Open Range

Cattle on the road.

If you see an open range sign expect to see cattle near or on the road. Most often you will see an open range sign and no cattle at all. Or on your way somewhere there will be no cattle as far as the eye can see and when you return, cattle near the road. Cattle are not road savvy. If they are near the road as you are approaching, just assume they will be in the road by the time you get there.

Cowboys are not a thing of the past. The summer ranges are scattered over miles of open range and cowboys gather the herds together to go to market or winter pasture. We did see a cowboy and his two cattle dogs in action near Flaming Gorge, herding the cattle toward some pens that were setup to hold them until they could be loaded into a cattle truck. There are pens of this type all over.

Round 'em up.

There are fences but they seem to divide ranges and do not keep the cattle out of the road like they do back home. When there is a road there is a cattle guard (a metal rumble strip that the cattle cannot cross) that keeps the cattle in their own range. The ranges are so vast out west because the food the cattle graze is sparse. At home you may need an acre to support one head of cattle, out west you may need 25, 50 or 100. Of course water is an issue. No matter how many acres of land you have to graze, the cattle must have a source of water. I read the figures somewhere and will need to look them up, but I thought it said the cattle had to have a water source within two miles.

Who presses the button?

Wildlife

Snake at Escalante

Lizard at Mesa Verde

Buffalo (probably belonged to someone)

Pronghorn

Mule Deer

Black-Billed Magpie

Stellar’s Jay

Mountain Bluebird

Lesser Goldfinch

Bald Eagle

Golden Eagle

Lewis Woodpecker

Coyote

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Kangaroo Rat

White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel

Snake of undetermined species

Eastern Fence Lizard

Western Pipistrelle Bat

Jay, Pinyon or Western Scrub

Falcon, Prairie or Peregrine

Western Meadowlark

Western Bluebird

Cliff Swallow

Osprey

Northern Harrier

Cooper’s Hawk

Tarantula

Nighthawk

Armadillo (dead)

Moab Part 3-Canyonlands Needles District

Newspaper Rock

We traveled 200 miles by car to Canyonlands Needles District. It was a long way to go for what we were able to see. There were no grand vistas from the various overlooks. The high point was Newspaper Rock on Utah Hwy 211. The rock is jam-packed with petroglyphs, hundreds of petroglyphs. Some of the images on rock were deer, birds, people, footprints and squiggly lines.

On a hike.

View from the Needles Overlook.

On the way back we stopped at the Needles Overlook, which was located at the end of a 22-mile road off Hwy 191. The Overlook allowed us to safely look down into the canyon. There were very securely attached railings with chain-link fencing. I even felt secure leaning over for a look (after first testing to see if it wiggled).

It was a six-hour day and the temp was 99. By the time we got back we were both frazzled. We left the boys in the motorhome with the AC on and they were good while we were gone. We had a chance to rest a little then change for dinner show at the Bar M Chuckwagon.

All the dinner guests gathered outside for the shootout. There were two tour groups from France and one from Japan. I thought the dinner was delicious. Sliced roast beef, baked beans, baked potato, applesauce and spice cake. The show was good. The folks in the show did everything from selling tickets, to the gunfight, to serving food and drinks.

Some of the guests were asked to go on stage for one song and twirl little lariats. It was pretty funny. An older Japanese lady was one of the people called on stage. They said that she had hiked 3-miles to Delicate Arch that day. She was just a little thing. What spunk.

Moab Part 2--Arches

Went to Arches National Park today. Entering the park is dramatic to say the least. The road makes a series of switchbacks as it climbs up the face of the cliff. From the bottom the cars, motorhomes and tour buses look like ants as they make their way to the top.

If you enlarge this photo you will see a white speck. That is a motorhome going up the entrance road to Arches. We are at ground level.

Almost immediately after the road levels out, you see the impressive formations called Park Avenue. Followed shortly by The Organ, Courthouse Towers, Three Gossips and Sheep Rock. There are many more unnamed pinnacles, spires, sandstone fins and eroded monoliths.

Park Avenue

Most of the Arches are only accessible on foot. There are several that you can see from the road or overlooks but the famous Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch require hiking.

See the people.

Find the Arch

It took about four hours to drive the whole park. Parking spaces are at a premium. Cars park in RV/Bus spaces so RVs end up parking in car spaces and buses where ever they can. Again I don’t remember it being so busy five years ago.

Congestion

Musical RVs

When we made reservations at this campground we were told that we could have two nights in one space and two nights in another. We were willing to move as we did call at the last minute.

Apparently the move was bigger that just us. The big move involved four rigs who moved to different spaces and two who departed. No one could move until those two departed. I must say this left us all scratching our heads. We discovered that four rigs pulled in together and took the four spaces that were freed up. They were traveling together.

Moab, UT Part 1

Tom at one of the overlooks.

From another overlook.

The focus of our visit here is Canyonlands National Park. Last time we were here we visited Arches National Park and our schedule didn’t allow us to see Canyonlands.

After setting up at the campground at about 1:30, we headed toward the park. We chose the nearest road, as we didn’t want to be gone too long.

This road followed the Colorado River as it meandered its way into the park. The paved portion of the road is only about 20 miles then it turns to a 4x4 road. We didn’t take the 4x4 road. It was a nice ride.

It’s not till you get on the rim that you appreciate how Canyonlands got its name. The Green and Colorado Rivers merge within the park and these are the forces that etched this huge canyon into the earth. The park covers 527 square miles and in places the canyon is nearly a ½ mile deep. The vista stretches to the horizon 100 miles. The color of the sandstone is in varying layers of brown mostly, almost a chocolate brown—A much different color compared to the other areas we have seen. At mid-day, when we were there, the canyons had a very dark appearance. Brochure pictures show flaming red to golden colors on the rock at sunset.

Green River Overlook

We took the park roads to all the overlooks in the Island in the Sky region, which is the easiest way to see the park. The more adventurous visitor can get down into the canyons. From the rim you can see 4x4 roads where you can either take your own vehicle, rent one or be guided. Some trips into the canyons can take days and permits are required for certain activities. I don’t know if they charge for the permits or just want to know your plans. It can be a dangerous place. The canyons are quite warm, 1/4 in of rain can cause some washes to flood and dehydration is a concern.

The plan is to go to the Needles region on Friday or Saturday.

The La Sal Mountains to the east. The highest peak is Mt. Peale at 12,721 feet.

Shafer Trail (4x4) approaching the visitor center.

Grandview Point Overlook. Wind noise is loud so turn your sound down.

My New Favorite Place Is Capitol Reef

A 100 mile long "Waterpocket Fold" in the earth defines Capitol Reef. Much of the park is accessible only by backpacking. The historic Fruita area and a 10 mile paved park road are easy to visit.

Fruita was a small community settled in the 1880s by Mormon settlers. The Fremont River allowed settlers to farm, creating the many orchards that exist today. At most, only ten families lived in this valley, which was somewhat isolated due its remote location.

Franklin Roosevelt designated Capitol Reef a National Monument, then in the 1960s Capitol Reef was established as a National Park. Utah Hwy 24 was paved around that time and access to the area became easier. Today the park’s facilities—visitor center, historic buildings, orchards park road and campgrounds can be found just off Hwy 24.

Our campsite at sunset.

We really enjoyed the campground that is adjacent to one of the orchards. The fruit is Pick Your Own for $1.00 per pound, with bags and scales available. Several herds of mule deer browse the orchards with the human visitors. There are shower/restrooms available. The camping is dry as there are no hookups at the sites. There are no reservations and we were lucky to get there early enough to get a spot. The campground filled shortly after we arrived. Although the campgrounds were full, there weren’t the crowds as in other parks we visited.

These mule deer are local park residents. You can see they aren't bothered as this man approaches.

We took the park road; the first 10 miles are paved. At the end of the pavement you can take the South Draw road/ trail which connects with Hwy 12 to the west but is designated for high clearance 4x4 vehicles or the mile long Capitol Gorge road, which is a must see. We drove along a wash and at the end is a hiking trail that leads to petroglyphs, pioneer writing and the tanks, rock pockets where rainwater collects. We walked a short way together and Tom turned back. I continued on alone for a while and would have kept on going if someone else were in sight. But being the chicken that I am turned around and came back.

Tom on the Capitol Gorge trail.

We came back and drove the park road and Grand Wash after supper. I wanted to get some pictures with the setting sun hitting the rocks. The setting sun seemed to make the cliffs glow. It was quite beautiful.

Sunset at Capitol Reef

We went to the ranger program that evening but it got so cool that we didn’t stay for the whole thing. We didn’t dress properly. When you stay at a state or Federal campground you can easily take advantage of the ranger programs and activities.

Sue in Capitol Gorge