Close Call

Last night after going to bed, I heard a loud crash outside my bedroom but it was dark and I was too lazy to get out of bed to see what had happened. This morning this is what I discovered laying on my neighbor's truck...

That's my bedroom behind the tree

Heat Wave

I left Moab a couple of weeks ago thinking I would be heading into cooler weather in Colorado. Much to my surprise and discomfort, the temperature here in Grand Junction has been 100+ degrees with no end in sight. The good news is I do not have to cook dinner in the RV; I just leave it in the jeep...

Grand Mesa

Is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world with an area of about 500 square miles. From Grand Junction I headed east on I-70 to Highway 65 where you climb from ~6,000 feet to over 10,000 feet in elevation. After spending the winter in Arizona and the spring in Moab where the primary color is tan, it was a pleasant change of scenery to see so much green...

At the top of the mountain I headed over to the Lands End Observatory where you get a panoramic view of the valley below. There were dozens of chipmunks around the stone walls and they are so use to people that they will literally eat out of your hand...

From the Observatory I took a very crooked dirt road down the mountain to Highway 50...

And along the way went through some beautiful aspen forests...

As most of you know, landscape photos taken from the tops of mountains never capture the true feeling of what the eye is able to take-in so this is one of those drives that you have to take to fully appreciate.

Colorado National Monument

Years ago when I first drove past Grand Junction via I-70, I was impressed by the huge mesas and mountains surrounding the town. Today, I took the first of what I hope will be a number trips this summer to explore the "high country" of Colorado.

Colorado National Monument rises over 2,000 feet above the Grand Valley of the Colorado River just west of Grand Junction. The Rim Rock Drive is a 23 mile paved road that twists its way along the rim of this plateau-and-canyon country offering spectacular views and great photo opportunities...

Click on photos to enlarge

Note climbers on Independence Monument

It's a good thing they invented digital photography as I do not think I could afford the film needed to capture the beauty of the western states. If you ever get out this way, be sure to bring plenty of memory cards as it is a postcard factory.

Visitors

My favorite nomads, Terry and Gail, stopped by for a brief visit this morning on their way to parts unknown and we were able to get caught up on each other's lives over breakfast. Once again, it's just another reason I enjoy the RV lifestyle.

Klondike Bluffs

In Arches National Park, there is a high clearance, four wheel drive road that takes you out to Klondike Bluffs and the Tower Arch. In as much as I just happen to have a high clearance, four wheel drive vehicle, that's where I went today.

It should be noted that most of this route is deep sand which would make it impassible when wet so be sure to check the weather before attempting...

Tower Arch

Eye of the Whale Arch

It is illegal to drive an ATV/UTV in the national parks here (even if it is street legal) so the jeep has allowed me to see sights/sites that I would not normally be able to get to... and have fun doing it!

Musselman Arch

I drove the jeep from Potash up through Canyonlands National Park to see and photograph the Musselman Arch. It's five feet thick, six feet wide, 187 feet long and 300 feet straight down...

Click on photos to enlarge

Moab Rocks

One of the things the Moab area is known for are the incredible rock formations, particularly, arches and bridges. While out exploring some dirt roads south of town, I came across the following arches near the Behind The Rocks trail...

Balcony Arch

Picture Frame Arch

Strike Ravine

After several days of unseasonably cool and wet weather, the sun came out long enough for me to take the jeep over Strike Ravine. Although the trail is rated "difficult", I found it to be relativity easy with only a couple of spots where I shifted into four wheel drive low.

The trail ended at Area BFE, a privately owned, open to the public property that is being developed into a world-class, extreme 4-wheel-drive park. This being the Memorial Day weekend, the party crowd was setting up an area for live entertainment...

Some very comfortable seating

The stage is on a trailer

Early arrival

I was invited to join the festivities but once I realized the action was going to start about the time I normally go to bed, I politely declined the offer.

Seven Mile Rim

Seven Mile Rim is a fun trail north of Moab that combines variety of terrain with panoramic views of the valley and the Monitor & Merrimac buttes...

1,000+ feet straight down

Uranium Arch

Wipe-Out Hill

Secret Spire

Our group decided to go somewhere new so we set out to discover the super "Secret Spire" and despite our guide being lost most of the time and running us around in circles, we did (much to everyone's amazement) arrive at our destination...

Birthing Rock

When I first started traveling the western states, I thought petroglyphs were fairly rare. Four years later, I have discovered they are fairly ubiquitous covering vast areas from Mexico to Canada. I now refer to them as "early American graffiti". That said, it is still pretty impressive realizing that you are looking at something that is hundreds, if not thousands of years old.

The Birthing Rock (N38.31.321 W109.36.168) just off the Chicken Corners trail has some great petroglyphs including one that gave it its name, a figure apparently giving birth...

On the way back, I took a photo of the Poison Spider arch...

Pronghorns

While out exploring back roads north of Moab, I came across a group of pronghorns...

They appear to be shedding their winter coat

This one was curious and came within 30 feet of the jeep

2015 Rally On The Rocks

This week is the big Rally On The Rocks here in Moab so I slipped next door to the Spanish Trail Arena to see what the vendors are offering this year...

Click on photos to enlarge

Once again, the theme in side-by-sides appears to be "bigger is better" as the 1000s dominated the show...

Equipped with an incredible sound system

Turbocharged (180+ hp) and setup for the dunes

Modified to handle 36 inch tires

Metal Masher Part Deux

A group of friends from previous years in Moab joined me to complete the Metal Masher ride that was cut short last month due to a tree jumping in front of Larry and Carol's RZR and eating the radiator.

Although I have seen a number of signs asking visitors to leash their pets during the big horn sheep breeding season, today was the first time I saw a big horn in the area...

Lastly, here are a couple of shots of the guys playing around on "Widow Maker"...

Mill Creek

This morning I took a short hike up the Mill Creek Trail where you pass a man-made waterfall at an old mill site...

Wind Caves

One of the many things I enjoy about the Moab area is the seemingly endless places to explore. Today, it was the Wind Caves just off the Chicken Corners trail (N 38.27.042 W109.39.942). This collection of massive rocks has over the ages formed a maze of caves, tunnels and crevices...

Bull Canyon

Bull Canyon takes you to a hiking trail which leads to the bottom of the Gemini Bridges. On the way out, you pass the distinctive "Gooney Bird Rock"...

where it is considered "good luck" to run over the Gooney's foot...

At the end of the road, you have a 15-20 minute hike to get to the bottom of the Gemini Bridges...