Moab – II

We enjoyed the time we were able to spend with Dana & Cathie and Gary and Diane. We had a most enjoyable three days together Jeeping and eating. Be sure and read the adventures of Dana and Cathie.

Wednesday we drove to the Delores River overlook. Thursday we did the Shaffer Canyon Trail to Potash Road. I thought road into Shaffer Canton was the access to the White Rim Trail. Well it is, but you can also go south and get to Potash Road and back to Moab without spending two days on the White Rim Trail.

On the road out to the overlook and the Delores River.

The Colorado River out our back window in the morning. $7 a night

Along Potash Road. The rains made the flora very happy.

Not a lake, but ponds for potash. And yes, you need it, everything living needs potassium. They put blue dye in the water to speed evaporation. Only a 500 year supply left here which supplies 9% of US needs. We import 85%, which is a lot more than we do oil.

Friday, we were on our own and went north to Dewey and took a left on Dome Plateau Trail. It’s a fairly long technical trail. It’s rated the same as Elephant Hill, but it’s longer and has Again and Again Hill, which is rated a 7. Meaning you may take several tries getting up the steps. Fortunately we only had to go down it, so I sucked it in and eased the wheels over the edge. Easy peasy, never lost traction and I only felt like I would flip over once when I had to turn sideways to clear a boulder. Dorothy got some pictures. Wish I had a Go Cam on the dashboard.

Again and Again Hill looks easy from this angle. Dorothy should have laid down to take this shot.

A footnote: We have spent 1,200 nights in KoKo over the seven years we have owned her. That’s 40 months or about 6 months a year. No comparison to full-timing.

Amasa Back – This a is trail for the hard core or the young or the chemically enhanced. It’s not the most difficult trail, but it’s rated pretty high because of the steep vertical steps. You can park on the access road and get pictures of them going down and maybe back up. We did not try to drive it.

Note Dorothy’s mouth  - nooooo

  There must be a trail down there somewhere. Note the left front wheel position

The Poison Spider Trail

Sunday April 18 – Warm, hazy and the winds will pick up to over 20 this afternoon. Wait it out or bail? We drove over to meet Bill, a campground host we met two years back. We chatted and he said we could do the Poison Spider trail, which is right next door to his campground. He has a Rubicon also, we wanted to try it so we drove to the staging area and parked behind three vehicle's air down for the trail. Two were highly modified Toyota’s and one was a Rubicon with a 6 inch lift! They said they had done the trail many times and one had done it in a stock Rubicon. They volunteered to guide us and we went for it.

I would have bailed several times, but I could see them and knew I could follow. At a few of the more challenging places, for a newbie like me, they spotted for us. Easy Peasy. It gave us more confidence every time we crawled up a higher step. We did a light scrape once.

At the top, you can see where you started about two miles off and 600 feet below, but it takes 4.5 miles to get there.

There were going to do the whole LONG trail, so we bailed at the top of the mesa, after two hours, and made it down on our own with no problems. WooHoo! Where is our junior trail badge.

 

Don and Golda show how it’s done

Not us, but just like us

At the top

In the haze, photography of the superb “potato rocks”, well that’s what they look like to us, was less than dramatic. Next time we can do it in better weather and also get to Klondike Bluffs for some sunset shots.

The view and the motley crew

Dorothy writes:

This is our sixth time to visit Moab, UT.  We love it here, obviously.  But this time was the most fun ever.  Last year we met Dana & Cathie Gassaway from California and as luck would have it, they were in Moab again this year.  We went off-roading with them and their friends, Gary & Diana, had cocktails, and dinners.  It was wonderful to be with them again and also get to know their friends.

In January  we took delivery of our new Jeep  Rubicon, we named Rubi.  It was just fine in Montgomery, but Don really wanted to try it out in red-rock country.  Today we went to look at Poison Spider Trail, the key word here being "look". When we arrived three others were getting ready to go on the trail and after a conversation, they invited us to join them, assuring us that we could do it.  So we joined Brad & Arlene, Jim & Bonnie, and Don & Golda.  They were very encouraging and stayed with us showing us where to climb the rocks.  When we started out, I was filled with trepidation.  My arm was hurting and I took a pain pill before we left.  I don't know if it was the pain meds kicking in, the encouragement by experienced off-roaders, Don's driving skills or a combination of all three, but I must admit that I did enjoy it.  The Rubicon is a great rock-climber!  And the scenery was spectacular even though it was hazy.  We would never have been able to have the views without climbing some rock.

Tomorrow we go east to Grand Junction and next week to Denver.