Mon., April 24: An enjoyable and restful day but stoopid planning

On the road again......Torrey to Moab. Set the cruise at 55 and just enjoyed the 150 mile drive. Elected to stay at a campground 10 miles north of Moab instead of Canyonlands, in town. The rationale is that I want to play in the Book Cliffs north of here and this will save me 20 miles each day. Besides that, I love the view!

Ooops, perhaps a slight miscalculation on my part. This means it's 20 miles, round trip to Moab. Plans change and here's the math for the trips to Moab: #1, parts to fix the brittle hoses. #2, another trip for more parts. #3, a trip in to take Dave, Debbie, Steve and Pat to the Brewery for supper. #4, a trip tomorrow to pick up Bob for a scenic drive. #5, a trip tomorrow to drop off Bob after the scenic drive. Hmm, 5 * 20 = 100 miles so I can shave 20 miles off the trip Wednesday. DUH! I'm not a math major nor project manager ........ but perhaps this qualifies me .......

At any rate, I love the view!

The campground view from the motorhome.

So after getting set up, elected to replace the replaced transmission hoses with hydraulic hoses instead of the fuel line hoses used yesterday for the quick fix. Haul into town, grab a burger, and get a whole bunch of hoses, fittings and other parts. Called Dave & Debbie and their friends, Steve & Pat, to see if I could take them out for supper tonight. I've been to their places in LaSal a number of times, been wheelin' with them and they've graciously allowed me to park the caravan there several times. We'll meet at 7 at the Brewery. Come back and replace the hoses. Ooops. Need a couple more fittings that are more fitting for the application. Trip #2.

Got the job done - and a damn nice job it is. Replaced all the hoses with the new hoses designed for this application. Drained an excess quart of fluid from the tranny. Got done just in time for trip #3, and a most enjoyable time was had by all at the Brewery.

Instead of hitting the Book Cliffs tomorrow, elected to call Bob, a friend from years past and see if he'd like to go wheeling tomorrow. The answer was a resounding YES! Bob, whom a few years ago was "Red Rock's 4-Wheeler of the Year" doesn't get out much anymore and I really hope that he will enjoy the trip ---- of course the down side for him is that he has to ride with me ---- "There ain't no free lunch!" Hence trips #4 and #5. Oh well, I love the view!

The beginning of a typical Jeep trail.


Bob, at one of the many scenic overlooks.


These rocks are the remnants of the deposits left by an ancient stream.


The road is down there --- somewhere!


The aforementioned narrow road.

Tue., April 25: The best day of wheelin' yet!

Left the motorhome at 9 AM and returned at 9 PM. A 12 hour "shift." What a great day. So what makes this day so much better than any of the others?
(1) The company: Bob was a most excellent guide. He and Ber have mapped many of the trails and knows this country like the back of his hand. Besides that, he knows the geology of the area very well and has an excellent sense of humor.
(2) No breakage (but some new creakage again) and no stuckage (but almost, as we descended into a wash bottom that, at one point, may have had no bottom!)
(3) Adventuresome trails, traversing roads that in some cases may not have been traveled in many years - and also spending some of the time time trying to decide where the road even was! That was great fun!
(4) Awesome scenery in an area dominated by land similar to "badlands" where probably half of the landscape was built from volcanic ash. Stark, barren and beautiful.
(5) Remote. Very remote. During our 60 mile trip (one way), we maybe saw 3 vehicles - and those were on the access roads.
(6) The trail: some of it was the Crystal Geyser trail up towards Green River but Bob had many interesting turn-offs that proved to be quite an adventure.
(7) Weather: A perfect day for more sunburn. A light wind but not too hot.
(8) Well......you get the idea. Sometimes conditions are just right for the "perfect day." Such was yesterday's run.

We made a number of detours and many stops along the way. Each stop was planned to have some unique attributes. At one stop we picked up some dinosaur "gizzard stones." At another stop we had a tremendous view of the countryside. On the short hike to the overlook, Bob asked if I knew what I was walking on. "Yeah, Bob, rocks!" was my intelligent answer. It turns out that we were walking on the sedimentary deposits of an ancient stream bed! Cool! Very cool!

We did a few more stops and saw more scenery - a little more than anticipated as one of the roads that we were on for a while dead ended at a drill hole. This was nearing the Green River unit of the White Sands Missile Range.

Later we went up a canyon that required both lockers and some attention. Bob assured me that we were on the road and sure enough, when we got to the top, one could see the very faint ridge where it was graded once, decades ago. But a road is a road is a road..........

This 'road' led us into a high open area where we had to look pretty hard to the find the road. Once we did, however, it also dead ended after a pretty steep and narrow grade that had been used extensively by motorcycles. We made it work with the Jeep! Once at the bottom, Bob looked at the maps and was still a bit puzzled as to our exact location. It had been years since he had been there. I asked if a GPS would help and he laughed and said, "Dave, You've been holding out on me!" So we UTMd our location and it was indeed where he thought we ought to be and it was indeed a dead and as he discovered years ago. Another road to nowhere.

So back up the hill wide enough for a motorcycle. Used both lockers again due to the narrow road and loose rubble. Once at the top we found a way over to a wash and descended into that. After a while Bob recognized the wash, knew right where we were (no GPS this time!) and we finally exited, a while later on the Crystal Geezer Road.

So next is the obligatory trip to the Geyser. We got there about 6 PM and here's these two "good ol' boys", probably in their 70s, that had been sitting there since 2 PM waiting for it to go off. They were a lot of fun to talk with.

The geyser didn't do its thing while we were there - it only spurted a little. We sure weren't going to wait 4 hours! It was getting late so we got on the old Green River highway (used before I-70 was built) and headed back to 191 and Moab.

Searching for these old roads, finding them, driving them, losing them, finding them again, trying to figure out where to go next, having some spots that certainly got my attention (and also Bob's!!) ...... what a great time!

So back in town, drop Bob off at home, head to Isabella's for a pizza and a couple beers and then make the long drive back to camp for the evening. I shall remember this day for a long, long time!

Bob, if you read this - I can't thank you enough. Today was truly the highlight of this year's trip! Thanks so much for joining me today and being such an excellent guide!

Wed., April 26: The Books Cliffs

This was a nice day - a long day - pretty, but nothing like the other days. It's a good wind down day as I leave tomorrow after being evicted from the campground (not really - the site I'm in is reserved for tomorrow night so I'd have to move anyhow.) Might as well head out and take a leisurely (hopefully) drive back home to whatever awaits there :(

Left at 10 and drove up to the Book Cliffs near the bustling metropolis of Thompson Springs. Drove many miles along the cliffs. Came to Sego, a ghost town and poked there a little. Next, climbed Sego Canyon up to almost 9,000 feet where the road was gated and locked at the entrance to the Ute Indian land. Drive back down - very scenic. Buzzed around more of the Book Cliffs and exited at Floy Wash about 4 PM. Headed back to the motorhome via Blue Hills Road (after missing the turn and, yes, using the damn GPS to confirm my suspicions!)

Got a phone call from some folks back home, had an enjoyable conversation, had a beer, spilled a beer, ate my last steaks and then went for one last drive at sunset to marvel at this beautiful land.

Came back, took a shower, feel great and will finish this blog tonight. Tomorrow shall be a sad day but one must do what one must do ..... I suppose.

Beautiful downtown Thompson Springs


Open wire telephone lines - you sure don't see them much anymore!

One of my favorite stops for a quickie lunch. No evidence of aliens at this one.


Wow! Water in the Colorado River! For the last 4 or 5 years this part of the river in Glenwood Canyon has been almost dry! Rafters are enjoying the high water. Hopefully the drought is over.


This was the truck that was going too fast and ran into the center blocking both lanes for hours.

Thu., April 27: Reluctantly head for home

For a while I debated whether or not to say to hell with it and stick around for the Moab Car Show this weekend. I was sure tempted. Alas, duty calls. Maybe next year - who knows. A few years ago I was there to watch hundreds of cars cruise up and down the main drag Friday night. It was sooooo nice! A comfortable chair, a charcoal grill, a cooler of beer and set up on the curb and watch the cars go by for hours on end. Maybe next year, sigh!

Start the trek home. I stopped at Palisade, on the eastern outskirts of Grand Junction and bought some local wine and fudge. To sooth my rattled nerves, I had a great snack: a glass of of red wine and fudge.

Motored on a while more and heard on the CB about a bad accident up ahead in Glenwood Canyon that had both lanes of I-70 blocked. Decided to pull into Rifle and found a Sonic. Ate there to kill some time. Car hops on roller skates, good food and a limeade. Yum!

My estimation on the cleanup time was way off. Got into the Canyon and had well over an hour wait. Traffic was backed up for almost 5 miles! Then to add insult to injury, there was another hour's wait later on for some rock removal near Georgetown.

After that, breezed through Denver at rush hour and wound up here in the city campground in Brush, CO, by 7 PM after getting a most horrible sandwich at a Quiznos a few miles back. Yuch!

Tomorrow they are predicting snow and rain in the mountains. Snow is OK, I just don't want all that crappy salt all over the coach again. It's rusting and degrading fast enough! Dodged another bullet.

Will see what the weather is tomorrow and then decide on I-76 through the Great Nothing or US 34 through scenic Southern Nebraska.

Fri., April 28: Shanghaied in Omaha!

It rained last night and snowed in Denver so the mountains are probably a mess of salt. Once again, dodged another bullet. Since it's crappy and cloudy anyhow, elected to go the route of the Great Nothing and I-76/80. Clint called and invited me to stop tonight in Omaha and look at some of the photos they took. This (along with the beer) is an offer I can't refuse! I just have to make sure I'm home by 2:30 PM tomorrow.

So set up the motorhome at Camp Clint, had a couple beers and then rode with Tim over to Pat and Mike's, a very nice tavern where the whole crew congregated for an evening of liquid refreshments and laughter. I wisely stayed away from the Jager Bombers after the experience a few years ago and knowing full well the consequences of having to drive 8 hours tomorrow (even though I told Clint it was 5 hours --- 5 from Des Moines - I was only off by 1!)

The evening was most enjoyable and I finally got to meet Mrs. Clint, Michelle. A great time was had by all and by 11PM I was back here at Camp Clint, finishing this an getting ready to leave at 5 AM. Bummer, this sucks!

This crew from Omaha is one of the best, most fun and best wheeling group I've known! Besides that, they can pack it away with the best of them. Thanks, Clint, for the invitation to set up camp and thanks to the crew for wheelin' with me this year. As always, it was a blast!

(PS. Check out the new photos added on the first page - the "New Kingston Trio.....")

Camp Clint


The "inner sanctum"

Sat., April 29: Home - in one piece.......

And now Page 2 ..... While I didn't have any Jager Bombers, I did try a couple 180s. Bad move. By 11 PM I was back and in bed at 11:30. By 2 AM I was about as wide awake as one can get. Oh well, traffic is light at 2. Got on the road and drove through Iowa, all in rain, with a 1/2 hour nap somewhere in there. Wasted over an hour at the Des Moines Flying J as the ditz behind the counter couldn't seem to enable the pumps, couldn't get someone out for LP gas, couldn't ring up my card, entered some data wrong, etc. --- weekend help!

Made it back home by roughly noon. Now comes the hard part, assimilating to my new culture. ARG! Oh well, Easter is April 8 next year so there only 11 more months! Besides that, I'm 90% sure of a return trip this autumn.

So here endeth another great time with minimum breakage. Thanks to all who made this so much much fun: Jeff, Bob, Clint and Co. (Clint, Dallas, Tim, Jim, Rob, Steve, Gary), Dieter & Co. (Dieter, Rolf, Stefan, Jacob, Louis), Dave, Bob, Larry and his kids, Paul, PJ, Michelle, Jim, Daisy, Gray Fox, Kat, Andi, Guy, Carol (who won a prize for me!), the Red Rock Four Wheelers, the locals (including Steve who provided me with a "temporary" spring leaf), Mr. Ranger and many others whose names I'm sure I left out. Great time, great place, great people, great fun! Now I'm back, sniff................