OverlandNA
Well-known member
Don't you go doing something silly like that. Your TR is the only way I get to travel these days.
My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
richardoceros
New member
Jerry, a few days ago I find this topic of your Journey. I really adored your story and great pictures. I jealous you because Capitol Reef National Park is my childhood dream. But I'm afraid of such a long journey and how to plan everything. May you share the most important thing to take with me to start such trip.
Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
" Just go, Dont wait"
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YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Arjan.....thanks so much !
OverlandNA.....that's pretty damn funny. And no worries at this point as I've yet to find a new home......the road is still home. Thanks for following along.....always appreciated.....
richardoceros.....PNWY nailed it.....
JD.....yep, that's exactly where the canyon pictures were taken. I had planned to take the South Draw / Pleasant Creek Road but that was closed.....
The next stop for us was Maple Canyon in the 1.4 million acre Manti-La Sal National Forest.....not too far to the northwest of Ephraim, Utah.....which provides for the densest populations of black bears and elk in the entire state of Utah. Now I'd never heard of this place but the woman behind the desk at the national forest office said that it was a climbers mecca and that's all I really needed to hear.....I was in.....
The road was steep.....not recommended for trailers.....this place was looking good. We stayed in a campground which was nothing more than small pull outs along the forest service road and at $2 per night it was still looking good.....
It's been awhile since I've seen any signs like this.....
The first day was a hike into Box Canyon.....with the dogs off leash.....again, my kind of place.....
Just an opinion here but I found the rock and the canyon walls here to be incredibly ugly.....
This I quote from a national forest service brochure.....
"Maple Canyon is made up of a sedimentary rock called conglomerate. Conglomerate is formed when rocks and pieces of rocks are transported by erosional forces, usually water and gravity, to a basin or depression where the rocks are trapped. As sediment builds up, the lower layers are compacted and cemented by lime carbonate or iron oxides. Here erosion has stripped away the upper layers, giving us the exposed cemented conglomerate of Maple Canyon".....
We made it half way up the canyon when we encountered the ropes which of course the dogs could not climb.....we returned to the camper.....there was plenty more to do here.....
OverlandNA.....that's pretty damn funny. And no worries at this point as I've yet to find a new home......the road is still home. Thanks for following along.....always appreciated.....
richardoceros.....PNWY nailed it.....
JD.....yep, that's exactly where the canyon pictures were taken. I had planned to take the South Draw / Pleasant Creek Road but that was closed.....
The next stop for us was Maple Canyon in the 1.4 million acre Manti-La Sal National Forest.....not too far to the northwest of Ephraim, Utah.....which provides for the densest populations of black bears and elk in the entire state of Utah. Now I'd never heard of this place but the woman behind the desk at the national forest office said that it was a climbers mecca and that's all I really needed to hear.....I was in.....
The road was steep.....not recommended for trailers.....this place was looking good. We stayed in a campground which was nothing more than small pull outs along the forest service road and at $2 per night it was still looking good.....
It's been awhile since I've seen any signs like this.....
The first day was a hike into Box Canyon.....with the dogs off leash.....again, my kind of place.....
Just an opinion here but I found the rock and the canyon walls here to be incredibly ugly.....
This I quote from a national forest service brochure.....
"Maple Canyon is made up of a sedimentary rock called conglomerate. Conglomerate is formed when rocks and pieces of rocks are transported by erosional forces, usually water and gravity, to a basin or depression where the rocks are trapped. As sediment builds up, the lower layers are compacted and cemented by lime carbonate or iron oxides. Here erosion has stripped away the upper layers, giving us the exposed cemented conglomerate of Maple Canyon".....
We made it half way up the canyon when we encountered the ropes which of course the dogs could not climb.....we returned to the camper.....there was plenty more to do here.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
The following morning we got a fairly early start and hiked up the Left Fork Trail (3.2 miles roundtrip).....
With the slowly rising temperatures the snow melt was creating numerous small waterfalls along the way.....
Later in the day we hiked the Middle Fork Trail (3.2 miles roundtrip).....
And also made a slight detour onto the Arch Trail (a very short hike) which of course ended at the arch.....
The Middle Fork Trail was fairly grueling with deep snow and downed trees but the views up high were spectacular.....damn I liked this forest.....
What I was learning about this place is that there were three distinct areas to explore. Down low were the canyons, a bit higher up the forest mixed with rocks, and then up high were snow covered peaks.....we needed to check out the latter as well.....
With the slowly rising temperatures the snow melt was creating numerous small waterfalls along the way.....
Later in the day we hiked the Middle Fork Trail (3.2 miles roundtrip).....
And also made a slight detour onto the Arch Trail (a very short hike) which of course ended at the arch.....
The Middle Fork Trail was fairly grueling with deep snow and downed trees but the views up high were spectacular.....damn I liked this forest.....
What I was learning about this place is that there were three distinct areas to explore. Down low were the canyons, a bit higher up the forest mixed with rocks, and then up high were snow covered peaks.....we needed to check out the latter as well.....
Ace Brown
Retired Ol’ Fart
Jerry, we crossed paths again as I was passing through Capitol Reef. I’m sure your usual habit of posting a few days after the fact had you moved on by then. Some day I’ll spot your rig. Towing that Jeep with two kayaks on top should be very recognizable.
Keep the stories coming. I always enjoy every one of them.
Photo taken at Alstrom Point between rain showers.
Ace
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Keep the stories coming. I always enjoy every one of them.
Photo taken at Alstrom Point between rain showers.
Ace
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Arjan....thanks again.....
Ace.....Great picture ! FYI, I'm actually 2 weeks behind on posting now. There's just so much to share and I've kind of committed myself to this blog.....for now anyhow. And yea we are hard to miss wherever we go.....
Now it was time to explore the mountain tops.....
We jumped into the Jeep and drove up high along the forest service roads.....
Eventually our progress in the Jeep was halted by deep snow that covered the roads.....
For me, that's a good thing as I ditched the Jeep in a small pull out and from there on we hiked to the tops of the mountain ridges and to the tops of several smaller unnamed peaks.....
A few elk darted by us and hurriedly disappeared into the forest.....
I searched on Google Maps the forest service roads and noticed a named place.....Joe Spring. The name caught my attention so now I had a goal.....a destination in mind.....
I doubted that I'd actually find a spring with all the snow cover but "it's not the destination, it's the journey" that matters.....
I did find Joe Spring that afternoon.....
Maybe the spring itself wasn't so spectacular as it flowed from a one inch black plastic pipe into an algae filled metal trough.....
I had an entire mountain to myself.....my guess is that not a soul had visited this place since the fall. This journey was nothing more than an afternoon in the mountains.....this journey was magnificent.....
Ace.....Great picture ! FYI, I'm actually 2 weeks behind on posting now. There's just so much to share and I've kind of committed myself to this blog.....for now anyhow. And yea we are hard to miss wherever we go.....
Now it was time to explore the mountain tops.....
We jumped into the Jeep and drove up high along the forest service roads.....
Eventually our progress in the Jeep was halted by deep snow that covered the roads.....
For me, that's a good thing as I ditched the Jeep in a small pull out and from there on we hiked to the tops of the mountain ridges and to the tops of several smaller unnamed peaks.....
A few elk darted by us and hurriedly disappeared into the forest.....
I searched on Google Maps the forest service roads and noticed a named place.....Joe Spring. The name caught my attention so now I had a goal.....a destination in mind.....
I doubted that I'd actually find a spring with all the snow cover but "it's not the destination, it's the journey" that matters.....
I did find Joe Spring that afternoon.....
Maybe the spring itself wasn't so spectacular as it flowed from a one inch black plastic pipe into an algae filled metal trough.....
I had an entire mountain to myself.....my guess is that not a soul had visited this place since the fall. This journey was nothing more than an afternoon in the mountains.....this journey was magnificent.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
It was "climbers mecca" that brought me to Maple Canyon and I shouldn't move on from here without at least sharing a few pictures of some of the climbers on the big walls of the canyon.....
I clearly remember sitting below the base of the wall leaned up against the rough bark of a big ole pine tree watching this young girl scale the face of this big walll.....
She had great moves and climbed that wall with lightning speed.....it was a pleasure to watch her skills as I began to think about life.....
And as I lay against that tree watching the climbers climb, something made think how events like these have become my new television.....it occurred to me that I hadn't actually watched television for nearly a year and a half.....
Not sure why at that moment I missed the creature comforts of a home.....fortunately the feelings passed.....just another passing emotion and nothing more I would guess. There often seems to be that pull between my realities.....
Maple Canyon was yet another special place that captured my heart but after a few days it was time to continue north and head back down into the valley where the recently sheared sheep roamed through the fields.....
And then, in a matter of minutes, we were back on the highway.....the next destination still unknown.....
I clearly remember sitting below the base of the wall leaned up against the rough bark of a big ole pine tree watching this young girl scale the face of this big walll.....
She had great moves and climbed that wall with lightning speed.....it was a pleasure to watch her skills as I began to think about life.....
And as I lay against that tree watching the climbers climb, something made think how events like these have become my new television.....it occurred to me that I hadn't actually watched television for nearly a year and a half.....
Not sure why at that moment I missed the creature comforts of a home.....fortunately the feelings passed.....just another passing emotion and nothing more I would guess. There often seems to be that pull between my realities.....
Maple Canyon was yet another special place that captured my heart but after a few days it was time to continue north and head back down into the valley where the recently sheared sheep roamed through the fields.....
And then, in a matter of minutes, we were back on the highway.....the next destination still unknown.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Arjan.....not too sure what I can say about that trailer hitch. Traveling Europeans are checking that hitch out from time to time and they've mentioned to me in the past that it's not used in Europe. It's so simple as it just flips up and down. When in the up position it has two pins that hold it upright. Regarding the braking system, currently I'm relying on the truck brakes and transmission to do the work.....
Hiking in Maple Canyon took it's toll on my legs and knees since it was steep with lots of downed trees, and then up high was the deep snow.....it was not easy hiking. So the next stop as we drove north was at the remote Fifth Water Hot Springs located to the southeast of Provo, Utah.....
The 2.5 mile (one way) hike to the hot springs was superb.....
Recent rains, current rains and snow, combined with snowmelt was about all the nearby stream could handle within its banks.....
Just above the hot springs was a beautiful raging waterfall. One local guy said that in all his years of coming here that he had never seen water levels so high.....
I took a quick hike above the waterfalls.....
The hot soaking pools below the waterfalls were fed by two small springs which actually were so hot that they burned your feet if you walked through them.....
We shared the well groomed trail with a few mountain bikers that day.....
Just a narly old tree along the way.....
Afterwards we hung out near the trailhead for a few hours waiting to see what the now inclement weather would bring. It appeared that in times past there was a small settlement where two streams merged. Now the waters in the creek were almost at flood stage.....
Hiking in Maple Canyon took it's toll on my legs and knees since it was steep with lots of downed trees, and then up high was the deep snow.....it was not easy hiking. So the next stop as we drove north was at the remote Fifth Water Hot Springs located to the southeast of Provo, Utah.....
The 2.5 mile (one way) hike to the hot springs was superb.....
Recent rains, current rains and snow, combined with snowmelt was about all the nearby stream could handle within its banks.....
Just above the hot springs was a beautiful raging waterfall. One local guy said that in all his years of coming here that he had never seen water levels so high.....
I took a quick hike above the waterfalls.....
The hot soaking pools below the waterfalls were fed by two small springs which actually were so hot that they burned your feet if you walked through them.....
We shared the well groomed trail with a few mountain bikers that day.....
Just a narly old tree along the way.....
Afterwards we hung out near the trailhead for a few hours waiting to see what the now inclement weather would bring. It appeared that in times past there was a small settlement where two streams merged. Now the waters in the creek were almost at flood stage.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Now I'll have to admit that I wasn't paying too much attention to the landscape that surrounded the gravel road into the hot springs.....all that was on my mind at that time was soaking in a natural hot spring. But the drive back out on Diamond Fork Road to Highway 89 was truly magnificent.....
I must have stopped at least a dozen times to either take a picture or just to stroll around and take in the views.....
We were up high in the mountains and it was cold now.....the intermittent rains had a good amount of snow mixed with it.....
Finally we connected with Highway 89 and descended from the mountains driving west into the valley.....two distinct different worlds.....
The nasty weather hung around for a few days so we holed up in a Walmart parking lot.....never a favorite place to stay but I can honestly say that the people of Utah are probably some of the most respectful people that I meet on the road.....therefore it was not all that bad.....
I've driven this north south route many a time but never have I detoured from the interstate to check out the Great Salt Lake.....that was soon to change. With clearing skies we drove to the northern shores of the Great Salt Lake.....
The exact destination was to be the Spiral Jetty but we had to pass through the Golden Spike National Historic Park.....that in itself will become a big part of this story at the Great Salt Lake.....
But the first story to tell is the visit to the Spiral Jetty.....on the north shores of the Great Salt Lake.....
I must have stopped at least a dozen times to either take a picture or just to stroll around and take in the views.....
We were up high in the mountains and it was cold now.....the intermittent rains had a good amount of snow mixed with it.....
Finally we connected with Highway 89 and descended from the mountains driving west into the valley.....two distinct different worlds.....
The nasty weather hung around for a few days so we holed up in a Walmart parking lot.....never a favorite place to stay but I can honestly say that the people of Utah are probably some of the most respectful people that I meet on the road.....therefore it was not all that bad.....
I've driven this north south route many a time but never have I detoured from the interstate to check out the Great Salt Lake.....that was soon to change. With clearing skies we drove to the northern shores of the Great Salt Lake.....
The exact destination was to be the Spiral Jetty but we had to pass through the Golden Spike National Historic Park.....that in itself will become a big part of this story at the Great Salt Lake.....
But the first story to tell is the visit to the Spiral Jetty.....on the north shores of the Great Salt Lake.....
dwh
Tail-End Charlie
The a-frame tow hitch is very simple and common in the U.S. Blue Ox makes ones that fold out of the way when not in use.
https://www.blueox.com/recreational-commercial-flat-towing/tow-bars/
As long as the steering is unlocked, the front wheels will turn and follow along when turning.
The big issue is making sure that the towed vehicle won't have transmission problems being "flat towed". Some won't properly circulate oil when being flat towed, and will burn out bearings and whatnot.
There are kits that can be installed to tie the taillights of the "toad" into the trailer plug of the tow vehicle, and kits to activate the brakes, though most don't bother with the brakes.
https://www.blueox.com/recreational-commercial-flat-towing/braking-systems/brk2016-patriot-ii-brake/
https://www.blueox.com/recreational-commercial-flat-towing/tow-bars/
As long as the steering is unlocked, the front wheels will turn and follow along when turning.
The big issue is making sure that the towed vehicle won't have transmission problems being "flat towed". Some won't properly circulate oil when being flat towed, and will burn out bearings and whatnot.
There are kits that can be installed to tie the taillights of the "toad" into the trailer plug of the tow vehicle, and kits to activate the brakes, though most don't bother with the brakes.
https://www.blueox.com/recreational-commercial-flat-towing/braking-systems/brk2016-patriot-ii-brake/
vintageracer
To Infinity and Beyond!
A large number of states DMV laws now require a "Toad" vehicle (flat towed) to be equipped with brakes that are actuated by the tow vehicle. Worth checking with your local DMV in the state in which your vehicle is registered to see if these laws now apply to those flat towing their "Toad".