Dome Plateau

Don and I took his jeep up to Dome Plateau northeast of Moab. Although most of the trail is relatively easy, there are a few spots where a 4wd vehicle is highly desirable. What makes the trip worthwhile are the interesting sights/sites along the way.

It pays to go with a professional

Unknown arch

"La Boca" arch

"Fisher Towers"
(photo does not do the view justice)

An old miner and his cabin

Cave home

Stairway to second floor

New Friends

For the past couple of days, I have had the pleasure of showing two Australian families the off-road side of Moab. You could not ask for better company and the kids were an absolute delight to be around as they are bright, well-mannered and each with their own distinctive personality.

Click on photos to enlarge

Their first day in the Jeep

Happy campers

Expert ice cream eaters

No Passing Lane

Click on photo to enlarge

Fall Foliage

I drove the jeep back up into the La Sal Mountains to explore some new trails and photograph the aspens. Most of the trails were either dead ends or got so rough I chose not to continue by myself. Fortunately, the aspens at the higher elevations were beginning to reach their full color...

Up, Up & Away

The Flux Capacitor is charged to 1.21 gigawatts so as soon as I hit 88 mph, I should make this jump...

Top Of The World, Moab, UT

Top Of The World

I drove the jeep up to Top Of The World for this photo op...

Click on photos to enlarge

And if that was not scary enough...

Geyser & La Sal Passes

Today, we rode the RZRs up into the La Sal Mountains and around Mount Peale via Geyser and La Sal Passes. It's a great way to escape the summer heat and see a completely different side of the Moab area.

Hopefully, the following photos will convey the beauty and variety of the mountains (click on photos to enlarge)...

Mount Peale

The leaves are just beginning to change

I never tire of riding through an aspen forest

Picture perfect mountain lake

One rough, rocky road

I even got to be "King of the Mountain" for a while...

Life is good

My throne

Castle Valley

Gene, Nancy and I drove the La Sal Loop which takes you up into the mountains and through Castle Valley...

Click on photos to enlarge

It's 10-15 degrees cooler at the higher elevations

Hells Gate

Today, I had the opportunity to take the RZR 900 XC up Hells Gate, an optional challenge on Hells Revenge...

BFE & Behind The Rocks

On Saturday while the rest of the group was laying on the couch, eating chocolate bon-bons and watching Oprah, I was hard at work finding a way to drive our RZRs off-road to BFE and Behind The Rocks. Today, we used my super-secret route to ride both (almost).

Here's Mell thinking about running Black Flag on BFE...

Fortunately, "reason" prevailed over "valor" which considering the following description of the trail was probably a good idea:  

• Trail Rating: Expert trail. No Exceptions
• Description: Do not attempt without a day to spend and at least three vehicles. NOTE: Nobody has completed this trail!
• Requirements: Min. 40″ tires, Lockers, Winch, spare parts, SPOTTERS and 3 Vehicles – Do not attempt alone!

However, here's a video of the "big dogs" conquering the first obstacle on Behind The Rocks...

In the process of exploring a new area Behind The Rocks, we discovered another arch...

On the way back from the arch, Gene's machine snapped a ball joint, which considering we were in the middle of nowhere and it's Sunday and the Labor Day weekend, was not good...

Fortunately, a local business that rents RZRs had a replacement part so that we were able to repair the vehicle on the trail and get everyone back home before dinner (clean living pays off once again).

Yesterday's Photos

Mell, Rosa, Gene, Nancy and I ran Steel Bender in our RZRs. The toughest part of the ride for Gene was getting his machine off the truck...

Of course, no visit to Moab would be complete without stopping at Milt's...

Lastly, for you power-hungry RZR enthusiasts, here's the new turbo...

Backcountry Exploring

Mell, Rosa and I started out on the La Sal Loop south of Moab with the intent of riding to Onion Creek via an unexplored trail...

About half way there, Mell gets a call from Moab Powersports indicating that the parts to fix his coolant leak had arrived and they could begin repair this afternoon. So, we split up and I continued on in my jeep. 

It took about three hours to go ~30 miles and I did not see another vehicle the entire time (I was not worried as I knew Mell would send Rosa to find me if there was a problem). As always, the scenery here is spectacular wherever you go...

Old Age

I had a birthday this week. I would like to say that I do not feel any older but that would put me somewhere between Obama and Hillary in regards to truthfulness.

In the past, I thought of old age as a moving target, generally, ten years older than me. Now, I may have to reduce that to five years.

I was going to have a birthday cake until the fire marshal indicated that many candles would rival the wildfires in the western states.

Faux Falls

South of town near Ken's Lake is a man-made waterfalls called Faux Falls. It is an oasis in an otherwise arid area...

Click on photo to enlarge

There is even a swimming hole at the bottom of the falls but it was too hot for me to hike down there.

Wildfire Smoke

The smoke from the western wildfires is really bad today. They are warning individuals with respiratory problems to stay indoors. It reminds me of the smog I used to see in Los Angeles. While up at Canyonlands National Park getting some info on the White Rim Trail, I took these photos...

Moab Sunset

Back In Moab

I had intended to spend a month in Buena Vista, CO riding with friends from the FMCA but all the RV parks I called were booked into September so I have returned to the OK RV Park in Moab. I will be here until October 17 so if you are in the area, please feel free to stop by. We can even go for a relaxing ride...

Free Sauna

While others spend big bucks for a sauna, I just sit in my jeep...

Thomas Sowell Quotes

While reading an article on the EPA mine disaster here in Colorado, I was struck by the following quote from Thomas Sowell:

• It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong. (think EPA, IRS, etc)

Here are some of his other quotes regarding government and politics that you may enjoy:

• It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, medication and a government bureaucracy to administer it.
• Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good.
• Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.
• In liberal logic, if life is unfair, then the answer is to turn more tax money over to politicians to spend in ways that will increase their chances of getting reelected.
• The old adage about giving a man a fish versus teaching him how to fish has been updated by a reader: Give a man a fish and he will ask for tartar sauce and French fries! Moreover, some politician, who wants his vote, will declare all these things to be among his 'basic rights'.

And my personal favorite:

• People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.

Kebler Pass

Is a scenic drive through old-growth aspen and pine forests from Paonia to Crested Butte...

Surprise of the day...

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Is one of the deepest, steepest and narrowest canyons in the world. Carved through solid granite over countless millennia, the dark canyon walls plunge an awe-inspiring 2,700 feet to the Gunnison River below...

If your vehicle is no longer than 22 feet, you can drive to the river below. However, the road is very steep and crooked...