Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Meet the Greens...

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
June 11-15, 2015

One of the best things about RVing is being able to connect with friends. Ronnie and Carol arrived in Moab the first week of June and shortly thereafter, so did their son Brad, DIL Kim, granddaughters Kaylee and Brooke and grandpuppy Derby. 


Ronnie and Carol relaxing on their site...#29, Portal RV.
This was Brad and Kim's first visit to Moab and they were excited to hit the trails. A quick trip to Barlow Jeep Rentals landed them in a 4-door Rubicon...perfect for some Moab adventures. Eager to get started, the next morning we headed out to Gemini Bridges. The skies were gray, clouds were thick, but the forecast was less than 50% chance of morning thunderstorms so we headed out to Gemini Bridges for a morning run.

Yikes! 




After encountering several more water flows like this, we made the decision to turn around. 

Bike Bridge over the Colorado at intersection of Hwys 191 and 128.


Good decision...as we headed back to town, we were amazed at what we saw. By mid-day, Scenic Hwy 128 was closed due to mudslides!




What a difference a day makes! Loaded with water and snacks, we faced north in search of Dellenbaugh Tunnel the next morning..  Spring Bottom Road is a beautiful ride through some beautiful country. Because of the flashfloods the day before, the route thru the wash was iffy, and we missed the left turn out of it so we never found the tunnel.


We had fun traversing some slickrock...
Brad, Kim, Kaylee, Brooke and Derby



Our loop took us out via Mineral Bottom Road where we connected to Hwy 313. 



We decided to try Gemini Bridges again and did it backwards starting at the entrance on Hwy 313. 

L to R...Kaylee, Kim, Brooke, Brad and Derby on one of the bridges.



Ronnie and Carol treated us to ribs, salad and pasta for dinner. Yum-yum!







The next morning we decided on picturesque Schafer switchbacks from bottom (Potash Rd.) to top (Hwy 313) with a side trip to Musselman Arch. 

Kim, Brad and Derby enjoying the view.

 Our loop continued on Long Canyon from top (Hwy 313) to bottom (Potash Rd.). 






The ride down into the canyon is spectacular. The flash floods from earlier had done quite a lot of damage on this trail.  



Dee joined us for our next adventure...3-D 4X4 trail. On the way, we made a stop to check out some dinosaur tracks.


Dee and Brad, Kim and girls


Tracks made 112 million years ago.



Just like the day before, the trail had lots of damage. This fencing washed from the bank in the background...

Dee and Brad scouting out the way to go.

  


...and yikes! Where is the trail?









It is quite the view looking down into Hidden Valley.

Brooke and Kaylee...what nice manners they have! We enjoyed your company!













One last adventure was the first half of Fins and Things. This was a late afternoon excursion and I forgot my camera...sorry guys!

We enjoyed our time with the Greens. A great little family who we hope to meet up with again. 

Derby...what a sweetheart!


HAPPY TRAILS!
The day before Brad, Kim and the girls left, our son Joe and DIL Jena arrived for a week. They left this morning and we miss them already! Needless to say, our week was filled with hugs, laughs, yummy food and yep, some adventures (more on that later) which didn't leave much computer time. It will be fun to catch up with everyone and check out your travels in the next few days.  

10 comments:

  1. I certainly agree with you. One of the best things about RVing is that we do get to connect with the folks we like.

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  2. I sure would like to see a flash flood...but at a safe distance of course!

    That shot of the impressive clouds with the tall red cliffs is spectacular!

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    1. That was the closest we have come to a flash flood Lisa. The water pouring over the cliffs was spectacular.

      The picture you mentioned was taken with a wide angle lens...one I don't use very often, but need to. Lazy on my part to carry 2 lens!

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  3. Reconnecting with people in our travels is always fun, keep on travelling !

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    1. We sure do love it...and hope for a few more years George!

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  4. We started out to do the Gemini Bridges lower road with our friends and ended up turning around as the clouds darkened and the thunder started. There was already a lot water in the canyon road and we didn't want to get trapped there if the heavens opened. It scare you once you see the damage done after a down pour. Sounds like your friends had a great time. Good they rented a Jeep and had a great guide:)

    Can't wait to read about your visit with your son and DIL. I understand how family cuts out the computer time:)

    Great header and cloud photos!

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  5. I enjoy when we camp with friends. Always makes for a lot of fun! Great photos!

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