My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Riversdad.....yea.....Walt Whitman spoke to me. Regarding Tanner & the wind, yes absolutely. He was terrified up there and had I been solo I would imagine that I would have gone further, possibly got the summit (although those winds were intense). The winds from the south that afternoon were exactly like the winds from the south that blew him off the mountain in Kofa. He's terrified of the wind.....

Arjan.....I take way too many pictures of that dog.....thanks.....

JD.....the picture of Sarah made me immediately think of Yukon.....miss her badly. Thanks.....



We pulled into the Walmart parking lot in Cortez, Colorado and found our perfect spot in the parking lot.....this spot would turn into a three night stay. I'm never excited to stay at a Walmart but it's just part of the game that I choose to play.....my Walmart neighbor also out of Montana had an interesting rig.....I couldn't understand what the plan was here.....



Now Walmarts have a life of their own and if you stay long enough you begin to figure out the lives of the many people that unfortunately seem to live there. My experience has been that there are lots of scammers that call these parking lots home.....I've had my run ins in the past so I stay cautiously at all times. But there are also good people down on their luck.....the stock market roars to record highs yet families are living in their cars everyday.....



The family above was legitimate and I passed a handful of cash to that poor mother of two. It literally broke my heart to see those children in the cold playing on the sidewalk while their mother asked for help from the community......



And the tire you see above on the Jeeps front seat was from a family of six with a flat tire and a flat spare.....I was taking it to get repaired. There was an old man and his wife living in a van with their rescue Pit Bull (a really sweet dog he was). I gave them a large bag of dog food and a bag of rawhide chews. Life is easier for me when I stick my head in the sand and spend my life alone.....

We left town on a Monday morning with snow still falling lightly.....we drove south on the main highway but soon turned and drove west on a barely traveled county road. We were now headed for Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah.....100 miles away. We stopped to stretch the legs after maybe 20 miles.....



It was just a stroke of good fortune that our stop was at the Sand Canyon & Rock Creek Trailheads.....





My intentions that morning when we left Cortez, Colorado were to arrive at Bears Ears National Monument by dark.....that did not happen.....





I thought we'd take a short hike into this new wonderland and then be back on the road.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It turned out that there were miles of foot trails here lined with ancient ruins.....and here, unlike say Mesa Verde where you can drive and see the ruins.....here, you must get out of your vehicle and walk to experience this amazing place.....and most people are either unwilling or unable to do that.....we pretty much had the place to ourselves.....







We returned to the rig late that afternoon and we had no desire to leave.....so we headed back out for an evening walk.....it was just as splendid as the first walk of the day.....







For a team like Tanner & I, there's probably not a better place for us to be. Tanner is busy sniffing everything that's within the limits of the leash while my mind wanders off into the surreal world of what life was once here.....







We spent the days last minutes of light up on the stone mesa.....just as the Native Americans must have done for hundreds of years before moving on to new places. Places like these are magical and magnificent.....

We stayed the night camped on the side of the road & when the sun rose we hiked deeper into the canyons.....the air was frigid but we didn't care. And then we drove west.....

 

[longhorn1]

Beautiful area. It is amazing that there are so many hidden gems.

 

[Ace Brown]

Glad you found Sand Canyon trail. That’s one of my planned mountain bike destination rides. Phil’s World is another nearby ride spot. Might even get down there before winter returns.

When you were in Ouray it was another time we were close to meeting up. I live about 90 miles to the north. One day I’ll spot you like the other ExPo guy did.

Alan


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[tgil]

tgil, in 2017 we took our Lab on the Gondola. She wouldn't jump in. I had to lift her in and out, slightly hard with the jerky movement. When we got off at Mountain Village, she wouldn't go down the metal steps. We had to take the elevator down a level. Needless to say, we left her in the camper this year.

For me, the gondola is the main draw to Telluride. I intended to hike to Bridal Veil Falls, while there in Sept, but there was so little water, I decided to wait.
Scout wasn't sure about those steps, but I can generally coax her out of her comfort zone.
Jerry, few more pics of Scout. Pardon the clown with her.

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[longhorn1]

For me, the gondola is the main draw to Telluride. I intended to hike to Bridal Veil Falls, while there in Sept, but there was so little water, I decided to wait.
Scout wasn't sure about those steps, but I can generally coax her out of her comfort zone.
Jerry, few more pics of Scout. Pardon the clown with her.

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We hiked up to the mine on the Idarado Trail. We to had planned to hike to Bridal Fall, but we didn't see any water. All the pictures we saw showed lots of water that should have been easily seen. Guess the draught was responsible. I was bummed, so your post makes me feel better.

 

[ghostdancer]

jerry, you look like you’re following in our Colorado footsteps. We spent a week camped at Lizard Head Pass and did some fantastic hikes. Next time you’re in the area try the hike to Hope Lake, nice hike to a beautiful alpine lake. All trails has it as heavily trafficked but we only saw a couple of others on our hike and had the lake to ourselves. We also hiked that same trail
In the Canyon of the Ancients. I agree with you that the more effort it takes, the greater the solitude. You see so many scenic overlooks that are so jammed packed that there is no where to park. People will walk a little ways down a trail and turn around. Because there’s no “instant gratification”. We boondocked by Wolf Creek Pass, east of Pagosa Springs, had some great hikes there! We drove up to the scenic overlook, it was packed full and the amount of trash was appalling.
one of the many great things about Colorado though is the lack of trash on the trails and Forrest Service camping areas. I pick up trash everywhere I see it on the trail. About all I ever found in Colorado seemed to be accidental, like a wrapper that may have slipped out of a pocket or got caught by the wind.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....and many more I have to share.....

Also, how is it that you blame your "draught" (beer) for the lack of water ? ?

Alan (Ace).....one thing is certain.....we are certainly easy to recognize.....

tgil.....that first picture is so great ! You can see in Scouts eyes that he's ready to go. It's no wonder we all love our dogs so much.....each and everyone is so special.....

ghostdancer.....there's a thread here on XP about all the crowds that are out and about due to Covid-19. I see truth in that but I also see miles and miles, probably millions of acres.....not a soul out there. It's one of the blessings of having become an obsessive walker/hiker/ climber.....most of our times out there are alone.....



Back on the back road and headed west.....80 miles to go to our planned destination in Bears Ears National Monument, I spot this sign on the side of the highway.....



Often I see here on XP people coming together to go off on adventures and often I think that must be fun.....to share the pleasures of life on the road. But it's at times like these.....I spot a sign.....and I follow it. I clearly remember thinking as I made the turn to Hovenweep National Monument how I could never travel in a group.....the life of the loner.....never a leader.....never a follower.....





How beautiful the free range horses were.....there really is nothing more beautiful than our freedoms that we enjoy.....





A light wind was blowing across the mesa that day and the air was crystal clear.....that was a blessed day my friends.....



We pulled into Hovenweep National Monument with zero expectations or plans.....



I had never researched this national monument so I had no idea what to expect.....and it was beautiful here.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The visitors center here was closed due to the Covid-19.....the silent killer that has taken over a quarter million Americans.....we grabbed a brochure and hit the trails.....here the trails welcomed Tanner along.....no restrictions.....





The ancient ruins of course were spectacular and we just kind of passed that wonderful day away.....





We took a walk down to the campground that's open year round. I believe that there were 35 spaces and only 2 were occupied.....so I grabbed the rig and we stayed the night.....





The following day was much like the previous day.....filled with hiking and enjoying the ancient ruins.....



The campgrounds here were really not much different than staying in the national forest.....there was nobody here and at $7 per night we decided to stay again.....





It was now Day 4 since we'd left Cortez, Colorado behind.....maybe 40 miles driven.....and 60 miles to go. A brief stop along a highway and we spotted a dead coyote.....he was such a beautiful animal. Someone had cut his lower jaw off.....was that to collect a bounty on the animal I wondered ? It crushes me to see these things.....the more I'm alone it seems that I value their lives the more.....their howls and their barks make my heart race.....

 

[Mekcanix]

Beautiful pictures as always. The ruins always call to us to explore our past and learn, to bad most ignore it.
I have said it before, but I will again. Glad you and Tanner are back

 

[nathane]

Always something wonderful new to see, thanks Jerry. I wonder what the story is behind the structures, from the shape I can't imagine they are dwellings?

 

[Ace Brown]

Always something wonderful new to see, thanks Jerry. I wonder what the story is behind the structures, from the shape I can't imagine they are dwellings?

Those rounded ones are watch towers.


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[nathane]

Just been doing the Wikipedia thing. Fascinating history.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

mekcanix.....it's a pleasure to be back posting. The break felt good but honestly I just love to write about our experiences. I feel blessed everyday to have them.....thank you.....

nathane.....this entire area that we have been exploring since leaving the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado is absolutely stunning. Combined with the history of the area, I'm feeling already that it's going to be tough to leave here one day. I had no idea that when I stumbled onto Abajo Peak weeks ago, that that was actually the start of a quest.....more to come.....



The potholed backroads that meandered through the reservation lands soon took us back to a main highway.....Highway 191.....then briefly north on that high speed highway, then I made a left hand turn that took us further west yet again. And finally after 5 days of travel we entered the eastern boundary of the Bears Ears National Monument.....



Our planned destination was still miles ahead but I was in such awe of what was before my eyes that I said to Tanner that we have to stop the truck and we just have to have a better look.....I seem to just want to see the world anymore while standing in my boots.....





This incredible rock formation / mountain chain that we were driving by ran parallel to the highway for quite some miles.....



So I says to Tanner "what do you think ? Let's climb !". Well, Tanner.....he's always up for a good climb so there we go. We weren't aiming for any named summit.....we weren't climbing on any named trail. We had just pulled off the road at a random spot and began to climb.....



To the north the views were astonishing.....we marveled at the now snow covered Abajo Mountains and Abajo Peak that we saw in the distance.....that peak that we climbed just several weeks prior.....



We continued to climb higher on this massive, smooth slab of tan colored rock.....maybe a slab of rock a mile in width, many, many miles in length.....it was simply amazing to say the least.....



It was here at this place, at this time.....that I began to understand the enormity of what the Bears Ears National Monument actually is.....or maybe I should say was.....



There is a story to be told here amongst these mountains, these mesas and steep cliffs.....and even as I type this today I continue to learn more about the land encompassed within the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument.....I've been learning not just from first hand sources who have lived here their entire lives but also from their ancestors who have passed down their own stories and then have been told to me.....and I continue to read to learn even more.....and my love of here continues to grow.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Soon the magnificent tan colored rock that we encountered at first.....



.....turned to a magnificent shade of red.....no matter the color.....all can only be described as magnificent.....





I feel like I've never dedicated a single post to a cut in the road so this is probably the first. This man-made cut in the mountain chain was simply extraordinary. The signs said don't stop on the roadway but I couldn't help myself.....





We began to proceed along the road cut and I glanced to the right-side of the road and there walked a wild turkey (he can be seen in the photo above).....and I thought about the abundance of the wild turkeys that we had seen to the north and I saw the connection between the forested Abajo Mountains to the north and these stark stone mountains to the south.....





The connection that I saw at the moment became a defining moment in the way that I see the Bears Ears National Monument.....





We passed through the road cut and parked on the west side.....then we walked through the road cut back to the east side and as we did we chased that wild turkey into the wild open spaces.....you see.....it's almost Thanksgiving and I feel like his chances of survival were slim at that time.....we continued west.....