ellen_griswold

Your pictures are absolutely spectacular! Thank you so much for sharing! I definitely see another trip in our future....

peterboy

Just a note on our image galleries; the images are all in the order we took them from the beginning of the trip to the end. I'll be adding captions as time allows. Thanks for all your kind words.

MikeBuckley

I'll be adding captions as time allows.

I would really enjoy knowing the hiking trails from which your pictures were taken. As an example, I noticed that some of the pictures were taken at Tower Arch. I went there 13 years ago but didn't make it back when I returned to the park a few months ago. Your pictures of Tower Arch offered perspectives I hadn't seen. They made me sad that I didn't return yet they give me something to look forward to in the future.

I remember that Sharon was interested in the details of my hiking report, especially with regard to your interest in photography. I was so glad to see so many pictures taken on the trails. It's sad to me that so many people, despite their understandable reasons, don't venture far from their automobile. Glad to see that you made it into the wilderness and thanks again for sharing the pics!

xyz99

Loved your trip report and the pictures. Thanks for sharing, can't wait to get there.
I noticed you had a jeep - would you do Burr Trail and the Waterpocket Fold in a regular (sedan) rental? Thanks

wanderluster

Peterboy, you must be a professional? Outstanding photography. Certainly not that of an average tourist! ??

sharondi

"I noticed you had a jeep - would you do Burr Trail and the Waterpocket Fold in a regular (sedan) rental? Thanks"

Yes, you could do the Burr Trail and the Notom Rd. in a sedan. If it were raining hard I probably wouldn't go even with a jeep.

RogandLin

Hi Sharon & Peter,

We've been waiting for your trip report. Enjoyed reading your account and you seem to have had a really great time. Peter - Thought the 'photo's were outstanding, again! Could you tell us what the features were you pictured around Nos 100 to 120? They looked like small nodules spread all over a plateau.

peterboy

RodandLin, yes they were neat. We took a dirt road off of Rt. 12 somewhere between Escalante and Boulder on a lark and found them a couple of miles in. I really can't say exactly where we were. If you're going to the area, you could inquire at the visitor's center in Escalante. The rangers there probably know where I was. Maybe someone in a rock shop. Sorry I can't be more help.

Oh, and thank for all the kind words but, no, I'm not a pro photographer but I've been taking pictures for over 40 years and am loving the instant gratification of digital photography and desktop darkroom programs (photoshop). You get a lot better stuff when you can "shoot for free". Not quite free but, now that I've invested in enough storage media, I'm pretty much unlimited and can shoot at will.

sharondi

Day 6 Peter here- thought I'd take a crack at this chapter.
We awoke at about 5:30 AM since this was the day that we were going into Horseshoe Canyon to look at the Great Gallery, one of the most significant rock art sites in the world. This involves driving for a couple of hours on main roads and then a 32 mile journey on a back road just to get to the trailhead. Then a
7 mile roundtrip hike. We needed an early start. Sharon mentioned the dated plumbing and bathroom at the Capitol Reef Inn. Let me say that the toilet was positively musical. When you'd flush, it would begin to fill back up with a low moaning sound that gradually increased in volume as the tank filled. Of course the closer to full it got, the higher the pitch of the caterwauling. To make matters worse, it took at least 3 minutes for the loudmouth toilet to fill. It was so bad that it was actually kind of funny. We were in room #2, the second from the end of the building. No one occupied room #1 until the second night of our stay. There was no way we could avoid disturbing them with our early departure since the plumbing for both rooms was in the shared wall. It would be as loud in their room as it was ours but, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. We tried to keep the noise to a dull roar, unfortunately that was the best we could do...literally! I made some coffee (in-room machine-thank goodness) and checked out the weather channel while Sharon showered. There were large storms over Grand Canyon and they were going to be moving north into central Utah as the day progressed. This did not bode well for our plan. At about this moment, Sharon flushed the toilet. Wow, it seemed even louder at 5:45 AM! Our poor neighbors! Not much we can do about it other than depart quickly. I got cleaned up and, after another ear shattering flush, we were on our way.

It was still dark as we went east on Rt. 24 through Fruita with more coffee on our minds. Cainville had no coffee to offer so we plowed onward toward the next bastion of civilization; Hanksville. This stretch of road is the most desolate yet. The sun came up or rather, it got light out revealing a low and threatening sky. As advertised, it looked much worse to the south. Not good. We rolled into Hanksville a rusty, dusty outpost. We stopped at the Hollow Mountain convenience store. It isn't every day you see a convenience store carved into a cave in the side of redrock. Unfortunately their coffee was a watery looking mess and they had no 1/2 & 1/2?; just dry packets of creamer. We settled for some fruit juices and headed off toward our remote destination.
As we went north on Rt 24 out of Hanksville, we drove out from under the stormy-looking clouds and under a patch of clear blue sky. We're veteran canoe campers from upstate NY though and weren't overly encouraged by this seemingly optimistic turn of events. We recognized this for what it was; a 'sucker hole', We found the turn off Rt. 24 onto the dirt road that leads to our hike. Everything I'd read on the net and elsewhere warned about this road when it is wet. Now, as we started in there was yet another sign that reminds you 'ROAD MAY BE IMPASSABLE WHEN WET'. This hike was the one I?d looked forward to the most. It was the hardest one we'd planned and had spent the summer hiking on weekends to prepare for Utah and this hike in particular. We didn't have time for this hike on our last trip. I was determined to do this hike this year so we continued.
The road was one of those straight, flat Utah roads across a grass and scrub plain. You could get up some pretty good speed at which point there'd be a wash that needed to be crossed at 5 mph. You could make good time but vigilance was in order. We were about 5 miles in and the sucker hole closed leaving a steely gray sky with roiling storms on the far southern horizon. I was thinking about Aron Ralston and how he'd driven this very same road, had an error in judgement, and left his hand in Bluejohn Canyon. The road made a sweeping left hand turn by a ranch and climbed to a ridge. From there we could see the road winding off below us across the next stretch of plain. There had been rain a week or so before and the dried ruts in the road were testament to the troubles other had had then. I took another look to the south and turned around. I could sense Sharon?s relief. We took our time going back to Rt. 24. We now had no plan and no need for haste. It was probably only about 8:30 so we had a whole day open. As a little reward for our good judgement, we got to see a pronghorn antelope along the way. To this day I have no idea if it ever rained there but I don't regret my decision. Now I have the excuse I need for another trip to Utah.

We took Rt. 24 north. We'd been to Goblins last year so we decided not to revisit and maybe just blast on over to Arches for the afternoon. Got onto I-70 east. We decided to get off in Green River & scout for coffee again but didn?t see anything inspiring. We did notice the John Wesley Powell Museum and stopped in. It was kind of drizzly out so it was a good chance to stretch the legs. It turned out to be quite a nice little museum. They also had an art exhibit worth a look. One of the best features was the area devoted to maps and pamphlets for attractions in the area. Something for and from everyone from outfitters to government agencies and maps, maps, maps (yes, I'm a map junkie). If you need to get up to speed on places to go and things to do, then this is the place for you. I left with a whole bag of free stuff. The Utah State Park book was a ring binder of many pages..a great resource. We were glad we'd stopped. We got back on the highway and got off at the Moab exit. Sharon was scouring the topos in the gazetteer for a back way into Arches NP. The gazetteer is the 'Delorme Utah Atlas and Gazetteer'.. If you're interested in traveling back roads then this book is a minimum requirement IMHO. Never leave home (especially to Utah) without one: http://www.delorme.com/atlasgaz/default.asp
Sharon found a likely candidate that left Rt. 191 and went down the Salt Valley to the Tower Arch area of Arches NP. We took the turn and came across a giant mud puddle across the road. Again, we decided to stick to the main road. Mud in Utah isn't to be taken lightly. It is the slimiest, slickest stuff and you can get bogged down in a big hurry. We decided to just go into the park at the main gate and hike up to Delicate Arch if the rain didn't go beyond the present sprinkle stage.
We flashed our park pass (purchased at Zion) at Mr. Ranger and drove up those wonderful switchbacks into the park. This is Sharon's favorite park and, while I have a hard time picking favorites, I can't fault her affection. Arches NP is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places on earth. The hardest part is keeping the car on the road and watching for folks slamming on their brakes. We saw several people driving along with video cameras held in front of them. Since we?d been here last year and had a destination, we were less bedazzled than the newbies and their antics were amusing. They were acting just like we did last year. We parked and made the trek into Delicate Arch. It is a pretty good huffer up the slickrock but well worth the effort. The last bit of trail goes along a ledge but is fairly level. Scary but nothing like Angel?s Landing at Zion and much shorter. Still, its titillating enough that we passed a lady who was going down hugging the inside wall. I know how she feels. The arch was beautiful and the storms to the south were raking across the LaSalle Mtns. leaving them frosted with snow. We sat for awhile absorbing the amazing scene and watching the antics of the other tourists. How some of them can go so close to the edge amazes me.
We made our way down. I noticed that the trail was actually worn into the rock in some places from so many people coming this way. We made it back to the car. The whole hike, including appreciation time, took about three hours. We went to the Salt Valley Overlook where we ate the wraps we?d bought the day before in Torrey. Mine was smoked salmon and Sharon's was turkey with veggies and both were quite delightful.
We decided to head to Moab so we turned back toward the entrance. As we passed the Window Section of the park it looked very cool so we decided to dive in. This is a popular spot for the tour busses so there's always a lot of people here. We walked up the wide stairs that lead to the arches. I was amused by a group of Japanese tourists who, under the direction of the group's designated photographer, lined up to get their picture taken. They had it down pat and they'd obviously perfected it during the course of the trip. First the whole group, then this couple, then this family and so on until they all been photographed in all the proper configurations. As soon as they were done, off they went to the next location. Funny, we rarely take pictures of each other. I had to wonder if they'd stopped to look at the scenery they were moving so fast.
We came across a sign that indicated a 'Primitive Trail'. It wasn't threatening rain at the moment so we decided to go. It was only a couple of miles but we got away from the crowd instantly. We only saw 4 other people. The trail goes around behind the North and South Windows into some of that scenery that almost looks fake. There's one little spot where you need to use your hands to scramble up a rock but there's nothing scary...it was a pretty easy hike and well worth the time. We made it back to the car and left the park stopping at many pullouts to enjoy the late day light.

Last year we stayed on the south side of town at the Best Inn. It was fine but we still had to drive into town. We?d decided that we were going to stay downtown this year. Moab is the biggest town we've been in since we left Vegas. Not too big but big enough to have fun.
We stayed at River Canyon Ranch (aka Microtel). RCR is a block off the main street on the west side of downtown. It is a new place and we had a Jr. Suite on the third floor. The Jr. Suite consisted of 2 queen beds separated by a counter with a wet bar, fridge, microwave, coffee machine, sink and cupboards. It also had a desk, hutch, TV, table & chairs and a roomy bathroom. It was a good value at $79.
Since Eddie McStiff's is in the same plaza as our favorite coffee place, Mondo Café, we decided to go there for a beer before dinner. Nice funky atmosphere. When we sat down at the bar and ordered a local microbrewed amber and a Scottish Ale, the bartender said "You look like you?d enjoy some of our famous chips & salsa with those drinks. Only 49 cents." We love chips and salsa so we were a pretty easy sell. We checked out the menu as we enjoyed our chips. It was a large menu of pub fare & dinners. Another group of four arrived and sat in a booth behind us and ordered drinks. The waitress enticed these folks with the chips and salsa bargain just as the bartender had us. These folks didn't want any food just the drinks. "If you aren't ordering food then I can't serve you drinks." said the waitress. The leader of the group took umbrage with this and they left. Later I had a chance to ask waitress what that was all about and found out that it is illegal to serve alcoholic beverages except at a meal. The only exception was at 'private clubs' which is what they have instead of bars. You pay a nominal fee to join when you go in. I found that interesting. The people who?d just left weren't going to have any better luck at the next place.
We left McStiff's and wandered around some of the galleries and shops. The Tom Till Photography Gallery slowed us down. Now that guy knows his way around a camera!
We had dinner at Miguels's Baja Grill. True to the name, it featured a Mexican/Surf motif. Very comfortable and colorful. They had the overhead heaters on so we were warm in spite of the wall-less dining area. We order a ceviche appetizer. Very fresh and flavorful but a huge portion that we couldn't finish. I had a MOAB or Mother Of All Burritos, with pork and mole sauce. It was good but huge as advertised. Sharon had only positive comments regarding her grilled mahi-mahi tacos. We walked back to the hotel after dinner then drove around the streets of Moab to see how the regular folks live. It seemed like a nice little town blessed with a spectacular setting. We didn't have enough gumption to go down to the hot tub so we called it the end of another day in southern Utah.

MikeBuckley

Peter, you mentioned the Tom Till Photography Gallery. I absolutely loved it and also mentioned it in this forum.

Interestingly, I first became familiar with Tom Till's work in 1991, the only time I had been to Moab prior to returning this year. At the time the Stuntman's Hall of Fame was housed in Moab, though it is currently without a permanent home. (See http://hometown.aol.com/Fdtex/stunt.html) They were showing a fabulous slide show every night that involved about ten projectors. All of the slides were made by Tom Till and another person whose name I don't remember. Fabulous images! Sadly, the slide show is no longer being shown. I'm glad to see that you enjoyed Tom Till's photo gallery and encourage everyone to take a look.

You also mentioned that the last bit of the hiking trail to Delicate Arch involves walking on a ledge. Since so many people that want to see Delicate Arch are understandably afraid of heights, I'd like to clarify an important issue about that ledge for those that are not experienced hikers. Yes, there is that ledge. However, unlike a lot of ledges, this particular ledge leans safely toward a tall wall of solid rock, as opposed to leaning unsafely away from the rock. If it were the latter, hikers would get a sensation of easily falling off the trail onto the ground far below. But because the ledge instead leans toward the wall of rock, it really does provide a much greater sense of comfort than would otherwise be the case. Also, the trail is relatively wide, easily allowing people to pass side by side when walking in opposite directions. Having said that, for the person that is truly afraid of all heights regardless of the situation, I don't think it matters which way the ledge is leaning.

Glad to see that you also enjoyed the Baja Grill, which is just a couple doors down from Tom Till's gallery. My wife and I enjoyed it also and wouldn't hesitate to return.

sharondi

Mike, You're right about the trail to Delicate Arch. It IS fairly wide. I'm not quite phobic about edges but am very uncomfortable around them and I had no difficulty with this one. This image shows pretty well how the trail at the area of greatest exposure.

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/34945817/medium

Also, it isn't a 90 degree drop off but angles away and the distance to the bottom is only a couple of hundred feet rather than the thousand or two we faced at Zion. The scene is well worth the few uncomfortable moments. The fact that the trail angles in toward the wall rather than away toward the edge IS quite comforting.

Yup, the Till Gallery is a must see in Moab IMHO. Humbling for me but it always helps to view the works of a master.

xyz99

Mike, Sharondi,
Thanks for the 'ledge' info. I was getting ready to post a question about it, but you read my mind. I don't like heights, but Sharondi, your picture was worth 1000 words. I would have no problem with that. Thanks again

MikeBuckley

Somewhat off-topic:

Considering that we've discussed Tom Till's gallery in Moab and that maybe there are more than a few of us that have enjoyed it, I'd like to correct some information displayed at his gallery and website. It has to do with this photograph: http://www.tomtill.com/cgi-bin/cp-ap...r=HOME:-prints

The title of that photograph, "Angkor Wat, Cambodia," is inaccurate. Yes, the photo was made in Angkor, Cambodia. No, it is not a photo of Angkor Wat, which is the largest temple in Angkor. Instead, it is a picture of Ta Prohm, also a well documented temple in Angkor.

That title and the sign containing more information that accompanies the picture displayed at the Moab gallery unfortunately perpetuates the misperception that "Angkor Wat" is the name of the area comprising about 75 square miles. In reality, Angkor is the name of the area. Angkor Wat is the name of one temple, albeit the largest temple and one of the most important temples in Angkor.

I sent an email about that to Tom but haven't heard back from anyone.

Rant over.

peterboy

I have the same problem Mike. When I tell people I'm from New York, they assume I'm from New York City. I'm actually from "Upstate, the OTHER New York" as I like to call this area (everything north of NYC).

I'm sure the folks for Ankor find all this very annoying as well.

FauxSteMarie

For the record, I did not mean to suggest that you had to go rafting to have a great time in Southern Utah. There are obviously those who prefer doing other things including hiking and some find rafting a bit more exciting than they would like.

As for me, of course, I would not think of going to Southern Utah without at least one raft trip. . . .

It's your vacation. You do it your way!

LoisL

Peterboy, I laughed when you referred to being from 'the other NY'. When people ask where I'm from, I say Long Island. I have never met anyone who didn't know what I was referring to, and it eliminates the NYC assumption.

FauxStMarie, I'm with you on feeling an on the water experience would complete my trip. While the trip was totally impressive, from start to finish, the one regret was not being able to get out on one of the water options. They all closed the end of Oct.

We just returned this morning. I will post a trip report soon. It was an incredible experience.

sharondi

Sorry it's been awhile since our last chapter. Not sure if anyone cares to read it but we want to complete our trip report. We've been busy planning our winter vacation! Sharon & Peter

Day 7
We got a late start, for us. On the road by 9am. Headed back to Arches to check out the Tower Arch area of the park. What an awesome trail! It starts out kind of exciting - winding up and up on a steep section of the trail. It gets pretty easy after that. We only saw 4 other people, all on their way out. We loved this hike! Only 3.4 miles roundtrip and just stunning scenery. The trail is mostly easy but interesting and adventurous. We scrambled all around on the arch and took loads of pictures.

Left Arches and did a driving tour of Canyonlands to scout out hikes for the next day. We had impressive thunderstorms all around. Amazing views with shafts of rain and lightning. Water running off cliffs. All so beautiful. We headed back to Moab and had dinner at the Slick Rock Café. Some great potato pesto soup. Pulled pork sandwich and cheeseburger both pretty good. Wanted to hit the hottub but just couldn't muster the energy. Early to bed and early to rise...

Day 8 Friday
On the road by 7am. Great coffee and blueberry croissants at Mondo Café. They even made us a sandwich at that early hour for us to take for lunch. Walked a short distance in to see the beautiful Mesa Arch. Classic view. Just gorgeous. A busload of European tourists showed up and followed their fearless tour guide up onto the narrow arch, giving me and Peter a thrill. People are crazy! The drop off that arch is, well, yikes!! Next we hiked out to the 2nd Overlook for Upheaval Dome. Pretty interesting geology here! A nice walk.
Hiked the Aztec Butte trail to check out the granaries. I tried like crazy to get up this one really steep section of slickrock on the trail but just couldn't do it. So we turned around and happily found another granary on a short side trail.
See pictures at www.pbase.com/peterb -click on utah04 gallery. Also Sharon's utah.

We headed over to the Grand View area to eat lunch and then did the 2 mile hike along the Grand View trail. Great views of the White Rim road. Gorgeous scenery. We took some pictures and stopped at some overlooks on our way out of Canyonlands. Decided to take the trip back to Moab on the Long Canyon Road. The first few miles were easy - very tame, a few switchbacks. Then the switchbacks got really steep and the road got bumpier. Lots of fun. Huge canyon walls surrounded us. Kept our eyes peeled for Desert Bighorn but didn't see any. You need 4wd for this road. It was a lot of fun. Back to Moab via Potash Road along the Colorado River. There were tons of bicyclists everywhere. We finally asked someone who said there was a huge century ride going on and that Lance Armstrong was even in town for it. We checked out the Petroglyphs along the road again and headed back to our room. After freshening up, we decided to check out this place at the edge of town called Casa Valentina for some authentic mexican food. It's a very pretty spot in a grove of trees. We sat out on the large patio complete with tiki torches. The young wait staff were friendly and wonderful. We ordered some excellent margaritas and settled in. There was only one other couple here. They brought us some chips and pointed us toward the salsa bar. Wow! All kinds of goodies here. Roasted jalapenos, red salsa, green salsa, salsa fresca. We're in heaven! Ordered combination platters - taco, tostada, flauta, enchilada - different fillings. All excellent! The chicken and beef were nicely shredded, spicy chorizo, mexican cheeses - everything was perfect and nicely portioned. Not huge. All handmade chips and tortillas. We ordered guacamole and a man actually came to our table and made it to order! Wonderful. They even brought a complimentary dessert - fried dough rolled in sugar and cinammon with fresh strawberry juice for dipping! Sweet! $52 before tip. Highly recommend this delightful place in Moab. Tonight we make it to the hottub and pool. Very nice. Back to the room to get packed up for our long ride to the North Rim tomorrow.

FauxSteMarie

The raft trips close down in October due to low water levels and fewer tourists. The advantage of going in the fall, of course, is milder weather and fewer tourists with the children back in school.

Have fun in Southern Utah no matter what you do! I can't wait to return (and do some more rafting). Some day I would like to raft the entire Grand Canyon!

peterboy

Hey Faux, I gett the idea that you like rafting in Utah.

How about posting a trip report about your adventures so we know a little more about where to go and who to go with?

You seem very passionate about it so I think it would be interesting to read your thoughts on the subject. You might even inspire me to look into it on my next trip to Utah.

How about it?

TravelinVic

Peter & Sharon -- Just had to tell you that I also checked out your Southwest pictures-- just wonderful! I have been to all the Utah parks and your photographs added to my longing to return.