turbodb
Well-known member
March 15, 2018. Day 0.
As we pulled out of the parking lot in Idaho Falls, we were already late.
See, the plan had been to show up at @CBI OFFROAD FAB when they opened at 8:00am, and have the new bumper install done by 10:00am so we'd have our choice of routes down to Hanksville, UT where we were meeting Ben @m3bassman and Zane @Speedytech7 for a three-day adventure into The Maze District in Canyonlands National Park. My hope was that we'd choose the scenic route, down 191 through Wyoming to get to our meet-up and first nights camp spot.
But, the install had taken a little over four hours and it was noon when we pulled out. Wanting to arrive before dark, that meant that we'd need to take the more direct route - down I-15 through Salt Lake City - and even then, we'd just barely make it.
With only a quick stop for lunch, and another for fuel, we arrived at dusk, surprised to find that we were the first ones there. We knew Ben was behind us - we'd been tracking each other on APRS - but we though for sure that Zane would have beaten us to the site - after all, he'd left the earliest and had the shortest drive.
Turns out, even though we'd shared around a GPS track prior to the trip, Zane didn't have it with him and wasn't sure which road to head up to find camp. No biggie, since as soon as Ben was in range with the ham radio, he and I touched bases and he was able to find Zane on the main highway and caravan into camp. A hearty round of good-to-see-you-agains and intros of @mrs.turbodb followed - it was the first time I'd seen Ben, Kirsten and Zane since The De-Tour - and then Ben got the lantern fired up and declared that, "It feels great to sit down!" as if he hadn't been driving for the last eight hours.
We caught up a bit and generally just chatted for about an hour. But it wasn't long before there was a collective move to the tents - we were all pooped from driving, and the lantern - while it looked warm - threw off less heat than a cup of cocoa. So we all settled in for a night in the low 30's, and a promise of clear skies the next morning.
March 16, 2018. Day 1.
We'd made camp at the Eardly Canyon trailhead, just east of The San Rafael Swell - a spot well suited for sunrises. And, as has become a tradition, I was out of the tent just in time to catch the orange horizon before wandering around a bit to document the morning.
As the sun rose, the red morning light shone on the mountains behind camp, lighting them a brilliant red. Ben was up by now too - really only a few minutes after me - soaking it all in. Everyone else...well, they were still cozy and enjoying the view out the tent window.
Before long though, everyone was up, ate a bit of breakfast, and we were ready to go. Not in the trucks - no! We were to set off on foot, up the canyon - in search of petroglyphs! As we made our way up the canyon, they proved elusive - a good thing in my book - and we walked right past them (within 15 feet or so) without seeing them. This, it turned out was a good thing, because if we'd seen them, we'd probably have turned around, and we'd have missed the rest of the canyon and it's geology - which was breathtaking.
Eventually though, we turned around and headed back - we knew we needed to actually get going in the trucks - but we kept an eye out and discovered what we'd missed on the way up. The petroglyphs were cool, and were surely different than others I've seen. Not only were there the "normal" animals, but there were also some "stranger beings" - grasshopper man, for instance.
After finding what we'd come for, we high-tailed it back to camp so we could get on our way. We had quite a few miles to cover if we were to make it to our reserved camp spot that evening - Doll House 3. Back on the road, we made a quick stop in Hanksville for fuel, and then headed south to Poison Springs Canyon Road, where we aired down and took in our surroundings before starting towards The Maze.
An astute reader will notice that this was the only part of the trip, I believe, where I wasn't at the back of the pack. See, we all have three pedals in the foot well, but Ben was never taught what the two on the left do, so he doesn't use them. And Zane's spent so much time dialing in his rear leaf pack that he can't really feel bumps anymore.
So it wasn't long before I moved into the tail gunner position. You know, to make sure we had long range comms (ham radios) in front and at the rear.
Even as we started into the canyon, the sights were amazing. It was @mrs.turbodb's first time in Utah (off-road), and she's a geology nut, so she was soaking it all in.
Soon, we were heading down to the bottom of the canyon, where we eventually stopped for lunch at the Dirty Devil River crossing.
That's all the photos I can put in a post here - check out the rest of the day (pics and story) at:
The Rest of Day 1: The Maze, Canyonlands (Mar 2018)
.
As we pulled out of the parking lot in Idaho Falls, we were already late.
See, the plan had been to show up at @CBI OFFROAD FAB when they opened at 8:00am, and have the new bumper install done by 10:00am so we'd have our choice of routes down to Hanksville, UT where we were meeting Ben @m3bassman and Zane @Speedytech7 for a three-day adventure into The Maze District in Canyonlands National Park. My hope was that we'd choose the scenic route, down 191 through Wyoming to get to our meet-up and first nights camp spot.
But, the install had taken a little over four hours and it was noon when we pulled out. Wanting to arrive before dark, that meant that we'd need to take the more direct route - down I-15 through Salt Lake City - and even then, we'd just barely make it.
With only a quick stop for lunch, and another for fuel, we arrived at dusk, surprised to find that we were the first ones there. We knew Ben was behind us - we'd been tracking each other on APRS - but we though for sure that Zane would have beaten us to the site - after all, he'd left the earliest and had the shortest drive.
Turns out, even though we'd shared around a GPS track prior to the trip, Zane didn't have it with him and wasn't sure which road to head up to find camp. No biggie, since as soon as Ben was in range with the ham radio, he and I touched bases and he was able to find Zane on the main highway and caravan into camp. A hearty round of good-to-see-you-agains and intros of @mrs.turbodb followed - it was the first time I'd seen Ben, Kirsten and Zane since The De-Tour - and then Ben got the lantern fired up and declared that, "It feels great to sit down!" as if he hadn't been driving for the last eight hours.
We caught up a bit and generally just chatted for about an hour. But it wasn't long before there was a collective move to the tents - we were all pooped from driving, and the lantern - while it looked warm - threw off less heat than a cup of cocoa. So we all settled in for a night in the low 30's, and a promise of clear skies the next morning.
March 16, 2018. Day 1.
We'd made camp at the Eardly Canyon trailhead, just east of The San Rafael Swell - a spot well suited for sunrises. And, as has become a tradition, I was out of the tent just in time to catch the orange horizon before wandering around a bit to document the morning.
As the sun rose, the red morning light shone on the mountains behind camp, lighting them a brilliant red. Ben was up by now too - really only a few minutes after me - soaking it all in. Everyone else...well, they were still cozy and enjoying the view out the tent window.
Before long though, everyone was up, ate a bit of breakfast, and we were ready to go. Not in the trucks - no! We were to set off on foot, up the canyon - in search of petroglyphs! As we made our way up the canyon, they proved elusive - a good thing in my book - and we walked right past them (within 15 feet or so) without seeing them. This, it turned out was a good thing, because if we'd seen them, we'd probably have turned around, and we'd have missed the rest of the canyon and it's geology - which was breathtaking.
Eventually though, we turned around and headed back - we knew we needed to actually get going in the trucks - but we kept an eye out and discovered what we'd missed on the way up. The petroglyphs were cool, and were surely different than others I've seen. Not only were there the "normal" animals, but there were also some "stranger beings" - grasshopper man, for instance.
After finding what we'd come for, we high-tailed it back to camp so we could get on our way. We had quite a few miles to cover if we were to make it to our reserved camp spot that evening - Doll House 3. Back on the road, we made a quick stop in Hanksville for fuel, and then headed south to Poison Springs Canyon Road, where we aired down and took in our surroundings before starting towards The Maze.
An astute reader will notice that this was the only part of the trip, I believe, where I wasn't at the back of the pack. See, we all have three pedals in the foot well, but Ben was never taught what the two on the left do, so he doesn't use them. And Zane's spent so much time dialing in his rear leaf pack that he can't really feel bumps anymore.
So it wasn't long before I moved into the tail gunner position. You know, to make sure we had long range comms (ham radios) in front and at the rear.
Even as we started into the canyon, the sights were amazing. It was @mrs.turbodb's first time in Utah (off-road), and she's a geology nut, so she was soaking it all in.
Soon, we were heading down to the bottom of the canyon, where we eventually stopped for lunch at the Dirty Devil River crossing.
That's all the photos I can put in a post here - check out the rest of the day (pics and story) at:
The Rest of Day 1: The Maze, Canyonlands (Mar 2018)
.
