Visit our Popular Forums

juel · 05-06-2008, 12:32 AM

Wow, and I thought I was educated. Have a safe trip and let your brain rest. I got worn out just trying to pronounce the courses you teach.

Gene · 05-06-2008, 10:18 AM

There seem to be a lot of advanced degrees around here. Rodney teaches all those things that made me study history and law.

I'm getting wired thinking about traveling in 13 days to NYC—not exactly the same kind of trip, but we love to travel.

Enjoy your trip Rodney and maybe you'll find yourself at the Shrine Pass rally.

Gene

pmclemore · 05-06-2008, 10:20 AM

Happy trails. I look forward to your updates.

Pat

vswingfield · 05-06-2008, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

WOW this puppy is wide. Took a run out to the refuge to try it out...

Hi Rodney,

Have a good trip. What are the details on the lens?

Boondocker · 05-06-2008, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vswingfield

Hi Rodney,

Have a good trip. What are the details on the lens?

It is the sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6. I acquired it to go with the 18-55mm nikor to round out the lower end of the focal lengths. The 10-20 is definitely a lens for when you are right on top of what you are photographing. I figure I will either love this lens or sell it at the end of the summer.

Boondocker · 05-07-2008, 09:48 AM

Just a few more days to go, turned in grades yesterday and need to spend the day preparing, however, its a steady rain out there this morning. Usally, the camper doesnt leak much but today there are plenty

.

So much to do in the last days, I'm still going back and forth on getting an unbrella shade and folding picknick table. Maybe a box of large format film, extra battery for the camera......

Can anyone tell me about the camping at Canyonlands NP in the Island in the sky district, or other camping options in the area? Is Dead Horse hard to get into?

vswingfield · 05-07-2008, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

It is the sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6. I acquired it to go with the 18-55mm nikor to round out the lower end of the focal lengths. The 10-20 is definitely a lens for when you are right on top of what you are photographing. I figure I will either love this lens or sell it at the end of the summer.

Hi Rodney,

Keep me informed about how you like the lens. I got a 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 when I bough a Sony Alpha, since the widest lens I had were a 28mm and a 28-135. I really don't use the ranges between 18 and 28 that often. I have a lot of other Minolta glass that rounds out my selection above that.

Sorry about the leaks. Finals just started today at UALR. Have a great trip.

pmclemore · 05-07-2008, 10:35 AM

Oooh oooh. Rodney!

When you get in the Canyonlands area, plan to camp at Goblin Valley State Park - Nice place, and strange formations. Also, you can then drive across the road (several miles) and take the hike in the Horseshoe Canyon unit of Canyonlands - this canyon is where some of the most spectacular pictographs are. I'll attach some pics, but they don't match up to what yours would look like.

Pat

pmclemore · 05-07-2008, 10:49 AM

Here's a pdf of the Canyonlands park brochure. Goblin Valley State Park is near the North symbol is shown on the map. There is blm land all around as well.

The Horseshoe Canyon unit is reached from the Moab area by heading North to I-70 and then West to Green River and then South.

Pat

Gene · 05-07-2008, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Can anyone tell me about the camping at Canyonlands NP in the Island in the sky district, or other camping options in the area? Is Dead Horse hard to get into?

Island in the Sky has a road going around the perimeter. There are some 4WD portions, most, if not all, in one location. You could drive the whole loop in one long day without a trailer. To me, Island in the Sky is the least interesting part of Canyonlands. The views are good, the land itself is barren.

A lot of the truly amazing parts of Canyonlands NP require 4WD or two feet, walking stick and lots of water. We explored that Park many years ago and now there are lots of restrictions and limits, so check the Park website. Of all the Utah NP's, this is the best in my opinion. I see you have an F-250. A full sized pickup is fairly big for Canyonlands 4WD roads and may be impossible to get into the 4WD areas in the Needles District (too much overhang for Elephant Hill—I know it's too much for a 1980's Suburban, not mine, just watched it scrape on each bench; quite entertaining). I think there's a campground just below Elephant Hill though I don't know whether it's for RV's. It's been nearly 20 years, so memories are dimming. There are several rather obscure books on that area that I read so we could appreciate and find everything. There's some pretty incredible rock art. A lot is hard to find and newer maps obscure where it is to prevent vandalism. It takes some serious backpacking to find some. The All American Man is one of the most memorable, but took 1 1/2 days to get to from south of the Park.

A good approach is to go to Canyonlands and begin to become familiar with the area. Perhaps leave the trailer in Moab or somewhere nearby and just start understanding the area. Come back another time and really explore; there's so much to see it takes many trips and the Maze District is the most remote (getting that F-250 around the switchback on Flint Hill would be interesting). I've been in the Maze several times and would never go alone—it's a place to get lost even for experienced backcountry hikers. The Maze is in a part of the Maze District and requires making your way down about 600' into it—there are several "trails". It has the famous Harvest Scene, Fremont culture ghost figures that have been photographed many times and reproduced in a lot of books. The Fremonts preceded the Anasazi. We spent our honeymoon there—it was a lot easier to scramble over rocks 20 years ago. If you ever plan to go into the Maze, ask me where the best trail down is—it's not on many maps.

Haven't been to Dead Horse, but it's in various RV books, so it must be accessible. Arches has a campground, mostly back in, some pull through.

Gene

Gene · 05-07-2008, 11:00 AM

Horseshoe Canyon is a separate part of Canyonlands NP. The same dirt road can eventually get you to the Maze District. The pictographs in the Maze are even better than those in Horseshoe Canyon. There are a couple of roads south from Green River and you would want the one west of the river itself on the bypass through town. I think the one to the "airport" may be it, but ask locally as I haven't been down that road in 15 years. There are RV parks on each side of the river in town.

There are topos of the Park available.

And Pat's right—Goblin Valley is another place to see. There is so much in southern Utah that you could spend all summer there. Don't forget Colorado NM just south of Grand Junction and, of course, Crawford State Park.

Gene

Boondocker · 05-07-2008, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmclemore

Here's a pdf of the Canyonlands park brochure.
Pat

Thanks !

Quote:

To me, Island in the Sky is the least interesting part of Canyonlands. The views are good, the land itself is barren.

I backpacked into the needles almost 20 years ago and had a great time, my reason for wanting to hit the Islands district is to photograph some specific features.

Gene · 05-07-2008, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

I backpacked into the needles almost 20 years ago and had a great time.

Maybe we saw you. Remember anyone in a 1990 white Nissan pickup? The man was amazingly handsome and his wife was tall and beautiful.

Gene

ebair · 05-07-2008, 12:38 PM

There are campsites around the rim of the Island in the Sky. My preference would be as far out to the end as I could get a reservation for. Fantastic views, you can see for 90 miles (Hey, were from Ohio :~}) We saw more Airstreams there than any other park last year
We were there last year in Sept, Dead Horse point was a little (a lot) tight with the 34 footer (we did not camp there, just went to see the sights and take a walk and picnic) Did a lot of hiking there and at Arches and loved it. I think if we were to return to Needles it would be with overnight packs and trekking poles, there is a lot to see and it looks like most of it on foot or 4WD, way up the canyons, great vistas going and coming though.

ebair · 05-08-2008, 05:12 PM

Here are some shots of Dead Horse Point,

Boondocker · 05-09-2008, 08:52 AM

D hour is rapidly approaching. Four months of planing is coming into focus. I really appreciate all the input everyone has given since the start of this thread. Without that input, it would be a far different, and poorer I think, journey. I have certainly accumulated far more things to do and places to do them in than the 11 weeks will hold. One of the biggest challenges will be in deciding what I wont be able to see and do.

I will be posting as regular as time and my cell card allows to keep everyone up to date. I hope to bump into you all out there. I will try to do a quick post in the morning over coffee, but if not the next post will likely be from the rockies.

eubank · 05-09-2008, 12:28 PM

Hey, Rodney, have fun!!!! That's more important that ANYthing else!

Lynn

nymphfishin · 05-09-2008, 12:32 PM

I can hardly wait for you pics,
Have fun and be safe.
Don

juel · 05-09-2008, 05:46 PM

Come back safe to Oklahoma!

Boondocker · 05-13-2008, 11:51 AM

Day one: Lawton, Oklahoma to Montezuma New Mexico

I managed to get out of Lawton only one hour later than planed with the mule pointed west by 9:30. Cut across to Amarillo where I took I-40 west as far as Tucumcari. From there the fun began. I decide to take HWY 104 N to Las Vegas, NM which is near day ones destination.

Hwy 104 is a long and lonely lane through the high desert. I highly recommend the route since it is anything but crowded and scenic in its own way. I was surprised how beautiful the views were. I think I have driven this route before, but wasn’t old enough to appreciate it. There is one extended climb (something like 3 miles) where you climb from the lower desert to the higher desert about ¾ of the way through. If you do take this route, best fill up. Its 100 miles and I think the only fuel stop along the way is at Conchas Dam. There is a park there, but I have no knowledge of it.

Arriving in Las Vegas in late afternoon I pushed on into the mountains above, passing through Montezuma along the way, more about which presently. Following state Hwy 65 another 10 miles up a beautiful two lane ‘hanging’ road and then onto a forest road at 484 miles, I reached today’s destination: El Porvenir campground. The campground is a small, well cared for NFS campground. I would guess there are about 10 sites and it appears that longer campers would fit fine although I would be hesitant about bringing a big rig up the 10 miles from Montezuma due to the hairpin curves and narrow roads. Not to say it couldn’t be done, just saying it would have its issues. Camping is $8, there are pit toilets, central water, & trash cans that’s it.

Now, more about Montezuma: Montezuma is a small community whose most salient features are the Amand Hammer World College, and more to the point here- HOT SPRINGS. Right off the road at the college is a series of hot springs. The springs are superbly maintained and monitored. The current rules: no booze, no nudity, no loud noise, closed between midnight and five am. There are several springs, but the best and most popular is a connected series of three pools, the top being the hottest with the water cooling progressively as it descends from the top pool. The top pool is well like, about 5 ft deep and quite hot. The lower two pools are better for sitting as they are shallow.

Day three Montezuma to Jemez
Lots of wind again on this stretch, glad I have the diesel to buck the wind with. Saw diesel at $4.50. I finally found a boondock spot off of Hwy 4, it was worth the effort as I am right on the cliff facing south. I was hoping to get cell service there, but I need one of those booster antennas.

Here is some eye candy for those of you at home today...