Tuesday, April 2 - We tried to access the White Rocks from the south. The ranger said it was easy. Maybe so, we could see them, but did not find the secret trail.
Wednesday, April 3 - I turned on the generator to cook Buckwheat pancakes. They were yummy. The noise from the generator blocked outside sounds, so we were surprised to find the others were packed up and heading to Moab on different routes. We are not ready to leave yet.
The sun was out and then it was not, then it was again, so Dorothy fixed a to-go lunch and we headed down House Rock Road to the Pawhole. I don’t think we have been there before, but maybe we have. Dorothy managed walking in the deep sand well, but it tired us both out.
Thursday, April 4 - We moved an hour west to Kanab to be closer to Peekaboo slot canyon. The slot we could not locate the last time we tried. We parked in a BLM facility on Johnson Canyon Road. It provides access to the extensive Hog Canyon ATV trails. I chatted up a local and he told me about some great pictographs. Normally I don’t excited about them, but I must have been in the mood, for we set out to see what we could see. It’s a LONG slog through deep sand and a few ledges to get there. I will not mention the name as someone reading this might think they could get there in a SUV. That would end badly and mean a long walk out.
We topped out at 6,200 and could see the cliffs of Bryce in the distance and snow on the mountains to the west, near St. George. The wonders of the orange and white cliffs in southern Utah are all within a 100 mile radius. The roads go around the mountains, so the drive is circuitous.
Friday, April 5 - It was 28 this morning. It was so warm yesterday afternoon so I did not bother putting the Reflextix in the cab windows. Big mistake.
We were out the door by 8:00. We drove both vehicles to a staging area north of Kabab. I got vague directions on how to get to Peekaboo slot. They were either wrong or we missed a turn. We were set straight when we stopped the lead guy in an ATV caravan and he said to follow him.
We went up and down some extreme sand hills and finally down into the river bed and headed for the slot. It is one of the best we have seen and Dorothy was especially glad we made the effort.
On the way out, there was a full size truck stopped in front of us. He could not manage the slight uphill in the sand. I checked his tire pressure and it was 60! I let it to 25 he had no problem. Rubi floated over the sand at 14 psi.
After four hours of wheeling, my left shoulder was sore and while I wanted to make some time toward Moab, I picked a roadside parking lot from Day’s End which was just north of Panguitch It had been converted into an RV park. We elected to go another 50 minutes to the Walmart in Richfield. It proved to be a good choice.
The low is supposed to 42 here and shorts weather in Moab.
Saturday, April 6 - We crossed the north end of the mountains on I70 climbing to 7,000 feet three times. We did not recall that. We did recall the optical illusion around MM68 that extends for several miles. Your senses tell you are going downhill, the vehicles in front of you appear lower than you are, yet the engine has downshifted, the elevation on the GPS is going up and the river is flowing west while you are headed east.
We crossed the San Rafael Swell, always a pleasure and took three turnouts for the marvelous views.
We arrived in Moab about noon and found Sandy and Keith parked at Dalton Wells. It was good to be home. Were played Golf (cards) for an hour or so. In the late afternoon we went to Milt's for a burger and a malt. Then to Potato Salad to see if there were any drunks that would risk rolling their rigs to climb the rock obstacle. Sadly it was very tame.
Sunday, April, 7 - Camp chores and cards. Keith got out his grinder and cut off an inch of the passenger side rock rail that was rubbing on the rear tire when the passenger side was compressed. He also engineered a better fix for the tow bar than I had done to hold it in position when not towing.
Monday, April 8 - We drove the easy and scenic Onion Creek trail. I decided I wanted to return a different way. Big mistake. First, we did 13 miles on a not so scenic trail climbing as we went up the La Sal Mountains. Around 7,200 feet we started seeing snow now and then under the pinyons. At 7,900 it was almost covering the roads. At 8,300 it was 6-12 inches over the road. I did not think we would make it and dreaded turning around and retracing our passage.
Keith suggested 4WD Low and locking both axels. Using very light throttle Rubi went over the ice uphill like a champ.
We had dinner at the Moab Diner. I had Ham and Bean soup with a paddle melt.
Tuesday, April 9 - Laundry, groceries, dump and cards. The winds were up, but thankfully they did not make it to the forecast of 29 mph.
The temp is supposed to drop into the 30’s tonight and the highs are forecast to be in the 50’s the rest of the week.
Wednesday, April 10 - Light rain started around 4am and continued most of the day. The hard dirt got a little soft but it will suppress the dust for a few days. At 11am, it was 38 with snowflakes!
Sandy made chili and fry bread for dinner. Quite tasty.
Our friend’s new Transit and old KoKo at one of the best boondock places in Texas.
Love these soft swirl tipi formations at Pawhole. I wonder how they were formed?
My artistic shot for the year.
This is cool. Another artsy shot. Varnish that looks like tree roots. Never seen any quite like this.
All that’s left of the Gunsmoke set. The landowners did nothing to preserve it or tear it down.
Dorothy is always a happy gal in a slot.
I finally got a good image of a slot. Yeah me.
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