Moab, UT
August 17 - 18, 2013
Pearl meets Thumper!
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| Thumper belongs to Dee. |
Our plans quickly changed Saturday morning when Dee invited us to join her and Thumper on 7 Mile Rim. In our Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails Guide, 7 Mile Rim is the first trail on the difficult list.
The first part of the trail is rocky and ledgy. Joe is very pleased with how the sway-bar disconnect works that we had installed at TERAFLEX. I am usually in Pearl so I don't have a better picture that shows how they help when crawling up and down.
So far, Dee has been the leader...a dang good leader at that!
Thumper first...
...then Pearl!
Dee always takes her time...allowing Joe to ask questions and pointing out different strategies.
The smile tells it all!
There were stretches of slickrock between the ledges.
I love the Jeeping...but I am all about the views too!
If you are afraid of heights...this is not the view for you. Dee pulled right up to the edge of the cliff. Even my stomach did a flip!
There are several side trips you can take on this trail. We chose Uranium Arch. This arch is located in Court House Pasture.
It is a large arch spanning 75 feet wide. I was very surprised to look up and see 4-wheelers riding across the arch.
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| Monitor and Merrimac Buttes in the distance |
This was going to be our picnic spot, but with rain in the distance and a few miles to go, we traveled on.
Our next big adventure on this trail led us through a mix of soft sand...WHOA! WHOA! and through some tight spots on slickrock.
Until it circled around the base of the Merrimac...a very tippy section of the trial. Dee calls this Ilean because that's what you do...lean to the driver's side.
The last part of the trail took us around the base of Determination Towers...
...and through the wash by way of Mill Creek Canyon and back to Hwy 191.
It was a great day topped off with a late lunch at Pasta Jays.
Sunday morning, Joe and I were out the door and on the Hell-Roaring Canyon hiking trail early! This is a really easy 2.2 mile hike to the canyon rim and back. Its rather hot here so we are taking it slow to adjust to the heat.
It is a well marked trail maintained by the BLM
with small inclines and rock ledges.
There wasn't much to see along the trail...the hot summer temperatures have parched all the flowers.
But there is beauty in everything... like these twisted and gnarled tree trunks.
This is the biggest cairn we have ever seen...
...and this is why! Being careful on the rim was highlighted in the trail description.
The canyon is beautiful! It is about 12 miles long and one of four canyons around the Canyonlands NP that drain into the Green River. For most of the year it is dry except in severe rainstorms.
Barrier Canyon Style rock art , both pictographs and petroglyphs, has been found on the canyon walls dating back somewhere between 1500 to 4000 years old or older.
From our side of the rim, we had a perfect view of Jewel Tibbetts Arch. It's name honors a woman who lived at the nearby Horsethief Ranch with her husband in the 1950s and 60s. She often took visitors from the ranch on hikes to see the arch.
The drop-off at the arch overlook is about 400 feet.
It was a great week-end exploring and having a good time!
We are looking forward to more adventures here...there is always something to do in Moab!
Until next time...
Take care.
...and through the wash by way of Mill Creek Canyon and back to Hwy 191. 
I can hear the enthusiasm in your words and photos. Looks like a fun time and the views are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteYour header photo is amazing!
Fantastic - there's just nothing else I can say. Thanks again for taking me along.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great day! Beautiful pictures! Can't wait to get back to Moab.
ReplyDeleteYou are seeing some amazing scenery, and the Jeeping looks like way too much fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Okay ... we have a Jeep but I'd be afraid to do some of those climbs.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, beautiful! We would like to do this too. Are those rental jeeps?
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! I loved the pictures, as always you capture nature in all it's beauty:) Since we only have the CRV I will have to live the jeep off roading through your blog! LOL Thank you for sharing, safe travels to you.
ReplyDeleteI did a couple of Jeeper Jamborees out of Georgetown into the Rubicon (before Chrysler bought them out), and it was a blast. Rocks like the ones you went over, tipping to one side or another, crawling through creeks, I'll never forget it. I wasn't driving, just a passenger, but it was such a fun time. It looks like you guys did a great job, and your Jeeps have the right stuff. There are some places you wouldn't want to go in a regular vehicle, but you could get there in your Jeep. :)
ReplyDelete