AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

Yeah, just a typo; obviously I got the 906S (and typed it correctly in the title at least, hahaha). There is actually a 907S radio as well though, so it's an unfortunate typo. (Though, they are the same radio, 907 is just this year's version, so maybe not too bad.)

As for HAM integration, do you mean with the head unit? I mean, it would be relatively easy to use screen mirroring from an Android phone to display APRSDroid on the Kenwood, but I'm not sure how useful it would be - it's too low on the dash to use for nav/maps (IMO). I much prefer to keep the head unit for audio, and another (more appropriately mounted) tablet for maps.

 

Ah ok, understood on the type and I was searching for the 906S and the 907S and prices where completely different.

That's right, you use an Android tablet to HAM to ADN or ATN or some protocol to monitor locations of buds so as to converge at the same planned location.

 

Yeah, we all use Android tablets with APRSDroid. Configuration is covered here:

https://adventuretaco.com/aprs-explained/
and then for the actual settings: https://adventuretaco.com/where-are-you-adding-aprs-to-the-ham-radio-comms/

 

If anyone needs a cheap Android tablet, I'm using the "onn." brand Tablet Pro you can get at Walmart. Price depends on size you want, but I got the 8" for 90 bucks. I mainly wanted a dedicated device to run truck stuff like Gaia, something with built-in GPS. So far it is working great, and it's got a really clean Android 10 build. The specs say nothing about having GPS, but it does have it, although no compass . If you are moving, having the compass doesn't matter anyway (and I have other compasses).

I have one of those Dual Bluetooth GPS receivers, but with that, phone, tablet, GoPro, eReader -- that's just too many potential charging wires running around.

 

Thank you so much for this amazing post. It's going to be very helpful to me as an inexperienced person planning a ice road trip to an isolated northern Ontario, Canada reserve for work.

 

A Better Fuel Siphon

I've used a fuel siphon ever since I switched from carrying extra fuel in Rotopax to using Scepter Military Jerry Cans. Siphons make the whole process easy - fuel cans don't need to move from their storage location in order to refill, and there's no risk of spilling fuel down the side of the truck or on the ground. The only drawback I've heard is that draining a 5 gallon jerry can takes three minutes instead of 45 seconds with a spout. But seriously, who is in that kind of rush? (The answer to that question is nearly as contentious as the compressor vs. CO2 for airing up debate, and is surpassed only by "which LBJs should I use?" )

There are a plethora of fuel siphons available for purchase, and since I've just recently switched to my third (and I'm quite sure - again - final) siphon, I realized that a lot of folks may start down the path the same way I did. Hopefully this post can save some trouble!

My First Mistake

The first fuel siphon I purchased was a 6-foot-long siphon. I bought the cheapest one I could at the time - after all, they couldn't be all that different, right? It siphoned well enough, but 6' is simply too short. Unless the fuel can is immediately next to the fill neck, the siphon won't reach. So, that means if the jerry is across the bed or on a swing-out bumper, it needs to be moved for use with a 6 foot siphon.

My Second Mistake

Learning from my first siphon, I reasonably quickly bought a longer 10-foot siphon. This was most definitely better than the six foot option. Long enough to reach across the bed or to the swingout, this siphon was seriously convenient.

The problem with ordering a 10-foot siphon online is that the hose is never very high quality - the plastic material is usually too rigid, especially at low temperatures. Even worse, the hoses often arrive kinked, and those kinks are near impossible to remove, often leading to cracks and leaking fuel. I got about 2 years out of mine before it started leaking.

The worst thing that can happen to a siphon is a kink. And many are delivered this way.​

The Best Option

The best option is to make your own siphon. If you've previously bought a 6- or 10-foot siphon, the cost of this option is actually quite similar to a 10-foot siphon. If you haven't, then the additional cost is about double - but, it's totally worth it.

To make a siphon, you need:

• A jiggle valve. If your 6- or 10-foot siphon has a ½" inside diameter tube, you can just cut it out and use it with your new tubing. If not, you can get a pack of valves and make some siphons for your friends at the same time!
• A quality hose. The best I've found is a 1/2" ID, 5/8" OD fuel safe extra flexible tube recommended by Dan @drr and is from McMaster-Carr. Get a 10' (or 25') for one siphon, or more if you're making some for friends.
• A heat gun or hair drier.

If you're re-using the valve from an old siphon, carefully cut it out with a utility knife. Do your best to not score the metal casing at all, since you want it to make a good seal with the new tube.

Cannibalize a free part that will work just as well as a new one!​

Ready to go.​

Using the heat gun, slowly warm 2- to 3-inches of one of the ends of the flexible tubing, being careful to stay far enough away that it doesn't melt. Once it has warmed up enough, you can push the barb fitting of the jiggle valve into the tubing until it is fully seated. This might be a little difficult, as the tubing will be difficult to manipulate, but have patience and you'll be fine.

Apply just enough heat and then manipulate the tube over the valve.​

When you're done, you'll have a siphon that looks like all the others, but the tubing will be significantly better (more flexible and easier to coil) and kink-free (even when tightly coiled). And that is a recipe for success.

Ready for years of service!​

 

If you don't have a heat gun, window cleaner may also work.

Also, the McMaster Carr data sheet says not to use this stuff around ethanol based gasoline. Have you noticed any degradation in the hose material? Lastly, the vast majority of us only use the jiggle valve siphon with a "normal" fill tube. Careful with newer fill mechanisms. For example, Honda uses a cap-less fill that has a flapper that would normally be opened by a pump handle and you may need a hard pipe to open it.

 

Ethanol based gasoline would be like e85 or higher. Not a lot of people running that unless boosted and tuned for it. This fuel hose is just fine for petroleum based fuel (i.e. 87-91 octane). I have been using one for years and there are no signs of degradation.

 

So as long as it’s no more than 10-15%?

 

Yes, and you wouldn’t want to run any higher concentration of ethanol unless you’re tuned for it. It robs power on a 87 tune.

 

Pretty familiar with the tune. Just not so crazy about the effect it has on rubber components.

 

@turbodb nice timeline - very cool to see the evolution of Tacoma owners.

 

We Arrive and it is Hot - Cedar Mesa #1
Part of the Forty-One Miles of Mesa (May 2021) trip.

As we set off towards Utah, I mentioned to @mrs.turbodb that maybe we should have taken her car on this trip. After all, the entirety of our off-pavement driving was going to be all of about 30 miles. Most of our time would be spent on foot, hiking from ruin to pictograph, with the occasional petroglyph thrown in for good measure. It was going to be a blast!

I'd gotten the crazy idea for this trip on my previous foray - Utah, Re-Ruined - when I'd naively assumed that I'd wrap up the ruins that Monte @Blackdawg had planned a few years earlier (Ruining Around Utah) and sort of be done with the area. Ha!

It was a Wednesday morning and the weather was fantastic as we passed through Prosser, green fields of wheat waving in the wind.

Nearly a Windows XP-era desktop background.​

Much driving - and four hours of sleep - later, we found ourselves finally pulling off of the pavement at our destination. Just south of Blanding, UT, we were at the northern end of Butler Wash, just east of Comb Ridge. I'd been so close to this area on my last trip - having traversed the entire west face of the ridge - but never ventured east where it seems all the interesting ancestral ruins are located.

Note: Visiting Butler Wash requires a pass. For more information, check out BLM Utah Cedar Mesa Permits and Passes Information.

​

But first, we were going even further back in time - some dinosaur tracks visible just off the side of the road.

We were not the first meat eaters to roam this wash.​

The dino tracks are very close to the road. That, in combination with the already how-can-it-be-so-hot-so-early-in-the-morning temperatures got us back in the Tacoma quickly, where we headed south towards our first trailhead.

Amazing how different Comb Ridge looks from the east, as it rises up over Butler Wash.​

I really liked the contrast of colors here - orange, whitish, and blue.​

The white sandstone of eastern Comb Ridge has been etched over the years. Reminds me of granite.​

Several miles later, we headed west on a short spur towards the aptly-named Fishmouth Cave. There was no question, really, that we were headed the correct direction.

Fishmouth Cave, perhaps?​

This is when the real endurance test began. At first of course, it was easy. Sure, it was almost noon, our shadows were short, and the temperatures were just north of 80°F, and we were tired from lack of sleep. Still, it was our first hike - a short two-miler - and we were excited for the lure of the unknown.

@mrs.turbodb sets out, spirits high.​

The trail we were following was reasonably well trodden - and that meant that we could enjoy our surroundings rather than worrying whether we were headed the right direction or not. To our surprise, we came across two caves with ruins prior to our planned destination, and we stopped to explore.

A small ruin, well sheltered and shaded, even in the mid-day sun.​

We'd see dozens of these large overhangs over the next few days, each one just as intriguing as the last.​

Pottery shards and old corn cobs. A sure sign of life here.​

Back out of the shade, we continued to climb. All around us, even though it was quite warm, spring was clearly in the air. A rainbow of Claret Cups were putting on quite a show!

Final approach.​

Don't mind my spikes, I'm tasty!​

Lizards scurried every direction as well. We'd see thousands of them over the next three days, some of them moving faster than I've ever seen before. The vast majority were this orange-ish variant, with tails more than twice the length of their body.

The elongated head of these lizards reminded me of an alligator lizard, with the body of a western fence lizard.​

It's only been a mile, but are we there yet? It's hot out here!​

A short climb later - though even I was sweating profusely at this point - and we reached the shade of Fishmouth Cave. We split up - each of our eyes caught by different artifacts - calling to each other as we made cool discoveries.

I really liked these hand print negatives. I'd seen plenty of painted hands before, but I don't recall seeing negatives.​

Corn cobs and a metate.​

Not a bad view, not by a long shot.​

After a while, and knowing that we had plenty more in front of us, we started back. Along the way, buzzing on the ground caught my attention, and I noticed a series of round holes clustered along the trail. Carpenter bees!

Down in with pollen, back out...without!​

Our first hike in the books, the A/C was on full blast as soon as we got back to the Tacoma. We only had a few miles to the next trailhead, but we were going to take advantage of every cool-ish minute we could. Let me tell you, there weren't many.

Soon, we were back on our feet, headed toward Split Level Ruins.

We'd become accustomed to this view of Comb Ridge over the next two days. Nothing at all to complain about!​

Compared to Fishmouth Cave, the hike to Split Level Ruins felt relatively flat, with only a couple hundred feet of elevation gain to the cave. We didn't know that as we were starting out though, and we reveled in the shade of the wash as it wound its way west.

These overhangs provided a nice respite from the sun's relentless rays.​

Once again, we stumbled on distractions along the length of the mile-or-so hike, and we stopped to look at each of them.

Carvings in the sandstone; hands and feet the most recognizable.​

I really liked the colors of the sandstone layers here.​

Split Level Ruin was so-named for obvious reasons - there were ruins on two levels of the canyon wall here. This would turn out to be a reasonably common occurrence over the next couple days, each time resulting in us wishing we could get to the upper level!

The inaccessible upper ruins.​

Looking out from the cool shade of the lower ruins.​

Two-tone wall with mud-water accents. All the rage in the old days.​

When we stumbled on these elongated hand carvings, we were sure that they were going to be the highlight of the site. I've never seen anything like them. But then, I remembered that one of the hikes we were doing today was supposed to have some green pictographs somewhere. Could this be the place?

Alien fingers.​

A green (and red and white) bullseye on the upper level. This was the place.​

Our second hike now only a return trip from completion, we headed back to the truck and found some very sad shade from a tall sage brush to huddle under for lunch. Luckily for us, cool tuna sandwiches, chips, and an apple that I'd stored in the fridge were on the menu and thoroughly enjoyed, along with lots of warm water.

I really don't like warm water.

And then, it was time to rinse and repeat, as we drove south along Butler Wash for another few miles to the next trailhead!

Here we go again.​

It's not just Comb Ridge along the west side of Butler Wash that provides visual interest!​

On the (foot) trail again, headed to Cold Springs Cave.​

The hike to Cold Springs Cave was much like the previous two - up a wash, this time with a bit of elevation gain, but nothing too bad. Still, we were running on 4 hours of sleep, and it was only getting warmer as afternoon wore on, so it was a bit of a grind as we finally reached the cave. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was no cold spring there for us to jump - fully clothed - into.

Back in the day, perhaps there was a refreshing pool of water. Today, only shade.​

Crumbling ruins.​

There were tons of hand prints (positives this time), in a myriad of colors. Note the yellow along the bottom.​

I liked how the water cascaded down the wall in a sort of fractal pattern.​

A line of metates. From a single user over time, or an early assembly line?​

A petroglyph. Slightly rare in that we'd mostly seen pictographs so far.​

Rainbow hands.​

The foundation is all that remains of a circular kiva.​

After poking around and bringing our core temperatures back into the not-suffering-from-heat-stroke levels, we headed back toward the Tacoma, with two looming questions on our minds. On my mind, I was wondering if we'd be able to squeeze in two more hikes before the day was done. @mrs.turbodb on the other hand was wondering if we were, in fact, already done!

Blue skies and hot rocks. Like walking on a frying pan. (That's a scottle for you overlanders.)​

Back at the truck, we relished the A/C once again. It was 6:00pm, now the hottest part of the day. Luckily for us, it also meant that the cool-down was coming, eventually. As we pulled up to the next trailhead, I looked over at my co-pilot and could tell that the heat and lack of sleep were taking their toll. I mentioned that she was welcome to sit this one out - perhaps reading a book in the shade - and then we'd figure out if we could do a final hike either just before or just after dinner.

My offer was quickly accepted.

Our cool oasis.​

And so, I set out on my own towards a hike I'd been looking forward to for nearly a month. You see, on my last visit to this general area, I'd hiked to a cave that - at the time - I believed to be Monarch Cave. It turned out to be Comb Wash Cave, and so now I was going to get to do "the real thing."

As with the other hikes, the ground was teaming with the descendants of dinosaurs, many of them large, and all of them fast - their bodies warmed from the heat of the day.

A green monster.​

I worked my way up the wash, weaving through spring grasses, under cottonwoods, and over boulders. A mile or so into the folds of Comb Ridge, I started my final ascent to the cave.

Sunstar through flitting cottonwood leaves.​

The real Monarch Cave.​

Reasonably well-preserved ruins.​

Like the other ruins we'd already visited, the Monarch Cave is sees a reasonable amount of traffic, so it's a little worse for wear, but still fun to poke around. It had a few elements we hadn't seen already during the day, and it was nice to see the variety.

It was neat to see a roof (or floor) still partly intact. Wooden beams with smaller sticks laid across for support.​

Last wall standing.​

We'd mostly seen metates to this point. Here, I found a deep mortero.​

Patterned pictographs​

Man with a collar.​

By now, it was nearly 7:00pm and thankfully starting to cool down a bit. Most of my hike back to @mrs.turbodb and the Tacoma were in the shade, until I got to the mouth of the side canyon and started across Butler Wash, where the sun was still streaming across the horizon.

Some storm clouds to the northeast made for dramatic views across the wash.​

Upon my return, we had a quick discussion about whether we should do a final hike for the day - to the Procession Panel. Ultimately, we decided that we'd postpone the decision until we were at the trailhead. Then, we could decide if we wanted to eat dinner and then hike, or hike first, or just camp there until morning.

The thing is, as we pulled up to the trailhead, a million little gnats swarmed the truck. These things were tiny - a fraction of the size of mosquitoes, and we both worried that they were no-see-ums. Generally, you see, the time between mid-May and early July is high season for these terrible little critters, and we'd even gone so far as to bring special bug spray to try and keep them at bay. We hadn't run into any earlier in the day, but we sure as heck didn't want to start now!

So, we high-tailed it back the way we'd come, deciding to do the hike in the morning - hopefully to cooler temperatures and with a bit more rest - and found ourselves a nice secluded spot to call home.

Let's just go this way and look for somewhere to set up camp.​

When we got to camp, I wanted to look around a bit. You see, there's a ruin - the ************ Ruin - that looks very intriguing, somewhere in the area. The only catch is that its location is a closely guarded secret, and so I had only the vaguest of clues to where it might be. At any rate, I figured that there was no better time to do a bit of exploring - after all, the sun was no longer high in the sky - and set off to have a look around while @mrs.turbodb chilled out in camp before dinner.

I found a narrow little arch as I looked for ************ Ruin.​

I hunted around for a little over an hour, thoroughly exploring the canyon fingers in the place that we'd found to camp. Alas, I never found the ruin for which I searched, but I had a great time nonetheless. In fact, climbing around on the cliff walls, peering around each corner and into every overhang with my hopes high - it was surely a highlight of my day. For me, the hunt and discovery can be just as much fun as actually seeing a really cool sight.

Plus, I got to do it all in the magic hour - that time when the sun has set, but there's still enough light to illuminate the landscape.

Light on the horizon over Comb Ridge and our camp. All alone in the middle of nowhere.​

Amazing light in the canyon.​

As the pink faded on the horizon, I headed back to camp where I think we deployed the tent, made dinner, washed up, and climbed into bed in record time. We'd had 20 hours of driving and 11 miles of hiking in 90°F weather over the course of the last 36 hours. To say we were ready for some shut eye would be an understatement.

As we dozed off to sleep, a light breeze cooling us down, I wondered if we'd bitten off more than we could chew. I'd planned for this to be our easy day, with the next two requiring even more mileage in the relentless sun.

We'd just have to play it by ear, and hope we had enough water, to make it through.

 

I might be doing this portion of trail in October... Where exactly did you camp that night? Looks like possibly a little south of Monarch Cave?

 

Yeah, there’s plenty of spots to camp on both the east and west sides of the road along there - even off to the side of some of the trailheads. We just found a spot that looked nice and headed that way. My guess is that it's more crowded on weekends, so if you can find something during the week you'll have more options. If you don't mind a campground, there is also Sand Island nearby with lots of petroglyphs and easy access to the San Juan River.

 

Avoid campgrounds whenever I can... and wasn't sure what the dispersed situation was out there. Hopefully since permits are required, it won't get crazy busy.

Appreciate the info!

 

Yeah, I stay away from campgrounds as well, but some folks don't mind them. Also - permits aren't limited in any way, which is why mid-week is best in that area (all of Cedar Mesa really).

 

Would You Like Another? - Cedar Mesa #2
Part of the Forty-One Miles of Mesa (May 2021) trip.

Note: Visiting Butler Wash requires a pass. For more information, check out BLM Utah Cedar Mesa Permits and Passes Information.

​

Our personal side canyon off of Butler Wash was the perfect place to spend the night, and though it was a bit warm - I think it only got down into the high 50s overnight - we were both extremely tired and so enjoyed the ten hours or so of horizontal existence immensely. Still, we knew that the best way to beat the heat of the day was to get going early, so when my alarm went off just before sunrise, there was no better time to start the day.

Why yes, I would like another fabulous day, thank you!​

What a way to wake up.​

OK, now I'm just playing with angles.​

The moon was out in glorious form.​

We put away the tent and held off on breakfast - opting instead to get a hike under our belts before taking a break for food - and pointed the Tacoma back toward Butler Wash Road and Comb Ridge.

Comb Ridge glowing a warm orange in the morning sun.​

Retracing our steps to the Procession Panel trailhead, we were quite happy to find that the small gnats from the previous evening were MIA - the cool(er) morning air likely keeping them at bay for the time being. I setup the solar panels on the windshield - which would serve to keep the cab a bit cooler and help the batteries maintain charge through the day - and we started our trek through the wash and up the ridge towards our destination.

Long shadows make for pleasant hiking.​

This is the way.​

The hike up to the Procession Panel was nothing like the hikes we'd done the previous day. Whereas those had been in canyon fingers, this morning I was surprised - and excited - to find us actually climbing Comb Ridge. Of course, it made for a bit tougher hiking, but it was a special experience to climb a ridge that I'd been admiring ever since I saw it a month earlier.

I really enjoyed the color of the water staining on this glowing face, especially against the blue sky.​

As we neared the location of the panel - and as is often the case - several smaller areas of petroglyphs presented themselves. Even with a full day in front of us, we couldn't help but to stop and take a look, as several of the glyphs were intriguing.

Man with a snake.​

Man with short legs.​

Skinny man with a ... ​

Etched hand, mine for size comparison.​

Admiration.​

At this point, we were already starting to get a good look at the top of Comb Ridge, and though I probably couldn't have articulated it at the time, my brain was already working out how we could get to the top as we continued up towards the panel we'd come to see.

I really like how the ridge tilts upwards in waves, and then drops off precipitously to the west.​

It was only a few hundred more feet before we reached the Procession Panel. Named for the nearly 200 figures that are arranged in three processions toward a central ring, the panel is nearly 30 feet wide and contains all sorts of interesting etchings. It's worth some time to inspect the various segments to see the varying details added by the artists.

The entire procession.​

Coyote chasing a sheep; people watching and pointing.​

The southern procession. Interestingly, two by two.​

Men with fingers. An interesting detail that I'd not seen before our hikes here along Butler Wash.​

Gazzelle man.​

A frog? And man with headdress.​

After spending a bit of time pointing out various aspects of the panel to each other, I could tell that @mrs.turbodb kept glancing in the same direction I was - up to the top of the ridge. We'd actually had the opportunity to go to a site called Ridge Top Ruin the previous afternoon, but decided against it given the heat and all the other hikes we'd already planned.

It's funny how things work out - we'd had no idea that the Procession Panel would bring us so close to the top - and even if it was already starting to get a bit warm, we weren't about to pass up this opportunity!

One tooth of Comb Ridge.​

Sitting on the backbone of the earth.​

Backbone of the earth, without that distracting guy in the way.​

We probably spent 20 minutes at the top of Comb Ridge. As we admired the view, I pointed out several of the places I'd been on my previous trip - roads I'd driven, general areas of ruins and pictographs - that kind of thing. We also had four full bars of LTE, and spent a few minutes checking in on real life before setting back down the way we'd come.

We stopped only once to capture this beautiful sandstone face on the two mile descent back to the trailhead.​

It was still before 9:00am when we arrived back at the truck and feasted on full bowls of Cheerios and blue berries. But what I remember most was remarking to @mrs.turbodb about how great cold milk tastes. It was already getting warm outside.

Our bellies full, we piled back into the Tacoma and turned the A/C to full before ordering up another serving of history from Butler Wash.

Our view north, as we rejoin Butler Wash Road and head south.​

Early on in our next hike - the heat of the day now beating down on us from the start - we were strolling along when my peripheral vision registered an out-of-place shape to our right. There, a couple dozen feet off the side of the trail, someone had constructed a teepee out of sage. We'd see one other similar teepee at the end of this hike near Double Stack Ruins, so I'm not sure if they are historical or newer additions to the landscape.

This teepee was pretty small - only about 10 feet tall.​

The remainder of the hike to Double Stack ruins was reasonably uneventful. It was a short hike - relatively - and soon we were rounding the final bend in the wash before reaching the aptly-named cliff dwellings built into the sandstone walls.

The upper ruins.​

The scream wall.​

Double Stack ruins weren't the most amazing that we'd seen - the wooden fence around the lower ruins a sure sign that traffic was heavy here; heavy traffic one of the things that ages a site like this quickly. Still, there were a few interesting details that we noticed as we enjoyed the shade of the sandstone recess.

The mud chinking had some seed pods pressed into it, in addition to the standard small rocks. For decoration?​

Red and yellow hands.​

Small granaries built into the wall.​

And with that, we wrapped up our second - of five - hikes on the day. As we were making our way back, the conversation touched on the trip report for this adventure. I remarked that it'd be quite different than most trips, where there's a lot of variety throughout the day. This trip - on the other hand - would be "ten, two mile hikes to essentially the same destination." @mrs.turbodb assured me that it would be OK.

Making our way a couple more miles south. In all, we'd drive 25 miles down Butler Wash and hike 21 miles into Comb Ridge.​

Parked and with the solar panels once again serving double duty as dashboard saver and power generator, we slathered ourselves in sunscreen and ventured once again onto the hot sandstone of Comb Ridge.

Even though it was hot, long sleeves and pants were a must to protect us from the sun.​

Something interesting that I noticed as we worked our way from north-to-south along Butler wash was how the terrain changed. It was nothing visible at a macro scale, but when hiking on foot, it was clear that the canyons into the southern part of Comb Ridge were shallower than those to the north. Where we'd been walking in sandy washes the day before, with only a couple hundred feet of elevation gain, today we were walking up Comb Ridge itself, to higher washes, not worn down as far as their northern neighbors.

I was sure our destination was in the shady overhang. Wishful thinking on my part, it was above it.​

Unlike Double Stack ruins, the trail to Big Crane was very lightly travelled. We saw only a few cairns - and even fewer footprints - along the way, perhaps due to the fact that there wasn't a large ruin at the end. Instead, a single glyph decorated the wall. It was - for me anyway - the highlight of the day.

Look at that beauty!​

The Big Crane was quite striking. I'd hike to a piece of art like this over a ruin site almost any day. In fact, this specimen reminded me of the Thunderbirds we'd seen on a previous adventure in Death Valley. It was fantastic to me that two groups of people, so far apart, could draw such similar images. Life is mysterious for sure!

The sandstone domes reminded me of their granite cousins in the Sierras.​

As we returned to the Tacoma once again, talk this time was of lunch. We'd parked near a large cottonwood tree that would provide ample shade and a nice overlook of Butler Wash where we could enjoy our tuna sandwiches, cool apples, and some salty potato chips. Unfortunately, we'd be stuck with warm water to wash it all down, rather than cold Coke. Oh, how we suffer.

Lunch mobile.​

Because this cottonwood was growing in the bottom of the wash, and we were sitting on a bank some 20' higher, it was like eating lunch in a tree house - fantastic!​

For our final hike north of US-163 on Butler Wash, I'd planned to have us visit the Wolfman Panel. As a bonus - given that it was now early afternoon and right around 95°F - this was a short hike. Or at least, that's what I'd planned. You see, the research I'd done suggested that we could drive half a mile or so past the 2WD parking area along a road suitable for 4WD vehicles (which we have)! Unfortunately, the BLM has since closed the 4WD portion of the road, adding an additional mile to our journey.

Oh, and while short, the hike entailed lots of elevation gain, since we had to descend and ascend both sides fo the canyon. Genius plan revealed for what it really was: typical me.

I said it was short, not easy.​

About halfway into this semi-loop trail, we found ourselves at the Wolfman petroglyph. It was actually a collection of glyphs, and I'm not sure the namesake was even my favorite. The one unfortunate detail was that - perhaps due to accessibility near the highway - these panels had more gunshots in them than others we'd seen elsewhere.

​

These geometric T shapes reminded me of the H glyphs at Kohta Circus in Gold Butte.​

These were my favorite images in this area. There's so much going on there, and so crisp.​

Waving man says "Hi"!​

The Wolfman. Note also the Crane, where the bottom has fallen away. :sad:​

From the panel, most people just head back up to their parked vehicle, with children instructing the parents to, "Turn the A/C on full blast." as soon as they get back - at least, that's what we witnessed. We, however, had a different plan. Across the wash and up the other side of the canyon was a small set of ruins. As is often the case with us, the phrase, while we're here, was thrown out, and we headed that direction.

Not the most interesting ruins, but there was a brugmansia struggling to survive, which we found intriguing as it is a plant we've grown at home in the past.​

I don't know what made these little holes in the rock of the ruin, but I thought they were cool.​

Ruin resident. Collared lizard is always dressed up for visitors.​

From here, we made our way back down and through the wash - a journey that was just as hot and sweaty as it'd been on the way out. Not missing a beat, @mrs.turbodb instructed me to, "Turn on the A/C full blast." as we neared the truck. Touché!

I was happy to oblige the request, and we drove the seven miles - to our fifth and final hike of the day - extra slowly. By now, we were south of the highway - along Lower Butler Wash Road - and were surprised when we got to the end of the road and found a Jeep already parked there!

AdventureTaco meets HAPPYJL, also from Washington.​

While this was our last hike, it was also the longest - a point that was lost on neither of us as we filled our water and mentally prepared for the trek that would take us to the terminus of Butler Wash and the San Juan River.

Then, just before we set off that we saw this guy. Over a foot long, I could have watched him forever.

Green-and-yellow collared lizard's friends say he's just a show off.​

As we hiked down through the wash - which had really turned to a canyon at this point - there were several ruin and rock art sites along the way, and we stopped at several of them to check them out.

The first was rather bland, and required quite a bit of vertical feet to access. @mrs.turbodb made the right decision to sit this one out.

As if she knew it would be only "meh."​

Fingers and toes.​

To me, this was the most interesting mystery in the first ruin. What was it for?​

The second ruin was much more interesting. Larger and better positioned than the first, we found tons of cool artifacts here. Most interesting were the dozens of metates and smoothed grinding stones that lined the floor. Ancestral Puebloans must have sat here for hours looking out on the wash.

Metate manor.​

Get your mind out of the gutter.​

Metate's and stones.​

I really liked the sandstone layers here as they peeled away.​

There weren't many petroglyphs here, but the few that existed were well preserved.​

Jazz hands and feet.​

As is always the case with a hike, the main attraction was at the end. Or the middle, depending on how you look at it. At any rate, we were just coming to the mouth of Butler Wash and its intersection with the San Juan River when we saw a much newer glyph - of a rancher no doubt - who'd been through a little over half a century ago.

November 14, 1958.​

Tempting to swim in!​

Having reached the end of the trail, we moseyed along the face of the cliff until we came on the panels we'd been looking for. They were covered in petroglyphs, and we spent fifteen minutes or so walking from one to the next, searching for our favorites.

Mother earth, envisions man?​

Men riding animals. Anatomically correct men, you'll note. ​

Man with a halo.​

The angel on my shoulder.​

Bird brains.​

I really liked this deer being chased by a badger for some reason.​

Sunstar over panel.​

By now, it was 4:45pm, and we had a couple miles of up to get back to the Tacoma. Luckily, our spirits were high after all we'd seen on the way down, and so we set off at a good pace - the return trip always a faster once since we've generally already seen everything on the way out. We were, however, surprised to have not seen the occupants of the Jeep we'd parked next to, and we wondered if it would be there upon our return.

On the way back, we discovered these petrified wolf (?) tracks.​

Where could the Jeepers be?​

A little concerned about whether the occupants were OK, there wasn't much we could do, so we hoped for the best as we retraced our path to the highway and headed west. We'd hiked a little over 14 miles, bringing our total so far to 25; our feet were ready for a break. Luckily for them, the rest of the afternoon would be driving, as we wound our way through the Valley of the Gods and up the Moki Dugway on our way to camp.

Our final view of Comb Ridge, and Abajo Mountains in the distance.​

I'd been by Valley of the Gods a month earlier, but I'd not driven through, so it was nice - though we came when the light was exactly wrong - to take a leisurely tour through this very popular place. We joked - as we passed (and our dust cloud enveloped) RV after InstaVan after Broverlander parked just a few feet off the main road - that they must be wondering why we wouldn't stop in any one of the "fabulous" camping pull-outs. No thanks.

Rooster Butte (left) and Sitting Hen Butte (right).​

Monuments rising up to the sky.​

De Gaulle and His Troops.​

Lady in a Bathtub.​

Despite the crowded nature of this place, it does seem like it could be a really fun spot to explore - as long as it's done in the middle of a non-busy week, and in the early morning hours when the sun is at the correct angle for the vast majority of buttes. For now though, we were both ready to get to camp, and all that stood between us and some quality horizontal time was the Moki Dugway.

It's no Morrison Jeep Trail, but this is not the road where you want your brakes to fail.​

Soon enough, we arrived at the trailhead for what I hoped would be the highlight of our trip. That would come the following morning - when we hiked down Bullet Canyon and back out Sheiks Canyon, winding our way through the Grand Gulch for some 17 miles - so for now we simply sat in our chairs and enjoyed the warm breeze as we made and consumed a delicious dinner. It was - as frequent readers might guess - tacorittos - which hit the spot after such a long day.

Home is where the tent is.​

We were both exhausted as we climbed into the tent. Quite honestly, I wasn't sure if we were biting off more than we could chew with our plan the following day. We would, I suppose, find out. My alarm was set for 5:00am.

 

Looking forward to your report and pics from Grand Gulch!

It’s a pretty amazing place, although I’ve only been fortunate enough to see it from the river.

 

TW ftw. This site loads on the skimpiest of service. Anyway, I am goingto to be in the Bears Ears area tomorrow. Could @turbodb or anyone else recommend a good novice trail in the area? At least novice in the sense that I've never been here before lol.
DC 4.0 4x4 off road if it matters. TIA.