2006 Sept 25 to 30
2006-09-25 Monday
Moab, UT
Dierck, Vera and myself made plans for traveling together
at least till we hit the Grand Canyon. Dierck and Vera have a KOTR
(King of the Road) 34 ft fifth wheel and a Chevy 250 pickup.
We
decided to stay another day in Moab and then go on to Monument Valley.
2006-09-26 Tuesday
Moab to Monument Valley Navajo
Tribal Park CG - 154 miles; 4:00 hours
Relatively easy drive on US 191 till
Bluff and then 163 to Oljato-Monument Valley.
Dierck's Gross Combined Weight is about
9000 # more than mine and he has a Chevy 8.1 L gas engine, which has
probably less torque then my PSD, plus we are at an elevation where a
naturally aspirated engine is loosing 15% or more of its power. So,
uphill, the going was sometimes slow.
We pulled into the CG at the Tribal
Parks Visitor Center, where I had camped a year ago, almost to the
day.
I was glad to notice, that nobody had
changed any of the background mesas, that John Ford and many other
directors had used in countless Westerns.
After unhitching we took the loop road
in the valley, that was pretty potholed and in worse shape than I
remembered.
In the evening we watched the sunset
from the top of the cliff.
2006-09-27 Wednesday
Monument Valley, UT - day trip
to 4-corners - 200 miles; 4:30 hours
The Mexican Hat outside of the tiny
Utah village of the same name.
Took a loop drive to see the four
corners. US 163 to Aneth, UT where there is a producing oil field,
then briefly on US 41 a dip into Colorado, then came the four corners
Tribal Park.
The only point in the US where four
states (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona) share a common point. At
that intersection is a big plaque on the ground, where by
scientifically placing your hands and feet, you can be in all four
states at the same time.
From there we took US 160 west to
Kayenta, AZ and than US 163 north back to our parked rigs.
Again watching the sunset and having a
good time together, even so we had to drink the wine out of colored
plastic cups, in order to conceal the alcohol.
I believe there was no harm done in
breaking the Navajo tribal rules about no alcohol on the Res.
2006-09-28 Thursday
Monument Valley
Mostly just couching out, with a brief
visit to Goulding's Trading Post.
Much too commercial and touristy.
I was surprised about the low cost of
food and the good variety available in the Goulding's grocery
store and the low price of Diesel.
2006-09-29 Friday
Monument Valley to Torrey, UT
- 200 miles; 6:15 hours
Left Monument Valley in the morning,
while a Hot Air Balloon waved us good-bye.
After Mexican Hat we took US 261 north
toward Natural Bridges National Monument.
The Mokee Dugway is located on Utah
Route 261 just north of Mexican Hat, UT. It was constructed in 1958 by
Texas Zinc, a mining company, to transport uranium ore from the "Happy
Jack" mine in Fry Canyon, UT. to the processing mill in Mexican Hat.
The three miles of unpaved, but well graded, switchbacks descend 1100
feet from the top of Cedar Mesa.
Cedar Mesa from top of Moki
Dugway
The State of Utah recommends that
only vehicles less than 28 feet in length and 10,000 pounds in weight
attempt to negotiate this steep (10% grade), narrow and winding road.
My rig is 46 feet total length and
16,000# and Dierck's is 50 feet and 23,000#.
I consulted with Dierck and we both
felt, that driven carefully, it should not be a problem. This proofed
to be true, 2nd gear and occasionally first was necessary, but we were
rewarded with spectacular views of the switchbacks and the valley
floor below.
A Virtual Reality picture from the top of the dugway is
here.
The next stop was at the Natural
Bridges National Monument.
"Bridges" are formed by water, "Arches" are formed by wind erosion and
through the expansion/contraction due to the temperature differences
between night and day.
Within the winding corridors of White
and Armstrong canyons, water has eroded the stone walls to form three
massive bridges. The natural bridges remained known only to the
Anasazi and other American Indian tribes until 1883, when Cass Hite, a
gold prospector, first entered the area from a remote mining camp on
the Colorado River.
All three bridges can be viewed from overlooks accessible by short
walks from a scenic 9-mile loop drive.
The three natural bridges were named after Hopi Indian terms that
relate to their characteristics.
The Sipapu Bridge, the longest and
highest, is 268 feet long, 31 feet wide, 53 feet thick and 220 feet
high. The second largest natural bridge in the world, Sipapu
represents a mature stage in the evolution of a natural bridge.
Kachina Bridge crosses the stream bed at a height of 210 feet. The
most massive bridge, Kachina is 204 feet long, 44 feet wide and 93
feet thick.
Owachomo Bridge, the smallest and
oldest, is a narrow strip of rock only 9 feet thick in the center and
27 feet wide. Spanning 180 feet, Owachomo is in a late stage of
erosion and is approaching the day when weather and gravity will bring
it crashing to the canyon floor.
Crossing of the Colorado River at Hite.
Looking back towards Hite Bridge
across what used to be Lake Powell.
All the green areas were under water, when the lake level was 100 feet
higher than it is today.
Refueled in Hanksville and then drove
on US 24 West towards Capitol Reef NP and the town of Torrey, UT.
2006-09-30 Saturday
Torrey, UT - Day trip to
Capitol Reef NP - 60 miles; 4:15 hours
Picture Album is here
2006-10-01 Sunday
Torrey, UT - Day trip on Notom
Road and Burr Trail via Boulder and US 12 -
130 miles; 4:30 hours
Picture Album is here
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