John Fowler

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Jan 17, 2012
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On Sunday, May 6, my wife Jo and I picked up ladigue_99 (henceforth known as Ladigue) at the Albuquerque airport. She was arriving from Italy for a two-week journey through the southwest. Jo accompanied us for the first leg of the trip, to White Sands, and then departed for her own adventure in Orlando. This report of Ladigue’s and my adventure over the next two weeks will be presented here in parts. I will add subsequent installments as additions to this thread as I get them written.

Note: Ladigue’s comments will be posted in blue. Some of these photos were taken by Ladigue, and some by me.

Ladigue has seen more of the area than I have, so it was definitely not a case of me showing her the sights. We stayed in motels except for one night of camping at White Pocket.

Ladigue: Actually I had seen the main tourist attractions, National Parks and the big cities, but this time John showed me the most secluded geologic wonders, that I would never have seen without his knowledge of the trails and his GPS!


On May 7 we set out for White Sands. Our first stop was Valley of Fires Recreation Area, among the lava flows of the Tularosa Valley, just outside Carrizozo, NM. (Don’t confuse the name with Valley of Fires State Park, in Nevada. We’ll get there eventually.) The site, run by the BLM, has a walking path about half a mile long. Colorful cactus blooms decorated the dark gray lava forms.

Ladigue: Having always travelled in July/September, this year I saw for the first time the different cacti in full bloom, what a treat!

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Then we checked in at the motel in Alamogordo and took the 20-mile drive out to White Sands National Monument. There were nice mid-afternoon clouds and we strolled around for a while taking photos before returning to Alamogordo for dinner.

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Afterwards, the sky became darker as blustery winds picked up the sand and carried it around. Ladigue and I decided to drive back out to the sands for sunset.

As we were walking among the dunes the wind was blowing in gusts, raising diaphanous sheets of fine gypsum sand into the air and moving them by like spirit ghosts before dissipating into the air.

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At one moment, a sudden sweet aroma filled the air. I looked down into the bowl in front of me to see hundreds of pink flowers about 50 feet below. Then, as fast as it came, the perfume was gone.

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Suddenly the wind gusted and I could see a wall of gypsum coming toward me. I hastened down the slope into a bowl for cover, but I didn't make it. Suddenly the wind was howling around me and I had to stop and brace myself. My eyes were closed. Ladigue, standing next to me, said that for a few seconds there was a complete white-out. She couldn't see me two feet away.

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Then a very strange, almost mystical, event unfolded. The gypsum-laden wind swirling around me became wet. The dampness gave a heft to the air and I could feel it like a cloth rubbing around me. It was exhilarating. Then it was over.

Ladigue said it best. She called it a caress.

Ladigue: It surprised me that this sand didn’t hurt, I had experienced a sand storm in Namibia and it hurt like needles on my skin scorched by the sun!

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The next day we drove back to our home in Placitas, were we spent the night. Along the way we stopped about 20 miles south of Socorro to walk over to Greg Reiche's 30 foot tall steel and glass sculpture, "Camino de Suenos", just a few hundred feet east I-25 and seeming to rise up out of the ground.

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Then we drove on through Bosque del Apache. The birds of winter are long gone, but we saw a few herons, ducks, and turtles, and several deer.

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Ladigue: And you showed me the lovely little town of Truth or Consequences! When I was a child I read its name on a map and I wanted to see how it looked.

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On Wednesday, May 9, Ladigue and I got in the Tundra and began the rest of our trip, heading northwest up US 550. Our first destination was Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah, a Wilderness Study Area that is like the Bisti badlands but much smaller. I had been there once before, taking SR 50 at Blanco Trading Post, around marker 123, for 18 miles. This time I wanted to make a shortcut, leaving the highway at Nageezi. This part of the country is a maze of intersecting dirt roads of varying quality, only some of them marked with signs. But I had prepared a map and tried to check the quality of the roads beforehand by following them on Google Earth. And it worked! After about 16 miles we reached the double-track turnoff that leads north for about half a mile, right up to the canyon edge. You are at the hoodoos as soon as you step out of the vehicle.

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After a little climb down into the canyon, the route follows the wash westward for about a quarter of a mile, where the canyon opens up on the right side into a wide flat plain. The cliff walls on the left and the canyon floor contain many interesting formations for the next mile.

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Notice my shoes in the next picture. I was lying on my back to get the shot of sky through the little opening in the rock. This may be where I picked up the bugs whose bites plagued me for the next few days. Remember these feet; we will encounter this strange phenomenon of shoe photography again in a few days at Cassidy Arch.

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Eventually we turned around and retraced our path back up the wash and to the truck. Then, instead of returning to US 550, we continued northwest until we reached SR 371 going to Farmington. Along the way we passed a stock tank with about a dozen horses standing around. We stopped the truck and took some pictures as the horses approached.

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Next we headed into Arizona and then up toward Bluff, UT. We drove around in Valley of the Gods and stopped at one point to walk up into one of the canyons on the west side.

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Then it was on to Blanding for the night.

Ladigue: Where John was bitten by the bed bugs!

Well, actually, in all fairness to the motel, I think I got bitten while lying on the ground in Valley of the Gods taking pictures. At any rate, my arms and one leg and the top of my head broke out in isolated bumps that itched for several days.

On Thursday we headed up the road toward Moab, stopping at the Hole N the Rock for a few tourist photos.

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Just past Moab, we turned on Potash Road and drove to the Corona Arch trailhead. On the hike out we encountered some folks from Brooklyn, NY. We passed them and reached the arch a little before noon. After taking some shots, we sat in the shade of the arch and ate our Subway sandwiches.

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I noticed two young women beneath the arch. One of them was sitting on the ground, and beside her, the other was lying on her back with her feet up in the air. I said, "I'm not even going to ask", and the other girl replied that her friend photographs her shoes wherever she goes and puts the pictures on the Internet!

As we hiked back down the trail, we met more people heading in.

Then it was on to the Fisher Towers, along Route 128 northeast of Moab. This scenic road follows the Colorado River through winding canyons. I had wanted to see the towers after viewing the Citibank commercial with the climbers (Katie Brown and Alex Honnold) that ends with the woman standing on top of one of the tall, slender spires. The music is from "Into the Wild" by LP. If you're interested, you can find the commercial on youtube.


As we drove up the road to the parking lot, Ladigue spotted some unusual blooming cacti (she always sees these things first) and we stopped to take a few shots.

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Then we took the trail around and into the towers. We saw a lizard and the first of several snakes (yellow and black, about five feet long) on this trip. The light was not the best for photography, but we grabbed a few "I was there" shots anyway.

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We drove up to I-70 and back to Green River for the first of two nights.

The next day, Friday, May 11, we drove back to Arches National Park because Ladigue wanted to see Sand Dune Arch. She had been there a while back and wanted to see if the small cave at the base of the arch was visible. It was partially covered with sand the last time she was there. Alas, we found that the cave is no longer there.

Here’s Ladigue’s shot from 1997:

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And mine from May 11:

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The main event of the day was to be the hike to False Kiva in Island in the Sky. I had the GPS programmed with some waypoints along the trail. We stopped in the Visitor Center and asked if they had any special information, and were told just to be careful not to disturb the archeological work. We found the parking area and headed back up the road looking for signs of a trail. It hadn't rained in a while, so there were footprints all over the place. I wasn't expecting much of a trail, so the first place we came to that had more than the usual number of footprints seemed like the right place to leave the road. My guy-ness prevented me from checking the GPS. We turned too soon, a fact that became apparent after about a mile, when we came to the top of the mesa. We could see the trail about 100 feet away and maybe 300 feet below. So we backtracked, looking for a route down the mesa to the trail. We ended up walking all the way back to the highway. Actually, these "bonus miles" were fun too. The real trail turned out to be well-defined, and we made our way to False Kiva without further incident. I checked the GPS continually.

Ladigue: I must say that I really enjoyed the double hike!

It got kind of rocky near the end, but we didn't have any problems. As we approached, we saw a couple of guys on the way back. I asked them "Backcountrypost.com?", and got some funny looks. I guess not …

Ladigue: I think that Backcountrypost.com could also print some smaller stickers to put on the camera straps or on the backpack.

This shot is from the large alcove that you reach just before False Kiva, which is just to the left.

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And here is Ladigue’s shot of False Kiva.

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When we got there, we found a couple who had been there several times. We took some photos and observed that clouds were moving in. Soon there wasn't much blue sky left. We had the choice of sitting around until sunset and hoping that the clouds would blow away, or starting back to the truck. There was a military ammunition box in the back of the cave with some information about the place and a notebook where visitors could write comments. Some of them were interesting to read. Then we decided it was time to leave. Just before that, a young guy with what appeared to be a light set showed up. He didn't say anything, so I'm guessing that he was European and didn't speak much English. We encountered some light rain on the walk back.

Note: I made a 360 degree interactive VR movie of False Kiva. You can see it at my photo web site:

http://www.lumenetic.com/vr_files/falsekiva/falsekiva.htm

or, just go to www.lumenetic.com and click on “Virtual Reality” in the header to see all of my VR movies.

We drove over to the Green River Overlook and then down to Grand VIew Point before returning to Green River for the night.

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On Saturday, May 12, we left Green River behind. Our first stop was Little Wild Horse Canyon. By the time we got there, about 30 vehicles filled the parking lot and people were starting to park along the road. There were lots of young families out for a day trip. After we got on the short trail to the canyon, we didn't see many people. Just past the entrance of the canyon there is a dryfall about eight feet high that can be climbed, or you can take a path up and around. We chose the path. We took our time, shooting many coves and rock formations. We continued into the second narrows until we reached the point where it would take a bit of climbing and turned around there.

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On the way back, as we approached the dryfall from the top, a couple of teenagers came sprinting down the canyon. They ran right off the top of the dryfall and hit the ground at the bottom, barely missing a stride. Encouraged by this youthful show of elan and energy, I decided to try the dryfall myself. I sat on the top and gently moved down to a rock outcrop just below. My camera pack had me wedged in, and I was starting to slide off the rock. I began to worry that I could twist my ankle on the landing, so I shouted for Ladigue to help me get my pack off so that I could go back up. My arm got caught in the pack, but she got it off and I backed up onto the top. Then we took the path around.

Then we went on to Capitol Reef. We stopped at the Visitor Center and asked about how to get to Cassidy Arch, since our map showed a couple of possibilities. We drove up the scenic drive and turned left onto the dirt road that led to the parking lot. The ranger had told us that about a third of a mile down the trail there would be a sign for the arch trail splitting off to the left. He said that the sign wasn't easy to spot. We looked for it but missed it because you can't see it until you are almost past it. Nevertheless, the views were majestic.

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After about a mile, we turned around and found the trail marker on the way back. There we began the steep ascent to the arch.

Along the way we saw some rocks with unusual interior structures.

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Eventually we came around a curve and saw the arch not far away.

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We continued on relatively level terrain but lost sight of the arch. We encountered one hiker who was returning and he encouraged us to continue to the end of the trail, which comes out behind and almost on top of the arch. Eventually we got there and decided that it was worth the effort to see down into the bottom.

In the next photo, Ladigue is sitting on top of the arch.

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Just to the south side of the top there was a little depression with a couple of trees and a smaller (about one foot tall) arch.

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Next we drove over to the Bentonite Hills area. There is a dirt road about ten miles east of the Visitor Center that soon crosses the Fremont River. The crossing is diagonal, with the exit about 100 feet downstream from the entrance. There was a fair amount of water in the river, so we got out of the truck and I waded halfway across to measure the depth. It came up to just below my knees, which I thought would be OK. When I got back to shore, Ladigue said "But you didn't go all the way across. It could be deeper near the other side." She had a point, so I waded back in and all the way to the other side.

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Then we got in the truck and drove across without any problems. I think it would have been too deep for a vehicle with less clearance.

Ladigue: I’m probably too cautious!

After a few miles we arrived at the colorful Bentonite Hills. We walked around for about an hour late in the afternoon taking pictures. It was a bit of a disappointment for us. I'm sure there's a great picture there somewhere, but we didn't find it.

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The road continues to Cathedral Valley, but it was too late for us so we turned around and drove to the Rodeway Inn in Caineville for the night. (Actually the Rodeway Inn IS Caineville. There's nothing else there.)

Ladigue: Actually I liked the colored hills near Old Paria much more than the Bentonite Hills!

Stay tuned! Part II coming soon.

Featured image for slideshow:
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Thank you John for this great TR! I will keep it as my best souvenir from our MayAdventure™.
I'm grateful that you took the time to write it and I think you are really a great storyteller!
 
On Sunday, May 6, my wife Jo and I picked up ladigue_99 (henceforth known as Ladigue) at the Albuquerque airport. She was arriving from Italy for a two-week journey through the southwest. Jo accompanied us for the first leg of the trip, to White Sands, and then departed for her own adventure in Orlando. This report of Ladigue’s and my adventure over the next two weeks will be presented here in parts. I will add subsequent installments as additions to this thread as I get them written.
John and Ladigue - this is a wonderful blog/photo trip report - loved seeing the pics and stories - thanks,

Greg Rodgers aka "beautythief" on flickr
 
Wow! You guys were all over the place! How exciting, and a great TR. Nice to read the narrations and see the great photos!
 
Great TR and pics, particularly the White Sands shots which are very nice, beautiful textures.
Greg
 
Road Trip, Part 2
This continues the report of the road trip that ladigue_99 and I took on May 6-19, 2012.

Escalante, Hole-in-the-rock, Zebra, Neon -- hearing these words will quicken the heart of anyone who has been to this part of the beautiful southwest. If the first part of this trip report was the Appetizer, this part will be the Main Course.

Leaving Caineville for Escalante, we turned onto Hole in the Rock Road for the drive to the third cattle guard and the parking area for Zebra Canyon. There were three cars parked there already as we got out, put on our packs, crossed the road, and started down the well-defined trail. Soon we saw three people returning, and they told us that the canyon was dry.

The wash meanders as it leads to the intersection with Harris Wash, and it crisscrosses and the trail, which is straighter, several times. The trail is easier to walk on, but the wash is flatter. Eventually I decided that we should take the wash for a change of pace, until the next trail crossing. As it turned out, the trail didn't cross the wash again, and the wash branched off near the end. So I was starting to get worried when finally we reached the sandy entrance to Zebra.

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We took the short walk in until we got to the steep end of the canyon. As we turned around I noticed a small bird flying back and forth above us. As I remarked to Ladigue about this, she said, "Look, a bird's nest -- with eggs." And there it was, at eye level right beside me. We took a few quick shots and headed back up the trail.

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Back in the truck, we drove about 20 miles farther down the road to Dance Hall Rock.

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Ladigue had told me about some large depressions in the top of the rock that had trees and other plants growing in them. We went around the south side of the rock and found a relatively easy way to climb up. Sure enough, there were several bowls of different sizes, 30 or 40 feet deep with steep sides. It made me wonder how these were made. There was no exit, so how did the rock erode away?

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There were many interesting-looking places nearby, but we soon left without further exploration for the short drive back and up Forty-mile Ridge Road. As we started up the hill to the water tank, we could see our next destination about a mile to the south -- Sunset Arch.

We found a nice turnout before reaching the water tank and parked for the cross-country walk to the arch.

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Once we were there, I pointed out another arch, called Sunrise Arch, about a quarter of a mile away, and Ladigue immediately wanted to go there.

You can see Sunrise Arch framed by Sunset Arch in this photo.

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As we walked over, we came upon a remarkable little rock sitting on three legs.

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Here’s Ladigue’s version:

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It looked so unstable that at first I thought it must have ben set up there by someone as a joke. But on closer inspection, I could see that the legs were part of the underlying rock. It looked like a strong wind could blow the whole thing down, but there it stood as it has for probably thousands of years. Maybe it will fall tomorrow. Maybe it will remain long after people are gone.

After this triple-play day we drove to Escalante for the night. The next day would be the most challenging, and potentially the most rewarding, day of our journey -- Neon Canyon and the Golden Cathedral.

So, the next morning, Monday, May 14, we found ourselves back on Hole in the Rock Road at the Egypt turnoff. This road starts out easy but gets rougher as it goes, until it ends in a parking area after about 10 miles. Sand was never a problem -- just a few bumpy places. Near the end we stopped to peer over the edge of a deep, steep canyon. As we were getting back into the Tundra, we were passed by another vehicle.

There were several cars in the parking lot, mostly from a group of campers down by the river. The guy who had passed us was getting ready for the hike down slick rock to the river, and we started before him but he soon passed us. There is an option for taking a short cut to Neon Canyon by hiking directly across the desert after the initial slick rock descent. I had been inclined to take this because it saves you about half a mile and reduces the time in the river. But as we reached the bottom of the slick rock, it never became clear to me where to depart from the main trail. So we followed the footprints and trekking pole marks down the traditional route into Fence Canyon.

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It's about a 1,000 foot descent from the parking area down the slick rock to the river. After reaching the river one must head downstream for about half a mile to Neon Canyon, which splits off to the east. There are many trails through the willows and bushes as well as several river crossings. The river was never more than a foot deep.

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As we hiked up the canyon I remembered several features from my previous visit, so I was sure that we were on the right path. But eventually we came to a couple of rock falls that I didn't remember crossing before. My attention was diverted by this conundrum and my shoe slipped on the rock. I went down and skinned my elbow and banged the camera. Both seemed to be OK. I told Ladigue that I thought we had somehow lost the trail, even though this seemed impossible in this canyon that had no exits. She went forward about 100 yards and said, "Here it is!"

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Note: You can see my interactive 360 degree panorama of the Golden Cathedral at my web site. Here’s a link:

http://www.lumenetic.com/vr_files/goldencathedral/goldencathedral.htm

or you can just go to www.lumenetic.com and click on the Virtual Reality tab in the header to see all of my 360 panos.

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We spent a couple of hours in the Golden Cathedral. The guy who had passed us was there. He said that some climbers had gone up to the top and were going to rappel down through the holes. Eventually we got tired of waiting. The guy left and after a while we gathered up our stuff for the long hike back. I couldn't find my trekking pole. We looked around for a while and finally gave up. On the way out we encountered a group of five or six people who were just getting there.

Ladigue: I was surprised that the guy, who had been extremely friendly and talkative, had left without even saying good-bye...

After we reached the start of the climb into Fence Canyon we took a wrong turn and climbed about 200 feet before realizing our mistake. So we turned around and found the right trail. Then it was a slow and steady climb back up to the truck. In all, we did about 12 miles. It was a great day.

Ladigue: It was all my fault! I told John I had found the trail uphill but it was the wrong one, luckily he had his GPS and next time I'd better rely on it, instead of trying to remember the trail!

(Where’s the fun in that?)

The next day we left Escalante behind. The plan was to drive down Cottonwood Canyon Road to Yellow Rock. Although the initial climb on the trail was said to be steep, it was not a long hike and I looked forward to having a relatively restful day after Neon/Golden Cathedral.

At the end of the pavement on the road south from Cannonville there was a sign saying that Cottonwood Canyon Road was closed to through traffic. Ladigue suggested that we backtrack a couple of miles and take Skutumpah road. This turned out to be an excellent choice. We stopped at Bull Valley Gorge and took a short walk down the trail. Then we headed south again to the junction with Johnson Canyon Road, which we followed to the pavement of US 89.

Since we would be going right by the turnoff to Old Paria, I suggested that we take a five-mile detour to visit and take a break for lunch. There are picnic tables there, as well as a pit toilet. We liked the coloration in the hills there better than in the Bentonites.

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Ladigue: I was so glad that John showed me this incredibly beautiful place, and to think that it's only a short drive from UT 89!

Eventually we made our way back down US 89 to the southern end of Cottonwood Canyon Road. The sign there said "Closed in 15 miles". Since Yellow Rock was only 14 miles up the road, we took it.

The trail from the parking area begins by going south along the wash for a few hundred yards. Then the ascent begins by turning west and then north and starting up a steep rock face. As we ascended, the path became weaker and eventually ceased to exist. Ladigue, who climbs regularly in the Alps, was leading the way. This made it easier for me, since I could use her foot placements and handholds.
The rock was very loose and I wasn't looking forward to climbing down this steep and loose slope on the return. Eventually we got to the top. Looking west toward Yellow Rock, we could see the nice trail that we should have taken, about 50 feet to the west of and somewhat below our path. Fortunately we could descend to this path without having to climb back down.

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Ladigue: Having read on the trail description that it was a "Strenuous uphill hiking. There are sections of scrambling on a steep dirt hill with loose scree", I thought we were on the right path, but when we reached the top and I saw the real trail... I thought John would kill me for making him climb on that landslide!

(I’m glad we did it!)

It's still a little way from there to Yellow Rock, but the walk was easy. We climbed up the north face and went around to the west and then south before returning to the trail. Along the way Ladigue found an interesting little formation that she dubbed "The Frog".

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This is the route that we took up the hill.

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The return path, though steep, was nothing like as hard as the path up.

Walking back to the truck we met a man headed out with a full pack. He said that he was considering camping out. We told him not to take the first choice up the mesa unless he really wanted some adventure.

Then we drove on to Page, Arizona, for the night.

To be continued ...
 

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part 2 even better than part 1! love it! what a great trip!

Caineville: more than just the motel! east of there is a wonderful little place called the Mesa Farm Market run by Randy Ramsley.
wood fired oven bread, freshly ground & brewed coffee made to order and freshly made sandwiches, and best of all, most of his produce is grown there - plus he has a herd of goats and makes some magnificent premium goat cheeses which are featured at Cafe Diablo in Torrey as well as in some restaurants in the SLC area. (this is not the Luna Mesa cafe place, but, rather, the unassuming place to the east of it and also on the south side of the road.) Randy is an amazing and super friendly guy. I highly recommend that anyone passing through there stop in and say hello if you have the time.

Dancehall Rock: most likely those impressions on top with the trees are wind carved. also, remember that the navajo sandstone was once upon a time dunes, so it's not proper to imagine that layer as being consistently flat in terms of its original form, even though the upper layers have a flat unconformity in which the top layer was actually worn down & flattened before the Page & Carmel Layers were deposited.(there are at least 2 unconformities in the navajo like this - any time you see a flat horizontal line separating the crossbedding, that is a spot in which the land was worn flat between depositions - an area in which geologists have NO IDEA what happened or what was there due to it being removed before the deposition of the layers above it.)
geological diagrams unfortunately can put us in a mindset of there being defined flat transitions between layers, but that is usually not really the case (the Escalante River/Calf Creek confluence area is a prime example with the Kayenta ledges & sandstones of the Navajo being interbedded for a few hundred feet.)

Bentonite Hills Vs. Old Paria: different geological layers from different eras. Paria is in the Chinle and the Bentonite Hills are Morrison Formation.
Chinle known for petrified wood, Morrison known for dinosaur fossils. the banding in the Chinle is definitely more dramatic. I think that is true in the Circle Cliffs area as well.

it was great to actually see the depth of the Fremont River Crossing. now i know that when i finally head up to Cathedral Valley, I will take the Caineville Wash Road which is over by the Roadway Inn and does not cross the river. I don't think my AMC Eagle would make it through the Fremont very happily, if at all.

thanks for the awesome trip report!
 
part 2 even better than part 1! love it! what a great trip!

Caineville: more than just the motel! east of there is a wonderful little place called the Mesa Farm Market run by Randy Ramsley.
wood fired oven bread, freshly ground & brewed coffee made to order and freshly made sandwiches, and best of all, most of his produce is grown there - plus he has a herd of goats and makes some magnificent premium goat cheeses which are featured at Cafe Diablo in Torrey as well as in some restaurants in the SLC area. (this is not the Luna Mesa cafe place, but, rather, the unassuming place to the east of it and also on the south side of the road.) Randy is an amazing and super friendly guy. I highly recommend that anyone passing through there stop in and say hello if you have the time.

Dancehall Rock: most likely those impressions on top with the trees are wind carved. also, remember that the navajo sandstone was once upon a time dunes, so it's not proper to imagine that layer as being consistently flat in terms of its original form, even though the upper layers have a flat unconformity in which the top layer was actually worn down & flattened before the Page & Carmel Layers were deposited.(there are at least 2 unconformities in the navajo like this - any time you see a flat horizontal line separating the crossbedding, that is a spot in which the land was worn flat between depositions - an area in which geologists have NO IDEA what happened or what was there due to it being removed before the deposition of the layers above it.)
geological diagrams unfortunately can put us in a mindset of there being defined flat transitions between layers, but that is usually not really the case (the Escalante River/Calf Creek confluence area is a prime example with the Kayenta ledges & sandstones of the Navajo being interbedded for a few hundred feet.)

Bentonite Hills Vs. Old Paria: different geological layers from different eras. Paria is in the Chinle and the Bentonite Hills are Morrison Formation.
Chinle known for petrified wood, Morrison known for dinosaur fossils. the banding in the Chinle is definitely more dramatic. I think that is true in the Circle Cliffs area as well.

it was great to actually see the depth of the Fremont River Crossing. now i know that when i finally head up to Cathedral Valley, I will take the Caineville Wash Road which is over by the Roadway Inn and does not cross the river. I don't think my AMC Eagle would make it through the Fremont very happily, if at all.

thanks for the awesome trip report!
Wow!! Thanks for all the information. I apologize for dissing Caineville. I have seen the Mesa Farm Market but never stopped. I will next time! Regardless of how they were formed, the rocks are awesome to visit because they are so uncommon.
 
Thank you Intuitive cat for the interesting info!
And thanks again John for your TR, I blushed again when I read about the Yellow Rock trail!
 
Road Trip! Part 3

Part 1 was the Appetizer; Part 2, the Main Course. This, the final part, will be Dessert!

As we crossed into Arizona, we set our watches back an hour. The rest of the trip would be on either MST or PDT, which are the same.

Our first destination for Wednesday, May 16, would be Buckskin Gulch. We chose to enter via the Wire Pass trail. The trailhead parking area, a few miles down House Rock Valley Road, is shared by those who are hiking the Wave. There were lots of vehicles parked there by the time we arrived. The first part of the trail goes into a fairly wide wash for a couple of miles and narrows into a high-walled canyon after meeting Buckskin Gulch.

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We hiked about a mile further into Buckskin before turning around. We met several groups of people coming in each direction. The light in the gulch was quite nice, if not spectacular.

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We had to negotiate a few minor rocky places, but nothing seriously difficult.

Up and over!
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Ladigue had been here before, and she offered some useful comments along the way.

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Returning to the truck, we continued south on House Rock Valley Road, past Lone Tree Reservoir to the east turnoff on road 1017, continuing on until we passed the broken windmill. Then we turned north to Poverty Flat, then generally northeast to White Pocket. We had the place to ourselves.

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This would be my fourth trip to White Pocket and my third time camping there. By now I have gotten some confidence on my ability to get there without getting stuck in the sand or having blowouts on the sharp rocks. But still, it's never a sure thing. We had a shovel, air pump, carpet strips for traction, and plenty of food and water.

Ladigue: I was amazed at John's ability to drive in the deep sand! I would never have done it myself!

We spent the rest of the afternoon shooting the area, which can be covered in an hour, and returned to the truck to set up the tent. Since we were the only ones there, we camped right in the parking area.

Chimping away ...
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As darkness moved in, we turned in for sleep, Ladigue in the tent and me in the penthouse (back of the truck).

Ladigue: The tent and the sleeping bag were really comfortable, that night is one of my fave experiences of this trip! Thank you for lending me all the equipment, it would have been very complicated to bring everything from Italy!

I woke the next morning as the sky was starting to get a little light. I looked at my watch, which said 5:30, and got out and started the stove to make some hot water for coffee. As the water started to boil, I called out to Ladigue and told her that it was 5:45 and water was hot for coffee. She replied, "No, it's 4:45". I realized then that my watch had somehow jumped back to MDT. Nevertheless, the sky was getting brighter, so I set out for some sunrise shots as Ladigue drifted back into the soft arms of Morpheus.

Ladigue: I know I'm lazy in the morning!

White Pocket slopes gently to the southeast and is best photographed in morning light, about an hour after sunrise. Rocks on the northwestern side block the sun too early for good late afternoon light, except in a few areas. I walked around for about an hour before returning to the truck. Ladigue was up, and after some coffee and sweet rolls, we set out again. I should mention that White Pocket is only about 100 yards up a sandy trail from the parking area.

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She showed me some formations that she had seen on her first trip. Then we packed up and drove over to Coyote Buttes South, where we had a permit. From Poverty Flat we took the road north to Cottonwood Cove.

There is a parking pullout at Cottonwood Cove with a sign advising you not to continue due to deep sand. The road does go on to the north and down a moderate hill. I had driven down this hill in February and wanted to do it again to show Ladigue the Chess Queen (a.k.a. Totem Pole). Almost as soon as we started downhill I started having misgivings -- the sand was really deep. But, since there was no turning around, we continued for about a quarter of mile to a little pullout on the east side. We got out and took the short walk over to the Queen.

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We discussed hiking west from the truck into the formations that were about half a mile away, but neither of us wanted the thought hanging over us that we might not get the truck back up that hill. So we got in the truck, put it in "4 Lo" and kept the pedal down as the Tundra chugged right up the hill -- no problem!

Ladigue: The Chess Queen really impressed me, what a sight! Thank you John for showing me all the best formations and for driving along that awful trail!

We parked at the turnout at the top of the hill and set out for the formations to the northwest. Although I had been there before, I hadn't seen it all and Ladigue showed me some remarkable places. We still haven't seen it all and a return trip is high on my list. I like this place better than the Wave.

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We had a long ride ahead of us, so early in the afternoon we returned to House Rock Valley Road and continued south to US 89A, and on through Jacob Lake, Fredonia, and Colorado City, back into Utah, and on to Mesquite, Nevada. Along the way we stopped briefly at Pipe Springs National Monument -- not much to see there.

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We had rooms for $31.99 at the Virgin River Hotel and Casino, where there was already a big early-weekend crowd. For dinner we went over to the Chinese Restaurant in the Casa Blanca, on the other end of town. Ladigue reminded me that we had eaten there on our last trip, and the food was good.

The next morning, May 18, we set out for Valley of Fire State Park. At the west-side entrance, we got out to pay the fee and saw many interesting rocks with little caves and other formations nearby on the south side of the road. So we walked over and spent 20 minutes taking pictures. We could have stayed there all day.

Most of the photos that follow are by Ladigue. To see more of her work, visit her photostream at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladigue_99

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Then it was on to the Visitor Center and north up White Domes Road. We hiked up the little canyon known as "Pink Canyon" to the Fire Wave.

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We exited the canyon too soon, and as we hiked north looking for the Fire Wave, Ladigue showed me where it was. I didn't believe her and we continued another half mile and 500 feet up a steep hill before I decided that she was right. We climbed down and spent a few minutes there along with about 10 other people.

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Ladigue: John had to drag me away from that place, literally! I couldn't stop taking photos of the holes, the small arches and all the rock formations! The Fire Wave was a great surprise for me, it's just awesome! And to think that I had been there in 2008 without even knowing it existed!

Then we drove north to the last parking area, where we walked down and saw Crazy Hill and some neat arches.

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Finally, on the way out, I showed her the tiny formation called Windstone Arch.

Ladigue:John knows every corner of Valley of Fire! I hope to be able to go back again (with him) someday...
(Thanks to the Synnatschkes' PDF guide, which you can buy on the Internet.)

Then it was on to Las Vegas for the final night of our road trip. We walked around a bit and then had dinner at the Irish Pub in New York, New York. Then we said goodbye. Ladigue had to leave in the dark early morning hours for her return flight to Italy.

Ladigue:I want to add that during the two weeks we got along perfectly, we agreed on everything and I really enjoyed his company. John is curious about everything and he is never tired!

The next morning I awoke to a clear day. The light was bright and crisp. I walked down to the Tropicana in search of eggs benedict.
 

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Okay, so I finally got a chance to read through Part 1 and 2. I've been sooooo busy lately! Granted, it's been backpacking and playing outside so I shouldn't complain. Anyway, great stuff! I love those giant potholes on top of Dance Hall Rock! Oh, and great idea on the smaller stickers, I'm all over it! ;) Tomorrow, I'll catch up on part 3. :D
 
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