A Nevada state park that's a handy place to camp, not far from Vegas.
Showing posts with label sandstone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sandstone. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Fall Trip 2: Bryce Canyon to Horseshoe Bend
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon
Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Fall Trip '07: Hole In The Rock Road - Harris Wash
I made the error of assuming that the access to Zebra Slot Canyon via Harris Wash was from the Harris Wash road and trailhead. Wrong! Six hours of continuous hiking in the sand and streambed later, my wet, cold and well-sanded feet returned me to where I started and I determined that the two best access routes were actually miles upstream.
I rushed to reach Coyote Wash to get to two other slot canyons, but after 30 miles of washboard surface I had a tire blowout as I was arriving, so I my explorations were over for the day.
I rushed to reach Coyote Wash to get to two other slot canyons, but after 30 miles of washboard surface I had a tire blowout as I was arriving, so I my explorations were over for the day.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Fall Trip '07: Little Egypt to Capitol Reef National Park
I decided to do the long drive from Cedar Mesa to Capitol Reef National Park Sunday night, but after hitting a deer I was too exhausted to make it the whole way. I stayed in a rest area near the Hite Crossing Marina on the upper reaches of Lake Powell, or where Lake Powell would be if we weren't in a drought (or if the Colorado River's water wasn't overallocated).
That gave me the opportunity to drive through the gorgeous White Canyon as the sun rose. I was also able to stop at Little Egypt just after sunrise, sort of a mini Goblin Valley on BLM land.
This was my second visit to Capitol Reef National Park, and I headed immediately to the Fremont River crossing that would take me to the 4WD road that leads to the Bentonite Hills. For the 100 foot journey down the river to the road on the other side, the river's water was not up to the bottom of my doors like it was last year, and a grader was actively working the ramp on the other side. The driver was too busy grading to see me, so after several minutes I waited until he drove all the way out into the streambed, then I darted out and behind him, waving as I charged up his carefully groomed ramp. The road on the other side was missing most of the loose, axle-deep sand that almost stopped me last year. It doesn't get any easier than this.
At the end of the day I did the tourist drive into the main canyon by the visitor center. At the end of the road I decided to take a "shortcut" on the map, marked like the well-graded roads that I had been driving all day. The "road" turned out to be South Draw Road, a serious 4WD trail, so it took me 4.5 hours to go the next 25-30 miles. At one point I was getting out about every 30-40 feet to scout the obstacles ahead. I was lucky to get through without a backup vehicle to pull me out of gullies or off of rocks. Fortunately I hadn't expected the condition of the road, so I was short on water and that encouraged me to press on through rather than drag it out into the next morning.
I pulled it off, so the memory is of a great challenge successfully overcome, rather than a poor decision that turned into a survival story. A couple of times I was a few tire slips away from having it turn out differently. Lesson learned: next time I'll carry more water, hopefully be driving something better equipped for off-road trails then a stock Ford Explorer with aging tires, and I'll do the trip in daylight so I can capture photos of the most exciting parts!
Again I had some adventures that slowed my progress, but that's the charm of adventurous travel! I rolled into a viewpoint at around 9000 feet in elevation a little bit after midnight, and looked forward to a sunrise view the next day.
Update: I looked up South Draw Road on the Internet, and the one review of it that I found says, "Best advice: TURN AROUND at the park boundary"!
That gave me the opportunity to drive through the gorgeous White Canyon as the sun rose. I was also able to stop at Little Egypt just after sunrise, sort of a mini Goblin Valley on BLM land. 
This was my second visit to Capitol Reef National Park, and I headed immediately to the Fremont River crossing that would take me to the 4WD road that leads to the Bentonite Hills. For the 100 foot journey down the river to the road on the other side, the river's water was not up to the bottom of my doors like it was last year, and a grader was actively working the ramp on the other side. The driver was too busy grading to see me, so after several minutes I waited until he drove all the way out into the streambed, then I darted out and behind him, waving as I charged up his carefully groomed ramp. The road on the other side was missing most of the loose, axle-deep sand that almost stopped me last year. It doesn't get any easier than this.
At the end of the day I did the tourist drive into the main canyon by the visitor center. At the end of the road I decided to take a "shortcut" on the map, marked like the well-graded roads that I had been driving all day. The "road" turned out to be South Draw Road, a serious 4WD trail, so it took me 4.5 hours to go the next 25-30 miles. At one point I was getting out about every 30-40 feet to scout the obstacles ahead. I was lucky to get through without a backup vehicle to pull me out of gullies or off of rocks. Fortunately I hadn't expected the condition of the road, so I was short on water and that encouraged me to press on through rather than drag it out into the next morning. 
I pulled it off, so the memory is of a great challenge successfully overcome, rather than a poor decision that turned into a survival story. A couple of times I was a few tire slips away from having it turn out differently. Lesson learned: next time I'll carry more water, hopefully be driving something better equipped for off-road trails then a stock Ford Explorer with aging tires, and I'll do the trip in daylight so I can capture photos of the most exciting parts!Again I had some adventures that slowed my progress, but that's the charm of adventurous travel! I rolled into a viewpoint at around 9000 feet in elevation a little bit after midnight, and looked forward to a sunrise view the next day.
Update: I looked up South Draw Road on the Internet, and the one review of it that I found says, "Best advice: TURN AROUND at the park boundary"!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Fall Trip '07: Monument Valley to Cedar Mesa, Utah
On this trip I arrived at Monument Valley in time for sunrise. Some of the best shots I've seen of Monument Valley were taken at sunset, or with interesting weather such as lightning.This ruin is in Road Canyon in the Cedar Mesa area adminstered by the BLM in Southern Utah. Commonly referred to as Fallen Roof Ruin, it is popular among photographers for its picturesque pattern on the ceiling. Many artifacts such as pottery shards seem to have been looted by prior visitors, but there are still 700 year old pieces of corn in the granary to the right. Corn at that time was about 4" long!
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Antelope Canyon: Light and Stone
Story under development. I can't wait to tell you about this amazing place!
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