good-times-rollin

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Onion Creek, Thompson Canyon, Bever Mesa

Moab, UT
June 8,2013

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The air was cool, the sky was blue and not a cloud to be seen. We decided to take our Sunday drive on Saturday...just because.

Our next ride had already been picked out so we loaded up water, lunch and Dover and Wrecks and headed for Onion Creek.

Fisher Towers

Onion Creek is off Hwy 128, about 20 miles from the junction of Hwy 191 north. It is well maintained by the BLM. It is rated easy in our 4X4 Guide Book.

This is a relaxing drive through a beautiful canyon. This time of year and with no rain, the creek is just a trickle. We crossed this little creek 22 times!

Notice Dover is on a leash...well, the wild child thinks she is suppose to chase everything. She especially likes to chase lizards of all things. The last time we went hiking, her feet and legs were covered in prickly pear pricklies.

Totem Pole and Mongoose Tower

We, or I should say, "I" (Joe had his eyes on the road) were treated to unique rock formations. The guide said to look for Totem Pole and Mongoose Tower...we think we found them.

For a few miles, we followed a shelf road with the creek below.

There was a gentle breeze and the grasses were so pretty dancing along the creek bed with the rock walls as a backdrop.

At about 7 miles, our nose found Stinking Spring...the sulfur-based natural spring that gave Onion Creek it's name.

From there it's a climb up and out of the canyon.

Just magnificent!

After approximately 9.6 miles we reached Fisher Valley Ranch and a fork in the trail.

Notice the sign? No, we haven't made any major purchases like a farm. But, can you just imagine waking up to that view everyday? We turned left and headed toward Thompson Canyon.

The Thompson Canyon trail is also in our guide. It is rated moderate, but we thought it was easy except for a few steep, rocky sections.

We very quickly found ourselves descending into the canyon.

The trail skirts around Hideout Canyon ( we didn't have time to take the short walk to "The Hideout").

From that point, the trail snakes around onto a rocky ledge...

...the most difficult section of the trail. I didn't get any pictures here...had to hold on!

Our two passengers enjoyed the views (and smells) and agreed it was a fun way to spend Saturday!

We did make a few stops for me. This is a Sego Lily. It is the state flower of Utah. And even though we probably never would try it, the bulb of this beautiful wildflower is edible.

I believe this is Larkspur.

It wasn't long until we entered the LaSal Mountains. What a nice change in temperature...about 15 degrees cooler.

From there, we turned right and passed through Castle Valley towards Highway 128.

We had a wonderful day and week-end. I can't believe it is already Wednesday...

We hope you are having a great week.

Sue and Paul, fellow bloggers, were at Portal this past week. We all had a nice dinner at the Blue Pig here in Moab last night...yummy BBQ...and two very nice visits at their home on wheels. Thanks for the hospitality! It's so interesting how the conversation just flows...sharing and laughing about all the adventures we have experienced. They moved on to Kodachrome SP this morning. You can check out their blog at www.youngerday.blogspot.com. Sue is a great photographer!

Thanks for visiting and for all your comments.

Y'all come back!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

TERAFLEX, TOYO & Long Canyon

Well, we think Pearl earned her Jeep Trail Rated badge on a ride over Fins & Things led by Doug Sorensen (Portal RV Resort). The ride gave us a better understanding of what our little Jeep is capable of and more importantly, how we are most likely to use it. Check out our May 26th blog Fins 'N' Things - Learning What Our Stock Jeep Can Do. We felt that Pearl deserved a couple of upgrades, so following Doug's recommendation, we took her over to Jim Horne (Outlaw Jeep Rentals) here in Moab. There, Pearl received a 2.5" TERAFLEX lift kit complete with new coils, 9550 shocks, and a set of 35" Toyo tires. We also wanted to have a TERAFLEX Swaybar System with Quick Disconnect as well as a TERAFLEX front bumper and wench installed but our Blue Ox base plate got in the way. At this point, we still have hopes a TERAFLEX bumper can be modified so as to enable us to use our existing Blue Ox Tow bar. Accomplishing this, will clear the way for installation of their swaybar system and a wench as well.

In any case, our first ride with the lift kit and taller tires was through Long Canyon. The ride proved to be much smoother (pictures and comments below) and we now look forward to riding some of the more difficult trails. We have two more weeks remaining of our five week stay here at the Portal RV Resort and are looking forward to going on quite a few more of the rides listed in The Guide To Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails.

Thanks to Doug Sorensen , Jim Horne, TERAFLEX and Toyo Tires, we are more excited about the world our Pearl the Jeep has opened up for us than we ever imagined we would be.

Moab, UT
June, 3,2013

Long Canyon was the first 4X4 trail we took in Pearl after her make-over. We chose to drive from top to bottom to enjoy the views.

We headed out on Hwy 191 north from Moab, went about 12 miles and turned left on Hwy 313, went southwest about 14.5 miles and then turned left toward Dead Horse Point St Park.

We went another 1.6 miles and then turned left on a wide dirt road. This part of the trail travels across Big Flat.

After a few miles, we reached the top of Long Canyon where the road turns left and starts downhill.

From here the trail drops steeply down.

The trail narrows as it winds through the sandstone-walled canyon. The views were quite the WOW!

Hence, this trail is sometimes called Pucker Pass. The canyon walls were right there beside us and as I looked up, the sky was so blue...so pretty!

I have to say...the big boulder was one of the reasons I wanted to do Long Canyon. No trip to Moab is quite complete without a picture of your vehicle going under it.

The shelf road part of the trail seems very narrow, but actually there is enough room to pass and several spots for pull-offs.

High clearance 4WDs are recommended, but our guide says that any high clearance vehicle is acceptable.

As we neared the end of the trail, the LaSal Mountains came into view.

Just as we reached the end of the trail, before we turned left onto Potash Road, we looked up and saw Jug Handle Arch...a nice ending to an awesome morning!