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The M~U~D Trip Report: 1000 Miles of Utah Dirt

Discussion in 'Trip Reports' started by Blackdawg, Feb 18, 2017.

  1. Aug 28, 2017 at 11:58 PM
    #161
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2010
    Member:
    #48500
    Messages:
    81,616
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Monte
    Wyoming/St. Louis
    Vehicle:
    The Trifecta of Taco's
    ALL OF THEM!...Then some more.


    Chapter 7:

    A Perfect Maze


    We awoke the next morning and I thought it has rained the Dew was so thick.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    https://flic.kr/p/P2wbrc][​IMG][/url]M~D~U-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-5.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Didn't really bother us though. We took our time to wait for a little sun to get on our tents and disscused our route we would try for the day.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Our first road was Flint Trail. Which took us down from the Butte we were camped on down to..well another Butte. The Maze feels like a multi storied landscape. Flint was a way down to the other roads are camp spots including ours for the night, The Maze Overlook. The trail has a few switch backs but nothing crazy compared to what we've done in the past.


    View was pretty stellar though from the think dew morning. The air seemed crisp and clear.


    [​IMG]IMG_2374 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-6.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Right after this photo is a slightly rocky section. Nothing bad. But I like how Mike described it:


    [​IMG]IMG_2378 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2379 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    “That'll keep the subies out!”


    :laugh:


    He was right though. High clearance only now.


    [​IMG]IMG_2380 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-7.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2382 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2383 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-8.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2385 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2387 by mike digirat, on Flickr



    Was a fun little road. Nothing crazy. But you could tell if someone without experience could get themselves in trouble.


    [​IMG]IMG_2388 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2391 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2394 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2395 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2399 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2400 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2404 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2406 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    nothing drastic about the decent. Then you end up at an intersection and we went straight to Lands End which rode along the rim of the Butte we had just descended. Only to reveal more canyons.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-9.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2410 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Lookie here! Those are the Abajo mountains in the Manti La Sal nat Forest that we crossed only a few days ago. Once again, looking back! As well as forward as that is the Land of Standing Rocks where we will drive through tomorrow.


    [​IMG]IMG_2411 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2412 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-10.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    And we had done very well this trip on avoiding mud, but the rain the day before and the heavy dew put mud holes everywhere. Our trucks would slowly become more and more red.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-11.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-12.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2415 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-13.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    And this is one of the reasons why its called The Maze. Look at that terrain!


    [​IMG]M~D~U-14.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2418 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2421 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2424 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    And in the far distance down below..another tail.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-16.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-15.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    That the road to The Doll House, were our last night will be had in The Maze.


    But for now we would continue on this road.

    [​IMG]IMG_2425 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-17.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Which eventually comes down to the valley below and levels out a lot.


    [​IMG]IMG_2427 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-18.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-19.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    We passed a 4 way interesction which to the east was The Doll House and to the West was Poison Spring Canyon. We would return via Poison later that day and continued south on Cove Canyon road back towards Hite.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-20.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    The views were great, it was big and open down here with buttes everywhere. We passed a big group of bikers that had a hired chase vehicle. Thankfully let us pass as our pace was much higher then anyone else we had met in the area.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-21.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-22.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-23.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2428 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2429 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Hite and the overlook are up ahead where we ate lunch yesterday. You can see the “lumpy” mountain.


    [​IMG]IMG_2431 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-24.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2433 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    The road was pretty smooth honestly and we mad great time only stopping to take photos of the beautiful landscape.


    [​IMG]IMG_2436 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2438 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-25.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-26.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-27.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-28.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2440 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2442 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2443 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    And just like that we were back in Glenn Canyon Recreation area again. Its a nice way to enter the Maze I think rather than leaving it.


    [​IMG]IMG_2445 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    So we got back on the highway to head up to Poison Spring.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-29.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    not before I got a second attempt at snapping Mike crossing the Dirty Devil River bridge though.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-30.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-31.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    We would have to cross the actual river later today.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-32.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Mike found us a nice spot down by the Colorado River to eat lunch before going much further though.


    [​IMG]IMG_2454 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2456 by mike digirat, on Flickr



    We then had a problem. We realized we would not have enough gas to just go back into the Maze and drive the roads we had planned and get out the north side. This was not good. The only option we new about was to go all the way north back to Hanksville. Wasn't an ideal plan as it would add about an hour or more. We didn't know what else to do though.


    HOWEVER!


    For those reading this, there IS GAS AT HITE! Can not tell you how nice that would have been to know. So hopefully now you know!


    We...did not though. So after lunch head to Hankville, filled up on gas again and came back south to Poison Spring.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-33.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2459 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Quite a few miles to go..


    [​IMG]IMG_2460 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Honestly this was one of the cooler trails we drove in the Maze. I wish I had taken more photos of the first part. Was really fun as you drive along a creek bed and dip in and out of the water while in a canyon. Was really cool.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-34.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-35.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-36.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2461 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Time was now an issue though and we had a long ways to get to camp. Mike was hoping to beat night fall as night driving isn't his thing, but we were starting to realize that wasn't going to be an option. Our road climbed out of the bottom of the creek to ride along another butte base.


    [​IMG]IMG_2464 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-37.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2465 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    And then our river crossing appeared!


    [​IMG]M~D~U-38.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2469 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-39.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    You could tell this sucker could get high. But didn't seem like it would be an issue. Always a risk I suppose especially as the Dirty Devil was living up to its name by being...well dirty, and couldn't see the bottom.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-40.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Screw it!


    In I go.


    [​IMG]IMG_2471 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2472 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2475 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2475 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Yeah..not deep at all.


    [​IMG]IMG_2477 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2479 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2481 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Your turn Mike!


    [​IMG]IMG_2483 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-41.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-42.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-43.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-44.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-45.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    That was fun.


    From here the road climbed up high to let us see some fantastic views.


    [​IMG]IMG_2484 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-46.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2485 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2486 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2490 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    My god this stuff is beautiful.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-47.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-48.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-49.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-50.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-51.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    The light was starting to fade fast though and Mike was really wanting to get to camp so we put the hammer down more and just took in the views.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-52.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Wasn't easy though, the road was very bumpy and had taken a lot of abuse from water in spots.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-53.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    I always like it when the wash is the road, not sure why. Perhaps due to growing up in an area that just doesn’t have stuff like that.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-54.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    The light was getting very pretty though and dramatic


    [​IMG]M~D~U-55.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2492 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-56.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickrs

    [​IMG]IMG_2493x by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-57.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr



    By now it was getting real late and we put the pedal to the medal now that we were back on Lands End. The light was epic though.


    [​IMG]IMG_2495 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2496 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2498 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2499 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2501 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2502 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2503 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    It was pretty dark by the time we got to the intersection to turn to the Maze Overlook, our site for the night.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-58.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-59.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    12 miles to go.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-60.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-61.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-62.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    We didn't make it to camp in the light. But we didn't mind too much. It had been a great day and we had covered a ton of miles. Sitting around the propane fire pit, we had to decide what to do tomorrow with our fuel constraints as we were not going to go back out of the Maze tomorrow. The Doll house was our next destination and even though we very much wanted to go to Panorama point, we figured we could try and get to it on the way out.


    I also had to figure out how to get my Secpter Jerry can open in the morning or I'd be in trouble.


    With a plan set we crawled into bed a bit exhausted from the long trail day. Little did we know how spectacular our camp site actually was.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2017
    BYJOSHCOOK likes this.
  2. Aug 28, 2017 at 11:58 PM
    #162
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2010
    Member:
    #48500
    Messages:
    81,616
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Monte
    Wyoming/St. Louis
    Vehicle:
    The Trifecta of Taco's
    ALL OF THEM!...Then some more.
    The morning revealed all.


    [​IMG]IMG_2506 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2505 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2510 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Holy...crap..


    [​IMG]M~D~U.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2515 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2517 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    That is one hell of a maze!


    While we were looking around a range appeared and came down to our camp. She was very friendly and we showed her our permits and she gave us the normal run down on wilderness camping rules. She also informed us that the Doll House road was the most challenging road in the area. And that it would take us about 8 hours to get there from here.


    Nice. Challenge accepted!


    She also mention doing the short hike to The Granary if we had time, then left and we continued to marvel at our surroundings.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2511 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2513 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2521 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2522 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2526 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2528 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2529 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2530 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Good thing we didn't go too far last night to pee..


    [​IMG]IMG_2531 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2532 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2533 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Even some fall colors for us down below.


    [​IMG]IMG_2535 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    I finally got out my mini sledge and beat the cap of my jerry can open. So now I had 10gal of gas in reserve like Mike. We then hit the road as we were a bit curious about the Ranger information on the road conditions and timing. Mike did not want to roll into camp in the dark again.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-6.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    It was nice to see the area we had driven into though in full day light. Including this massive drop off we had passed by and seen the rangers jeep parked by last night.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-5.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2541 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Utahs colors and textures are always so interesting and beautiful.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-7.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-8.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2542 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2544 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr



    The rest of the road was pretty uneventful and before long we were up on Lands End again headed to The Doll house.


    [​IMG]IMG_2546 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    This was our road far down below.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-9.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Igor has been treat us well, even though he is massively overloaded. The double cab life has been great though.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-10.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Around lunch time, we made it to the 4 way intersection again. We had literally been down all paths form here but one. I pulled off on the east road and waited for Mike to catch up so we could eat some lunch before tackling the Doll House road in.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-12.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-13.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-14.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-16.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    While we ate a ford truck pulled up with two BLM Law enforcement Rangers in it. They were armed to the teeth too. But very friendly guys. We showed them our permits and told them all on where we had been and where we were going. They laughed when we told them we went up to Hanksville for gas and informed us of the gas pump at Hite.


    :facepalm:


    They were however quite happy to hear we had made it through Poison Springs as there had been a very large wash out this spring and the county was supposed to have fixed it but they hadn't been able to get down there yet. We could have been the first one all year to have done the whole thing really.


    Apparently.


    They also asked about traffic in the area as they were on the look out for poachers. We told them what we knew and they thanked us and went on their way south.


    We rapped up lunch and started down our road which at first was very fun smooth sandy washes. But quickly turned to slick rock crawling.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-17.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-18.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2548 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2551 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    At the tight turn near Tea Pot rock, I got a little over confident in my tire size..and dented the rear bed side.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-19.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Damn...almost made it damage free. But wasn't bad really.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-20.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-21.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Ha I like this marker, was for the Golden Stairs.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-22.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    This formation was called Mother and Daughter I think. And marked the beginning of Land of the Standing Rocks.


    [​IMG]IMG_2552 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-23.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-24.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-26.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    It also got us out of the Slickrock, for the most part. Hadn't been anything crazy for us. I can see how someone in a more stock fullsize truck would think it as intense. But we walked through it. From here on it was pretty smooth driving.


    [​IMG]IMG_2556 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-25.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-27.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Our camp site would be in the middle of rock formation like this. But we still had plenty of miles to go first.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-28.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Plenty of washouts for stretch the legs out on through here as well.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-29.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    And then the buttes fell away, and all that was left was...well standing rocks.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-30.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2559 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2560 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-31.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-32.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2563 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2566 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2568 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2569 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    And still the seemingly never ending canyons still appeared


    [​IMG]IMG_2570 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2571 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-33.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    This is Chimney rock, you can get a camp permit right below it.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-34.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Where we were headed though was much cooler.


    Once again we ended up driving in a washout and the rock formations started to change, again.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-35.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-36.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2573 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2575 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    This was the area our campsite would be in.


    [​IMG]IMG_2576 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-37.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    This got us very excited, I mean look at that!


    Before that we got to the second spot the ranger had warned us about. A large crack in a mutli shelf decent. A true tire swallower. Apparently plenty of folks get caught in this though as long as you pay attention there is plenty of room, so not sure how really.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-38.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-39.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2581 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    This is going to be great was all I could think.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-40.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-41.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Thankfully, Mike said we were in Site 2 and we got to turn left straight into the heart of the...house?


    [​IMG]M~D~U-42.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2583 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2584 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2585 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2589 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    This spot was unbelievably cool. And so hard to capture its true awesomeness on camera. We were surrounded by the large towers of rock.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-44.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-45.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2591 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2594 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2595 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2604 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Also, it did not take us 8 hours to get there. In fact it took us around 4. this meant we had quite a bit of daylight left and Devin and I decided to go check out the short hike the Ranger had told us about. Mike said he didn't mind and kept setup up his camp and walked around himself a bit.


    [​IMG]IMG_2605 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2607 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2608 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2609 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2610 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2611 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2612 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2613 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2614 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2620 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2629 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2632 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2634 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2635 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    He in fact go super comfortable and whipped out the laptop on his utah desk to clear some CF cards and do some reading.


    [​IMG]IMG_2639 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Not a terrible office..


    [​IMG]IMG_2641 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2644 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2645 by mike digirat, on Flickr



    Devin and I headed out from our site back the way we came and found the trail. Though once it got up into the rocks was very tricky to follow.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-46.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    In fact at this spot, we lost the trail and spent about 10 minutes looking for the right route.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-47.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-48.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-49.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Eventually we found it, under a rock haha :p


    [​IMG]M~D~U-50.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    The walk was mostly down hill at this point and very pretty.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-51.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-52.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Our trail T'ed into a bigger trail and even had an info board on it.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-53.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    We decided to continue down hill because..why not? But then it became obvious, we would be going down for a very very long ways..


    [​IMG]M~D~U-54.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    This is Spanish Bottom.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-55.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    It is a frequent stop for people floating or kayaking the river. It's a whopping 1500' drop in less then a mile.


    Given we didn't have THAT much time, I decided we shouldn't do the large decent not wanting to hike back up it in the dark.


    So we turned around and headed up to the Granary.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-56.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-57.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    The view was stellar.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-58.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-59.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    At one point the Colorado River flowed right there. We were about 1200' above the old bottom and the current river was another 1500' below that. Was pretty awesome to see.


    With the light fading we turned back to camp.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-60.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-61.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    To our delight we got to a bit of canyonering! Sort of...okay not really but was still super cool!


    [​IMG]M~D~U-62.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-63.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    I actually barely fit with my pack on and wide shoulders.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-64.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-65.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    After the tight squeeze we ended up walking through some of the..”Dolls”


    [​IMG]M~D~U-66.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-67.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-68.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-69.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-70.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    After that was a easy flat walk back to camp. These towers are mystical almost, something about them was wonderful to be around.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-71.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flick

    [​IMG]M~D~U-72.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    10/10, would recommend that sort hike if you have the time.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-75.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Upon our return we found Mike at his “desk” :laugh:


    [​IMG]M~D~U-76.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    He had been reading copied webpages from traildamage about all the trails we had been on.


    Devin wanted a shower though very badly, so I setup the shower infront of the truck with a rock for her to stand on and Devin proceeded to have probably the coldest shower of her life as it was just about dark when she did it.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-77.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    After that we decided to pool our forces and make a big dinner of spicy bacon brussel sprouts, crispy bacon potatoes and pork chops. Bacon rules all!!


    We then enjoyed our propane fire and watched the stars come out while chatting about the trip and our exit plan for tomorrow.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-78.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    However...


    Our night was FAR from over.


    Devin decided to go to bed and Mike and I were chatting away when I heard a noise that I though was wind rusting my trasharoo...except there was no wind.


    “Hey, lemme see your flash light” I asked Mike who owns the lightsaber of all flashlights.


    I lit up my trasharoo which had a plastic bag liner in and to my surprise it was moving!


    “what the hell...” I said as I approached it.


    Right as I was about 3' from it a little black face poked out.


    “Oh it's a raccoon” I said getting ready to scare it away.


    But then I crawled out and relieved it very characteristic white strips and spots....


    Skunk.


    “oh shit!” I said jumping back as the skunk climbed into the back of my truck.


    This woke up Devin and I had to explain to her that a skunk was literally underneath her which she took...not so well.


    The lil bastard would not leave though. We at first just let him be but he didn't go anywhere just kept exploring the bed and checking out the stove and garbage. Finally I worked up the courage to approach it and start pulling things out of the bed. First the garbage, then kitech stuff, soon just about everything besides the OSK that he was perched on. Devin hated every moment of it worried the skunk would spray. So we let him be for about an hour again.


    By now it was close to 2am and I was getting sick of this. I grabbed Mikes lightsaber and set it on strobe and grabbed my shovel and started shoving the handle in its face.


    Little dude just thought it was a dance party though and crawled down in between the cab and the bed to rest up in the wheel arch.


    What a bastard..


    At 3:30am I gave up and just decided to go to bed and not worry about it.


    “Held captive by a skunk” as Mike put it.


    Exhausted and slightly worried about how everything could smell in the morning, finally we went to bed.


    To be Continued:


    Chapter 8: The Final Stretch
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2017
    jubei, SIZZLE, omaguz and 4 others like this.
  3. Aug 29, 2017 at 12:00 AM
    #163
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

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    Sorry, took longer then i thought. Last week was nuts at work. Think i'll be able to wrap this up this week actually.

    This page is gonna hurt to load, lot of pictures!

    Enjoy!
     
  4. Aug 29, 2017 at 6:23 AM
    #164
    12thmanhawkfan

    12thmanhawkfan Well-Known Member

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    It's got some Mods
    another good read!
     
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  5. Aug 29, 2017 at 6:33 AM
    #165
    mrblah

    mrblah Member

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    Ending a chapter on a skunk cliffhanger.

    That's borderline torture! ;)

    Great story once again! That "high clearance 4wd" stuff: was it that bad or a stock tacoma could take it on carefully?
     
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  6. Aug 29, 2017 at 7:00 AM
    #166
    crazy joker

    crazy joker Well-Known Member

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    Real men just call it camping
  7. Aug 29, 2017 at 8:24 AM
    #167
    turbodb

    turbodb AdventureTaco

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    AdventureTaco
    awesome! couple duplicate pics in the set, but the only one you might want to fix is of the arrow marker (saw it by clicking through to your flickr stream) since you comment on it being cool :). You'll replace the second instance of M~D~U-21.jpg.
     
  8. Aug 29, 2017 at 8:36 AM
    #168
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

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    Thanks!

    mmm..probably. 2nd gen might drag is low hanging butt over some stuff. Think a 1st gen would be fine.

    DAMN!

    Was going to fast :p

    Thanks for the heads up!
     
  9. Aug 29, 2017 at 8:46 AM
    #169
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

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    Fixed.

    Only found 2 duplicates.
     
  10. Aug 29, 2017 at 9:07 AM
    #170
    turbodb

    turbodb AdventureTaco

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    AdventureTaco
    Yep, I only saw two. Totally understand speeding through adding pics, same for me when there are tons, haha. Great trip. Loved the canyoneering with the vertical walls.
     
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  11. Aug 29, 2017 at 10:06 AM
    #171
    Digiratus

    Digiratus Adventurer

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    Great story telling... again! Man, we did take a lot of photographs though.
     
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  12. Aug 29, 2017 at 10:17 AM
    #172
    Digiratus

    Digiratus Adventurer

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    2002 XtraCab TRD 4x4 SCv6 AutoTrans With Lots of Mods ADS COs w/Compression Adjusters Camburg Uniball UCAs Whiteline Lower Control Arm Bushings Kartek 7" Limit Straps Plastics Guy Front Bumpstops Total Chaos Sprindle Gussets Custom Alcan Springs +800 lbs +3" ADS 10" Stroke Triple Bypass w/Resi Rear Shocks Custom Rear Shock Relocate All-Pro U-bolt Flip w/Timbren Bumpstops 4.88 Nitro Gears ARB Front Locker ARB Twin Compressor Black 17x8 Konig Countersteer Type X 285/70r17 Falken A/T3w Gunmetal 16x8 SCS Ray10s 255/85r16 Maxxis Bighorns Limited Edition (Relentless) Elite Front Bumper Smittybilt X2O 10K Winch Diode Dynamics SS3 Sport Selective Yellow Fog Lights in the Bumper Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro 4,000 Kelvin SAE Driving Lights with Clear Lenses on the Bumper Morimoto D2S Projectors XB35 Ballasts + 4300K Bulbs Badland Sliders FrankenFab Tire Carrier Swingout bumper w/kitchen BudBuilt Front & Bellypan Skids BAMF Rear Diff Skid Dometic CFX 55im Fridge/Freezer Alpha II Hardshell RTT Badland Custom Bed Rack Denso 210-0461 105 amp alternator Dual Northstar 24F AGM batteries BlueSea 7622 ML-ACR Battery controller Peak DBI Dual Battery Voltage Monitor Haltech IC-7 Display with Mako Dash Insert Haltech Elite 2500 Standalone ECU Magnuson MP62 Supercharger w/URD 2.2" Pulley Doug Thorley Headers Denso 650cc Fuel Injectors Aeromotive Stealth 340 Fuel Pump TransGo A340F Reprogramming Shift Kit OEM ECU Delete Full A340F Trans Control with the Haltech 2500 ECU 2.5" Magnaflow Hi-Flow CAT Magnaflow 18" Muffler w/Vibrant Resonator 13WL Brake Calipers with OEM Rotors & Pads Braided Steel Brake Lines Kenwood TM-71A Dual Band Ham Radio STI-CO Flex Whip VFH/UHF 1/4 Wave Antenna Midland MTX275 GMRS Radio w/Roof Mount Antenna Pioneer DEH-P9400BH HU Alpine Amps & Type R components (F) and coaxials (R) Wet Okole Seat Covers Weathertech Digital Liners Deck Plate Mod 1" Diff Drop Carrier Bearing Drop
    I think a stock Tacoma can do all that we did on this adventure with a little common sense. Personally, I would not do it with "P" rated tires and no protection from sliders. An LT type tire, all terrain or mud terrain is preferred.
     
  13. Aug 29, 2017 at 11:12 AM
    #173
    Squeaky Penguin

    Squeaky Penguin Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

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    Lots of dust and custom dents, Check Build
    I saw a couple stock Tacomas down at the doll house. It would be slow going, but you could get there.
     
  14. Aug 29, 2017 at 11:46 AM
    #174
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

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    haha yeah we did. You're the one that wanted more photos for this write up haha

    yeah we passed a stock 2nd gen going in as we came out. And a GMC 1500. But the dodge was the big surprise haha
     
  15. Aug 29, 2017 at 4:06 PM
    #175
    mrblah

    mrblah Member

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    Cool thanks!
     
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  16. Aug 29, 2017 at 5:06 PM
    #176
    foy1der

    foy1der Well-Known Member

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    Stunningly beautiful. I think I need to add Utah to The List.
     
  17. Aug 29, 2017 at 5:39 PM
    #177
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

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    Yes you do!
     
  18. Aug 29, 2017 at 7:59 PM
    #178
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

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    next page...
     
  19. Aug 29, 2017 at 8:01 PM
    #179
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

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    Chapter 8:


    The Final Stretch


    The next morning, was a late morning. Thankfully the tall rocks sheltered us from the hot sun to allow us the chance to sleep in after a very late night.


    I crawled out of the tent a bit gingerly expecting the skunk to still be there.


    Thankfully, it was not.


    The only evidence left was little paw prints all over,,well everything damn near.


    Instead of trying to hit the road in a hurry we made a large breakfast/lunch to all eat together, thinking it was our last night together.


    By the time we had actually hit the road, it was past noon. Reluctantly we left the best campsite we had stayed at in a long time.


    [​IMG]M~D~U.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    We met two more rangers right after stopping at Chimney rock and told them about the Skunk. Doubt they did anything about it really but they appreciated the insight.


    Before too long we had crossed the smoother desert roads and were back in the slickrock.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-5.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2648 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-6.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-7.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-9.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Then we got to the spot where I had dinged my bed side and came upon a rather...interesting spectacle.



    [​IMG]M~D~U-8.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2649 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-10.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    What the hell is this? And how did it make it back here haha


    It was a full size Dodge Ram quad cab with a custom camper bed on the rear of it. This guy was running around moving rocks like crazy and spotting the driver over things inches at a time. Seemed very stressed and tired.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-11.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-13.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Mike and I could do nothing really but sit back and watch.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-12.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2651 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2654 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Eventually he made it over the serise of small rises and pulled off to let us by. Felt a tad funny and almost insulting to just drive right over the same spot in less than 10 seconds when it had taken him 15minutes.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-14.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-15.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    “How the hell did you get that back here?” I asked him.


    “Oh, just take her slow!” He replied with a slightly nervous but large grin.


    Turns out the thing is locked front and rear. They us the camper usually for hang gliding. Told us to check out their youtube channel haha


    We wished them luck and motored on but not for long till we hit more oncoming traffic, a stock GMC 1500.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-16.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    “That can't be fun” Mike said.


    “Not fun like we are having anyways” I replied.


    Soon after we passed a 2nd gen tacoma also headed into the area. The Doll House is one of the most popular camp spots in the district.


    After that though we had smooth sailing and hit the soft sand parts again with glee.


    [​IMG]IMG_2656 by mike digirat, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-17.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-18.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-19.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    At the intersection we once again turned north to head up Lands End and Flint trail to exit The Maze from the North, the original way we had entered. Despite it being our 3rd time here, I still had to take photos which was fun and I let Devin drive to Flint.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-20.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-21.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    At Flint, Devin swapped back to passenger as she didn't want to drive up the steep switch backs.


    But we had no problems going up the very cool road.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-22.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-23.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-24.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-25.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]IMG_2663 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Hard to believe we had just driven and camped out this way a night ago.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-26.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Back ontop of the Orange Cliffs, the road was easy to maintain decent speed. I still very much wanted to make it out to Panorama Point. But when we finally got to the turn off and realized it would be an 18 mile round trip detour. We realized time was once again not on our side..


    “We will just have to come back!” Said Mike.


    A worth reason to return to this ultra isolated area.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-27.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    On our way out we stopped at the Ranger station, mostly to use the restroom, but I went in to ask if there was a way directly to Green River that didn't involve the highway.


    Lo and Behold! There was.


    63 more miles of glorious Utah dirt to drive on before we would have to air up and hit the long road back home.


    We also met one of the Law enforcement Rangers that we had seen earlier. He quickly went and got the head ranger so we could give her a road report on Poison Springs. All the Rangers were baffled at how much ground we had covered in 3 days.


    “Well, they aren't really your typical trucks” I said. Which lead to a couple of the ranger going to poke around the trucks. Wish I had had Frankenstein, would have been hilarious.


    Needless to say, the daylight was fading on us again. This late in the year I wasn't used to the early setting sun yet. So we hit the long smooth road out of Hans Flat to find the road to Green River.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-28.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr



    The road was long, obviously, but it was super easy to fly over. I mean, wouldn't you drive as fast as you could on a road like this?


    [​IMG]M~D~U-29.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-31.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    But even with our high cruising speed of 50-65mph on the road, we were no match for the sun.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-32.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    By the time we pulled into Green River our orignal plan was gone. We realized we would be camping another night but had absoultly no idea where.


    So we hit the highway 191 North now it the pitch black and Devin poured over the GPS and APRS map to find us some BLM land.


    Remarkably, we found some, in the dark on a busy two lane highway. A few miles back from the road we found a pull out and setup our official last camp spot together.


    There was nothing remarkable about it though.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-33.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-34.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Or so we thought at first.


    On our way out, Mike looked down at his odometer and proclaimed it read 1198 miles! We figured we had driven about 1000 miles or close to it of all dirt on this trip. :eek:


    This was reason to celebrate!

    [​IMG]IMG_2664 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    And our trusty rigs that had taken us so far with basically no hassles at all.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-35.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Plus we both had hours and hours of driving left just to get back home in these same trucks. It is truly remarkable what these trucks are capable of. Hell mine is practically bone stock with 180k miles on it!


    What an amazing trip with my good buddy Mike @Digiratus


    [​IMG]IMG_2665 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    Granted, Devin and I weren’t done. Since we had an extra day to kill, sort of anyways, we decided to make one last stop on the way home.


    We said our found fair ware to Mike, wished him safe travels and at the junction of high wasy 6 and 191 we parted ways.


    [​IMG]IMG_2666 by mike digirat, on Flickr


    When we got back to Flaming Gorge we decided to take the west side up to see if it was any better. While it was nice, I recommend the West side.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-36.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-37.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    We now headed back the way we had come North of Rock Spring to Lander, but this time, took a bit of a dirt detour to go see a formation called, The Boars Tusk.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-38.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    I've wanted to come here ever since my good friend Marc @SconnieHailer had posted photos about it a few years ago. This time I wasn't going to miss it.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-39.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-40.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-41.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    What this is is the remains of an ancient volcano.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-42.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    And yes, you can walk right up to it, and yes, it is much bigger than you think haha Standing at 400' tall, its no small thing.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-44.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-45.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    It felt good to be back in Wyoming and the light plus crisp fresh cool air seemed to welcome us home.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-46.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-47.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    We scrambled around the steep volcano for a while. But something else out here had really caught our interest we had seen signs too on the way in.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-60.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Petroglyphs!


    I love seeing these things, and with it being wyoming plus out in the middle of no where. We were sure to be pretty much alone at them.


    It was even better.


    A short half mile walk to the site showed a gated off area that kept animals out.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-48.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Other than that though, we got to walk right up to them.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-49.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-50.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-51.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-52.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    There were tons of them! Hundred along a long rock face traced back to 1,000-2,000 years ago.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-53.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-54.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-55.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    But by far the most amazing thing to see was this.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-56.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Hand prints scooped out of the sand stone. It was amazing.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-57.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

    [​IMG]M~D~U-58.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    More hands a fingers.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-59.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    But home was calling, and I wanted to get closer to Lander for camp which meant we had to leave. But my god, what a lovely detour right off the highway basically. Shame most drive by it, I'm guilty as charged myself. Was nice to remedy that.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-61.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    From here, we drove back to the Wind River to the wonderful welcoming sunset of Wyoming light welcoming us back home.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-62.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Our trip was at a close. 16 Days and 17 nights made it the longest adventure I have done to date. With over 3,000 miles driven and a third of that on dirt roads alone. It was completely whole heartedly one of the best experiences of my life. And I hope that this will inspire folks to try something similar themselves. And no need to wait on your rig. One of the largest downfalls of the current mind set of “overlanding” or whatever you want to call it is that gear as suddenly become a “necessity” to do adventure.


    Bull Shit.


    Hell my truck was 2 steps away from stock! I put on slightly taller tires, some sliders, and some used suspension components. And look where it took me.


    You can do that too :)


    Stop waiting on your bumper or wheels or fridge or whatever! Find your adventure to do in good company. Capture the moments to share. Enjoy it.


    [​IMG]M~D~U-63.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    Tread lightly folks.


    Thank you for reading The M~U~D Report.


    A Thousand Miles of Utah Dirt


    The End.
     
  20. Aug 29, 2017 at 8:03 PM
    #180
    Blackdawg

    Blackdawg [OP] Dr. Frankenstein

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2010
    Member:
    #48500
    Messages:
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    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Monte
    Wyoming/St. Louis
    Vehicle:
    The Trifecta of Taco's
    ALL OF THEM!...Then some more.
    Credits:


    Narration/Photos/Photos compiled by:


    Monte, aka Blackdawg

    [​IMG]


    Photos by:


    Mike Digirat

    [​IMG]

    Personal body warmer and expert cook for Monte :p :


    Devin, my girlfriend :)


    [​IMG]

    The Trusty Steeds:


    Igor


    [​IMG]

    The Red Head


    [​IMG]



    Thank you Bobby at CVT Tents for letting us try out the Summit series' Shasta tent. Look no further for your Roof Top tent needs folks. Bobby is the man. @Cascadia Tents


    [​IMG]M~D~U-134.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


    See you on the trail!

    Other Trip Reports:
    August 2014: The S.O.S Report: The Full Story
    August 2015: Fires, Tires, n Bears. OOH YEEA!
    August 2016: Alberta Bound & Beyond
    March 2017: ImpromptU-ah! Back to Utah We Go!
    September 2017: The DeTour
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2018
    geoyota760, jubei, IronPeak and 3 others like this.

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