Continuing In Moab

Monday, April 29 - Our adventure today was to find the Secret Spire. Jeep roads are rated 1 - 5 with 5 being a metal bender. We can handle most that are rated 3. This road is rated 2. We had vague directions, but the main problem is that the roads aren't labeled with signs, Glenda is clueless and the so is Delorme. The first mile or so was a washboard road, but after that it was a fine dirt road, then it became a little less fine, then it was a slick rock road with low steps and then a sandy wash. But we found the Secret Spire. It's a OK spire in the middle of a flat area. It was the adventure of finding it plus we got in a Jeeping experience again.

On the return trip, we had a much better road and saw some good dispersed camping sites that are suitable for large rigs. The only problem is no cell phone coverage. [Dubrinski Well Road off Spring Canyon Road]

Tuesday, April 30 - Today was a maintenance day - dump tanks, get propane, get groceries, try to find another 12 volt back-lighted clock. For lunch, we went to one of the city parks then had a little nap. Love small Utah towns. We stopped at the Senior Center which is very nice and they have a book exchange so I got a few more book. Wish I could find something like that in Montgomery. We sat outside and it was a very pleasant day, a little warm. Late at night the wind really kicked up.  Koko was so clean we we left town 16 days ago, now there is a layer of red dust coating stuff.

Wednesday, May 1 - A cool & breezy day, but a very good one. Dale Ellis and his daughter-in-law, Debbie, came down from Grand Junction for a visit. We met Dale last year when he came to look at Koko because he was considering buying a LD, which he did. Before they got here, I cleaned the tricycle, which I have named Trixie, because she was really dirty. When they arrived we went sightseeing. We took the La Sal mountain loop counter-clockwise which makes it a quite different road. We wound up at Arches National Park for a picnic lunch. It was a very clear day and the scenery was spectacular. Arches happens to be one of my favorite parks. We returned home so I could make us coffee. Dan & Barb Adamson, a fellow LD couple, were there for few minutes and will come back and visit later. The wind finally died down and we had wine and campfire with neighbors, Dana & Cathie. It was a very good day.

Thursday, May 2 - We swapped Moab books with Dana & Cathie for the evening so we found a trail or two to explore.  The first trail we tried, Behind The Rocks, was not for Pelli, but the second trail we took to Lone Rock has Balcony Arch and Picture Window Arch. We drove that way last year but missed going around Lone Rock to Picture Window Arch. More beautiful scenery. This afternoon I road Trixie around the CG. There is a paved trail that I must do before we leave!

Friday, May 3 - We drove out Kane Creek Road, which is paved for a good ways, then turns to gravel. It's a narrow, windy road but not bad at all.  There were a lot of people camping along the way. We went as far as the Hurrah Pass where we had some great overlooks. I even got out of the Jeep and walked around for a little bit.  Really need the exercise. On the way back we stopped at Amass Back. This is a Jeeping trail that is very difficult. We got there just in time to watch someone being winched out. The rest of the Jeeps we saw simply climbed over the rocks. Ours isn't equipped to do anything close to that. To give you an idea of busy Moab is, when we stopped at Subway for lunch, Don asked how many sandwiches they had made. They said that the previous Saturday they made 103 in one hour!

Saturday, May 4 - We are leaving Moab tomorrow, so this day was dedicated to chores. That included dumping tanks, laundry, and grocery shopping. Moab is a small town but has a really great grocery store. And it is a very busy store. It must be the most productive of the City Market chain.

Sunday, May 5 – We moved a little west of Moab to near Goblin Valley. The last time we were in the area, we missed Horse Thief Canyon and it being a narrow slot, we wanted to hike it. We found a marvelous parking place above an arroyo with a million dollar view of the San Rafael Swell in our backyard. The only thing to spoil the day were periodic high winds that pick up the dirt so you can eat it. We are parked with Dana and Cathie who we met in at Goose Island. We don’t normally hike in the middle of the day, but Dana was ready and I reasoned that the light might be better in narrow canyon with the sun overhead. So off we went.

Dorothy had problems right away as boulders filled the narrow canyon entrance. We went up and then down into the canyon. After all that she was out of platformate. She parked herself on a flat rock and took a nap. I went up the canyon a ways and was surprised to see her smiling and heading toward me as I returned. I turned around and escorted her up to the first of the just wide enough to walk through section and she was happy. Not too long after that Dana and Cathie caught up with us on the way back to the trail head.

The wind increased after dinner and we were all bushed, so no campfire. We had a lighting fast internet connection and streamed 60 Minutes. 

Monday, May 6 – We woke up at 6:45 to a splendid sunrise painting the Navaho sandstone of the swell in soft colors . By 7, clouds filled the sky and we could see rain trying, but not making it to the ground north of us. Our internet connection went from fast to slow to not even there.

Nearby is some rock art. We marveled at the breast plate design of the warrior from a distance. When we looked at the picture, we noted two things. In 1977, Rob felt it necessary to inscribe his name on the painting. We hope Rob dies painfully. Second, the design was made by a rifle. A pox on the shooter.

In the late afternoon water hit the surface. A check of weather maps shows a series of clouds all the way to the Pacific. The forecast chance for rain is 30-40%  for the next few days. Rain in the Spring in Utah? Amazing. Not taking any chances, we moved a mile or so to get off the dirt road. Since if the ground gets saturated and soupy, we would not be moving until it dried.