IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Moab Area Rock Art XXII
Saturday, December 1, 2012

On Saturday I drove down to Moab to meet up with Marty again for some hiking and exploring. He’s going to be moving to Grand Junction at the beginning of the new year, so we wanted to get at least one more hike in before he got busy with the move. Over the last year Marty had come across some new rock art sites while out exploring the area, so today he was going to show me some of them.

I managed to time my drive to Moab so that I was near the Fisher Towers at sunrise.

Fisher Silhouette by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Highway 128 through the Richardson Amphitheater at sunrise.

128 by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I stopped along the Colorado River as the early morning light was striking the cliffs on the other side.

Colorado Morning by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I’ve driven the River Road to Moab many times over the years and have never seen a bighorn sheep along this stretch before. That would change this morning since this guy was standing on the shoulder of the road as I approached. I pulled over and changed my lens to get this shot before he climbed back up into the cliffs to join the rest of the group.

Climbing Ram by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

I went on quite a few awesome adventures this year, and have posted many trip reports and photos from them over on ADVENTR.CO. It was difficult to choose just ten, but these are my favorite ten trip reports from the last year. You might notice a common theme among some of them, since I took a few trips down to The Paria Plateau this year.

>> Life & Death | Coyote Buttes North

This trip report is dedicated to my mom, Kathy Langstraat, who passed away around the same time.

>> Annular Solar Eclipse & The Paria Plateau

What a great coincidence! I managed to get permits to Coyote Buttes North the same weekend of the Annular Solar Eclipse down in the same area. What a great way to spend a weekend!

>> Basin Wildflower Tour

This year I set out specifically to photograph wildflowers for the first time. Even though it was a bad year for wildflowers, I think I managed to get a few nice photos. Plus Amanda and I spent a nice day searching for the flowers. At least I got some good practice for next year!

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon

I've been trying to get back into Horse Canyon for years, but the road had been closed for a while. When I got word that the road had reopened this summer, I quickly obtained a permit and invited a couple of close friends. We had a very nice weekend searching for ruins and rock art. I'm glad that I didn't delay, because about two weeks later a flash flood closed the road again. Who knows when it will reopen again?

>> Paradise Divide

Amanda and I spent a wonderful weekend camping at the Paradise Divide in July. There was some nice light and a few rainbows that showed up during the sunset.

>> Clear Lake & Ice Lake Basin

This year I finally tried my hand at backpacking, and I liked it. I managed to go on three different backpacking trips, but this one to Ice Lake Basin in the San Juan Mountains was my favorite.

>> Ruby – Horsethief Canyons

It was nice to get on the river a few times this summer, but this two night trip with Jackson was a great time.

>> Once in a Blue Moon | The Arizona Strip

Jared and I spent this long weekend exploring The Arizona Strip. Not only did my Jeep get stuck in quicksand, but we witnessed some of the most amazing monsoonal sunsets.

>> Fall Colors in the Elk Mountains

I spent a few weekends chasing fall colors this year, but my favorite one was when I camped near Kebler Pass in the Elk Mountains.

>> The Paria Plateau

Amanda and I spent one last weekend down on the Paria Plateau this year with another visit to Coyote Buttes North. Again, we had some amazing weather conditions, even if it was a little cold.

San Rafael Swell Rock Art X
Black Friday & Saturday, November 23-24, 2012

After spending most of Thanksgiving Day at home it was time to get back out exploring again. Normally I take at least a few trips throughout the year to the San Rafael Swell, but I guess I was too preoccupied with the Paria Plateau this year since I still hadn’t made it out there. I decided it was time to at least make one trip out to the Swell this year, so that’s where I headed. I left well before sunrise on on Black Friday and was still surprised to see so many cars park at the mall that early as I drove out of town. I still can’t imagine getting up that early to try and get a deal among a large crowd of people, I’d rather spend my morning catching a sunrise in the desert. I spent the daylight hours of Friday and Saturday exploring, hiking and photographing rock art sites. I revisited a few sites and searched for some new ones. I spent the night at a hotel in Green River so I didn’t have to drive all the way back home on Friday night. Though many of the sites I visited were in the San Rafael Swell, I also made a side trip or two into the Book Cliffs and other areas outside the Swell. Here’s a few photos from my two days of exploring…

One of the new sites I visited this trip was the petroglyph panel near Mussentuchit Flats. When I first arrived, most of the panel was in direct sunlight, except for this narrow section, which happened to be one of the more interesting parts. As soon as the sunlight struck this section, it was almost impossible to see these figures.

Mussentuchit by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The fading Butch ‘Casady’ inscription under a shallow overhang.

Butch Casady by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Cracked mud in the early morning light.

Cracks by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I’ve searched for this Barrier Canyon Style figure before without success, so I was happy to come across it this time.

Top Half by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

On Saturday evening I drove up onto the Grand Mesa so I could get my first snowshoe trip of the season in. I ended up going to the Mesa Lakes area and following the route that goes past the Water Dog Reservoir. I didn’t bring my camera with me, but I did take a few photos with my iPhone that I’ll share. I only saw two other people the whole time I was out, and I made it back to my Jeep just as the sun was setting. It was a nice way to spend the evening.

Closed Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Three by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Tracks by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 22, 2012

On Thanksgiving Day I got out of the house for a few hours and headed over to Devil’s Canyon for a nice dayhike. One of my friends had tipped me off about the location of a petroglyph in the area, so I decided to try and find it.

I had no problem finding the petroglyph I was looking for.

Round Man by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here’s a wider view showing the damage that was caused when someone tried to steal this petroglyph in the past. Thankfully they were not successful, though they left a scar that will never go away.

Damage by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After finding the petroglyph I hiked the loop trail up Devil’s Canyon.

Devil’s Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr