Southwest Trip - Spring 2010

mmccurdy

Adventurer
Four states, four thousand miles....



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I just realized I never posted this over here, and thought some ExPo folks may be interested. We decided to link Easter Jeep Safari in Moab with the Overland Expo in Amado. The two events were two weeks apart, and the route in between just happened to traverse some of the best terrain the lower 48 has to offer, so we put the trip together.

Moab threw us a bit of a chilly welcome that had me questioning the wisdom of a two-week expedition/camping trip in early April:

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Before we departed we had some last-minute "details" to work out, such as where the hell we were going to be spending the next 14 nights, and how we were going to get there:

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On the way out of town, a park ranger JK blew by us on the freeway. We had a laugh about it on the 2m radios, little did we know he would be pulling us over 10 miles down the road. Turns out BLM ranger Don was just an avid Jeeper and had seen us in some YouTube videos from another forum. He decided to show us some cool spots nearby, and he wound up hanging with us until we made camp that night. Kind of unique to have an official ranger escort through some of the fantastic landscape of the San Rafael Swell.

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The wind picked up that night, so with Ranger Don's help we found a nice little spot with some good shelter:

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Our next destination was the Dollhouse within the Maze District, Canyonlands National Park. The only way in (by land anyway) is over 50 miles of dirt and rocks. It's not a terribly technical trail, but the isolation is palpable -- the thought of a mechanical failure or medical emergency looms a little bit larger with every passing mile.

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mmccurdy

Adventurer
From the Maze we headed south to the shores of Lake Powell. We spent a day on the water, and we ran into fellow JK owner Jeff. It turns out he does a bit of everything around the Hall's Crossing marina, and he had lots of great stories to tell from that experience.

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Next, we met up with a great group of folks from the Expedition Utah forum, many of whom are also members over here. The trail of choice was Hole in the Rock, a 30 mile trek along an old Mormon stagecoach route. It wasn't the most technical trail we've seen, but throw in 300 lbs. of gear on the roof and a tricky climb, and it's enough for David to get himself in trouble:

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We found the rest of the group at Cal Black airport the following morning and did a little emergency welding on a broken trackbar mount.

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From there it was down through Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley to take in some of the iconic red rock buttes that grace the area.

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At the recommendation of Preciousmetal Jeff, we stopped for dinner at the Mexican Hat Inn where cook and owner JD makes a mean "Swingin' Steak"

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It's hard to argue with the fact that the landscape in this region is some of the most diverse we've seen as well. On the same day you can take in a sunrise over snow capped mountains, wheel along a beach you'd swear could be in Baja, and wander through a slot canyon that seems like it's on another planet entirely.

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Making our way still farther south, the climate reminded us we were in Arizona, and so did the wildlife:

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Finally made camp at the Overland Expo. It was an awesome event filled with like-minded people from around the world. We only had one day there, but I'd consider spending more time there in future years.

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And last but not least, we managed to do about a third of the old Mojave Road on the way home.

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It was a fantastic trip filled with great trails, great landscapes, and great people everywhere we went. The folks in Utah and Arizona definitely made us feel welcome -- scarcely a stop went by without someone coming up to us an enthusiastically asking us about our rigs or telling a story of their own. Thanks to everyone we traveled with and met along the way.
 

Vermejo

Adventurer
Thanks for sharing your epic adventure and pics. If you don't mind me asking, where was this shoreline?

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mmccurdy

Adventurer
Black Dragon Canyon?

Yup, good call.

Thanks for sharing your epic adventure and pics. If you don't mind me asking, where was this shoreline?

That was at Lone Rock Beach at the southern end of Lake Powell, about 10 minutes from Wahweap Marina just over the Utah state line. It has a reputation as a party beach and supposedly gets crazy in the summer, but we were the only ones there the night we camped (mid April).
 

Vermejo

Adventurer
That was at Lone Rock Beach at the southern end of Lake Powell, about 10 minutes from Wahweap Marina just over the Utah state line. It has a reputation as a party beach and supposedly gets crazy in the summer, but we were the only ones there the night we camped (mid April).

Thanks for the info.
 

CJCA

Adventurer
Making our way still farther south, the climate reminded us we were in Arizona, and so did the wildlife:

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AWESOME! OUTSTANDING! That chance encounter is on my bucket list. I've never viewed a GM in the wild. Nice trip report! Thanks!
 

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