AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

LOL, I mean, you're 'Runner looks pretty slick, so I'm probably just being a hater. I do like how you've worked all the lights "into places" rather than just plonking them out in the open - that's much more tasteful IMO.

 

Don't worry, I don't take myself too seriously. It's gotten away from me and I fully acknowledge how ridiculous it is! Especially with two little ones at home, this truck sees more grocery and car seat duty than trail work lately.

 

At least it's not Raptor Lights--everyone that's not a Raptor has them

 

I'll only get them if I go long-travel and end up with a 4Runner wider then 80 inches

@turbodb I also have my driving lights set up the same way as yours- using an SPDT switch in the same configuration (anytime/off/high-beam). Mine are merely 4000K SS3 pros though. I'm jealous of the juice

Edit: should add that I have the driving lights out right now to retool mounts. And I'm also using the harness to experiment with quad factory high-beams on the newly retrofitted OEM LED headlights. I'm definitely a goober for lighting.

 

I don't like the guy described in the intro either, but I think that the "insta-lighter-lander" look can be done tastefully and purposefully.

I'm not loaded down with lights, even though I secretly kind of wish that I were, but I have some ditch lights that were an absolute necessity for me. Back when I lived in TX, we had some family property where we would go to hunt. The last 45 minutes or so of the drive were narrow, winding back roads with speed limits of 55 mph. Deer were a very common sighting....especially dead on the side of the road. Oh, and no cell phone reception.

I added some cheap ditch lights angled at 45* instead of pointed truly at the ditch, along with some Ridgid pods on the front bumper. This setup gave me approximately 150-160* of visible light in front of the truck, which was WONDERFUL in spotting deer before they had a chance to run out in front.

The cheap flood lights that I had at 45* have since stopped working and the Ridgid spots have moved to the ditch brackets. A configuration that I'm not overly happy with, but I don't really use them anymore as I don't make that same drive. So no real need to spend the money. Though, I will admit....I now want some of those pods that Dan put on his front bumper. That would be sweet!

 

Those would look a little big on your ditch light brackets though!

 

But they would look nice on the ARB bumper

 

If you decide to replace the lights on the ditch light brackets with another set of floods, if you can find some, get a pair with 'side shooters'. I have a pair of Amazon special floods with side shooters, turned out 45* on my ditch light brackets, and the side shooters throw light out almost straight out from the mirrors.

 

Not What We Expected - San Rafael Swell #1
Part of the Oh, So, (San Rafael) Swell (Apr 2022) trip.

I can't really believe that I've been exploring the western United States for nearly five years now and have yet to spend any time in the San Rafael Swell. That's not entirely true - technically. I did camp one night on - what I now know to be - the extreme eastern edge of the Swell, just before a trip into The Maze with Ben @m3bassman and Zane @Speedytech7, but since then, I've never even driven through this amazing place on the highway!

This week would change all that. With eyeballs as big as saucers, I set about planning what I hoped would be an extensive foray into a place that I've only ever heard great things about. I knew it would be just the first of what would - hopefully - be many trips to this awesome place.

I had no idea at the time just how varied the San Rafael Swell really was; but, thinking I knew what to expect, we headed south. Some 18 hours later, and under the cover of darkness, we arrived in the Swell and set up camp. Something was oddly familiar, but I wouldn't put my finger on it till morning.

We woke up to a beautiful day, in the very same camp site that Monte @Blackdawg, Mike @Digiratus and I had ended our F.U.Rain trip at, several years earlier.​

With not nearly enough sleep, a full itinerary pulled us out of bed after the sun had warmed the tent for the better part of 90 minutes. It was - at 8:30am - by far the latest we would climb down the ladder for the next several days! We quickly broke down camp, skipped breakfast, and were on our way.

Onto the dirt just north of Capitol Reef National Park and just west of the San Rafael Swell.​

Remnants of an old ghost town lined the road.​

Surrounded by walls.​

Our first planned stop was Mussentuchit Wash and a panel of petroglyphs that had been recommended to me by a fellow explorer. In fact, several of the places on this adventure had been suggested by Tim, a result of several years of his trips into the area - suggestions for which I'm extremely grateful. From our camp site, it was but ten miles or so of well-graded gravel road, and before long, we found ourselves parked at the trailhead, @mrs.turbodb keen to make breakfast, as I set out across the desert to find the panel we'd come to see.

A crowded panel of Fremont art.​

After a quick look, I headed back for my Cheerios and blueberries, and then the two of us wandered back to the panel to soak in the details. As our first panel, we spent quite a bit of time naming various elements of it, blissfully unaware that by the end of the trip, we'd be on rock art overload.

Off to the side of the main panel, Kokopelli Man (or Men!)​

Reclining fat guy. (Is Potato.)​

We must have spent nearly half-an-hour before climbing back into the Tacoma in search of our next destination. The plan - you see - was to start along the western edge of the Swell, and work our way east. And so, still skirting the western edge, we headed north - towards the town of Emery, and the Rochester Panel.

Located high above Muddy Creek, the Rochester Panel required a bit more of a hike than Mussentuchit Wash, but we'd sat enough in the previous 24 hours that being propelled by our feet was a welcome change. As we headed along the well-beaten trail, we didn't know exactly what to expect, but we did know it was apparently quite nice.

Even without rock art, hiking in an area like this is nearly reward enough.​

Approaching the Rochester Panel.​

I think it's safe to say that we were both in awe when we arrived at the panel - or really, the set of panels - that sit on a point overlooking the confluence of Muddy Creek and Rochester Wash. The panel was enormous, and contained several very interesting figures, as well as the first of several rainbows we'd see on this trip.

The main Rochester Panel was packed with petroglyphs.​

Perhaps this is a lizard, but to me it looks like an alligator!​

I especially liked this deer with a large rack.​

The rainbow must have been one of the first elements to be chipped into the rock, as not many figures overlapped it.​

A nearby panel wasn't as crowded, but had what I would consider to be many more traditional figures.​

Realizing that there would be no shortage of petroglyphs on this trip, I think we spent less time here than we had at the first panel we visited, and soon we were on our way back to the Tacoma to decide our next steps.

Fremont Rock Art wasn't the only that we saw, nature was doing her best to compete as well!​

At the trailhead, an art installation commemorated a mule caravan travelling the Old Spanish Trail, which an information panel described as, "following the path marked by the power line."​

As we traversed the Swell, we'd regularly spot the source of the power lines.​

Headed north towards the town of Ferron - where we planned to fuel up for the last time and air down for the first - both of us were getting a bit hungry, so we decided that our next stop ought to be the one where we would eat lunch. Looking back now, that meant we should have visited the Molen Seep Wash first - both because it was shorter and because it would have made for a more efficient route - but I was very much looking forward to seeing the Segregation Panel at Ferron Box, so that's where we went.

I have to admit it was a little disconcerting to be driving towards rock art with towns and cultivated land in the near distance.​

The route to Ferron Box follows a figure-eight pattern, and there are a few other rock art sites along the way that are interesting, so we paused our lunch plans for a few minutes while we checked those out.

We spent quite a while looking for a panel in this location, only to find that it'd been right under our nose the entire time!​

Shady hidden panel!​

The next panels we visited were interesting because - unlike the vast majority of rock art that is done on the vertical faces of patinaed stone - this work was done over a vast area of horizontal slickrock. While I'm sure it's not completely out of the ordinary, I've only seen this a few times before - most notably at Sky Rock Petroglyphs and along the Anasazi Trail.

Etched into the dark patina, I felt that the dozens of moccasins on a horizontal plane were quite appropriate!​

More moccasins of different styles.​

Everyone knows - if a bear goes one way, you go the other! ​

After gingerly exploring the area for a few minutes, we popped back into the truck and shortly reached the apex of our loop - the parking area for Ferron Box. I suggested checking out the pictographs before settling down for our sandwiches, and soon we were picking our way down into a deep channel cut into the Mancos Shale by Ferron Creek.

The warm light reflecting up onto the shale from below was fantastic.​

This area appears to have supported a significant population of Native American Indians in the past, but the unusual style of the rock art makes it difficult to determine what culture the inhabitants belonged to. While most of the petroglyphs and pictographs in the San Rafael Swell were made by the Fremont and Archaic Peoples who came before them, the art at Ferron Box is of a style not found anywhere else in the Swell.

I still can't say exactly why, but I'd been looking forward to seeing this particular panel. Perhaps it's because I like the idea of a unique visitor seemingly being welcomed into the group.​

A closer view of the Segregation Panel.​

Just around the corner, several swallow families have taken up residence.​

Beyond the swallow nests, we came upon our second - though not our last - rainbow panel in as many stops. This panel is of special interest because the style of the art is so unusual. Its location certainly suggests that the artist must have been a member of the Fremont culture, but the imagery is unlike anything found elsewhere in the area. It has been suggested that the artist may have been an immigrant who came to the San Rafael Swell from another place. Perhaps this visitor is the unique figure in the Segregation Panel? I'd like to think so!

The nearby Rainbow Panel, a mixture of etched petroglyphs and pigmented pictograph. @mrs.turbodb called this the Star Trek Panel, the pigment reminiscent of the red uniform shirts that they wear.​

Our exploration of Ferron Box complete, we both settled in for a refreshing lunch - tuna, chips, and an apple - as we overlooked meander of the creek that we'd just enjoyed. Our talk as we ate was of the next spot on our journey, and what all we had planned for the remainder of the day.

Because if one thing was certain, it was that I'd planned too much. Especially for the first day after a long drive south, when we were both ready for a good night's sleep. Regardless, we set that aside as we put everything away and got back on the trail toward Molen Seep Wash.

By this point, none of the terrain had been what I expected - it was much flatter than I envisioned the Swell - so I took a few photos of the most difficult terrain. ​

When we arrived at Molen Seep, we commented about how the landscape reminded us of the Owyhee Canyonlands - a seemingly flat, vast, plain, but with canyons that are only visible as you come upon them.​

Heading into Molen Seep, there was still just a bit of water at the bottom of the wash.​

Of all the panels we'd seen so far, I was excited to see the pictographs at Molen Seep as they were the first of the Archaic Panels that we'd see as part of this trip. Two things were interesting about the Archaic art was that it was largely done with pigment rather than etching, and it almost always depicts very detailed humanoid forms, rather than the sheep, animals, and abstract shapes that are more common in later rock art.

The Rain Dance. Notice the detail in the heads, bodies, and headdresses of the shorter figures surrounding the large central one. And the four extremely detailed deer between them.​

The Family.​

We weren't the only ones enjoying nature's gallery; this blue-bellied western fence lizard had come all the way from his home just under the rock over yonder.​

Near the Barrier Canyon Archaic-style panels, we found this well-preserved Fremont-style Moccasin Panel. Note the single bare foot on the very right.​

Throughout the San Rafael Swell we'd also find more modern art. Here, the "Rocking C" brand from May 15, 1917.​

Retracing our steps, we were soon back at the Tacoma and on our way towards Short Canyon. Having more good sense than I had to look at the map on our GPS, @mrs.turbodb had found what appeared to be a road that connected our current location to a "back way" into Short Canyon that would keep us from hitting pavement again, so we gave it a shot.

Edge of the canyon; end of the road.​

Having been stymied in our first attempt, a bit more panning around suggested an alternate route that didn't dive headlong over the side of the canyon, and we headed that direction with much greater success - though there were a couple of gates that we had to let ourselves through along the way.

Always leave gates as you found them.​

​

These eroding canyon walls reminded us of the Elephant Knees we'd seen in Anza-Borrego.​

By the time we reached the entrance to Short Canyon - having come from the north rather than the more common southern route - it was clear that our shortcut had been anything but. While the terrain out here looked flat and the roads seemed to be in good condition from a distance, the reality was that numerous little washes had wreaked havoc on them, making the going slow as we were constantly easing ourselves over the 6- to 10-inch trenches across the road. Still, even if it was a bit frustrating, we couldn't complain about the surroundings.

Weaving our way through the rocky entrance to Short Canyon.​

There are no petroglyphs or pictographs - as far as I know - at the mouth of Short Canyon, but this place is definitely worth a get-out-and-explore for another reason entirely. As you gaze up toward the towering walls of eroding sandstone and shale, you'll start to notice that there are spheres embedded everywhere!

These perfectly round rocks are called concretions and once again reminded me of Anza-Borrego, where we'd visited the Pumpkin Patch and seen concretions in a couple of different places.​

According to scientists, the Mancos Shale was once a deep layer of sediment that was submerged under an inland sea. The Ferron Sandstone Member of the sediment consisted of sand, clay, carbonates and other minerals in just the right proportions so that when something like a leaf or a shell became buried in the mix, the minerals tended to precipitate out and coalescence in successive layers around the object. The process continued over a long period of time in before the sea eventually disappeared and the land hardened into stone. Now some parts of the Ferron Sandstone formation are littered with these spherical concretions. (Hidden Treasures of Utah's San Rafael Swell)

Imagine being in the valley below as this rolled down the hillside toward you!​

Golden Globe.​

I probably spent 15 minutes scampering around under these gigantic bowling balls before heading back down the hillside to continue into the canyon - this was another place that Tim had suggested to me, and I was really looking forward to what we'd find inside!

Bumping along, the first panel we spotted was high on the wall of the canyon, and one of the most vibrant we'd see all trip.

Red Sheep Panel.​

Red Sheep and water stain.​

A little over a mile into the canyon, we reached the end of the road. Already to this point it'd mostly been an ATV trail, but the Tacoma - being of the narrow 1st gen variety - had made short work of the rough terrain with only a few more pin stripes to show for it. We dismounted and set off on foot.

Spaceship rock #1.​

It was 5:30pm as we hiked up the wash. So far we'd accomplished less than 50% of what I'd planned for the day, and the Swell had been nothing like I'd imagined from a terrain perspective, but the good news was that we were both enjoying ourselves as we searched out the panels that we knew were scattered amongst the walls here in Short Canyon. Each time one of us would discover one, the other would be summoned for a look-see.

Wavy Arms Guy wants to grab your attention as you walk by.​

The larger panel, with an interesting red-and-white horned target above Wavy Arms Guy.​

A combination panel, originally created with pigmented pictographs, later etched over by petroglyphs.​

Another nearby multi-technique panel... with more rainbows!​

Forty-five minutes later - as the shadows were getting longer - we pulled ourselves back toward the truck, not sure exactly what our next move was going to be. With just under two hours until sunset, it was abundantly clear that we couldn't finish everything on our itinerary, much less reach the spot I'd hoped to camp for the night - and so was we walked, the topic of conversation turned toward modification of the original plan.

The way out.​

We ran across this cool tafoni at the bottom of the wash.​

Sandstone spindle.​

Back to our wheels away from home.​

Ultimately, we decided that we'd continue on to a couple more sites, as there was one - the Ascending Sheep Panel - that I was extremely interested in checking out. Additionally, the fact that it was located on the top of Molen Reef got my hopes up that we might be able to find a nice overlook where we could camp for the evening. So, now in a bit of a rush, and probably not in the best of moods given our lack of sleep, pushed on.

Our first stop was along the way to the next. Right alongside the paved Moore Cutoff Road, we spent just long enough at the Molen Reef panels to snap a couple photos and make the short trek to the (not very distinct and not worth photographing) dinosaur tracks.

There was a distinct snake theme at the Molen Reef Panel.​

The Molen Reef Snake.​

With the wind picking up - not good for my plan to camp at the top of the reef - and with @mrs.turbodb a little worried that we'd be driving down in the dark, we headed to what would be our last location for the day - the top of the Molen Reef.

After finding what I hoped would be a nice camp site - partly sheltered by some juniper trees - we set off in search of the Ascending Sheep. Luckily for us, an easy-to-follow trail meant that the search didn't take too long, and the sun was still shining brightly as we rounded the last bend to discover one of the smallest panels I've ever seen!

This is an amazing pictograph panel! It’s not very big, but the details are stunning! The main figure is anthropomorphic, but has a bighorn sheep’s head with a snake’s tongue and what looks like a bird’s feet. It’s also holding a bird-like figure on it’s outstretched hand. Not to mention all of the small bighorn sheep that give the panel its name.​

A closer view.​

Delighted that we'd found the panel so easily, and to have seen the level of detail in the centuries old art, the conversation as we headed back toward camp was of our favorite discoveries of the day. Mine was a difficult tie between the Segregation Panel and Ascending Sheep, @mrs.turbodb being partial to the Rainbow Star Trek Panel in Ferron Box.

As we set up camp and got dinner going, the wind that'd been picking up through the day seemed to dissipate as the sun dropped below the horizon, leaving us with a pleasant evening and a fabulous view.

My kind of camp site, right on the edge of a cliff, and with views into infinity.​

As the last traffic of the evening passed below us on the Moore Cutoff Road, we enjoyed dinner before climbing into bed for our first full night of shut-eye in several days.​

It'd been a full day - of unexpected terrain, and amazing rock art. Not knowing if our delayed schedule would cause any issues on the rest of the trip, all we could do was to have faith that everything would work out. After all, when everything goes to plan, it's not an adventure!

 

The Swell is one of my favorites! Looking forward to the rest of the trip.

 

Awesome trip report! How are the strongflex LCA bushings doing? Any major squeaking? I will be installing some soon!

 

Saw this on Facebook.

 

That page is run by Midland Radios, hmmm

 

Awesome. I'll need to get some tips from you as far as cool places to check out. I'd love to head back and do more hiking (which would probably be places that you've done biking).

The stronflex are working out just fine - no complaints, no squeaking (or at least nothing major) yet. The question of whether I'd use them again is still up in the air - and will depend on longevity. One of the things that I've realized through various mods to the truck is that when things are recommended as "better," it's important to understand (a) why/how they are better and (b) what are the tradeoffs.

In many cases, the answer to (a) is that components are considered "better" if they are used in racing trucks, or trucks that are beat on like racing trucks. Places where the driver wants the most possible articulation and the most "connection with the road." Spherical bearings in shocks and poly bushings are similar examples of this. What is almost never talked about however, are (b) the tradeoffs - generally frequency of maintance. On a race truck, where the money flows freely and maintenance happens after every race, it's not an issue. On our trucks - or at least mine - I'd be willing to trade a bit of "feel of the road" for a longer maintenance window. So, depending on how long the poly bushings last, I might go back to rubber for the LCAs in the future.

I should note - this is why I've spent so much time writing about my spherical bearings in my front coilovers, and why I now use stainless steel there; giving myself ~30K miles between changes, rather than ~10K.

Yeah, there are a few groups that use photos of my truck. Whatevs, it's kinda cool, and it's not like I haven't published the pics onto the Internets anyway.

If I were more savvy, I'd probably push for a sponsorship or free stuff. Except I don't want to have to say that some product is good, if it isn't.

 

A Juggler, a Broken Hearted Man, and Sid & Charley - Swell #2
Part of the Oh, So, (San Rafael) Swell (Apr 2022) trip.

A combination of ear plugs, not much wind, and sleep deprivation over the previous couple of nights meant that we slept pretty darn well on our Molen Reef overlook. And by "we," I really mean "me," because unfortunately @mrs.turbodb didn't have quite as restful a night as I did. So, as I climbed down the ladder in order to catch the light of day breaking over the horizon, she snuggled down deeper to get a final hour of sleep before I returned to camp and it was time for breakfast.

In those last few minutes before the sun rises, the light on the landscape is always so special. Illuminating but soft, it highlights without creating harsh shadows.​

My kind of camp site.​

A new day is dawning.​

Unlike the previous morning where we didn't even get up until the sun had made its way well into the sky, we were eating breakfast and packing up just a few minutes after sunrise, and on our way down to Moore Cutoff Road by 8:00am. As with all the roads so far - except the last mile or so of Short Canyon - this one was a little bumpy but otherwise uneventful, and our descent through the Junipers was a pleasant one.

When there's noting exciting, you've gotta take advantage of even the little bumps.​

Out of the trees.​

As we headed east along the few miles of pavement we'd see all day, we made a quick stop along a side spur in search of some petroglyphs. Described to us the day before - when we'd met a couple of hikers on our way out of Short Canyon - we never found them, but we did happen upon a glyph that seemed even cooler!

After searching in a completely different area, I spotted this panel a little way away.​

The Juggler.​

In high spirits after our discovery - it's always fun to find a panel that was unexpected, even if it turns out to be relatively common and well-known - we continued east before turning north onto Sand Bench. An out-and-back trail, I was looking forward to the couple-mile hike at the end into Red Hole Draw, where we'd hopefully discover a wonderland of goblins as well as - naturally - more rock art!

Even if the landscape wasn't what I'd envisioned from the San Rafael Swell, there was no arguing that it was pretty.​

This butte must have a name given how colorful it is, but for me at least, that name remains a joyous mystery.​

Twelve miles of dirt later, we arrived at our trailhead. Actually, first we drove right by our trailhead because we were curious about how far the road continued, but when it became apparent that it didn't continue in the direction we were going, we turned back and found a good spot to park. At this point it was right around 9:30am, and the sun was excelling at its effort to warm the landscape, so we donned our shady hiking gear and slathered our uncovered bits with sunscreen before heading down into a wash that would funnel us towards Red Hole Draw.

Just under the orange dirt, slabs of slickrock were quickly exposed by erosion as we dropped into the wash.​

Almost immediately, we found our first pictograph panel. The different form of each figure was fun to see.​

Horned mermaid?​

Nearby, some sort of mud dauber or mason bee style nest was as colorful as the human rock art.​

We had about a mile of wash and a couple hundred vertical feet to traverse before we'd reach Red Hole Draw, and along the way we were treated to several interesting distractions. I hadn't been sure if this hike would really be worth it - being that it was all alone at the end of a reasonably long road - but I must say that it turned out to be great!

Balanced hoodoo.​

Sandstone ridge.​

Along the sandstone ridge, two silhouettes stood guard.​

Looking up, we marveled at the ripples on the underside of the layers of sandstone. The layer below these would have hardened with the actual ripples, and then this layer - deposited on top - would be a negative!​

A snake panel, basking in the sun. As snakes do.​

Near the end of the wash, Funk's Cave seems to have provided a place to get out of the sun for centuries, and we eagerly ducked into the low enclosure to have a look.​

​

This multi-colored rainbow was certainly the highlight of the pictographs on this outing. I've never seen so many colors in a single glyph! (The closest is the Green Mask.)​

Protectors of the rainbow.​

Even as we left Funk's cave at near the bottom of the wash, it wasn't until we rounded another reasonably large bend that we got our first glimpse of the Red Hole Draw. "Ball valley" is - I think - what @mrs.turbodb called it as it came into view, which seems a very apt name if you ask me. Apparently this is similar to Goblin Valley (which we've not visited), though on a much smaller scale.

Red balls everywhere.​

I liked the way the light in the shadows of this line of red ball hoodoos seemed to glow.​

A balanced ball.​

It was only a bit after 11:00am, but after hopping around from spot to spot to try to capture the alien landscape, our tummies were getting hungry so we headed back toward our mobile kitchen. As usual, even when we're trying to make good time, a few more things caught our eye, but eventually we found ourselves enjoying turkey-and-salami sandwiches with quite the view.

This circular bit of slickrock must have been just a little harder than the sandstone around it.​

Layers and layers and layers and layers.​

Just a little further to the camp kitchen!​

Lunch with a view.​

Our sandwiches - a change from the tuna we've taken to eating most days - were fantastic, and as we munched our way through them (and some satisfyingly salty potato chips), we planned out our next move. The rest of the day would be more of the same - driving, hiking, and searching for rock art - and I hoped we'd be able to camp at the location I'd planned to camp the previous night. Looking at the map however, it seemed that we might be able to save a mile or so by hiking to a spot I'd marked as Big Cave from our current location, rather than a trailhead off of Sid and Charley Road.

So, we got the truck packed away - and moved a little way to the top of a different wash - and set off in search of our next destination.

Slickrock smurf patties were a fun highlight of the landscape.​

This spaceship rock reminded me of the big vessels on Battlestar Galactica.​

While they were passable, descending the dry falls was fun.​

In the end, we hit an unpassable dry fall about a quarter mile before reaching the Big Cave. A little bummed, but knowing that was the risk we'd taken with trying this alternate route, we headed back to the Tacoma to enjoy the air conditioning as we retraced our path through Sand Bench, flexing a little bit as we traversed one of several washes that hadn't gotten the memo that they were crossing a road.

Flexy flexy, the truck was perfectly balanced on two wheels when I was in it.​

Not getting a lot of traction from the front driver, me thinks.​

For nearly its entire length, the road we'd taken along Sand Bench was less than a half-mile west of our next road - Sid and Charley Road. Both skirting the same formation, Sid and Charley worked along the valley floor, compared to our previous path along the top of the bench.

Turning onto Sid and Charley Road, a vibrant green was the first thing we noticed. Not as much grazing here - at least so far this year - apparently.​

With several little hikes planned along this route, we decided that we'd head all the way to the end of the road - to tackle Big Cave, hopefully with more success - before circling back to hike, and find camp a little further south.

As usual, we had a few gates to navigate. Some of them were more tumbleweed than wire.​

Second attempt at Big Cave.​

For some reason, I really enjoy dried, cracked mud.​

We reached the spot where I thought we'd find Big Cave - to the point where we could even see the place to which we'd descended previously - but to our surprise, there was nothing but wash. Undeterred for the moment, we split up to explore a few nooks and crannies, hoping that a small entrance might lead to a larger cavern.

Nothing.

"Maybe it was a mud cave," I proposed to @mrs.turbodb, "and it collapsed."

Defeated - perhaps an easier task than it should have been - we decided that we might as well continue up the wash to the dry fall that had stymied us from the other direction - at the very least, giving the hike a destination. And, it was as we took just a few more steps in that direction, that I spotted the cave!

Making my way up the steep, loose, narrow trail, I'd just entered the opening when a Barn Owl dropped out of a small hole and right past my head. Fumbling as quickly as I could, I knew there was no way I could snap a photo, but I gave it a shot anyway.

Luck plays a big role in some photos!​

With the occupant gone, I didn't spend long in the cave, so it could return.​

After excitedly sharing the story with my hiking companion - who was still on the way up the side trail - we headed back to the wash and shortly found ourselves at the bottom of a series of dry falls that had hindered our progress previously.

Sunstar at the impassable dry fall.​

Taking a slightly different path back to the Tacoma, we soon found ourselves headed south, back towards the Sid and Charley hoodoos for which the area was named. Though it was only 3:30pm, we planned to camp at the hoodoos, meaning that even with the 3-mile hike we had planned to view a bunch of rock art, we were likely to be in camp early this evening.

Well hello, Sid and Charley.​

As we pulled into the area around the hoodoos, I have to admit that we were a bit disappointed to see a group of folks already there, climbing the rocky towers. Still, we knew that there was a good chance they were only there for the afternoon - which they later confirmed to our delight - and so we set off on our hike, in search of a man with a broken heart.

We'd find our Broken Hearted Man eventually, but first we made a quick stop at a vast sandstone wall. With a dark patina, it seemed the perfect place for a bit of artwork, and after a little binocular-ing, we made two interesting discoveries.

A vast canvas.​

Wavy waterline. High above any actual water line in this wash.​

A nice surprise - a small, crumbling, granary!​

Continuing on our loop, we had a very enjoyable mile of hiking before any more rock art. Along the way, buttes, wind caves, and erosion kept us entertained as we sought out firm footing in the hard-to-walk-in-sandy wash.

Battleship butte.​

You know those weeds you are always trying to pull out of the garden? Check out the tap root on this little guy. Talk about the tip of the iceberg.​

Well hello, coyote!​

Wind cave hotel.​

And then, above us, a crying man with a broken heart - we'd reached the best-known panel of this area, and one that - while not all that remarkable - was one I'd been looking forward to since I'd seen it in a couple other trip reports.

Broken Hearted Man never smiles, even under a beautiful blue sky.​

Closer view, note the tears in his eyes.​

The area contains several panels of petroglyphs and we spent a little time looking around at the rest of them. One of the things that struck me was how uncrowded the panels were compared to most that we find. There weren't a lot of overlapping petroglyphs, and there was plenty of space for more!

Even as this circular pattern with a smile and crown patina's back into the sandstone, it was so perfectly round it was amazing.​

Dancing Sheep are trying to cheer up Broken Hearted Man.​

Continuing along our loop, I spotted what I thought might be a shortcut to the adjacent wash where we expected to find some more panels, and after a bit of scrambling, let @mrs.turbodb know that she should follow me up and over. Neither was a problem, though the over part ended up taking a while as the panels we were looking for just happened to be at the apex of our climb.

A more normally "crowded" panel.​

I initially only noticed the hunter with a bow to the right of this sheep, but my hiking companion pointed out that one to the left had shot the sheep as well!​

We decided to call this lone glyph, Mouse Man Peeing.​

All sorts of interesting figures and lines. Shoulder Pad Man looks over his grassy field that has one grass that's taller than the others.​

A wolf man (center), some front and back bear tracks, and bird tracks, all in the same panel.​

We didn't know what to make of these circles, but there was a really nice - if small - sun.​

Man with a shield and...​

After soaking in the last of the petroglyphs, we wrapped up our loop with the early evening sun at our backs.​

The out portion of our loop had been a little more than a mile and a half, and it was just a few minutes after 6:00pm, when we finally arrived back at our starting point. The climbers were still at it, two of them basking in their success at the top of Sid and Charley.

With two drones and three photographers below, these guys weren't messing around.​

Hungry after another long day in the sun, we pulled the truck around to the shade of the hoodoos - which also happened to protect the tailgate from the breeze - and proceeded to make dinner. With two hours before sunset, it was a nice change - making and cleaning up dinner with daylight to spare. Plus, we had a front row seat for the action as we consumed our tacorittos.

Top of the world.​

In good time, the climbers packed up their ropes and harnesses and all five of them piled into their Dodge Ram - a tight squeeze, and one that probably didn't smell so nice after they'd all sweated their way to the top of Sid and Charley - and we were left to admire the last of the light as it played across the sky.

Sunset is coming.​

The final glow.​

And so, another fabulous day came to a close. We'd been in the Swell for two days, and - having planned to camp at Sid and Charley after day 1 - we were exactly one full day behind schedule. I had no idea if the trend would continue for the remainder of the trip, but one thing was certain - there was a lot more here to explore than we could see in a single visit anyway!

Little did I know that we hadn't even scratched the surface, and that the following day would bring bigger challenges than either of us ever expected.

 

Might be worth contacting them and asking for the sponsorship anyway. Many of the companies on Instagram and the like will provide free product for *honest* reviews. I've gotten some car care stuff for that reason, anyway. So FWIW on that note, I'm approaching the 6 month mark on the 303 Graphene spray coating. It isn't a true graphene, but I'm still getting good water beading...a lot better than I expected considering it isn't a true graphene coating. But, IIRC, you don't even really wash your truck unless its through a cleaner puddle than what is already on the truck, so you are not the target audience.

That said, if they're going to benefit from your photos, you should get something....even if that something is just a tag with a reference to your personal page.

Who knows, if that page really is run by midland, point them to your page and this thread with a note about the amount of views the review would receive. You might get a latest and greatest radio to install after your standard 6 month procrastination window.

 

The barn owl is fantastic!

 

Ehh, I hear what you're saying but at the same time, I don't know if I care that much. I figure that I am getting something - the pride and joy of knowing they liked the photo!

And my truck resembles your remarks, hahaha! I do wash it, but only to get the caked mud off from whatever the last trip was. Pressure washer only - no soap or anything; focused mostly on the undercarriage!

Wasn't that cool?! I feel so lucky to have gotten the shot, and to have had the experience. It was also especially nice, since we'd not been able to find the cave in the first place, so a little reward on finding it was cool.

 

Every time you look at that photo, it'll be such a great memory.

 

I second this, what a great shot! I just keep trying to get a sighting of the great horned owl in the woods by my house. I hear him, but I haven't been able to locate him.