truly kind and gentle folks. We hope to make the next rally in Colorado in August, where we�ll see them again. |
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Tuesday, May 10, 2005 � It�s departure day, and we get up and start packing, and doing all those things necessary to leave here. We�ll shower and be on our way south this morning. Last night, we noticed Little Dog has an infection in her right eye, and it was pretty much glued shut. Patty had cleaned it up, and this morning we notice it looks the same. We decide that as I get us prepared for departure, she will take the dog into a vet in town, and have her eye examined. Patty leaves, and I do those things as necessary and this takes about an hour and a half. Patty returned just as I was finishing up, and was ready to leave. Turns out, Little Dog had a fox tail that had worked its way into, and around her eyeball. The doctor gave her a local, and with some tong sort of device, pulled the socket away from the eyeball, and pulled the weeds out of her head. We have to give her eye drops for the next few days, but she�s looking good now. The Vet charged $33. California would have had a second TD on your home for the service. As we get ready to leave here, we realize this has been one of the best times we�ve ever had on the road. The trails and these folks have made a fine vacation for us. Looking at the Sara, we�ve put on over 500 miles on her since we�ve been here this week. We leave heading south on 191 to Blanding. As we leave the wind is blowing very hard, and its some kind of sand storm going on. Sherm advised us to wait until tomorrow to leave due to the possibility of sand damage to our windshield. We�ll continue though. We stopped in Blanding for lunch at an A&W, as I�ve got my craving for a cheeseburger out of control. It was typical fast food, meaning I�m not satisfied. We had a phone call from Hump while there, but couldn�t get a good connection therefore, we�ll have to call him back when we have service. We turn west on 95 to 276 and after many miles in one of the most remote parts of the country; we realize we�re going to come upon a ferry to cross Lake Powell in Glenn Canyon National Park, which we didn�t realize or plan for. We think OK we can do that. Seventy-five miles later, we discover they take cash only! Well good, but we don�t have that much with us. We were the first in line, and when they waved us aboard the ferry, we just drove up and had everyone else, about five or six cars, behind us. As the ferry departed from shore, they came to collect the fee. We offered a check but they said they didn�t take checks. That it was cash only. So we ask, �what do you want us to do�? They said there was an ATM at the lodge on the far shore, and we could get cash, come back and pay them. The ferry ride took a half hour. We debarked and headed to the lodge to get the cash. They were going to wait a half hour for us to return. We got to the lodge, got the cash, and had them call the ferry to say we were not going to return. We said we�d leave the cash at the front desk. We thought about making a run for the border, but being good Americans, we left the $50 fee with the desk. We left Glen Canyon heading north on 276, and took a back road called 1668, which was to take us over to 12. We got down this road about five miles, and came over a rise to find a river running across the road, making it impassable. I thought, �Thanks for the warning�. We had to unhook the Jeep, and start backing back up the road. Fortunately, this was for only about 500 feet, where we found a turn out we could get turned around in. We went back to 276 and headed north to 95 again. Now if you were to look at a map, you�d see we�ve driven in a big circle. Taken all day to do it, and in addition to the fuel wasted, it cost us $50 for the boat ride, which as it turned out wasn�t necessary. Oh well, its country we�d never seen if we hadn�t gone that way. We turned east on 95 and went back through Hanksville again, on into Capital Reef, which we passed through last week. Only this time, we decided we would stay in the campground there, and did so for only $5. It is quite a beautiful place here, nestled in a grove of Box Elder, and Cottonwood trees about a mile off the main road up through a canyon of rock. We get here, and obtained the last camping spot available. Luck rides with us. We arrived about 8:00pm, and were a little worn from driving all day in a strong wind. We get in our spot; get setup, and BBQ pork chops with peas and bread rolls. After dinner, we had coffee with Irish cream and a bowl of ice cream in bed watching a new movie called �25 Hours�, which we again saw only a few minutes of before falling asleep. |
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