4/7- 4/16 - Natural Bridges, Canyonlands, Arches, Cisco

 4/7 - Went to see the House on Fire ruins.  So cool!  The ruins are ruins, but the rock above really does make it look like it's on fire.  It was fairly cool and an easy walk in/along side a wash for about 1 mile each way, so Zoe did it with no problem.   

Then we went onto Natural Bridges National Monument, where Zoe wasn't allowed out again.  I was even told at the visitor center, where dogs are allowed outside the vehicle, to get her back to the parking lot when we were around the picnic area.  😕  

I wanted to do some hiking, so hiked to two of the bridges.  There were very few people there and it made me a little anxious to be hiking the first hike alone since there were some steep areas and obviously no cell signal.  I should probably get an inReach mini or something like that to communicate by satellite in an emergency.  I do worry that if something happened to me, what would happen to Zoe locked in my van.

Ladders, stairs, steep inclines, railings to help on those steep inclines.  It was only .6 mi each way, but 500 ft elevation change in that distance.

I was a little hesitant at this point since I was alone, but I decided I had to do it and I'm glad I did.  It felt good to get my heart pumping and see this beautiful bridge

I skipped the hike to Kachina bridge, but did Owachamo bridge.  

I decided to find a BLM campsite along a dirt road not far from the monument.  Since these roads are dirt and a bit unknown, I get pretty anxious looking for a campsite.  The roads are narrow and this one had deep sand on the sides, so I could never do a u-turn.  I drove by a spot that I could have shared with someone who was already there, then was getting nervous that I wouldn't find something else I could make work.  I ended up going down a long steep hill, getting more and more anxious, and found a spot that I could actually drive into.  Most of the sites would require high clearance and 4x4 to get into them.  I was so relieved when i found this spot!  This place was so quiet!  Only one vehicle drove by the entire time I was there.  And lovely stars too!

4/8 - After a leisurely morning taking a nice walk along the road, we headed out.  

First stop was to Butler Wash Ruins overlook.  It was a short walk, Zoe could come along, to the overlook, which was really amazing.  It's pretty far from the site, but you can see it really well.  There was a young couple who had climbed down the canyon and up the other side to get to the ruins.  I couldn't do that with Zoe and being alone, it makes me more cautious.  

It was actually cloudy and stayed that way for me until after the eclipse was done.  I did manage to get a couple of chances to see the 55% eclipse (with my solar glasses, of course!) as the clouds broke up a little.  I didn't find it that impressive and was feeling really bummed about not seeing the total eclipse.  Being that it went right through my old home and most of my friends and family got to experience it, made me feel really left out.  I met quite a few people along the way that were heading to TX for it, but I just wasn't interested in driving so far and dealing with traffic, plus had no plan for where to stay.  Next time (2044)!  😄

I'm playing catch-up and writing this on 4/13 and am looking forward to all the hype dying down so that I can stop seeing it on social media and getting reminded of what I missed.  FOMO!

I washed the van in a do it yourself bay, which didn't get all the grime off.  I was afraid to use the brush in case it scratched.  Oh well - it was an improvement!

Stopped at this Newspaper Rock site, which was pretty cool.

Then onto Canyonlands The Needles District (there are 3).  

The first hike I did was Cave Spring.  The views from there were just amazing!  It is a loop and I was only going to do part of it to get back to Zoe, but once I climbed the ladders and got up high, I couldn't turn back as it was so pretty.  I'm so glad i did the whole loop as there was other interesting stuff towards the end.  

I think this is so cool!

Cowboys used to use this area after the ancestral people when herding cattle.  I wonder if any of this is original.

More of Canyonlands.

Pothole point.  

I felt like I was on the moon

I crossed paths with Kayla and Jay again and this is them driving in front of me.

The sun was going down while I was looking for a place to park.  I was looking for a free BLM spot and because they all seemed to be taken, I ended up sharing with a couple of guys who were leaving on a 3.5 days mountain biking trip.  Nice guys.  Funny, it never crossed my mind to be concerned camping next to two men.  

Sunset from the campsite.  Ahhh.

4/9 - On my way to Moab, I stopped at Wilson Arch.  I took Zoe out, not knowing that I could climb into the arch, so I put her back in the van and climbed up.  It was pretty cool.

View from just behind of campsite.  Too bad I couldn't go farther back as it was super secluded back there, but I might consider it if I had a truck camper with especially high clearance.  It is quite amazing how difficult some of these locations are!

Morning walk

We went to Moab and ran a few errands and I ate lunch at a restaurant.  I was ready for something other than what I tend to eat in the van.  I left Zoe in the van and enjoyed an amazing Reuben at Trailhead Public House and Eatery.  Yum!

I know that Moab can be very crowded with campers, so I was a bit unsure where I would find to stay.  I ended up at Horsethief campground (BLM) for $20.  It wasn't a great site as most were taken, but it was fine.  I tried to find a free spot along the road, but I think I would have had to drive down a narrow road and not know what I'd run into.  Even if I had a 4x4 van, I think I'd still be uncomfortable.  So, back I went to the campground.

I forgot that Moab is mountain biking country and almost everyone had bikes.  The area is amazing for mountain bikes with trails everywhere.  I

4/10 - Next stop Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands, 

This is the white rim road that is about 100 miles long.  It's inside the canyon and the road down has been used for many years.  It is amazing to learn what people did without the heavy machinery we have today.  

Mesa Arch

This is the view from the Grandview trail, which I hadn't planned on hiking (2 miles), but couldn't resist.  This is why it's called Island in the Sky because I'm at the end of the island.

, 

I decided to go to Arches on the same day and since neither parks allow dogs on the trails, we stopped and did a short walk for Zoe.

Arches NP has a timed entry system starting April 1st between 7 AM and 4 PM.  I was able to get an entrance at 3.  That's pretty late, but I knew I wouldn't get there before 7 AM...  Guess who I saw in the parking lot of the visitor center - Kayla and Jay!  Such nice people.  I think they're in their mid 30s or so and I was thinking about the age difference and was thinking I was 50, but nope - almost 60!!!  😏

I was so surprised by Arches NP.  I don't know what I expected, but it was so much more and I hope to go back on my way back through Moab because I ran out of time unsurprisingly and was tired from all my hiking.  When you enter, you drive up around this big wall of rock and then get into another world.  It's almost like it's an aquarium that was just plopped down there.  I just find the diversity of the landscape so incredible.  Why all this in just this one area?

Park Avenue - There's a hike here, but I didn't do it.

La Sal mountains.  So many lovely views of these mountains while driving around the park (and outside)

I wanted to hike to Delicate Arch, so after a couple of quick stops, I went there.  It's a 3 mile hike and quite strenuous, going up some big inclines, but so worth it and it only took me one hour out and back.  I did take some time to enjoy the Arch, but did not climb down and out to the Arch itself.  This photo is as close as I got, which was perfect.

The hike down.  You can see the parking lot in the distance.

Sand arch

I stuck around for sunset, which wasn't spectacular, but fun to watch the changes in light.

I felt so bad with all the NPs and having to leave Zoe behind so many times.  I just wish she could at least go to the overlooks and get to stretch her legs.  One of the last times I left her alone when I went to explore she was barking and I'm not sure why.  I wondered if she was telling me she'd had enough of being left behind...

Since it was getting dark and I desperately wanted a shower, I stayed at a private campground/RV park.  Shower was good, site was level, and I parked next to some fellow Vermonters from Morrisville, but it was right on the highway.  Road noise doesn't usually bother me much, but this was just like sleeping on the side of a highway and it was too much.  I did sleep, but once I woke up, it was hard to get back to sleep.  I had thought I'd fill up water here, but the woman I spoke to recommended that I not do that.  She recommended getting City water from in town.  Bummer since that's one of the perks of staying at RV parks.

9/11 -14 - Got gas and filled up my water tank (free at the Exxon station) then headed towards Cisco.  Route 128 is a beautiful drive along the Colorado river, so I wanted to drive that instead of the highway.  I was going to go to Castle Valley, but I missed the turn.  I started to go to Fisher Towers, but there was a sign saying no vehicles longer than 22' and I seem to recall someone commenting that they got two flat tires on that road, so I decided to bail on that.  We stopped by the river and walked around, but it was too hot and sunny for Zoe.  There was a trail across the street that I considered doing, but I didn't want to leave Zoe in the van after the day before and she was already showing that it was too hot for her.  

Then onto Cisco.  I had thought Cisco was a town, but it really isn't.  It's a ghost town with a ton of falling down buildings.  "The ghost town of Cisco, Utah is one of the most iconic ghost towns in all of America. Its been featured in movies like Thelma & Louise, Vanishing Point, and Don’t Come Knocking as well as the Johnny Cash song, “Cisco Clifton’s Filling Station,” Cisco didn’t used to be such a lonely place… The town saw life as a pit stop for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad trains in the 1880s, and this connection to a rail line proved to be very valuable to cattle and sheep ranchers in the extremely desolate Utah desert. In fact, Legends of America says as many as 100,000 head of sheep were sheared in Cisco at the turn of the century.The 1920s kept the town growing as oil and natural gas were found and the 1950s love of the automobile brought even more to Cisco. The need to service this new influx of road travelers led to restaurants, gas stations, bars, and more popping up in the little town of 200. That all changed, however, when I-70 skipped by the town. By the 80s and 90s the town was practically deserted. Perhaps no better example of the town’s abandonment after I-70 is Johnny Cash’s “Cisco Clifton’s Filling Station,” a song written after H. Ballard Harris fueled up Johnny Cash’s car with $7 worth of gas Cisco."

Drive from Moab to Cisco

Colorado river almost the whole way

Cisco

Post office

From Cisco I had 7.5 miles on paved, but unmaintained (think potholes and washboard), then dirt (actually in better shape than the paved road) to visit with a friend of Marta's out in the middle of nowhere.  Deb is homesteading and has a tiny home, no water, no electricity, no sewer.  She has solar panels and batteries like I do in the van.  Uses a compost toilet and has to go to town to get water in her 100 gallon tanks.  She has chickens and a garden.  Deb was a dog trainer and lived in an RV for a year or two (so we have plenty in common) and decided that she wanted to settle down in the desert far away from others and she's got it.  She loves it.  

Deb and Kemo

OMG!  Kemo is just too cute!

Deb's homestead

Pronghorn

The rarity when she's smart enough to find shade.

Boat launch nearby on the Colorado

Ahhhh

Deb cooked a great dinner of salmon and shrimp with grilled asparagus and tomatoes and we hung out enjoying her amazing view of the La Sal mountains.  She gave me scoops on the area and told me of things I could do.  Unfortunately Deb is house sitting from Friday to Monday and I arrived on Thursday.  I didn't think I'd want to stay for long anyway, but in the end I decided to stay at least until Saturday since I needed to file my taxes.  I had done them a while back, but didn't file at the time since I needed to pay.  Come to find out I could have set the pay date to April 15th anyway.  I kept forgetting about filing them, so it was great that Deb has Starlink so I could get that done and off my mind.  

On Saturday I did some cleaning and organizing chores and decided to stay.  At this point I feel like I should stay until Deb comes back and she has another dog trainer friend coming by on Tuesday and they are going to hike to some petrified trees, dinosaur tracks and bones.  I'd really like to see that, so I am staying for that.  I am struggling a bit since there is nothing to do other than walks in the cooler morning and evening air.  It's high 70s, low 80s and the van stays pretty comfortable with the exhaust fan blowing.  It did give me time to catch up on this blog!  My exhaust fan is squeaking so I tried doing some cleaning of it to see if that would help, but it didn't.  Ugh!  

Due to the long drive on rough roads, I won't go far from here.  There is access to the river close by, so I might do that.  Today I might go down to the river and check that out.  

I'm thinking I want to go to Arches again and am trying to find a time I can do that since Zoe has to stay in the van.  I think I'm going to have to go before 7 AM so that she can stay cool in the van.  Or I could try using Rover.  It's getting warm here now!  In the upper 70s and low 80s pretty consistently.  After Arches, I'm thinking Goblin valley state park, Capitol Reef NP, then head back down to Flagstaff and Petrified Forest NP and Painted Valley.  Then head into NM?  

I think it is finally time to put away some of the colder climate clothes and bring out the summery ones.  I put a tank top on for the first time today!

I'm trying to figure out when/where I'm going to get my service done.  I have noticed a bit of a funny sound around 2000 rpms which is making me a bit anxious since there is no Mercedes service anywhere near here.  There are no lights and maybe it's just an exhaust leak?  I still have less than 12k, but maybe should try to do the service sooner rather than later.  Fuel economy and performance seems fine.  

And another thing I've notices is my water pump sounds like it's struggling at the end of it's cycle.  According to Steve he's only known of one failing after 3 years.  I wonder how many full timers he's sold to, but whatever.  I guess I'll deal with it if it fails.  I feel like all these worries are part of this life and part of my personality.  In a home I had worries too!  I think there are fewer in this life.  Whatever comes up I'll deal with.

I want to feel less obligated to take photos.  I take so many and many of them are just because I feel I should show people what I'm seeing, but then when I look at them later they often aren't that impressive.  I also think that thinking about taking pictures takes away from my experience.  I feel like I should try to take a break from taking photos at all, like taking a break from social media 😆, to break the obsession.  But I don't think I can do that...

I'm really happy with the power system in the van.  I've been using the electric space heater on nights that don't get too far down in the 30s and it's working to keep it fairly comfortable without drawing down the power too much.  I've used the diesel heater as a supplement on the colder nights.  I haven't needed heat for the past 2 nights, which is awesome!  I'm very happy with the van.  The only two issues still are the water tank fill hose being too level and having mold in it and the windows being too low in my bed flares.  Oh, and that the builder didn't install the water filter at the sink that he said he's install.  It's just a refrigerator filter which doesn't do much of anything.  I really wanted that 2nd filtering system just before it comes out of the faucet.  I'll have to investigate other options.  Steve said he changed to this filter because of the fitting of the other one.  I imagine he could have gotten an adapter from a std faucet to the 1/4" fitting on my drinking faucet.  

Sunday, I decided we should venture out, so we drove the 2 or so miles to the boat launch at the Colorado river. 

After we got back, it got really windy and my van was filling up with sand again, so I closed everything up and turned on the AC and the fan blowing the cool air forward.  I'm really happy with how it works. If I can park with the rear facing the sun, I think it would stay quite cool in the cab and Zoe would be fine.  Today, the sun was shining right on the windshield (with cover) and it was 81 up front.  That is warm, but not deadly.

On Monday Deb came back and I cooked spaghetti in my instant pot mini and it was actually quite good.  Since I don't cook often, I was super happy to manage to make a meal that turned out well.  And Deb made a salad with the greens from her garden and it was sooo good!  I didn't know that lettuce could be that tender.  

Blip chilling in her crate.  So cute!

Kemo and Blip 

Another dog trainer friend, Karen, showed up on Tuesday and we went for an exploration hike,  Deb showed us some petrified wood/trees as well as some bone fossils that might be dinosaur.  How cool!  

me, Karen, Deb

That's Kemo's seat!

Karen, Kemo, Deb, Violet (Karen's pup)

Deb's greenhouse

She still gets to lick a plate every so often.  

Lovely view from my window in the morning

Leaving Deb's and heading to Fruita, CO for a quick visit.  This was a good regroup and slow down.  I really enjoyed this and hope to do more of the slow going.