Perfect Weekend

Udink

Still right here.
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
1,691
'Twas a perfect weekend. Wade put this trip together in August but then had to back out, so it ended up being me, Alan, Lyman, Paul, and a last-minute addition of John. I was riding along with Alan and we'd planned on meeting the rest of the group at our campsite along the Flint Trail at 10AM on Friday. On our way through Wellington we ran into Paul and John and convoyed with them the rest of the way. I'd sold my toy hauler to Alan earlier this year and he was towing it behind his F-250. It was strange being in my old trailer after it no longer belonged to me, though it sure was nice having some amenities on this trip--otherwise I'd have been sleeping in the back of my Jeep. Lyman arrived while we set up camp, then we all hopped on our bikes and rode into the Orange Cliffs unit of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.


Highway 6 at sunrise with the La Sals in the distance
DSCF0141.JPG


Truck and trailer shadow
DSCF0147.JPG


Following Paul and John to the campsite
DSCF0152.JPG


Thattaway
DSCF0159.JPG



Since everyone had spent the morning traveling, the plan was to do the shortest ride and hike on Friday, which was to Perfect Panel and a couple of other nearby rock art sites. We encountered three vehicles near the trailhead but parked our motorcycles in the next drainage where there was more room. There were a fair number of footprints in the wash bottom before us. After a short hike through the canyon and down a cattle trail blasted into the sandstone, we found the first pictographs of the trip. This panel, called Imperfect Panel, was obviously once quite nice, though the poor surface on which it was painted has spalled away and left it an unfortunate, crumbling mess. Below the rock art were a few cyst granaries and a Ned Chaffin inscription from 1933.


Hiking to Perfect Panel
DSCF0169.JPG


Cottonwoods at the first drop
DSCF0179.JPG


Blasted cattle trail
DSCF0183.JPG


Imperfect Panel
DSCF0202.JPG


Imperfect Panel
DSCF0207.JPG


Cyst granary at Imperfect Panel
DSCF0217.JPG


Chert blade
DSCF0227.JPG


Ned Chaffin, August 17, 1933
DSCF0233.JPG



Farther down the canyon we bumped into a party of five to whom the three vehicles at the trailhead belonged to. It wasn't until a couple of days later that I found out one of the guys is a mutual Instagram follower, desertrush. We followed the canyon yet deeper, downclimbing a couple of easy drops, and ended up at the quite Perfect Panel. It's in amazingly good shape, though there were a couple of peculiarities about it. One figure has been modified by pecking/rubbing, and between the two halves of the panel are a few splotches of white paint that may be part of some unfinished art. As we were finishing up at Perfect Panel another group of three were working their way down the canyon, one of whom, Morris, I recognized from photos I'd seen on the BCS Project website. After some rock art conversation with that group, we headed to another alcove with some small but extremely interesting pictographs. Paul had been there many years ago when the alcove was easily accessible, but now due to some rockfall it was difficult to access. I climbed up adjacent to the same level as the alcove but didn't dare make the move across some loose, sloping ledges leading into it. We had to settle for zoomed-in photos from afar. This evening, at least, we made it back to camp before dark.


Hiking to Perfect Panel
DSCF0241.JPG


Dropping down another level
DSCF0248.JPG


Perfect Panel
DSCF0252.JPG


Left side of Perfect Panel
DSCF0253.JPG


Left side detail
DSCF0265.JPG


Right side of Perfect Panel
DSCF0254.JPG


Interesting modification
DSCF0257.JPG


Right side detail
DSCF0274.JPG


Me at Perfect Panel (courtesy of Lyman Forsythe)
12171232_10201128151001919_1439006502_o.jpg


Bobcat track
DSCF0282.JPG


Inaccessible alcove
DSCF0289.JPG


Pictographs in the inaccessible alcove
DSCF0292.JPG


The Sewing Machine
DSCF0319.JPG


Almost back to camp on day one
DSCF0322.JPG



Saturday was our longest ride and hike, and the ride was something that I feared. I'd driven my F-250 into the Maze three years earlier and knew what the road was like, and I wasn't confident enough in my skills to get a motorcycle through the same roads. I'm not sure whether having some very experienced riders with me helped to boost my confidence, or perhaps the fear of being left behind lit a fire under my ass, but I made it through the rough roads around the head of Teapot Canyon without incident. In addition to surviving the ride, the weather had cooperated so far despite a 60% chance of rain and left us with good road and hiking conditions. We found ourselves near Range Canyon to search out a pictograph panel. First, though, came a stop at Cedar Bark Ruin and Lou's Spring, at the latter of which I saw the very first tarantula that I'd ever seen. I, of course, screamed like a girl and swore when I noticed it.


Morning of day two
DSCF0330.JPG


Little Rockies in the distance
DSCF0337.JPG


Pinnacle at Andy Miller Flats
DSCF0340.JPG


Entering the Orange Cliffs Unit (no, no, no, no, no)
DSCF0345.JPG


Road junction at Waterhole Flat (photo by Lyman Forsythe)
DSCF0347.JPG


Paul riding at Waterhole Flat
DSCF0356.JPG


Lyman rallying the ledges at Teapot Canyon
DSCF0363.JPG


Mother and Child
DSCF0368.JPG


Scrambling into the canyon
DSCF0390.JPG


Walking a ledge toward Cedar Bark Ruin
DSCF0398.JPG


Cedar Bark Ruin
DSCF0409.JPG


Alcove view
DSCF0428.JPG


Lou's Spring
DSCF0446.JPG


Tarantula
DSCF0451.JPG



Only Lyman, Alan, and I continued on to the pictograph panel while Paul and John headed back to the bikes. We found the pictographs and I was surprised that I'd only seen maybe half of it in photos on the internet. The left half of the panel is well-preserved while the center and right half is so badly faded that even heavily-manipulated photos can't possibly bring out much detail.


Hiking down the canyon
DSCF0472.JPG


Range Canyon panel
DSCF0478.JPG


Range Canyon panel
DSCF0493.JPG


Range Canyon panel
DSCF0500.JPG


Range Canyon panel
DSCF0505.JPG



It felt like a long-ish hike back to the trailhead where Paul and John were waiting. The instant we arrived it began sprinkling, and the light shower gradually increased in intensity. Everybody donned rain gear for the long ride back to camp. After less than half an hour, however, the rain had ceased and we stopped to shed layers in an effort to cool down. This trip surprised me by how much of a workout riding a dirt bike can be. We had just barely enough daylight to visit two more pictograph panels before reaching camp. I had coordinates for both but had never seen any photos and didn't know what to expect. The entire group was blown away by the quality and detail at both sites despite them not being well-known. With the light fading quickly I was only able to get some blurry, grainy photos of the rock art. The last hour of the ride back to camp was entirely in the dark. That was a new experience for me, and an unfortunate way for me to learn that the headlight on my motorcycle wasn't aimed correctly.


Out of Range Canyon
DSCF0520.JPG


Donning rain gear before riding
20151017_160142.jpg


Alcove
DSCF0543.JPG


Alcove panel 1
DSCF0555.JPG


Alcove panel 1
DSCF0558.JPG


Alcove panel 1
DSCF0563.JPG


Alcove panel 1
DSCF0566.JPG


Sunset light on the cliffs
DSCF0583.JPG


Rounded point
DSCF0587.JPG


Alcove panel 2
DSCF0592.JPG


Alcove panel 2
DSCF0602.JPG


Crescent moon
DSCF0606.JPG



Since we'd accomplished all we came to do on Friday and Saturday, Sunday turned out to be a leisurely day of packing up camp and heading home. Well, that is, until Lyman got two flat trailer tires on the way north on UT-95. Alan and I stopped to help change the first flat tire despite Lyman's protests, which was fortuitous 'cause that meant we were around for the second flat tire a short way down the road. One might not think it would be easy to find a tire shop open in Hanksville on a Sunday, but after inquiring at Stan's, Lyman found that Dave at Rabbitbrush Repair had a new tire for a reasonable price and could mount it up right then. We drove Lyman and his new tire back to his truck and then headed separate ways toward our respective homes.


Morning of day three
DSCF0613.JPG


Formations near camp
DSCF0616.JPG


Rock Canyon
DSCF0625.JPG


Back to the highway
DSCF0631.JPG


Scenic place for a flat tire
20151018_125851.jpg


Dave at Rabbitbrush Repair replacing a tire
DSCF0634.JPG



Riding a motorcycle into the Orange Cliffs/Maze area was certainly a fast and efficient mode of travel. I could've done it in my Grand Cherokee but wouldn't have liked the unavoidable wear-and-tear. In all we rode 125 miles, hiked a dozen or so miles, visited seven rock art sites, and saw soot-stained alcoves too numerous to keep track of. This trip was great because we crammed a lot of the good stuff into a couple of days. A future trip to the area could be just as rewarding without any itinerary or list of sites to visit--I'm sure there's something interesting out there waiting to be discovered again.


Photo Gallery: Perfect Weekend
 
Wow. That sure does look like a perfect weekend. Thanks for the awesome report.
 
I have to say wow too. It does look like a perfect weekend. Makes me wish I had been along.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
SteveR A Perfect Winter's Day Winter Sports 2
balzaccom The perfect campsite...or more Trip Planning 2
gnwatts Perfect Kiva Loop Backpacking 21
Laura Looking for the perfect town to retire in a la "Northern Exposure" General Discussion 71
IntrepidXJ Slickhorn Perfect Kiva Hiking & Camping 4
Moabchic78 Perfect Fall Drive!! Off Road 1
IntrepidXJ Buiding My Perfect Backcountry Tripod Photography 16
Outdoors24 A weekend on the Pony Express Trail Off Road 2
V four day backpacking trip in southern Utah starting this weekend Trip Planning 4
kwc A Paddling Weekend in the Adirondacks On The Water 1
T Salt Creek this weekend Trip Planning 1
Janice Family trip to Grand Teton Memorial Day weekend? Trip Planning 5
T Harris Wash/Silver Falls/Choprock/Fence Canyon Loop MLK weekend 2022 Backpacking 8
T Southern Utah Backpacking ideas for MLK Weekend? Trip Planning 21
P Yellowstone Snake River weekend Backpacking 7
regehr Uintas this weekend? Trip Planning 4
TrektheWorld Utah Trip - last weekend of October 2021 Meet Up (Members Only) 2
TrektheWorld Where should I go this weekend? Trip Planning 7
IntrepidXJ Memorial Day Weekend 2020 General Discussion 22
powderglut Hanksville Area/ Weekend Meet-Up 2019 Hiking & Camping 7
P Goose Lake weekend Backpacking 10
zionsky TR: A long weekend in Baxter Backpacking 7
Perry My First Multi-day Solo this Weekend - Looking for some Beta Trip Planning 0
fossana Arscenic, Slideanide, Clearwater, and Easter Pasture Canyons 4fer weekend Canyoneering 11
fossana San Rafael Swell MTB and salvaged packraft weekend Everything Else 13
LarryBoy Going South this Weekend? Meet Up (Members Only) 4
Hawk Utah : Lone Peak : This Weekend? Trip Planning 11
Jazzy Joe A Lucky Weekend above the Vermilion Cliffs Hiking & Camping 8
Yvonne A weekend in the Uintas Hiking & Camping 10
Stephanie Winter weekend trip with some hiking Trip Planning 3
Yvonne A long weekend in Tucson, April 2017 Everything Else 10
kwc Father's Day weekend in the Adirondacks Backpacking 2
Nick Invite BCP BBQ in Salt Lake area this weekend! Meet Up (Members Only) 61
wabenho Memorial Weekend Family Campout Hiking & Camping 2
SteveR Alberta Skiing Weekend Winter Sports 11
misSOULa Weekend in Moab Hiking & Camping 6
Miya Waterfall Weekend Hiking & Camping 14
RyanP Little Wild Horse tips for this weekend? Deep cold water in canyon? Trip Planning 5
Ugly McPheters and Middle Basin -Labor Day Weekend 2017 Backpacking 16
blueeyes Trail Flats Labor Day Weekend 2017 Backpacking 11
WasatchWill Allsop Lake or 'All Slop' Lake? A weekend well spent. Backpacking 24
Seamus NYC weekend tripper, occasional big treks! Noobs: Introduce yourself! 2
mathew Uintas this weekend Trip Planning 0
kimbur96 Weekend at Spruce Grove CG with hiking in Lost Creek Wilderness Hiking & Camping 1
Nanda Escalante Area - Memorial Day weekend Hiking & Camping 5
Stickerbumper Zion Traverse Memorial Day Weekend - Shuttle Meet Up (Members Only) 0
Mike Jones Snowshoeeing trip to Yosemite last weekend! Backpacking 4
J Avoiding Weekend Crowds - Tetons vs. Wind Rivers Trip Planning 11
Scott Chandler Valley of 10,000 Smokes Memorial Weekend Backpacking 9
swmalone Hiking options in the Uintas this weekend Trip Planning 2

Similar threads

Back
Top