I went back into the archives of 2019 for this post. It’s a shot from Top of the World off road trail. This trail ends at a canyon overlook with spectacular views of the Utah landscape. There’s so much to look at in this photo and take in it’s almost overwhelming to me. Especially since you can see for such a long distance from this place. Starting off you have the interesting rock formations in the middle of the picture. Trying to figure out how they came to be and studying their details keeps my attention for awhile. Then taking in the red rock ridges and canyons speckled with plants that continue seemingly forever add so much depth. In contrast to all of this red you have the yellow rock in front of that adding more depth and color contrast with the plants on this rock bringing the greenery together for even more color contrasts. And to have all of this under a beautiful blue sky completes the shot. If it weren’t for all of the other Jeeps climbing into this spot I could have stayed here for a long time enjoying the scene and studying the details further. But others should be able to enjoy it without me being an obstacle for them also.
Tag Archives: Moab
Finishing Fins N Things….or at least trying to
Waking up and one of the first things I think about is it’s our final day on the trails. There have been so many exciting trails and amazing views combined with excellent weather over the past week and here we are at the final day of off-roading in Moab. I’m definitely not ready to leave this exciting area. There has been so much learned and experienced over the last several days that we want to continue on to more trails. At least we have two trails nearby to explore. Unzipping my sleeping bag, I crawl out of bed and make my way out of the tent. Another beautiful early morning in Utah even though the sun hasn’t illuminated the landscape with its warm rays yet. Some of the spring flowers are beginning to bloom in the valley Moab is set in adding to the incredible scene created by these desert mountains and snow capped peaks off in the distance. A little bit of food and it’s off to the trail we started this adventure with – Fins N Things.
The first 1/3 of this trail we completed on the first day upon getting to Moab. Now for the rest of the trail. It’s the easiest trail we explored according to different ratings and seems a lot less intimidating than it did on day 1. That doesn’t mean it’s just a walk in the park. There are still challenging spots that require your respect. Entering this next part of the trail we were moving along quite in the sand dunes when a group of buggies came up behind us. Being courteous we wanted to pull over allowing them to pass. Hitting the brakes there was no reaction. Something gave and now there are no brakes. Not good! Fortunately we weren’t traveling to fast and were able to slow to a stop rather quickly. Getting out to survey the Jeep we found fluid dripping by one of the rear wheels. A closer inspection revealed that the brake line was worn through and fluid was being lost releasing all of the pressure in the brake system. Trying to come up with a solution we tried bandaging the line and even attempted to cut the line and reattach the fitting so we could at least get the Jeep to a parts place for a correct fix. None of these ended up working so our next option was to work carefully and slowly over the trail using the emergency brake to stop when absolutely necessary.
Fortunately this trail had a road cutting across not far ahead that would take us off Fins N Things and get us to a more navigable road. We made it to the road with little issue but a lot of anxiety. Once on the road all we had to do was go down a steep hill with only the emergency brake and make it into to town and on to a parts house. This we did without incident. Now to figure out our best solution. After talking with the people in the parts store we first thought we’d have to wait until the next day as it was Sunday for a local dealership to open so we could get the correct brake line for the vehicle. After a bit more conversation it was decided to see if we could patch the line. After working for an hour or so we got the new section of brake line and tested it. Brake fluid still leaked out of the new connection. Turns out I had missed a step in preparing the line for the fitting. Going back and redoing the connection, it held the second time. Add in brake fluid to replace that lost and we were bake in business. It was now early afternoon and we were getting hungry so a trip back to the campsite for lunch and then determine what we were going to do. The brake lines still needed to be bled to get any air introduced during the repair was necessary to get the brakes working perfectly again.
With lunch now firmly in our bellies we decided to tackle the final piece of our repair and get the air out of the lines. On the repaired side some air come out and then fluid quickly after. Working on another wheel, there was no air so it wasn’t as bad as expected. It was now mid afternoon. What should we do. Another breakdown on the trail or if this repair doesn’t hold and we’re in trouble as parts places would be closing soon. We decided to take it out and at least finish Fins N Things. The easiest of the trails on our list and the trail that was the most difficult to complete. We were soon back on the trail were we left it and continued on climbing up and down hills and over small rock cliffs enjoying yet another beautiful day in Moab. There were no more incidences allowing us to relax and take in our last day of slick rock off roading. Once we finally conquered this trail it was getting late with only an hour and a half of sunlight. Not enough time to explore a second trail which was planned for the day. If all went perfectly well there would be time but taking a wrong turn or something else breaking and we would be trying to get off the trail in the dark. Not something we were comfortable doing so it was determined we should just enjoy the trail we finally finished and relax at the campsite for the last night. It was disappointing to end the day without the second trail but this Off road adventure was a lot of fun over the week. Breaking down wasn’t a great deal of fun but an experience we both appreciated because it helped us get an idea of how we would handle such a situation. Doing this kind of strenuous driving, something is very likely to break. It’s all part of the adventure!
Poison Spider
Our third trail was one we were initially very nervous about and hesitant to even attempt due to the difficulties and challenges presented from steep rock ledges and longer climbs on slick rock. After successfully navigating Elephant Hill and Top of the World with fewer difficulties than expected we decided to take a run at Poison Spider. A powerful, yet intimidating name for a trail. What would we encounter with a name like that? Making it to the trailhead and trail prep area brought us along the Colorado River running through a beautiful canyon causing us to slow down to admire the surroundings to enjoy the amazing sights created from thousands of years of geology and carving forming this masterpiece now before us. The trailhead almost came up too fast as the canyon continues on for miles and miles, but we were here for a purpose. And that purpose was an off-road challenge.
While getting the tires ready for another off road adventure we wondered around, striking up conversations with some of the other enthusiast also getting their vehicles ready for a Utah adventure sharing a camaraderie common among four wheeling. Everything now ready it was time to go. The trail begins with a difficult climb right off the bat on a narrow trail looking into this canyon we just drove through. Too close to the edge and it’s straight down to the valley floor. Not something we wanted to experience! Within minutes of starting we found ourselves in trouble. We’ve managed to do what we’ve been trying to avoid this whole time. Becoming centered on rocks keeping both front and back tires from getting enough traction to pull the vehicle over these rocks. Trying to move back and fourth only dug holes in the loose sand causing the problem to get worse. And to make it even more stressful, here come other off roaders behind us. Fortunately they were extremely helpful and immediately began working to get us free by digging out around the tires and placing rocks for them to hopefully grab onto and raise the vehicle up and over the ones hanging us up. After quite a bit of work and trying to get out of our predicament, we realized why we had gotten stuck in the first place – we were not in 4 wheel drive! Enacting this important feature and shifting the Jeep into first gear, it crawled right out as if to emphasize our mistake and add this stupidity to its tally of blunders we’ve made.
After being stuck at the beginning of Poison Spider we really questioned the intelligence of continuing on the most difficult trail we had planned to drive this week. With no place to really turn around and several other people behind us we forged on. Soon the trail began to have a familiar comfort of others around Moab with some unique challenges. Around some corners, steep rock ledges would appear requiring a closer examination of the trail before driving the vehicle over to avoid more problems for the Jeep to put on its list. Many were less complicated than originally thought as this four wheel, off road truck relatively easily climbed up and over each one giving more confidence in our adventure. And then we rounded a corner with a broken down machine to one side. After assisting them to get them back to the trailhead we were back at it, although a bit more cautious so as to not break something on our truck.
Eventually we arrived at the point I was most concerned about, a long climb up narrow slick rock with each tire hanging on rock edges by mere inches. Watching videos of this trail I saw other Jeeps tip over on this part of the trail. What would we do if our Jeep tipped? Fortunately there was little to be concerned about if you approach this smartly and take your time climbing up this V shaped hill. At a couple of points we thought the bead broke on a tire which would require a change once on more level ground but all tires were in tact and holding air bringing a sigh of relief. There were several other steep climbs which became a bit more concerning as rain showers moved into the area. Thankfully they only produced a few drops which quickly dried up so we could continue on this enjoyable trail. As mid day approached we wanted to find a nice spot to stop and grab a bite to eat. Fortunately Little Arch was nearby which is a fun rock feature found on Poison Spider. A perfect spot to get out of the Jeep and take in a few sights while getting some nourishment. Once lunch was complete we spent a little time taking some pictures of the arch and continued on our way back down towards the trailhead completing this fun off road trail. A really enjoyable trail which provided beautiful scenery, challenging off road climbs, and some new experiences to add to our Moab adventure. At this point in the trip the realization that we were near the end of this adventure began to set in. Fortunately there still was one more day to try another trail before leaving this big playground.
An Afternoon in Arches National Park
Nestled next to Moab, Utah lies a park which is composed of beautiful rock structures including over 2,000 arches. Even typing this is hard to believe that many arches can be confined to such a relatively tiny area next to the Colorado River. After off roading a nearby trail, my friend and I decided to spend a portion of the afternoon exploring Arches National Park. With so many incredible landscapes surrounding the area, this national park is nothing short of spectacular with it’s natural stone carvings that are larger than life. No wonder so many movies are set with this backdrop. In the photo above you can just make out the South Window Arch near the horizon just right of center. The others are obscured from this point of view. Viewing the park from this vantage point can only be done with some type of off road activity such as hiking, biking, or four wheeling which is what we were doing.
Having spent a good portion of the day in Utah’s back country, I couldn’t imagine seeing anything here that was more impressive. Some of these famous arches that are spread across many books, magazines, and even movies in person was amazing. Being later in the afternoon I was growing tired and was having difficulty in gathering much in the way of energy to really enjoy these sights but it didn’t take long for that to pass once the arches became visible. I don’t believe they were any better than the scenery passed earlier during the day while navigating the Top of the World off road trail (which I’ll be writing about in a future post) but they were a great compliment and equally amazing as those beautiful sights.
To be able to walk right up to several natural sandstone arches, and in several case underneath them, really brought them to life. Their enormity is not easy to grasp from many of the photos I’ve looked at. Standing inside of a few arches allows you to see the details of this sandstone rock and the beautiful patterns carved into them. You just want to reach out and touch it but the arches are just too tall for that so trying to settle for a photograph or two will have to do. Yes, while underneath one of these stone structures you begin to wonder how they can even support the stone overhead and question how much longer will it continue to stand. Will this moment be the one which you find large stones dropping over top? And then you recall these have been standing like this for a very long time and it is not likely they will collapse while you’re underneath.
I took a few moments while standing underneath the North Window Arch to reflect on where I was and what I’ve been fortunate to do and see in the beautiful area. It was peaceful and very humbling to think how fortunate my friend and I were to be able to spend time on such a great adventure creating stories we’ll be able to share for the rest of our lives. Often I feel a sadness fall over me during moments like this because it means the adventure is coming to an end. Not on this day as the realization there were several trails yet to come although I was unsure how they could get any better than what was already explored.
After visiting Arches I watched a few movies filmed in the area and was amazed at the familiar scenery I had just visited in person. That’s one of the fun pieces of traveling to certain areas. Whenever you see them in a TV show, movie, or on the news you can recall your person experiences in that exact spot and what the people were like and how the surrounding areas looked and any particular smells or sounds you may have experienced. You begin to realize what so many people are seeing on the screen is such a small portion, and often an inaccurate representation, of that place.
There were numerous arches all with their own unique appearance making each one worth viewing but the most impressive arch, for me, was Double Arch. I’ll have a full post on that one arch coming up.
Getting to Moab, and the First Trail
Waking up from the last night on a soft bed for several more nights, it was time to grab something to eat, stop at a grocery store to complete the next weeks meals, and hit the road to Moab. It was a cool morning in Cedar City, Utah with fresh snow up in the mountains making for a beautiful landscape. Driving up into those mountains resulted in rain changing over to snow near the summit making for a gloomy drive and yet fun to see a little different weather from desert areas below. After getting over the top and descending the clouds once again began to separate allowing sun to spread across the amazing scenery of Utah.
Continuing east through Utah, the increasing sun highlighted the incredible landscapes that appeared around every corner along with warm up the afternoon temperatures. All of these canyons are why I consider Utah to be National Park central as there are so many in close proximity to one another in this state. We stopped for a brief chance to get out and stretch our legs and take in some of the sights at Devil’s Canyon Overlook just off of Highway 70. Well worth the few minutes it takes to pull off the highway and walk to the Canyon overlook.
Returning to the Jeep and getting back on the highway we were able to soon see the red rock canyons typical of the Moab area. Excitement grew knowing that these were the types of areas we would soon be exploring with the Jeep which had been in the planning for many months and now they were there right in front of us. Arriving in Moab mid afternoon we went straight to the campground to find our spot and set up the tent getting ready to reside here for the next few days. With daylight still left it was time to go see downtown Moab and even scout out the first trail planned for the next day.
A brief scouting of Fins N Things revealed the trail was split into 2 parts, one of which could only be traveled during daylight hours. After a brief discussion about wanting to return to the campsite for food and an evening fire, we decided this first portion of the trail wouldn’t take very long and we would still have time for a nice fire before turning in to prepare for the next day on the trail. The recreation area fee was quickly paid and we were off to a pull out not far away to prepare the vehicle for an off road adventure. Those preparations include removing air from the tires and releasing the sway bar supports which allow the front tires to move freely over rocks.
Twenty minutes later we were taking in our first trail adventure of the week experiencing the fun of off roading in Moab. The difficulty level of this first trail was rated as the easiest of those we were planning on attempting according to the Jeep Badge of Honor app which seemed like a good place to start and learn how to navigate in this terrain. It was a fun portion of the trail with some steep rocks to climb along with some nice rock ledges to traverse. What made this trail so amazing was the setting it was in while climbing up and down these rocks. The landscape all around consisted of beautiful red rocks and snow capped mountains all in the evening sunlight. What a great ending to a travel filled day in this spectacular part of the United States! Next stop: Elephant Hill in Canyonlands National Park.
Beginning Another Adventure
Recently I returned from the first, in what I hope to be many, adventures off roading in a Jeep. For much of my life I’ve had a really close friend who has owned a Jeep shortly after he could drive. We would would take his Jeeps off roading beginning with fairly easy dirt or gravel roads with a few bumps in them and gradually increasing the trail difficulty to some rock climbing and steep sand trails with a little mudding. Of course the ability of his Jeeps has increased as well to be able to conquer more difficult places. It’s always been fun! In June of 2018 we began discussing the idea of more intense off road adventures but really didn’t know what level of difficulty we were actually up for. After kicking around some ideas of maybe just visiting some National Parks near California and driving their off road trails to what it would take to drive more challenging trails. As the year ended we came across the Jeep Badge of Honor program which highlights over 40 trails across the United States and rates these trails by level of difficulty.
Doing some more research on these trails, we began to focus on Moab, Utah and all of the trails around this town. When this area was first suggested to me I about fell over. It’s kind of like National Park central and I’m always up for exploring another National Park. The more difficult decision was how long to stay in Moab. Different trails came up and finally three were chosen. Not too difficult but enough challenges to see how these Badge of Honor trails work. As we rang in 2019, early April came up as our preferred timeline for some nice weather on average for this adventure but not too busy with people on vacation. Over the next several months we booked accommodations and additional modifications were made to the Jeep for some intense rock crawling among the cliffs and canyons surrounding Moab.
For much of March it seemed as though time was going so slow as I was really looking forward to getting to Utah and experiencing some trails in this scenic area. One day I went in to work only to be asked what time the next day I was leaving for Las Vegas. My quick response was today is going so slow and at the same time there was much to do as I was flying out later that afternoon. This was met with a little surprise and then understanding as I hurried through my list of things to do and headed out once they were taken care of. A few more items to take care of at home and then it was off to the airport for a flight to Las Vegas were I would meet my friend for this new adventure.
Thankfully Delta was playing some movies I hadn’t seen yet taking my mind off of my eagerness to get to Las Vegas a little. I did continue to look out of the window trying to determine where we were. I’ve flown this route enough that I know a number of the landmarks along the way. Unfortunately clouds covered much of the route making tracking the flight more difficult. I know, they show the planes location on the screen attached to the seat in front of me but I really didn’t want to know how far or close we were as I was already impatient enough to endure the length of the flight. At times there were breaks in the clouds allowing me to see some mountains and then Lake Mead appeared. My level of excitement jumped at this spot knowing Vegas isn’t very far away now. Then the plane began its descent. Just before the descent I was able to watch the sun dip below the clouds as sunset arrived signaling the end of the day. We began to descend into the clouds below and a few minutes later the lights of Las Vegas became visible. A few pictures and we were on the ground. Forty-five minutes later I was greeting my friend, climbing into the Jeep and heading towards Utah. A few hours of driving and we decided to find a place to stay bringing an end to the start of the Jeep Badge of Honor adventures. So much more to come!
