Polar Mesa

Gopher Flats
June 16, 2019
Moab, UT


Much to my delight, Polar Mesa was a scheduled club (Moab Friends For Wheelin') run.  And even more to my delight, Sunday dawned with beautiful blue skies and whimsical clouds.  We met at the cinema along with Dee, Chris and Scott, and Joe and Jenny.  A nice group of folks to share a Sunday drive with.  

We headed out Sand Flats Rd. 

It is a very pretty drive that goes all the way to the LaSal Mountains.  Our first stop was at the rim overlook at the Porcupine Rim campground about 15 miles from downtown...just inside the Manti-LaSal National Forest.  It's a breathtaking view of the hills and mesas of Castle Valley.  

It's not a shabby look at the LaSals either !  Just look at all that green !

We climbed higher and higher on Sand Flats for several more miles.








I love the mountain meadows...

When we reached LaSal Loop Road, we made a left turn and followed the winding road until it ended at Castle Valley Road.  There we turned right.  Not far the pavement turns to dirt.  That's where we stopped to have lunch. We had to see the dinasaur tracks, more views, and the wildflowers.

Lunch with a view!

Dinosaur track with a view.  (Thanks to Jenny for sharing her photo.)  

Wildflowers with a view!

We continued on the dirt road.  Eventually the dirt turns to rocks as we made the climb up to the mesa on a series of switchbacks.

It's a short hike to see the mining remnants.  Scott, Dee and Chris lead the way.

Because of its remote location, no claims were staked here until around 1914 (Other claims in the area were as early as the 1880s.) in response for a demand in radium.  Ore was hand sorted at the site, sacked in cement bags and sent by mule to a 
subcamp 5 miles southeast of the Dewey Bridge (on Hwy 128) then by wagon to Cisco.   

 By this time, the day was well into mid afternoon.  The decision was made to return to Moab via Thompson Canyon and Onion Creek OHV trails.  We have driven both these trails several times.  

Thompson Canyon Trail

 The drive down Onion Creek was my favorite part of the day's route.  The skies turned dark, the winds picked up, and we even had a few rain drops.  It was gorgeous !

The end of the trail (or the beginning if you are going up) winds its way through Fischer Canyon and ends at Hwy 128.

  

From there, we made good time along Hwy 128.   The Colorado River was at full capacity !  In fact, we were under a flood watch, but that has since been lifted.

It was a fun day with fun friends.  And a great escape from the summer temps.  Speaking of that, we had a cool down this week-end...highs in the low 70s !  Soooo nice.

Well, I'll close for now.  Until next time,

(Thanks to Dee for this photo)

HAPPY TRAILS !

Up next, some Wile E fun!

Klondike Bluffs Auto Hike

Gopher Flats
Moab, UT
June 9, 2019

The morning of June 9th dawned with windy conditions and much cooler temps.  Our plan was to hike Tower Arch, but those plans quickly changed the moment we stepped outside.  The skies were bright blue and clear so we decided an auto hike would be more comfortable.  



Since we were headed to Arches NP anyway, we decided to do a drive through on our way to Salt Valley.  

Balanced Rock doesn't look so impressive int he photo, but it stands 128 feet tall.

We made a quick stop at the Windows Section, also known as the Spectacles, but didn't linger.  The chilly wind and poor morning lighting was a deterrent.  I'm thinking for the best pictures a sunset visit would be better. 

First attempt to photo the Spectacles...now it is a challenge !

 Salt Valley is a gorgeous section of Arches.  Tower Arch is a secluded arch in the northwest corner of the valley near the park border.  There is little traffic on the gravel/dirt road that meanders the valley...it is well maintained and as long as it is dry, most vehicles will not have any trouble.   

The road is gravel...

...which changes to soft red dirt...

...then hard packed dirt after you exit the park.

The wildflowers are definitely fading away. The Mule's Ears are one of my favorite! 

We did spot a pair of Pronghorns just outside the park.  These animals have a long history and are quite unique.  Did you know that their closet living relatives are giraffes and okapi ?  

Pronghorns are the only animals in the world that have branched horns.

 Did you know they have the longest land migration and they are the fastest land animal in North America ?  And did you know Pronghorns are one of only a few living links to the Ice Age ?    

Just look at those eyelashes...

After leaving the park we took a side road we hoped would take us over Klondike Bluffs.  It turned out to be a dead-end. 

Going up...


  

 The end of the road...about 1.4 miles in.

And back down...

 All in all, it turned into a pretty good adventure for a Sunday morning.  And the best part, we still have the Tower Arch hike to look forward to.  

On the home front, we haven't had very many colorful sunrises or sunsets lately, but I did get a photo the other night of an orange sunset...

Looking west towards Moab Rim...behind our MH

 and the orange glow on the rim in front of us.

Looking east towards the LaSal Mountains...in front four MH

Gopher Flats has been quite colorful this spring.  The Penstemons and Austrian Copper Roses have been replaced with Heather, Lavender, lots of Butterfly bushes, Smoke bushes and gorgeous trees.

 

 So until next time, take care and...

HAPPY TRAILS !