Tom Callahan
New member
…Continued from here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...ure-around-Moab-in-a-Rental-Tiger-Part-1-of-2
Next stop, Canyonlands National Park. It is huge: 337,000 acres, 527 square miles. It has three distinct zones - the "Islands in the Sky" - looking down from the cliff tops; the Needles; and the Maze. None of these areas are interconnected by road, so you kind of have to pick where you are going to go when you have limited time. We'd already had the high in the sky bird's eye view at Dead Horse, and the Mazes takes at least a few days to get in and do it any sort of justice -- so we went to the Needles section of Canyonlands. (As I'm writing this, I am painfully aware that many on this forum are intimately familiar with these areas and I probably sound like a pathetic newbie - guilty!)
Just getting to the park border is a beautiful drive along Rte. 211 through open range land and winding through sandstone cliffs by the river and bordered by cottonwood trees.
But first, before we got way off the beaten track, the girls needed a lesson in basic camper maintenance and hygiene...
(Unfortunately, with the temperature hovering around 12 degrees, the release valves were frozen and we couldn't empty the black and gray water tanks at that point!)
So when we arrived at the entrance to the Needles part of Canyonlands on New Year's Eve, we found the Ranger Station/Visitor Center closed and locked. There was a note on the door saying, "Fees Waived for Winter Closure" and "In an emergency, use the pay phone on the wall by the restroom to dial 911." We proceeded to the campsite and enjoyed delicious off-the-grid solitude on that cold New Years Eve, with only mule deer and ravens and rabbits for company.
That ended our camping out for the trip. We spent the next night in the extraordinary luxury of Red Cliffs Lodge along the Colorado River on Highway 128. But before making our way back to Colorado, we had a lovely hike into Negro Bill Canyon as far as the natural bridge.
On the drive back, we stopped at Vail for lunch, feeling a lot like the Clampetts showing up in Beverly Hills. (My daughters did not get the reference, but I imagine readers of this forum are of a certain age!) You can't tell from this photo below, but we are pulled up right at the side of a ski run - you could see skiers glancing over wondering who the heck is this?
There was some embarrassment among the crew:
When we got back to Golden, Gaylord gave us a ride to the airport and pumped us for feedback on how the camper did in the cold weather. We felt extremely grateful for the opportunity to rent a vehicle like this. Sure it would be great to own one - but so many of us are in a stage in life where we don't have the time or the money to justify such an expense. I am glad there are business ventures like Adventure Travel Sport Rentals to serve this market and hope they thrive and proliferate! (For more info, go to www.adventuretravelsportrentals.com)
Hope you enjoyed this report - we sure enjoyed the adventure!
TC and family in Alexandria, VA
Next stop, Canyonlands National Park. It is huge: 337,000 acres, 527 square miles. It has three distinct zones - the "Islands in the Sky" - looking down from the cliff tops; the Needles; and the Maze. None of these areas are interconnected by road, so you kind of have to pick where you are going to go when you have limited time. We'd already had the high in the sky bird's eye view at Dead Horse, and the Mazes takes at least a few days to get in and do it any sort of justice -- so we went to the Needles section of Canyonlands. (As I'm writing this, I am painfully aware that many on this forum are intimately familiar with these areas and I probably sound like a pathetic newbie - guilty!)
Just getting to the park border is a beautiful drive along Rte. 211 through open range land and winding through sandstone cliffs by the river and bordered by cottonwood trees.
But first, before we got way off the beaten track, the girls needed a lesson in basic camper maintenance and hygiene...
(Unfortunately, with the temperature hovering around 12 degrees, the release valves were frozen and we couldn't empty the black and gray water tanks at that point!)
So when we arrived at the entrance to the Needles part of Canyonlands on New Year's Eve, we found the Ranger Station/Visitor Center closed and locked. There was a note on the door saying, "Fees Waived for Winter Closure" and "In an emergency, use the pay phone on the wall by the restroom to dial 911." We proceeded to the campsite and enjoyed delicious off-the-grid solitude on that cold New Years Eve, with only mule deer and ravens and rabbits for company.
That ended our camping out for the trip. We spent the next night in the extraordinary luxury of Red Cliffs Lodge along the Colorado River on Highway 128. But before making our way back to Colorado, we had a lovely hike into Negro Bill Canyon as far as the natural bridge.
On the drive back, we stopped at Vail for lunch, feeling a lot like the Clampetts showing up in Beverly Hills. (My daughters did not get the reference, but I imagine readers of this forum are of a certain age!) You can't tell from this photo below, but we are pulled up right at the side of a ski run - you could see skiers glancing over wondering who the heck is this?
There was some embarrassment among the crew:
When we got back to Golden, Gaylord gave us a ride to the airport and pumped us for feedback on how the camper did in the cold weather. We felt extremely grateful for the opportunity to rent a vehicle like this. Sure it would be great to own one - but so many of us are in a stage in life where we don't have the time or the money to justify such an expense. I am glad there are business ventures like Adventure Travel Sport Rentals to serve this market and hope they thrive and proliferate! (For more info, go to www.adventuretravelsportrentals.com)
Hope you enjoyed this report - we sure enjoyed the adventure!
TC and family in Alexandria, VA
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