Colorado River

Jack and I took a boat ride with Tex's Riverways to just south of the Confluence of the Colorado & Green Rivers to pickup kayaking and canoeing enthusiasts who had spent the past week or so on the water and were now ready to return to Moab. The trip took about 7 hours and cost $65/person. It is not a tour per se as there is no narration from a guide or stops at tourist destinations; you are simply traveling as a passenger. The advantage of this arrangement (at least for me) was very few people on the boat and plenty of time to enjoy the incredible scenery.

Early American natives here in the southwest built granaries in places very difficult to reach to protect their precious food stocks. This one was built high on a near vertical rock known as "Coffee Pot"...

Southeast Utah

In a long day's ride, Sunny, Stormy and I toured the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum...

Natural Bridges National Monument...

Goosenecks State Park...

And the Valley of the Gods...

Do you know the difference between a national monument and a national park? A monument can be designated by the president, a park has to be authorized by Congress. And you thought this blog was totally worthless and without any socially redeeming value.

Goblin Valley State Park

Sunny, Stormy and I took the Prius OHV over to Goblin Valley State Park where we played among the "goblins"...

Click on photos to enlarge

And in case you were wondering where Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus take their vacation...

Jeep Adventure

Sunny and Stormy rented a modified, rock-crawling jeep for the purpose of getting off-road and seeing some of the magnificent back country around Moab...

Running over the Gooney Bird's foot for good luck

View near the Gemini Bridges

View near the Gemini Bridges

Dellenbaugh Tunnel

Secret Spire

Top of the World

Old ladder along the Colorado River

Needles & Canyonlands South

Sunny, Stormy and I took the Prius OHV south of Moab to the Needles Overlook...

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Stormy appears to be getting use to retirement

Newspaper Rock...

Getting caught up on the local news

And Canyonlands National Park (south)...

No obstacle is too difficult

Rock climber

3-D Trail

Jack, "Too Tall" Tom and I drove our jeeps over the 3-D trail which took us out to some very scenic overlooks...

Click on photos to enlarge

Shafer/Long Canyon Loop

Sunny & Stormy drove my jeep and I rode with Jack on the Shafer/Long Canyon Loop which is one of the most scenic and unique rides in the area...

Base Jumping

I'm having a little trouble getting Sunny and Stormy to duplicate this jump...

Ouch! Part Deux

I met with the orthopedic surgeon this morning regarding my broken wrist and the good news is I only need a cast, not surgery. What I found interesting was they asked me "what color cast would you like". I was offered a number of options such as black, yellow, purple, glow-in-the-dark (I was afraid that one would keep me up at night), etc. The nurse, who had been doing this for some time, surprised me by saying she had never done a white one. So, in the interest of furthering medical science, that's the one I chose...

My park neighbors have already expressed an interest in signing the cast but knowing their mischievous nature (that's the polite description), I am reluctant to let that happen.

Lastly, no one likes to go to the hospital but I found the doctors and nurses at the Moab Valley Healthcare complex to be some of the nicest professionals I have ever dealt with.

Visiting Dignitaries

My friends from NC, Sunny & Stormy Weathers, have retired, bought a Motorhome and hit the road as full-time RVers...

After a cross country trip that would have discouraged most mortals from ever RVing again (think torrential rain, gale force winds, deranged truckers), they finally arrived in Moab for a month long stay (think nice weather, beautiful scenery). And although they are not nearly old enough to remember the diners of the 50s, they enjoyed lunch at Milts, a must visit while in the area...

The Beast

Cory modified a RZR 1000 4-seater by adding gear reduction boxes to the wheels along with 35 inch tires and a sleek looking cage to create an awesome rock crawling machine with 20 inch clearance and 82 inch width...

On a separate note, I was able to capture one of the rarest sights known to man - Al washing his RZR...

Ouch!

In almost 70 years I never broke a bone... until yesterday. We were riding the gnarly southern section of Kane Creek when I hit a rock that caused the steering wheel to slam my arm into the door and break my wrist...

I have an appointment next week with an orthopedic specialist to see how we proceed from here.

Steel Bender

Al, George, Kenny, Larry and I rode the southern half of Steel Bender to Ken's Lake. Here are some examples of what makes it a 6 on a 1-10 scale...

Steel Bender & Wings

Al, George, Larry and I ran the northern loop of Steel Bender. I had heard Larry was pretty tight with a dollar so it was no surprise that the following photo caught him saving rubber on his tires by riding on three wheels...

Click on photos to enlarge

However, the real highlight of the day was wings at the Moab Brewery...

Piranha could take lessons from this group on how to strip flesh from bones

Cinder Hills

I am spending the night primitive camping at the Cinder Hills OHV Area north of Flagstaff. I must admit when you have a generator, heat, air conditioning, hot/cold running water, television, radio, refrigerator and microwave, it does not seem right calling it "primitive" camping. Let's just call it "boondocking".

In any event, I found a nice, flat site nestled amongst pine trees where the silence is "deafening"...

"Life is good"

Free Audiobooks

After numerous drives from Phoenix to Moab and back, I now find the most difficult part of the trip is the boredom. I have listened to every music CD I own multiple times as well as most of the radio stations along the way. I have even sunk to listening to "talk radio" (desperate times require desperate measures).

In an effort to breakup the monotony, I am going to try listening to some Audiobooks tomorrow. Most public libraries now offer them online at no charge. In the case of the Apache Junction Library, all I had to do was add an app called OverDrive to my smart phone. This app allows you download and play digital files on multiple devices. For the best sound possible, I am using the Ford Sync feature to play the file wirelessly through my truck's sound system (most late model vehicles allow you to connect to digital devices).

What's the first book on my list? It's Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich. Why this book you didn't ask? I am thinking of forming the Brown Foundation which will mirror the Clinton Fountain in its goals. Surely, those foreign governments that have given millions of dollars to the Clintons will want to donate to my foundation as we have the same objectives.

Of course (just like the Clintons), I will use a portion of those donations to cover my administration and travel expenses along with salaries for friends who support my lifestyle. One huge advantage I have over the Clintons is the fact that my legal expenses will be much less.

Update (4/2/16): The Audiobook turned out to be a wonderful way to pass the time. One caveat: do not read or listen to the Clinton Cash book without taking your blood pressure medicine. It's no wonder people distrust politicians and government.