good-times-rollin: Where Eagles Dare Jeep trail

Friday, October 11, 2019

Burrrrrr!

Gopher Flats
September 28 - October 11, 2019
Moab, UT

Wednesday it was 80 degrees and today it is 52 degrees and tonight it will be a chilly 22 degrees ! We made a stop at the storage unit to get some necessary items...the space heater, club jackets, gloves, toboggans and UGGS ! We have two club trail runs this week-end and Wile E doesn't have any windows. Monday the weather should return to normal temps.

Jack loves lying in the sun...

Of course one of us dosen't have any trouble keeping warm...that is after the blanket is bunched up to perfection.

...or being under his blankie!

Last Saturday our club run was Poison Spider and Where Eagles Dare. Poison Spider has nice memories...the first difficult trail we ever did in Pearl.

Pearl on the Wedgy (Poison Spider) in 2014

Wile E does the wedgy with a beautiful backdrop of the LaSals and Behind the Rocks area.

Wile E exits the Wedgy...2019

And Where Eagles Dare was a lot more fun the second time around.

We had a great group of trail warriors...16 or 17 rigs of various makes, models and builds.

The slickrock domes are humongous so if you are afraid of heights, this trail is not for you. Whoever thought of the name Where Eagles Dare was spot on !

The rest of our week was tied up with appointments. Joe and I both had our teeth cleaned, Jack had a vet appointment for a check-up and shots and Sally had a vet appointment for her check-up, shots and thyroid bloodwork. Our only spare day, we decided to take Dover to Warner Lake.

LaSal Loop Road near home.

Warner Lake, nestled in the LaSal Mountains, is about 20 miles from Gopher Flats.

First we took the LaSal Loop Road for 15 or so miles...

Not much color yet at lower elevations.

then turned right on a well marked, well maintained forest road for another 5 miles.

Scrub oaks lined the forest road with lots more color in the mountains.

As we gained elevation, the scenery changed.

The forest road dead-ends at the campground and lake.

There is parking for day use.

Warner Lake, at 9,400 ft. elevation, is a beautiful spot for camping, fishing, kayaking and hiking.

The backdrop is Haystack Mountain at 11,642 ft elevation.

We think it is a great spot for Dover to run, play and explore.

The dense aspen forest provides not only shade but beautiful fall colors. Sometimes called Quakies, these gorgeous trees have leaves that tremble in the lightest of breezes. When it is quiet, it almost sounds like they are clapping.

And did you know that the identifying white bark is unique?

The bark layer of quaking aspens carries out photosynthesis, a task usually reserved for the leaves. In winter, aspens are able to keep producing sugar for energy. Deer, moose, and elk consume bark, leaves, buds, and twigs throughout the year. Nature is sooooo amazing !

We enjoyed a special time with Dover, a gorgeous sunny day, and the beauty all around us.

Until next time...

HAPPY TRAILS!

Sunday, September 29, 2019

National Public Lands Day

Gopher Flats
September 28, 2019
Moab, UT

What an awesome week we have had ! One evening about 7:00, we were playing with the pups in the doggie park. We couldn't believe how pretty the sky was towards the LaSal Mountains (the east).

Where Eagles Dare:
Our week started off with a trail we have never done before... Where Eagles Dare. The loop includes the major obstacles on Poison Spider and some obstacles on Golden Spike. Where Eagles Dare, appropriately named, adds bigger slickrock mounds...extremely steep ascents, sidehills, and descents. In fact, the steepness makes Hell's Revenge and Fins and Things look tame !

We had three rigs...Dee, Jeremy (a representative form Teraflex) and his passenger John (owner of Wildside Jeep Customs in Illinois) and us.

Jeremy followed Dee, we followed Jeremy...if you look closely in the bottom right quadrant you will see Dee's orange flag. The pictures don't really show just how steep the mounds are.

One of the main reasons I wanted to do this trail was because of the gorgeous views. One of the overlooks provided a great view of Corona Arch, the Potash Ash railroad and a glimpse of the Colorado. I was excited to see the arch from a different perspective as we have hiked there many times.

Can you see Corona Arch? Squint your eyes and look a little right of the center of the photo. So cool!

Poison Spider is an in-out trail. I always look forward to the exit. In my humble opinion, it is one of the prettiest trail exits here !

Moab Rim:
I have to admit that Joe and I have not had much luck on the rim the past few times we have been there. We lost a brake line in a very downhill spot that required Joe to use a boulder to stop, and this past spring we slashed a tire on a ledgy spot. It's hard to shake that "what will go wrong this time" mentality, but successfully completing Moab Rim has been at the top of the list to check off this year. So, this past Friday we had the great pleasure of meeting and wheeling with folks from the San Diego Jeep Club.

You guessed it...Moab Rim was the trail of the day for them. What an awesome group of people...we are already looking forward to their return next year ! Thanks for letting us tag along !

Moab Rim doesn't waste anytime. Right from the get-go, the scary fun begins. The Devil's Crack and Z-Turn are the first two major obstacles and there are no bypasses. Much of this gnarly trail is off-camber with tight turns as it climbs to the rim.

Robyn and her husband Steve look on as Wile E. makes his way up the slope of tilted rock layers of ledges and steps.

The dome is a great place to stop and take a breather, take photos, and visit.

The Sleeping Buffalo in the photo below can be seen from soooo many trials in Moab. We said our goodbyes as Robyn and her trusty band of trail warriors continued on to the next overlook. The trail is pictured in the photo below.

We turned around at this point and headed out with Dee.

I forgot to mention that Moab Rim is an in-out trail. Thats right...those difficult obstacles that we climbed at the beginning are still there and this time it is going down them. I really like this exit view too !

No pictures of the Z-Turn or Devil's Crack, but I did get a photo out my side window just as we came off the boulder on "the crack". Great view of Kane Creek Road and the Colorado River with very little room for error.

Joe and I were all smiles as we drove into the parking lot. And Im sure the folks passing by wondered what in the world I was doing as I did my celebratory happy dance !

Back home at Gopher Flats, the Friday night sky was amazing !

Looking west towards the rim we had just driven...

...and east towards the LaSal Mountains.

National Public Lands Day:
This year the BLM asked Moab Friends For Wheelin' to do some trail reparation on Steel Bender. This past Saturday was National Public Lands Day so club members, a BLM representative (to direct our efforts) and volunteers met at 9:00 am to try and fix the mistakes and sometimes "on purpose" screw ups that were widening the trail, killing desert vegetation, and creating way to many illegal go arounds. We worked hard for seven hours raking out tire marks, repairing fencing that had been maliciously pushed down and/or driven over, and moving boulders, rocks and dead trees to block illegal go arounds and better define the "legal" Steel Bender Trail.

Bret, one of the younger club members (works at Arches/Canyonlands NP Service)

Jeff(light blue shirt),our club president, and Dale repairing some fencing

Rory Irish (Moab Motorsports) generously brought Trail Mator to move huge boulders as directed by the BLM representative.

Most of our group at the Dragon's Tail obstacle. We rested and had lunch there. Then we all had to drive down it...

Jeff watches as Susan drives down...it does get tippy !

Rory backing Trail Mator down Dragon's Tail...

It was a very productive day and we all felt very good about the work we had done. Everybody was still smiling at the end of the day and very tired !

This wraps up September...hello October !