Capitol Reef NP (Waterpocket Fold)

I don’t think I’ve visited Capitol Reef National Park before. It is stunningly beautiful. I prefer to call it by the geologic feature that formed it - the Waterpocket Fold. The fold was a 100-mile-long uplift running north-south. Early pioneers found it impassible - like a reef in the ocean. Some of the white sandstone features reminded them of the US Capitol, so that’s how the park got the official name. The heart of the park is the old town of Fruita where the early homesteaders who made it through the fold planted hundreds of fruit trees, which are still here today.

The drive from Goblin Valley to Capitol Reef was captivating as well. Very interesting colors on the rocks. We also saw Factory Butte (early settlers thought it resembled a factory building). We wanted to drive up to it, but the dirt roads were not in good shape due to recent heavy rains.

Factory Butte (top 2 pics) and some colorful formations along the highway

We planned several hikes in the park, but another flash flood (they’ve had a few this summer) a couple of weeks ago closed many of the roads. There were road crews working throughout the park during our visit. All paved roads had been restored, though some were alternating one way traffic. Most of the 2WD dirt roads to access some of the hiking trails were still drying out and being repaired. 

The layers and colors are amazing. We drove the scenic drive (which put most other scenic drives to shame) along the west side of the uplift. 

Along the Scenic Drive Road

We hiked the Hickman Bridge trail, which leads to, and under, an enormous arch. A bridge is created when water cuts under and erodes out an arch. It’s also flat on top, so it looks like a bridge. On our hike down, we were stepping carefully because of the fine sand spread across the slick rock. Elena said "You don't usually think of sand as a lubricant."

Hickman Bridge Hike

We had a nice hike around our campsite in Fruita. There were deer everywhere and a turkey roaming around too. Bebop was very interested in these critters.

Pics from our campground in Fruita (note the turkey and deer Bebop is watching)

We also hiked the Grand Wash, which was very nice when flash floods aren’t ripping through it. We hiked it early in the morning, and monsoon storms appeared about noon - long after we were out to enjoy a fresh baked apple pie.

Grand Wash

Long before the settlers in the late 1800’s this area was also inhabited by some early cultures about 4,000 years ago, and the Fremont culture from around 300-1300. There are petroglyphs and pictographs from both cultures.

Pictographs and Petroglyphs

Here's the view from Panorama Point as we were driving out this morning.

Panorama Point looking east

I just realized I don't have a Bebop photo in this blog. All the trails are closed to dogs in most National Parks, so this was along the scenic drive next to our camper at a pull-out.

Bebop enjoying the scenery with storms in the distance

- Paul

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Bebop Reviews Goblins and Wild Horses

I liked our campsite at the Colorado River. No one was there, so I could just run free without a harness or leash. It was a little sparse in the lizard department, so it was not quite perfect. Also, the river was thick with silt - not very tasty. We departed and drove toward Goblin Valley State Park. It was a very scenic drive up through many layers of rock. We stopped at a spring called Hog Springs. There was water, but no hogs. They did, however, have a few lizards to chase.

Next we stopped at an area called Little Egypt, which is supposed to be a mini version of Goblin Valley, but with a white stripe layer in the rocks - at least that’s what dad told me. We were the only people and dog in the entire area, so I was free to roam and chase things. It was scenic and rated very high in lizard density. It was cool, but dry out there, so I drank a lot of water. We also posed for some photos with the funny rocks. 

 

Little Egypt area in Utah

More Little Egypt area pics

We then drove into Goblin Valley State Park and found our campsite for the next two nights. After resting a bit, we went for an evening hike all the way through the valley of goblins. It’s not as scary as it sounds. They appear to just be oddly shaped rocks. The lizard index was only moderate here. It was a very large area, and we were all alone for most of our hike. 

Goblin Valley

Goblin Valley

The next morning we got up early. Dad and I are always up early, but we had to get mom up and moving this morning. We went to a place called Little Wild Horse Canyon. I didn’t see any horses - big or little, but it was a wild hike in a slot canyon. I will caution you that if dad says it’s not a technical canyon hike, you should be skeptical. Ask his friends about their 12-hour adventure in Red Breaks slot canyon in 2017. Just because you don’t need ropes and climbing gear doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. 

It started nicely with some very pretty colored rocks and a nice wide canyon.

Going into the canyon

Pretty rocks

I even hid behind a rock to try and surprise ambush a lizard. I was not successful - at ambushing or hiding.

Bebop hiding fail

Soon we came to a narrow curved section with water in it. You couldn’t see through the muddy water, so dad waded in and it got deeper and deeper - all the way up to his groin. He made a funny sound when it reached there. He came back and said he was going to carry me through. I don’t like being carried, but I really don’t like to swim either. We were most of the way through, but as we were coming out of the deep section, a hidden ledge rock tripped dad. He tossed me to the shallow end, so he could catch himself. His knee was skinned, but we were both OK. Mom came through next and made it fine - but she had the use of her hands and no wiggling dog in her arms. 

This section was deep and murky

 

I was glad to be out of there. Sometimes I had to scramble up a rock, but it’s easy for me. Dad said I’m part mountain goat - whatever that is.

Bebop the leaper

Later we got to some really narrow sections - even just the width of me - and I’m a skinny dog. We came to one chockstone, and I was able to slide under it, but mom and data had to chimney up and get on top to get over it. 

 

Little Wild Horse Canyon gets narrow

 

Mom had to climb over the chockstone

We went a little further and decided to turn back at a huge chockstone. Mom and dad could chimney up, but I can’t really do that - I’m a dog. We decided to stop and turn around.

 

On the way back, we had to cross the water hazard again. This time, dad went first by himself, then called me to come to him. I jumped in and had to swim, and I wished I had some floaties. I thrashed my way through and made it out.

When we got back down the canyon, there was a branch that went to Bell Canyon. We decided we would hike that to help us dry off some more. It was a very pretty canyon with a few rocks to climb over, but no water hazards - and it was not as narrow.

Bell Canyon entrance

Pretty rocks

That was quite an adventure, and we are all out safely. I did see a few lizards, but I’m going to rate these canyons moderate on the lizard index. Overall, I highly recommend Goblin Valley State Park and Little Wild Horse Canyon. Just bring your floaties or a small raft.

Taking a break on a nice ledge

 

Coming out of the canyons

- Bebop

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Bears Ears and Beyond

After we departed Monument Valley, we drove north into the Bears Ears National Monument. It was in the news a few years ago when an idiot president de-monumented most of the area. Fortunately, the current president restored the monument status. The name comes from two buttes that can be seen for many miles (we saw them from about 100 miles away).

Bears Ears

We first drove past the Mexican Hat formation near the town of Mexican Hat. As we crossed the San Juan River, we noticed it was flowing very well from the recent rains. Our current weather was sunny, clear and in the 70s. Just outside Mexican Hat are some interestingly colored cliffs with zigzag lines. I call it the Charlie Brown shirt pattern. We headed east to the Sand Island Petroglyph area to view the 300-3000 year old rock art.

Mexican Hat

Zig Zag colors

We then decided to try our luck on the 17-mile unpaved road through the Valley of the Gods. There are several drainage channels to cross, and we were unsure how the recent heavy rain had effected those areas. There is one channel near the entry, and we did make it across that one just fine. We cleared a few others and made it 6 miles in, when we encountered a large channel that had some fresh and deep erosion along the entry point. The entry angle and drop were steeper than we were comfortable with, so we backed up for a bit, then turned around. We did get some nice photos in the section we drove.

Valley of the Gods

We then stopped at Goosenecks State Park, where the San Juan River has carved out several 180 degree turns. It was once a lazy floodplain with the river meandering along, but uplift allowed the river to start cutting down into the deep channels we see today.

Goosenecks State Park

Next we headed up the Moki Dugway. This road was carved into the near vertical cliff about 90 years ago to transport mined materials from the area. It was a steep gravel road, but our Travato handled it perfectly. From the top we could see mountain ranges over 100 miles away.

Moki Dugway

We boondocked overnight in an area far from any lights and enjoyed some stargazing. The Milky Way was clearly visible and we saw a meteor every few minutes. The temperature fell to 39ºF overnight, so it was great sleeping weather. 

So many stars

The next morning we hiked to the House on Fire. This ancient grain storage area (not actually a house) looks like the rock is on fire when the sun reflect off the adjacent slick rock late in the morning. We also saw fresh mountain lion prints in the wet mud from the rains a couple of days before.

House on Fire

Hanging at the House on Fire

Mountain Lion prints next to a shoe print

We drove up to the old town site of Hite, UT. The view along the road (UT 95) was stunning. We could have stopped to take photos every mile if there were pullouts. Hite was a small town that was a gold and uranium mining operation. The mining shut down many decades ago and in the 1960s the site was flooded when Lake Powell was filled. There is a large marina which now sits about 130’ above the Colorado River with no boats in sight. The river has reclaimed this section as Lake Powell shrinks away. But even the river looks depleted and spent. Some recent rains have it churning with red/brown mud. We boondocked along the river for the night and didn't see another person or vehicle - just a sky full of stars and the sound of the river below.

Boondocking on the Colorado River at Hite, UT

- Paul

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Canyon de Chelly and Spider Woman

I've travelled to many places in my almost 62 trips around the sun, but I've never been to Tseyi' (commonly called Canyon de Chelly) in NE Arizona. This canyon has been continuously occupied for about 5,000 years. The Anasazi were here from 2500 B.C. to 1300 A.D. The Hopi were here from 1300 to 1600 A.D., and the Dine' (Navajo) from 1600 to the present day. In the 1860s, a thriving population of about 8,000 Dine' were forced out by the US Government. The US troops also killed many and destroyed their homes, fruit trees, and crops. Some were eventually allowed to return and began rebuilding. Currently, about 40 Dine' people call the canyon home during the summer only, as they tend crops there.

They don't get much rain here in a year - about 10 inches. As the old joke says, "We only get 10 inches per year, but you should be here the day it comes." I think we got to experience most of it thanks to a very heavy and late monsoonal flow. It's been raining here almost since we arrived. On Sep 22nd (the autumnal equinox), we got some breaks - but not enough, as you'll read about below. Statistically, we are here during one of their sunniest periods (on average), but this year was an exception.

One way to see the canyon is from the inside. A few Dine' residents will give private jeep tours into the canyon. We scheduled a tour with Eleanor of Ancient Canyon Tours, but she called about 30 minutes before departure and said too much water was flowing out of the canyon, and she wasn't comfortable driving in. She arranged for us to tour with Daniel at Beauty Way Tours at 1pm.

You can also see the canyon from above via two different rim drives - the north rim (26 miles out and back) and the south rim (36 miles out and back). When our morning tour was cancelled, we drove the south rim.

One of the canyon forks

Vertical, sculpted walls

There were several ancient dwellings in the cliffside, and I used my zoom camera out to capture them from the rim.

Mummy caves behind Paul, then zoomed (like a pair of eyes), then really zoomed.

After the morning drive, we returned to the camper and prepared for our 3-hour tour (remember, Gilligan's Island was also a 3-hour tour). There were a few light showers around at 1pm when we headed into the canyon. Our guide drove back and forth across the river, which was fairly high, but not impassible. Then, about 15 minutes later, a large cell developed over us. The water was pouring down over the canyon walls and the roads became rivers. Two other vehicles near us said they were going back, and they turned around. Daniel seemed unfazed and on we went.

A few photos during the intense storm and flooding in the canyon

The rain finally slowed, and we saw First Ruin and several petroglyph sites.

Petroglyphs at the top and First Ruin on the bottom - zoomed out, then in.

We had to squeeze around a 100+ year old cottonwood tree that had fallen across the road. Before we could get to the next ruin, we were stopped by a washed out jeep trail. A small river was flowing down from a side canyon and had completely washed out the trail. We could go no further.

See the road on the other side - our path was washed out by the flood

We headed back, and made a few more stops on the way out. Our 3-hour tour became a 2-hour tour, but at least we weren't past that side canyon when the trail was washed out - or stranded in the canyon. We would have been stuck in the canyon for a while if we had already passed the spot where the road washed out.

What we did see was beautiful. We asked Daniel to tell us what the story of Kokapelli, as that figure appeared in some of the petroglyphs. I was expecting a short tale, but he gave us a lengthy and interesting story as told by his ancestors. We made it safely out of the canyon, though the river was deep in a few places.

A few scenes from the canyon

That evening, we took the north rim scenic drive and the rain finally stopped about an hour before sunset. We stopped for a few overlooks and made it to the famous spider rock to cap off the day. According to their local legend, Spider Woman lives at Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly. She was first to weave the web of the universe. She taught the Navajo how to weave, how to create beauty in their own life, and to spread the "Beauty Way" teaching of balance within the mind, body & soul

A nice overlook

Spider Rock over Elena's left shoulder

It's the next morning and the sky is clear, the humidity is low, and the monsoon flow has moved out - sunny days ahead.

- Paul

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Bebop Reviews Petrified Forest National Park

There aren't many sticks to chew on in the desert, but we stopped at a place that advertised itself a forest - a Petrified Forest. Petrified can mean scary, so I didn't know what to expect. I thought there would be plenty of sticks there. There were actually many big logs, but they were hard as a rock. You could break a tooth on those things. 

However, it was very pretty. We first went to the part called the Painted Desert. It was very colorful. We drove to many viewpoints and took some short hikes. Whoever painted that thing must have had a big paintbrush and worked for a long time.

Painted Desert section of the Petrified Forest National Park

As we got farther into the park, there were some petroglyphs made by the original inhabitants, and even some pueblo ruins in the park.

Petroglyphs in the Newspaper Rock section of the park

As we got to a section called Blue Mesa we began to see many more of those giant rock logs. Blue Mesa had a nice hiking trail loop that we enjoyed. I saw, and chased, many small lizards. Some of them were probably whiptail lizards, which only have female members and reproduce through a natural form of cloning called parthenogenesis. This is true - you can look it up.

Blue Mesa section of the park

We met a ranger who made me a Bark Ranger. I got a certificate and two treats wrapped in a poop bag - it was a fresh unused poop bag, fortunately.

Bebop the Bark Ranger

We boondocked just outside the south entrance to the park. The guy next to us was a full time van lifer. He had a black cat with a harness and long leash. It was the most talkative cat I have met. I don't speak cat, so I was unsure if it was telling me about their adventures, or asking to be rescued. 

The next day we went back into the park to visit some of the large petrified log areas. These logs were old (217.7 million years) and very hard. They were pretty.

Petrified logs and a dog on a log

The monsoon rains kept missing us to the east and west.

- Bebop

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And We're Off . . .

Those that know us might say "they are off, alright," but we are off on another adventure. This trip was originally planned for a return to hike Havasu Falls. We hiked it in 2018, and I loved it so much I wanted to go back. I applied in Jan 2021 for an Oct 2021 hike and got a spot. COVID kept things closed, and the slot rolled to this year - 2022. The Havasupai people decided not to reopen this year, so my slot rolled to Oct of 2023. We had already planned a road trip around the Havasu hike, so we just modified it a bit and set out anyway. Here's our planned route for this trip.

Trip Plan - updated this morning

I always have a plan, a backup plan, and some options ready when we set out. I also build in a few flex days. This morning I already had to alter day 3 & 4 of the trip due to some monsoonal weather forecast for western NM. I had planned to be on some dirt roads in the Valley of Dreams and Bisti Badlands, but rain turns those roads into slick mud quickly. We'll try and catch that area on our return route as shown in the updated route map above. We will now head to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest on the front end, instead of the back end of the trip - more paved roads there.

The first couple of days are always just long drives. On the first night we made it to San Jon, NM at sunset. The little town, of now about 200 people, was founded in 1902 and got a rail stop in 1904. It was a local commercial center and a stop on the famous Route 66. But I-40 bypassed the village in 1981, and it went into decline. They have a town park that has an array of free campsites you can use overnight. It's very nice, clean, and quiet with flat pads and fancy flush toilets. There were only two other campers here with us.

Elena got a new geology app on her phone (Rockd), so she is constantly noting the ground under us: rock type, formation period, etc. Her intellectual curiosity is one of the many things I love about her. We headed for the Albuquerque area and decided to give the van a workout and drive to the top of Sandia Peak up the east side. It was a warm day in town, but only in the 60's on the peak at over 10,000 feet. We hiked a few trails, including one to an old CCC cabin high on the mountain's edge.

CCC cabin on Sandia Peak

What a view from inside

Another great view from inside

Bebop and Paul on Sandia Peak

We ended the day at the Coronado campground in Bernalillo, along the banks of the Rio Grande.

-Paul

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