Sep 15 2011

Half the White Rim Trail

September 10-11, 2011

The White Rim Trail seems to be the one I just can’t complete. I’ve been wanting to for years, but it just never seems to happen. The first big issue for me is getting a permit to camp along the trail (yes, I know I could probably get around the full trail in a day if I wanted, but I would prefer to enjoy it and not rush through it). I dislike planning my weekend trips too far in advance, so in the past I have always just never bothered to try to get a permit. Finally, last year I decided I really was going to try and get a permit so that I could drive the trail near the end of the year. Unfortunately, a storm managed to wash out the Mineral Bottom switchbacks making a complete loop impossible for a while. Once they repaired the switchbacks earlier this year I actually managed to reserve a permit for September. Who knew that the Green River would flood for much of the spring and summer and the road would again be closed? I was hoping Canyonlands would open the road right before our trip this last weekend, but thanks to anothe storm causing some damage to the switchbacks again on Friday, it just wasn’t in the cards this time. We decided to drive to our campsite at Murphy Hogback on Saturday and then drive back out the same way on Sunday. Even though we didn’t get to complete the full loop, we had a great time and am glad we still went. I guess there’s always next year to try again! On a side note, the park opened up the complete loop again on Tuesday…..we were just a few days too early….oh well!

Maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out that there is not going to be any rock art photos in this trip report! It was actually kind of nice to get back into taking photos of the landscape and my Jeep. Enjoy the photos!

 

Shafer Trail
Shafer Trail

A few of the switchbacks on the Shafer Trail that take you down to the White Rim from the Island in the Sky.

 

Colorado River Overlook
Colorado River Overlook

We stopped at the Colorado River Overlook across from the The Gooseneck.

 

White Rim Trail
White Rim Trail

My Jeep on the White Rim Trail headed towards the Island in the Sky.

 

Descending Towards the Airport
Descending Towards the Airport

Following the road down towards Airport Tower.

 

Head of Lathrop
Head of Lathrop

This road would be much shorter if it didn’t have to avoid many deep canyons along the route. Here it loops around the head of Lathrop Canyon.

 

Colorado River
Colorado River

We took the side trip down Lathrop Canyon to the Colorado River. We saw no one on the river while we were there. I’d love to float this section of the river in the future!

 

Lathrop Canyon Intersection
Lathrop Canyon Intersection

Back at the signed intersection for Lathrop Canyon and the White Rim.

 

On the Edge
On the Edge

Skirting around another deep canyon cut into the White Rim. Washer Woman Arch and Monster Tower can be seen in the distance. We also spotted Mesa Arch from the trail (not visible in any photos I have posted) which looked tiny from below.

 

White Rim View
White Rim View

View down into a deep chasm with the Island in the Sky in the background.

 

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Sep 12 2011

Labor Day Weekend in the Needles

Over the Labor Day weekend I decided to head down to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park to revisit some rock art and to find some new panels. I explored a lot of the park in my Jeep and on foot. I drove over Elephant Hill a few times and I ended up camping just outside of the park in Bobbys Hole. I even found the time to take a quick side trip up into Beef Basin. Here’s some of my photos from the weekend…

 

Black Hands
Black Hands

A few black handprints.

 

Devils Lane
Devils Lane

Driving through the Devils Lane.

 

Feet & Hands
Feet & Hands

A small section of the SOB Hill Panel.

 

SOB Hands
SOB Hands

Many handprints of the SOB Hill Panel.

 

SOB Hill Panel
SOB Hill Panel

The full SOB Hill Panel.

 

Under Hands
Under Hands

A couple more handprints under an overhanging rock.

 

Framed Handprints
Framed Handprints

The Needles has no shortage of handprints!

 

Grabens Panelramic
Grabens Panelramic

This was the main panel I was looking for this trip, which I did manage to find. It’s a tough one to get a good photo of, so here’s my attempt at bringing out the pictographs.

 

Grabens Panel Right
Grabens Panel Right

A closer look at the right side of the panel. Very interesting anthropomorphs.

 

Middle Park Granary B&W
Middle Park Granary B&W

I got to revisit one of my favorite granaries in Beef Basin and took this shot in black & white.

 

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Aug 31 2011

North Fork of the Gunnison River to CO 65

Sunday, August 28, 2011

On Sunday I met up with my friend Jackson and his wife Sarah to float a section of the Gunnison River from the North Fork to Colorado Highway 65 near Delta. It’s a pretty easy stretch of the river, which is a good thing since this was my first time in my own boat. Previously I have only ridden along in a larger raft, so this was a good learning experience for me. There were a few tricky sections that helped me work on my boating skills, but nothing dangerous.

Inflating
Inflating

Inflating the boats.

 

Into the River
Into the River

Ready to get on the river.

 

On the Gunnison
On the Gunnison

On the river.

 

Reflection
Reflection

A reflection of Sarah and Jackson in their boat.

 

Besides spending a relaxing day on the river, I also had the goal of finding a rock art site along this stretch of the river. As we started hiking to the site, we noticed there was a group of people working up there. I had heard rumors that there was a group excavating the site, but I figured that no one would be working there on a Sunday. Guess I was wrong! As we approached the group, they welcomed us in and gave us the ‘grand tour.’ Apparently they have been excavating the site for about five years now and were ready to call it quits in the next few days. However, while we were there they managed to find part of a clovis point and decided they would now be staying at least another year. Pretty interesting stuff!

 

Lawhead Gulch Panel
Lawhead Gulch Panel

The largest petroglyph panel at the site.

 

Elk Petroglyph
Elk Petroglyph

A faint elk petroglyph at the site.

 

Excavation
Excavation

Digging and searching…

 

Documentation
Documentation

Documenting their find.

 

Find
Find

One of the arrowheads they found while we were there.

 

Back to the Boats
Back to the Boats

Getting back on the river after visiting the excavation.

 

Lunch on the River
Lunch on the River

 

Sarah & Jackson
Sarah & Jackson

 

Floating the Gunnison
Floating the Gunnison

It was a great day on the river!


Aug 30 2011

McDonald Creek & the Book Cliffs Rock Art

Sunday, August 21, 2011

I’ve been falling behind on my trip reports again, so I need to try and catch up! Here’s some photos I took on a local day-trip into McDonald Creek and the Book Cliffs. Of course I was searching for rock art 😉

First up was the nice hike down McDonald Creek to the Colorado River. I’ve hiked this canyon before, but realized that I missed some rock art on my previous trip. It was a good opportunity to re-photograph the sites I had visited previously, too.

Small Pictographs
Small Pictographs

A very small and easily missed set of pictographs.

 

McDonald Creek Alcove
McDonald Creek Alcove

These pictographs are located in a large alcove overlooking the Colorado River.

 

The Bird and the Sun
The Bird and the Sun

My favorite panel along McDonald Creek.

 

After finishing up the hike I headed north to the Book Cliffs to revisit a few more rock art sites and find two new ones. I ended up finding the two new panels that I had not been able to find before, plus I found a third site that I just happened to stumble upon.

 

Waving Hello
Waving Hello

This little guy welcomes you into the canyon.

 

Horned Shield with Legs
Horned Shield with Legs

I’m posting this photo because if you look very closely you can see a faint shield-like figure that appears to have legs. This is the second shield figure like that that I have found in the Book Cliffs, and they are very similar.

 

Westwater High Panel
Westwater High Panel

A busy panel high up on the canyon wall.

 

Ute Hands
Ute Hands

Handprints….most like Ute or Paiute.

 

The Yellow Rider
The Yellow Rider

A large horseback rider painted in a yellow pigment. Plenty of other figures and handprints painted here, too.

 

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Aug 15 2011

Colorado Adventure 2011

August 8-10, 2011

Last Sunday I headed out to the Front Range area so I could do a little exploring. After getting caught in traffic on I-70 that turned the 4 hour drive into a 7 hour drive, I met up with Amanda and her family at the hotel they had reserved for a few days. We spent Monday at Rocky Mountain National Park, which was actually my first visit to that park. I started out with a drive up the Old Fall River Road and then just checked out a few of the main views along the road with a few short hikes. It was a good way to get acquainted with the park so that next time I can plan a little better.

Never Summer Mountains
Never Summer Mountains

After driving up the Old Fall River Road to the Alpine Visitor Center I met up with Amanda and her family again. After taking in the views from the Visitor Center we continued on to the Gore Range Overlook with this nice view of the Never Summer Mountains.

 

Forest Canyon View
Forest Canyon View

Next we traveled over Iceberg Pass on the Trail Ridge Road and stopped at the Forest Canyon viewpoint.

 

Bear Lake
Bear Lake

After stopping at a few more viewpoints along the way, we eventually made it to Bear Lake…..we even managed to find parking when we arrived!

 

Bear Lake B&W
Bear Lake B&W

We took the easy stroll around the lake…this photo is from the opposite side. We stopped at a few more places along the way and then left the park to head back to the hotel. We took part of the Peak to Peak Highway back.

 

On Tuesday morning I left early and parted ways with Amanda and her family so that I could do some exploring on my own as I slowly headed back towards Grand Junction. My first stop of the day was driving to the top of Mount Evans so that I could bag my third 14er (and the second one in a week!). After completing that goal, I stopped to take a few photos of the many mountain goats just below the summit.

 

Bah-ah-ah
Bah-ah-ah

 

The Look
The Look

 

Cute Baby Goat
Cute Baby Goat

There were even a few baby goats around.

 

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