IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Day 0: Change of Plans?

Friday, April 8, 2011

As you might have seen in this post before I left for this trip, there was some real concern about the government shutting down and closing Canyonlands National Park. The night before I was set to leave, I stayed up to see what was going to happen in Washington. Luckily, at the last minute they figured out the budget and averted a shutdown. Of course, my time would have been better spent sleeping, but at least we did not have to make any last minute changes to our plans and we would still be able to explore The Maze District of Canyonlands for a few days.

Day 1: Into the Maze

Saturday, April 9, 2011

After staying up later than I would have liked on Friday night, I was up again at 3am on Saturday morning so that I could finish getting ready and head straight to Hanksville to meet up with Jared. I had hoped to grab a quick breakfast on the way, but apparently the McDonalds on my way out of Grand Junction isn’t open 24 hours like I thought….and neither is the one in Fruita. I also found out that the Burger King in Green River doesn’t open at 5am like I had hoped….

I met up with Jared at the Hollow Mountain in Hanksville and we transferred his camping gear into my Jeep. Then I followed him south to the Poison Springs Road so he could find a spot to park his car for the next few days. Since it didn’t take us as long as we planned, I still had time to get some breakfast at Blondie’s before meeting up with Dave.

We met Dave at 8am at the turnoff to the Hans Flat Road and took off towards the ranger station to go get our camping permits. We ended up picking up our permits less than an hour after leaving the highway and then started our descent into The Maze. It snowed on and off on our drive down the Flint Trail and on our way around Teapot Rock. The snow wasn’t sticking to the ground and wasn’t falling enough to make the road slippery.

This photo was taken by Dave of Jared and I checking to make sure no one was coming up the Flint Trail in the snow.

Four hours after leaving the ranger station we arrived at Chimney Rock; our camp for the next two nights. It was pretty windy as we setup camp, and both Jared and Dave had brand new tents they had not used before…Jared had a few issues but managed to get it setup.

Chimney Rock & Tree

Chimney Rock from near our campsite.

Setting Up Camp

Jared trying to setup his brand new tent.

Chimney Rock Camp

Part of our campsite.

Once camp was setup we hiked over to take in the views over nearby Water Canyon and Jasper Canyon. We hiked along the rims for a ways and watched the sun go down.

Overlooking

Jared and Dave overlooking Water Canyon.

Small Arch

A small arch we spotted on the rim of Water Canyon.

Rim Hiking

Jared and Dave hiking towards Jasper Canyon.

Jasper Canyon

A view over Jasper Canyon.

Jared and the Maze

Jared overlooking the Maze.

Cloudy Maze Sunset

A view over The Maze at sunset.

Clouds, Sky, Tree & Sandstone

A small tree growing out of the sandstone at sunset.

My Shadow

My long shadow close to sunset.

Island Over the Maze

Island in the Sky lit up in the distance.

Chimney & Ekker

Chimney Rock and Ekker Butte at sunset.

There was plenty of wind, snow and even more wind that evening! The weather certainly could have been better, but it still turned out to be a nice first day to start our trip.

Day 2 to be continued…

Saturday, October 2, 2010 | Day 1

On Saturday morning I left Grand Junction and headed into Utah. I made my way through Green River and Hanksville before reaching Capitol Reef. My destination was Escalante, but I would be getting off of the pavement for a little bit on the way. I took the Scenic Drive past Capitol Gorge where the pavement turned to dirt. With all the storms Southern Utah had seen this year, I wasn’t sure if the road was going to be washed out or not, but I got lucky and it wasn’t too bad. There were a few rough sections, but nothing a high clearance vehicle couldn’t handle.

I was treated to a great display of colors on Boulder Mountain in the distance

Soon I reached the pavement again and headed south through Boulder and then on to Escalante. I met my friend Jared at the BLM visitor center where we got our camping permits for the next few nights, bought a few books and then transferred his gear into my Jeep. We grabbed some lunch at the Golden Loop and then dropped off his car at the Boulder Mail Trailhead. I gassed up the Jeep before heading down the Cedar Wash Road.

Our first stop along this road was a short hike to the Covered Wagon Natural Bridge.

A large alcove we walked through on the way

Covered Wagon Natural Bridge

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Those were the words a prospector shouted two miles upstream from Bonanza. That’s how the town got it’s name….and Bonanza would be my destination for the second day of my adventure. This town’s population jumped quickly to around 5,000 in 1880, and those people left just as fast in 1890. I would be exploring the roads that they once traveled and would stop to check out the old mining relics along the way.

Before I could get to Bonanza, I would have to head out from camp. I followed a loop from the side road I had camped along to make my way back to the highway.

When I reached CO 114, I headed southeast to Saguache and filled up my fuel tank. From there I continued on to Villa Grove and then took a left onto the main road that heads into Bonanza along Kerber Creek.

Pretty soon I had reached my destination.

Unfortunately, Bonanza is all private property, so you can’t really do much exploring of the old buildings in town. I did snap a few photos from along the road.

You can check out this cabin at the townsite of Exchequer, which is a few miles north of Bonanza.

Soon I turned off the main road to check out the Slaughterhouse / Kerber Creek loop trail.

Cocomongo Mine and Mill

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Last Wednesday I headed out on my Colorado Adventure. While I didn’t make a set itinerary for the trip this year, there were a few areas that I wanted to explore further, and I tried to connect them into a big loop. From Grand Junction I headed south to Montrose and continued on US 50 towards Gunnison. After a quick side-trip on Blue Mesa and then topping off my gas tank in Gunnison I continued on to CO 114 and my first destination; The Cochetopa Hills. I had driven through this area quickly a few years ago when I took Los Pinos Pass over into the San Juans, and I was itching to get back and explore some more.

Pretty soon I had spotted a side road named Camp Kettle Gulch Road. I figured that it was a good time to get off the pavement and get the real trip started. I was greeted by some nice scenery.

Hardened lava along the road

I didn’t consult a map before heading down this road, so I wasn’t sure if I would be turning back around or finding another way out, but as luck would have it, this road ended up connecting to the Table Top Road and bringing me back to the highway right near the start of Los Pinos Pass…..and right where I wanted to be!

While making my way towards Los Pinos Pass, I passed a sign that I don’t remember from my last trip down this road.

I love checking out historic routes, so I just had to follow this section of the Saguache – San Juan Toll Road constructed by Otto Mears and Enos T. Hotchkiss in 1874.

Much of it was in the trees.

Then I ran into a traffic jam. They were slow to get out of my way….

Two-tracking out of the trees

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I’ve been thinking about picking up a new tent for myself when I am camping alone without Amanda and was looking for something that is very quick and easy to setup. After doing some research I have decided to give the Kamp-Rite Oversize TentCot a try. It meets all the criteria that I was looking for. It can be setup in just a minute or two and it will keep me up off the ground and more comfortable. The oversize model is plenty long for someone my height (6’5″) and the domed roof allows me to sit up inside.

I’m looking forward to trying it out on my Colorado Adventure in just a few weeks 🙂