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I cut my Utah trip short and have returned home early. The recent rain and flooding has made a lot of the trails I wanted to run either impassible or so rough as to loosen the fillings in your teeth. I will miss the spectacular scenery...

Goblin Valley

Keith and Jayne had never been to Goblin Valley State Park, so we drove down and had a picnic lunch overlooking the "goblins". Having taken a number of photos in past visits, I did not take any in the park this trip, but did take one on the way back that I liked...

Click on photos to enlarge

While stopping for gas in Green River, we met this couple that were towing a unique vehicle to Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada...

That Ford van allows them to drive around Burning Man loading/unloading passengers as they go. It has propane burners that can set the tin roof on fire which should be pretty impressive at night.

Off-road Rescue

Yesterday on our way to Fossil Point, we came across a young couple whose van was stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Even with both our Jeeps piggy-tailed together, we could not budge the van, so we took them back to town where they got a tow truck to come out. That did not work as the tow truck got stuck. Fortunately, the tow driver was able to get his brother to bring a farm tractor out and they finally got everyone out safely around 4:00 p.m. I got a nice thank you text from the couple saying they were okay and spending the night bookdocking in the San Rafael Swell.

Moab 100-Year Flood

For three weeks I monitored the weather in the Green River and Moab area looking for a good time to visit. I finally saw a forecast for sunny skies with a slight chance of rain this week. Well, the weather forecasters here must work for the Biden administration as Moab just had a 100-year flood with several feet of water running down main street. Checkout this video at https://youtu.be/qPh0TizDHJA. Clearly, this will impact our off-road exploring in the area but I am not sure to what extent. Will be extra careful and when in doubt, back out!

Update (8/25/2022): Here is a much better video of the Moab flooding - https://youtu.be/DTZEEi5Pz5E

Coal Canyon Part Deux

Keith and Jayne from the Arizonian have joined me in Green River, Utah to explore the San Rafael Swell. Today, we did Coal Canyon just east of town. I ran this trail back in 2020 and thought it would be an easy half-day ride after yesterday's long drive to get here. However, recent rains and flooding have created washouts that now require a 4 wheel drive vehicle with high clearance. Even that was not enough as near the end of the trail there was an impassible section that required us to turn around and drive back the way we came which made for a much longer trip than I had planned.

Sand Hollow Extreme Rock Crawling

Regular television has become so depressing that I have turned to YouTube for entertainment and information. You can find pretty much anything you are looking for there. Recently, I came across a video that features a highly customized rock crawling machine and professional driver, who explains how he tackles one of the most difficult trails in the country...

The obstacles get increasingly harder as the video progresses

Reds Canyon

Reds Canyon is one of the most scenic trails I have ever driven. At times, you would think you were looking at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. There were so many great photos from this trip, I decided to create a slideshow...

I recommend viewing a fullscreen version of the slideshow by clicking here 

Temple Mountain Campground

I met Sunny and her friends, Matt & Sherry, at the Temple Mountain Campground north of Goblin Valley State Park where we would be boondocking for the next two days. How far are we from civilization; well, there is no Internet service here (delirium tremens may be imminent). We spent the afternoon at the Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel, an abandoned uranium mine, Goblin Valley and Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon.

Campsite with a view
(click on photos to enlarge)

Group photo with ancient pictographs above our heads

Old uranium mine

Goblin Valley

Beginning of Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon

Black Dragon

The Black Dragon trail showcases the San Rafael Swell, an upheaval of rock 75 miles long. The southern part of the trail features colorful sandstone formations jutting out of the ground...

Click on photos to enlarge

The northern part features the Black Dragon Wash that takes you through a magnificent canyon with sheer rock cliffs hundreds of feet high...

On the way out of the canyon, I turned around and got several nice panoramic shots...

9 Mile Canyon

9 Mile Canyon is another fun trail about 50 miles north of Green River. My first stop was at the largest concentration of old coke ovens I have ever seen...

Remains of over 800 coke ovens near Sunnyside, Utah

Next was an aerial tram once used by a mining company to transport ore off the mountain...

About half way through the trail, I came across one of mother nature's roadblocks...

Not wanting to back track several miles, I searched for an alternative route around the logjam (blog humor). After several dead ends and one locked gate, I found one that took me through a beautiful canyon...

The last leg of the trail had a number of petroglyph panels, but it was late in the afternoon and I was tired, so I only stopped at one...

"The Great Hunt"

The big surprise of the day was watching a squirrel and what I believe to be a mink battling it out in the middle of the road...

Lastly, the area around Green River, Utah is becoming one of my favorite places to explore. The variety of scenery is simply amazing.

Coal Canyon

Occasionally, I come across a trail that I have never heard of that turns out to be a lot of fun. Coal Canyon just east of Green River, Utah is such a trail. Although there are some minor obstacles along the way, it is the changing landscape that makes it worthwhile. The first segment takes you through lush, verdant farmland that included a sizable field of hemp plants and a group of pronghorns...

FYI - hemp contains 0.3% or less of THC whereas marijuana contains more than 0.3% THC

Then you work you way through some very impressive canyons...

The last segment of the trail is a barren area that reminded me of the Badlands in South Dakota. During this half day drive, I did not see another vehicle the entire time. Great way to social distance during the pandemic.

Corkscrew & California Passes

Ken led a group of four Jeeps over Corkscrew and California Passes into Animas Forks and then back to the park via Silverton and the "Million Dollar Highway". I know this area is a popular tourist destination, but I was surprised at the amount of traffic we encountered on the trails today. From Animas Forks to Silverton was like a Los Angeles freeway (minus the homeless encampments). However, it was worth it for views like these...

Click on photos to enlarge 

Centennial RV Park

After leaving Oregon, I thought I would spend most of August in southern Utah... until I saw the temperature forecast for that area. On a whim, I called the Centennial RV Park south of Montrose, Colorado and due to a recent cancellation was able to book a stay for a month. It's about 5-10 degrees cooler here which when you are living in a RV, makes a big difference. To add to my good fortune, Ken & Faye, who I first met three years ago at this park, are here for the month also. Now, if I can just get them to stop partying long enough to take their Jeep out, I will have someone to ride with off-road.

Party Animals

Golden Spike National Historical Park

Once again, I have the good fortune to meet up with my favorite Alpine, Utah couple, Terry & Gail. We drove over to the Golden Spike National Historical Park where my older cousin, Chris, helped drive the last spike for the First Transcontinental Railroad. We arrive just in time to see old No. 119 pull into the station...

Great day with great friends

Some supermodel photo-bombs my locomotive picture

Chinese Arch

On the way back, we stop at the Morton Thiokol (ATK) Rocket Garden...

Where I detect a suspicious noise coming from the flux capacitor in one of the rockets...

Tip of the Day: For an outstanding dining experience, visit the Maddox Restaurant in Brigham City, Utah. Delicious food and lots of it.

Rock Crawling Vicariously

The next best thing to taking my Jeep off-road is to watch other people take their Jeep off-road. There is a young couple that I have been following on YouTube that has been tackling some of the most notorious trails in the country in a highly modified Jeep Wrangler. Lately, they have been at Sand Hollow State Park which is known for its extremely gnarly obstacles. Here are their latest videos...

Forestry Roads

I took a short drive on several forestry roads in the mountains northwest of town this morning. Looking at the map I picked up, it appears you could spend weeks driving these trails and not see them all. In the summer months, they are hard-packed dirt in good condition. However, I suspect they might be impassible when wet as that clay-like material plugs up your tire treads to the point it is like driving on ice.

Tomorrow, I head back to Las Vegas as I have an appointment for treating my macular degeneration next week. Not looking forward to the 100+ degree temperatures.

Down Day

I needed to take a day off from exploring to do laundry, run a few errands and give my old body a rest, so I have extended my stay in Escalante two more days. I have discovered there are a number of attractions in the area that require a fair amount of hiking and the ability to scramble up and down some intimidating obstacles, something that at my age I am no longer able or willing to do. Wish I had come out West 40 years ago.

This area is a postcard factory
(view from inside the Jeep)

Burr Trail & Wolverine Loop

I took the Burr Trail to the Wolverine Loop to see a petrified forest. To get to the Burr Trail from Escalante, you take Highway 12 which is one of the more scenic roads in Utah...

Then, you drive through a beautiful canyon on the Burr Trail...

At the Wolverine Petrified Wood Area trailhead, you hike about a half hour to the petrified trees...

If you were to continue east on the Burr Trail Road, you would come to the Notom-Bullfrog Road which if you head south, takes you to Lake Powell and if you head north takes you through the Capital Reef National Park to Highway 24. I did the northern route seven years ago and it was one of the most impressive drives I have experienced. Unfortunately, I did not have time today to run it again.