The DeLorme shows a road from Green River to near Greasewood Wash, the alleged location of the JAFRs. This was the "road." Hey, I thought it was great!!!! And we got there. RBTL.
Here are the remnants of the last life forms that attempted to located the elusive JAFRs per the internet instructions.
A swell drive.
An ambiguous sign. First: How does one "molest" property? Sounds kinda kinky to me. But this is Utah so molesting property (in a kinky way) does not come as a total surprise. Secondly, how can the law "forbid" and "prescribe" punishment at the same time. I didn't know if I could steal the sign or not without retribution. Our tax dollars hard at work! Thanks BLM. I guess this is better than closing a road. By the way, it does NOT say "No Trespassing" so what's the point?
Next was a quick trip 14 miles on I70 back to Green River, then a turn south another 14 miles to a place where there are alleged fossils. I finally found myself.
At some location where the alleged fossils were to be, there were a couple guys and their parents (also fossils) poking for fossils. They were a very strange bunch. To wit, one guy picked up a JAFR, licked it with his tongue and proudly proclaimed that was a dinosaur bone. Needless to say, I found none.
While waiting for them to depart so we could emulate this scientific behavior and lick a thousand rocks in this area in an vain attempt to find a dinosaur bone, I elected to drive 4 miles down the trail to Green River. Sadly we were prevented from going down to the River itself by the sign on the left. This area was apparently a commune or drug dealer's hideout or something "special" at one time or another. It must have bad vibes associated with it so tourists are not allowed to enter the sanctuary.
And what drivel would be complete without a photo of fossils looking for fossils? It was pretty, though. And yes, Virginia, the sky IS that blue!
Next go back 14 miles to the camp and have a beer or two or three or four. Though day!
Danger Will Robinson, whining on: Remember the story of the BgerAMH? Tonight was to be poke chops on the barbie. The idea of cooking them over some Kalifornian's sewer dump didn't sit right with me so when I went to renew the second night at "Shady Achers," I had a talk with the lady at the office and asked to move to another site where I was assured I could cook my poke chops in peace and savor the aroma of the chops - alone! Move from 45 to 53. 15 minutes later another Kalifornian (sadly they run rampant out here) pulls in next to me and proceeds to connect his sewer pipe to the the drain which was also under my picnic table in the new site! I was nice to the Kalifornia dude as this was not his fault (at least for the choice of sites) but I did go up to the office to have a discourse about truth, justice and the American way. "You parked someone next to me and they hooked up their sewer dump right under my picnic table!" "Well, then, move your table!" (Now I thought that was a very clever reply and something I would say had I been in her shoes.) But I wasn't. Continuing my discourse, "I told you I wanted no one next to me. That's why I moved." "They have a dog," was her reply. "Huh?" I retorted with a more than puzzled tone. "Why are they parked next to me when the whole fucking park is empty?" "I told you, because they have a dog." Well, I was at a loss for words. All I could say is "I'll never darken your doorstep again," which I'm sure sent chills of bankruptcy and Chapter 11 up her spine. "OK" was her nonchalant response so I went back and did what any red-blooded American male would do in such dire circumstances.........have another beer. So the morale of the story, dear readers, is that the next time you are in Green River, the garden spot of Utah, you might want to think twice about staying at Shady Achers unless you also wish to have a discussion regarding the placement of the sewer dumps and assignment of people to this park, which actually is very nice . . . except for the owner. Whining Off. |
Oops! Not all the land between here and New Mexico
is desert. Surprise! Guess what's coming to dinner?
What better way to top off the day than drive to the Crystal Geyser at dusk, a drill hole than netted the owners a CO2 geyser instead of a million dollars in oil. Bet that ruined their day! A storm was passing and got some great photos of the clouds, the rain, the sun, the geyser, the CO2.........at any rate, it was nice, but the geyser didn't shoot its load while we were there.
On the way out, we were rewarded with this sign.
Back to the coach, have some Cherry Spumante (sadly the last) and write this crap. Tomorrow is Hanksville and another commercial campground - oh boy!
8 AM. Get ready to head out of Shady Achers. Our neighbors with the dog left at 5 AM, much to my chagrin. Some people feel a need to run their diesels for 10 minutes before moving. Yawn.
Tried to get on the road by 9 but while outside, a Ruby owner, Jim from somewhere in northern Idaho, stopped by and we talked Rubicon talk for about an hour and a half. Learned quite a bit from him. While we chatted, a thunder boomer passed to the south of us. This was nothing like the storms that battered Illinois last night. One of our neighbors did call to tell us everything was OK. That was a relief.
Got going, finally, about 11. Roads were wet. Storms clouds in the distance were pretty impressive. Blue sky was to the southwest. Interesting.
This sure looked better in person than in this photo but this space needs to be filled with something. The storm clouds were retreating.
Arrived at a commercial campground in beautiful downtown Hanksville about noon with blue skies and sunshine. Took a while to get set up. "Do you have internet access here?" "Huh?" "Never mind!" No cell service, no internet. Finally found the end of the internet. At least the satellite TV works. This campground has spectacular scenery all around it, albeit a ways away. Nearby it looks like a junkyard - oh excuse me, it IS a junkyard nearby! And across the road is an ancient Winnie that has an air conditioner running 24/7 that sounds like a grain dryer blower. But no complaints - there are no sewer dumps underneath the picnic table and the people here are very nice.
Next on the agenda was to go to "the" Hanksville JAFR shop. While the JAFR shop owners were nice, oh my, how can people live like this? Their home/shop was not a pretty site but hey, to each their own....I guess. There was also a barefoot person who hand dug a 5' deep hole (hopefully with shoes on) to fix a water leak. He seemed to have difficulty operating a simple pipe wrench. His wife was directing his efforts. He did not appear to be happy. I needed to get out of there quickly. It was very strange!
Piles of Coprolite, aka petrified dinosaur shit at the JAFR shop.
Diggin' Up Bones - now this was indeed
impressive!
After this delightful repose, came back and looked at the motorhome. In the light rain from Green River to Hanksville, the RV got coated with the grimiest conglomerate of red sand and gray clay I've ever seen. Yuch! Spent the next two hours cleaning the road grime. Looks pretty darn good, though now. This, of course, means it will rain for the next 2 weeks.
Factory Butte, from Hanksville. This is the center of a battle between good and evil - between the off road community who wants to keep public lands open to the public and the evil, selfish, greenies who would lock up all our public lands and not allow anyone to enjoy them. If the greenies want to protect land so bad, perhaps they should start by giving Manhattan Island back to the Indians.
This view is from the middle of the Fremont River in better times. Read on and you'll understand.
After burgers and beer at the RV, took a drive out west of town to the Fremont River and got this sunset view from the river with the October moon rising in the East. In a few days it will be full. Awesome!
Tomorrow, weather permitting, will drive around the Henry Mountains to see what there is to see. For now, settle into the coach after watching the stars come out and catching a few satellites whizzing by, complete this blog, and sit down and do some reading for the first time on this trip.
The day started with a chuckle at the beginning of a trip around the Northern foothills of the Henrys looking for more JAFRs.
The rain yesterday didn't do much to the road but wherever there was a wash it's 9" of greasy clay. The Jeep isn't clean anymore. Between the red dust that has infiltrated every nook and cranny and now clumps of mud and clay that are all over the back seat, it's actually beginning to look like a real Jeep.
Came back to the RV for lunch. While up at the office, paying for another day, walked past a damned old Mazda pickup with fencing in the bed and a broken top. Must have been 20 dogs in there that all started yapping at me. I thought, "Wow - this reminds me of the Twins." Go into the "restaurant"/office to pay and holy cripes - there, big (literally) as life are the Twins! Did they bring back memories!
This would be funny if is wasn't so sadly true. At least some folks have a sense of humor and and are willing to make a statement.
Yet another sidebar: In 2000 (Jeez time flies when you aren't having fun) Doc and I had a swell time. Read all about it here. One of the highlights, other than Ranger Dave, were the Twins, two exceedingly heavy set individuals from Ohio that settled out here in an old abandoned trailer and drove a POS Mazda pickup that was big enough for only one. That year they were allegedly doing work for the BLM at Goblin Valley where Ranger Dave had a lot of stories. The back of this POS truck was loaded with dogs and fencing to keep the dogs from falling out, running away or whatever. Dogs, needing to relieve themselves periodically, and lacking any fire hydrants are wont to choose the closest vertical surface, which of course is the fence. So the pickup truck was perhaps slightly more corroded than last time. Characters abound out here! Doc, if you read this, I'm sure you'll be comforted to know the Twins are alive and well, as are their frequently urinating dogs. |
My kind of road. Scenic area, very enjoyable.
Yet another road leading to the gap. Scenic area, very enjoyable.
A short nap and on the road again. This time to the East side of the Henrys to look for more JAFRs. A more than ample supply was found. The saving grace was a moderately challenging 4WD road that didn't require 4WD.
The FN JP in a pile of shit. Coprolite, that is! This must have been the dinosaur's shithouse judging from the immerse amount scattered about.
!
Part of the Canyon.
The end of the trail - for now.
Today it rained. That about sums it up. On the other hand, it gave a unique glimpse into what the desert and the valleys looked like in the rain. 7 AM, up and at 'em. Decided to leave Hanksville once I looked at the sky and heard the thunder. The area around Hanksville is mostly clay which turns to a muddy, slippery, nasty grease that sticks to everything once it gets wet.
Left Hanksville for Torrey, 48 miles and 2200 feet higher. Before exiting the desert, the heavy (1") rains hit and many of the dry washes were flowing. Pretty cool. Torrey is in the foothills of the mountains and is more sand and rock than clay and desert so the chances of doing something here are greater than in Hanksville.
After getting set up and taking a short drive into the foothills on an ATV trail in the rain, came back, took a nap and then decided to head up the paved highway to Boulder, just to look at the scenery. We hit this drive at the right time. While it was cloudy, at least it wasn't terribly foggy nor raining so we had some good scenery - until the way back.....
Looking down at Capitol Reef NP from Boulder Mountain.
More of Capitol Reef NP from Boulder Mountain.
It's 9:40 AM and it's almost as dark as at late dusk. This is really strange. Can't see the mountains. Can barely see to the end of the campground. It's been raining on and off all night and there are still patches of rain and thunderstorms. We're smack dab in the middle of the three-country (Kane, Garfield and Wayne) flash flood watch which I suspect will soon turn into a warning. Hanksville, which we wisely left yesterday, is getting hammered. This was a good choice to head up here. This campground has a solid base of gravel and is higher than the surrounding area - at least to the south. Not worried about flash floods here in the campground - and we have cell service and internet - well kind of. FTP sometimes works, sometimes, doesn't. Internet is very spotty depending on the weather as they use satellite for upload as well as download. Bottom line, here in the camp, we're allegedly OK.
While this is another miserable day, it's still an interesting experience. Weather bulletins were issued all day yesterday and continue today. This is an unusual amount of rain for this area. (BTW, their definition of heavy rain is 1" or so.) It doesn't take a whole lot to turn the gullies and canyons into raging torrents. Getting a little bored so a drive down the asphalt highway (State Road 24) toward Capitol Reef, Caineville and Hanksville will be next just to look at the flooding - assuming one can even see the washes through the rain and fog.
This heavy rain will have a dramatic effect on plans for the rest of the trip. There's no way we'll be able to do any of the planned side trips here. While the water may recede, there'll be other issues such as washouts and areas of mud, sand, clay, etc. Current thoughts are to stick around here until tomorrow and try to do Wolverine Road via Jeep instead of camping there (60+ miles from here.) Once that's done, thinking about Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly and then a slow trip back through mid-New Mexico. Snow is predicted here next week as it is for Northern NM and I-70. Routes 66 and I-40 appear to be the return routes of choice as of today.
This is what the view from the front window of the RV should look like.
This is what it looks like today, even after brightening it up - a lot.
Took the trip down toward Capitol Reef on SR 24. The road into the Park was closed due to flooding but SR24 was open. From there, the highway winds in an out of a canyon for about 15 miles with the Fremont River and a bunch of contributing washes all along the way. It was obvious the Fremont was having an "event." As we progressed downstream in the rain, there were hundreds of waterfalls. A few are captured below. Awesome, really awesome to see this in a normally dry, high desert environment. Water, let alone waterfalls, is normally scarce. And the Fremont? Normally a trickle.
At one point we passed a part of SR 24 that looked a little "iffy." The Fremont was beginning to erode away the road. By the time we got to near Caineville, I decided to go back - being somewhat concerned about the erosion. If SR 24 got washed out and closed, it would be a 200 mile re-route to get back to the camp. As we got to the eroded area, the Park Service was there. Half of the lane nearest the river was already gone and they had only one lane open. By the time we got to the Park entrance, they had completely closed off the road. Whew! Dodged that one!
Here's the latest from NOAA, copied exactly from their web page: A Flash Flood Warning remains in effect until 230 PM MDT for Kane... Wayne and Garfield counties... Flash flooding continues in the warn area with multiple washes... slot canyons... and mainstem rivers in active flood. The Fremont river in Capitol Reef National Park is currently eroding sr 24 through the park... which is now down to one Lane. The Road is also being damaged downstream near the town of Caineville. The Fremont river is flowing at 3613 cfs and is anticipated to increase. The river was flowing at 39 cfs prior to the storm. The Dirty Devil river is flowing at 13955 cfs... and was flowing at 72 cfs prior to the event. Dave's Note: For the mathematically challenged, this is about 200 times (actually 193.8) the normal flow! Now that's a flood! Hmm, on the weather radio, they are just issuing a severe thunderstorm watch for this area also. All sorts of entertainment! BTW, the Dirty Devil begins at Hanksville where the Fremont and the Big Muddy join. I suspect Hanksville is screwed. |
"The" Fremont River waterfall last September.
"The" Fremont River waterfall today.
The Fremont, normally a trickle, but not today!
After the storm.....
8 PM: Interesting day. SR 24 is still closed. UHP reported over half of SR 24 is undercut and there was over 3 feet of water over the highway in Caineville, right where the photo above was taken this morning. Hanksville, downstream, has even more problems. Sure got out of there in time. But how stooopid? Didn't program in the UHP scanner frequencies for this area until a while ago and it sounds like things are still a mess. So far we've heard of people stranded at Delicate Arch, due to high water in the Moab area. There are a number of people on the San Rafael Reef that are stranded along with the "posse," as they call search and rescue in this area west of Moab. (So who will rescue the posse ?) They are now calling for trailers and heaters and blankets for the Hanksville area. All this with between 3 - 4" of rain.
And then there was this report from KSL before the internet went down ...... again. WOW! In Wayne county, heavy rain has caused -flash floods -- putting
much of the town of Hanksville under nearly four feet of water. According to public safety officials, the kids were on their way home when the bus became surrounding by high water, even though it remains on dry land. The children range from 6th to 12th graders, and while the bus is on dry land, it cannot move because it's surrounded by water. Public safety officials said the bus driver is waiting for the water to recede and then will drive the kids to safety. We also have word that homes in the area are being evacuated. Dave's Note: Really got the hell out of Hanksville just in time! |
7 AM: The event seems to be over except for the cleanup. SR 24 is still closed. The busload of kids have been rescued. The posse has been rescued. Hanksville is famous - it's on The Weather Channel. The sun is out and there's not a cloud on the sky. Temperature will be in the mid 60s. This will be a good day for a trip.
Today will be a long day. The original plan was to motorhome over Boulder Mountain and stay about 20 miles east of Boulder Town in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. However, the best laid plans oft go astray when Mother Nature runs amuck. The decision is to stay safe and sound (shitty internet connections notwithstanding) in Torrey, drive to GSENM, and then do the Wolverine Road loop in search for more elusive JAFRs (which we will just look at and admire since we are not allowed to collect anything within the alleged Monument.) What this means is that just to get to other other side of the mountain (and back) will cost an extra 70 miles, but the FN JP does SO well on the highway - a dream to drive on the trail as well as on the highway. So off across the mountain, dodging cows (live ones) on the highway. Turn left at Boulder and proceed down the Burr Trail Road to Wolverine road, 20 miles inside the monument. This is where fun began.
Oh ruts.
This stuff stuck to the tires like glue. Only sank in about 8" but that was enough!
And going on and on - this area is some of the most remote in the US. That's why I like it.
So after the enjoyable talk with the BLM Ranger, headed back to Boulder and then took a side trip on Hell's Backbone, a 53 mile road that went up into the mountains and was even open. No problems driving - and one sees the darndest things along the side of the road.
Yes!
Hell's Backbone was the highlight of this trip today. It ran up into the mountains and eventually along a ridge with canyons, a thousand feet deep on each side. At one point I climbed up on a rock to take photo and then, unfortunately, looked down and realized that 2 feet away from where I was standing it was about 1000' straight down. Oh my! Got the photo, quickly, and then VERY carefully retreated to the safety of the FN JP. SO many photos from up here - this is a sample but doesn't do justice.
This is here just because I like it. One yellow aspen.
This is here because I like this also and there are SO many questions that this sign raises.
Meandered some of the mountain roads, descending into Escalante (the town), unsuccessfully looked for more JAFRs and then started the 70 mile trip back. But -- on the way, found a neat little road leading to another spot where JAFRs could be admired. A mile in, came across this little washout in the road. No problem to traverse, much to the amazement of yet another BLM Ranger who was there.
Back to the RV for supper. STILL NO INTERNET. It was down last night and also this morning. Still down. 11PM: Finally intermittently operational. Up for a few minutes then down for a long time. I'll wait until tomorrow to upload. Except for the internet (or lack thereof), this was an outstandingly good day!
Called the Utah Highway Patrol and found SR24 is now open. Instead of moving on, we decided to poke around north of town today. Weather was excellent - nary a cloud in the sky and the temperature almost reached 70. In the morning we drove around on some ATV trails then came back and got groceries for the next week.
Also took the opportunity to clean out the clumps of mud and clay from inside the Jeep. Still dirty but looks much better - it was a helluva mess after yesterday's folly.
In the afternoon, again poked around north of town. A few clouds started to pop up and perhaps tomorrow there might be a little rain. This was such a pretty area - how pretty????
HMM......listening to KSL again (10 PM news.) Shit! They just issued another flash flood watch for Southern Utah tomorrow. Get this - the area we're in is on the edge of the watch but the heavy rains look like they'll be more to the east and south: in the Monument Valley area :(
