good-times-rollin

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Pearl Did A Wedgy!

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
June 13, 2014

When Friday the 13th dawned...we had plans with a Poison Spider...good thing we are not superstitious!
Poison Spider Mesa is rated #5 by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers Club. It does have a sting, but not a deadly bite! In fact, their review states "the jeeping is just challenging enough to be fun without being a vehicle buster".

The trail begins with a series of uphill switchbacks with rock ledges. We followed Dee who was driving Roxanne.

Unlike Porcupine Rim, which was a precursor for Poison Spider, this trail had lots of open spaces with some sections of easy driving.

We enjoyed a variety of terrains from sandy canyons...

to riding the mesa...

and even slickrock.

The first obstacle came at about 2 miles into the trail. It is called "The Waterfall". It does not have a bypass so to continue, you have to climb up and to exit you have to climb down.

Tire placement is important...so much so, Dee drew lines with a rock on the passenger side for us to follow.

The Waterfall obstacle gives this 4X4 Trail its rating of "5". Pictures don't show how narrow it is, the drop off or the two turns. Joe and Pearl did great with Dee spotting. Go Pearl!

The second major obstacle (at about 2.8 miles) is called the V-Notch or "Big Wedgy" as the locals say. It does have a go-around. No shame in that! Dee went first...notice how the side of the tires ride the rock? An inch off makes a huge difference. Not only is it a v-notch, it also climbs which the picture doesn't show.

Joe gave it a try...successfully I might add! What a rush that one was! On the return trip, however, he chose not to drive down. No shame in that!

Thank you Dee!

Wahoo!

Remember Pig Rock...we saw it on Chicken Corners. You get an up close view of it on Poison Spider. I just found out last night at dinner that you can see the back of Pig Rock on the cliff behind Portal. That's so cool!

Pig Rock...mama and piglets on the Poison Spider

The back side of Pig Rock from Portal...

We also saw Buffalo Rock. This one was alittle harder to see for me until I realized he was laying (or is that lying ) down.

Buffalo Rock

And remember Little Arch from the Chicken Corners trail? Well, Little Arch is the park and have lunch spot for Poison Spider. Its the end of the trail...

You can see Moab Rim parking lot, Kane Creek Road, and the Colorado River thru the arch.

And we had a bird's eye view of the Z-Turn on Moab Rim.

Do you see the two jeeps in the Z?

It was a fantastic Friday for sure...full of thrills...

Dee exiting via the Big Wedgy

...adventure...

There is a cave to explore near the Little Arch.

...beauty...

...more beauty...

...wonders of nature...

...birds...

...and animals.

A beautiful grey fox with breakfast...

Its been over a week since we made the Poison Spider run.

The Bledsoe's home on wheels!

Look who happened to roll in three sites down, our friends, Ronnie and Carol and their pup Cooper. They arrived last Wednesday and it has been non stop fun!

Be safe and...

happy trails!

Up next, jeeping with Ronnie and Carol...

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

This and That and Pretty Flowers!

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
June 10 and June 12, 2014

Last week Joe and I took Sally and Jack to have their teeth cleaned at Moab Veterinary Clinic. While Sally was anesthetized to get her pearlie whites polished, Dr. Slater felt around her belly and called to ask permission to take an X-ray. As it turned out, Sally had bladder stones...not just a few, but a whole bladder full.

Monday, Sally had surgery to remove the stones. When we picked her up yesterday afternoon, we were given this baggie of stones...did our mouths ever drop! We couldn't believe it! We are so thankful to Dr. Slater for finding them. Joe and I have been told by three other vets that Sally was just "marking" her spots and that if she was not having accidents or blood in her urine, we shouldn't worry! Also, Sally is over weight. We had been told by other vets to put her on a diet. We only give her 1/3 cup of food twice a day...why Jack eats as much if not more than Sally, but Sally doesn't loose any pounds. Well, thank you again Dr. Slater! A full blood work-up revealed that Sally has low thyroid function which can be regulated by meds she will now take for life. Our sweet Sally is home and should be fine. Stitches will come out in two weeks.

Don't you just love the sunlight in the trees?

Last Thursday, Joe and I had a nice drive...destination was the LaSal Mountains. The mountains are quite scenic, but so is the ride there.

The smaller 2 way lane is a newly finished bike route along the river and Hwy 128. A large, new parking lot is at the intersection of Hwy 191 and 128.

Driving on Hwy 128 towards Castle Valley offers wonderful sites.

Princess Plume has been the most prolific of the wildflowers this year.

And even though the river is quite full and fast-flowing, it is not lacking in daring folks seeking a fun adventure.

This is the first view of Castle Valley from the LaSal Loop. The road to the mountains is visible in the bottom left corner. The tall single rock tower below is Castleton Tower, the first major sandstone tower to be climbed in the Moab area.

At the first stop I found Indian Paintbrush...the prettiest red paintbrush ever...

and thistle. But that's not what I am looking for.

We continue to climb then descend, climb again a little higher around every bend all the while enjoying the green...

and the views.

And finally reach the aspens, the beautiful aspens!

It is here I found what I came to see...

these gorgeous wild blue Iris.

Aren't they wonderful?

We also enjoyed the snow capped, well maybe just splotches of snow capped, mountains...

bushes of wild roses...

rock walls...

and cows!

Some of the cows had lost their way and needed help...there was a working blue-healer behind the horse helping this cowgirl drive the cows home.

Thursday morning, we were off road again!

The search was on for another favorite wildflower and Dee knew just the trail to take us on...destination, Porcupine Rim. I was looking for a white flower, but not these.

The mix of yellow Jerusalem Artichoke (Who thinks up these names?) and purple Tapertip Onion caught my eye...

Tapertip Onion

and then, there it was...the Utah State Flower.

The flower was chosen as the state flower of Utah for its importance in pioneering times and for its "natural beauty". It was formally adopted in 1911.

A Sego Lily

The bulbs of the sego lily were roasted, boiled or made into porridge by Native Americans and early Morman pioneers.. Currently it is used as an ornamental for its attractive tulip-shaped flowers.

Porcupine Rim was not just about the flowers. It was also a good precursor for another off-road trail (Poison Spider) Joe and I have on our list to do. Porcupine Rim is a fun, short trail full of ledges and rocks to practice/learn in preparation for the challenges of Poison Spider. It follows the rim with views of Negro Bill's Canyon. There is a series of off-camber ledges that give this trail a #5 rating by the Red-Rock 4-Wheelers.