Tuesday, March 24, 2015

JEEPING AROUND IN CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK & WE EVEN GOT THE JEEP INTO SOME SNOW:))

DSC_0073

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK UTAH

Well, it was a decision making morning so we started off checking comments & emails from readers as well as looking up & finding reviews for garages in Moab.  Kelly had also posted a few questions in various forums & we checked those responses as well.  Couple emails from Chinle about questionable garages in Moab steered us in the direction of Grand Junction Colorado.  Checked out a few places on-line & found Bear Auto had good reviews & specialized in Workhorse 8.1 Chevy engines so we have an appointment with them for first thing Thursday morning.  We will head for Grand Junction Wednesday afternoon & overnight in a gravel parking lot near the their garage.

DSC_0002

HEADED NORTH OUT OF MONTICELLO…FEW MEDIUM GRADES & THE RIG RAN FINE

DSC_0008 DSC_0005

FOUND US AN EASY BOONDOCKING SITE FROM WHICH WE CAN DO A FEW DAY TRIPS

In the Escapee ‘Day’s End’ book Kelly found a boondocking site north of Monticello just off highway 191 & that is where we are currently at.  Nice clean long views all around & a good Verizon signal.  A bit of traffic noise on 191 to our west is not a problem.  A big Jeep event coming up in Moab this coming week-end so our timing worked out in our favor in that we will be well clear of Moab by the week-end.  We certainly do not want to get caught up in Moab’s manic madness, Jeeps or no Jeeps.

DSC_0010

HEADED UP A ROAD LOOKING FOR FOY LAKE & NO THOSE ARE NOT SKI RUNS

Not wanting to let our coach problems get us down we piled into the Jeep & headed back down highway 191 to highway 211 heading west towards CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK.  We had intentionally looked for a boondocking spot in this area so we could check out Canyonlands & a few other nearby spots.  Rolling west on scenic 211 we saw a sign for a road to Foy’s Lake so decided to go have us a look at what this Foy’s lake was all about.  These kinds of day trips are always scouting missions for future boondocking spots as well.

DSC_0031

WASN’T LONG & WE HAD US INTO SOME SNOW

DSC_0012 DSC_0014

DSC_0013

JUST WANTED TO SEE HOW THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE WORKED IN SNOW:))

In the direction we were heading we could see a small mountain with snow still on the top & the road we were on took us right up that way.  Foy’s lake was 9 miles in & after a couple 8% grades we rolled into Foy’s snowy campground.  Not open for the season yet but we had the place to ourselves & sure enough there was a small lake which back in Ontario we would call a pond.  Looked like spring water with the lake being crystal clear.  Many Aspen trees & oh how nice this must be especially in the Fall.  A short walk by the pond/lake then we purposely drove the Jeep through a few small snow banks just because we had a Jeep & knew we could.

DSC_0027

FOY LAKE

DSC_0019 DSC_0017

CAREFUL PHEEBS CAUSE I KNOW YOU DON’T WANT TO GET ANY WATER ON YOUR PAWS

DSC_0024

THERE’S THAT ACE BLACKBERRY PHOTOGRAPHER AGAIN SNAPPING UP SOME FACEBOOK PICS

DSC_0029 DSC_0023

WE DID DRIVE THE JEEP DOWN THAT ROAD TO THE RIGHT BUT HAD TO BACK ALL THE WAY OUT AGAIN BECAUSE OF SOFT MUD

DSC_0028DSC_0016

DSC_0021

Nine miles back to highway 211 & we once again headed west to see what we could see.  Had heard of a place called NEWSPAPER ROCK so we weren’t long in finding that so stopped to look at the Petroglyphs.  Probably the greatest concentration of Petroglyphs so close together we’ve seen in one single spot. 

 

DSC_0044

DSC_0049 DSC_0051

DSC_0048 DSC_0052

DSC_0045

The highway 211 drive in from highway 191 is truly scenic as shown on the map & the farther you go towards Canyonlands National Park the more spectacular the scenery becomes.  No wonder Utah has always been my favorite State & I was reminded of that with each mile traveled again today.  Utah’s amazing scenery just never stops & especially here in the eastern & southern side of the State.  We’ve been to Zion, Bryce, & the Arches & today it was Canyonlands.  Not one Park better than the other for each one has it’s own unique stunning beauty.

DSC_0061

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE BEAUTY WHEN ALL THESE TREES ARE LEAFED OUT NEXT MONTH

DSC_0056 DSC_0059DSC_0065 DSC_0062DSC_0066

Stopped at the Visitor’s Center & picked up a map of the Park then headed off on a driving tour.  Dogs not allowed on trails so we didn’t get ourselves out for any trail hikes.  Checked out a couple campgrounds which of course were full.  Seems to be a lot of tenters.  The couple stops we did make were so awe inspiring we just wanted to stay forever.  This whole southwest just has that affect on so many of we RV folks.

DSC_0067

DSC_0069

DSC_0080 DSC_0077DSC_0068

One of the small problems I have with myself here in the southwest is allowing myself to become so overwhelmed with photo taking.  By the end of each traveling day it is not unusual for me to end up with a hundred plus photos & oh what a time I have of it each night deciding what photos to put into the blog.  Always too many I know & I’m sure there are folks out there who cannot open my posts because of so many photos just as I am unable to open several of my fellow Blogger’s posts for the very same reason.  At least until we get home where we have no limits on our internet.   In the meantime, so much beauty, so many photos & so little time & space to share them all with everyone.

DSC_0071

KELLY’S GETTING TO BE QUITE A PHOTO WHIZ WITH HER BLACKBERRY

DSC_0084 DSC_0075

While on the topic of photos I have noticed for the past couple months something is amiss somewhere with my Picasa photo editing program.  The finished editing & corrections I a make on my photos with Picasa are not the same edits appearing in my published posts many times.  And yes I do remember to ‘Save’ my edits after doing them.  Colors & density are often off not resulting in what I consider to be satisfactory results in my final blog posts.  I saw one of my Grand Canyon photos from 3 days ago totally screwed up & that is not the way I edited & published it.  Sometimes I have to add a lot of density (darken) to some photos just to have them look right on the blog otherwise they come across looking overexposed. (too light)  Anyway if your seeing some strange unnatural colors etc it just means I still have not figured out what is going wrong where yet.  Going back & re-doing photos over & over is beginning to try my patience………..

DSC_0086

DSC_0087 DSC_0085DSC_0090 

KELLY & PHEEBS ARE IN THIS PHOTO

DSC_0093 DSC_0092DSC_0091

We have some big Borrego type winds going on here at the moment south of Moab Utah so we are doing a bit of rocking & rolling here in the coach tonight.  But that’s Okay, at least we’re not shoveling snow……………………….DSC_0095

DSC_0096

DSC_0097

Had to cut our Canyonlands wandering a bit short when I realized we were running low on gas.  Had been enjoying ourselves so much I failed to notice our gas gauge slowing edging closer to empty.  We were at the farthest end possible in Canyonlands National Park when I noticed the gauge at only a quarter full.  Jeeps are notorious for poor fuel consumption & it was about 30 miles back through hills & grades to highway 191 then another 15 miles to Monticello so without further ado we headed for a gas station in Monticello making it there with about an eighth of a tank left.  We finally made it back to the rig about 3 this afternoon & what a great day-trip day for the Bayfield Bunch.

DSC_0099

Sunny skies with big white puffy clouds stayed with us all the way & temperatures were warm & not hot.  For us that all adds up to a perfect weather day:))

DSC_0007

DSC_0001 DSC_0012 

DSC_0005

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A grade school teacher was grading a science test on the human body, The first question was, "Name one of the major functions of your skin."  One child had written: "To keep people who look at you from throwing up."

20 comments:

  1. Have you tried exporting your photos out of Picasa instead of saving them. You can chose what format and size you want that way, and just save to a folder for the blog. I find that Lightroom offers more options for editing, and with your great pictures it would do a fantastic job.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now that you've got an appointment for the Big E it's time to play. Canyonlands looks great. All this red rock has me thinking of following your trail. When I'm in a place like this it's usually several hundred photos a day. And it is hard to pick the ones to share. Maybe it's blogger compressing your photos and not Picasa.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow. I thought I would check one more time to see if you had posted before I went to bed. Sure am glad I did! Gonna sleep a whole lot better knowing that you had a great day & that you have an appointment with someone who should certainly be qualified to find that problem. From my point of view you will never post too many pictures. May the next few days be fantastic ones for The Bayfield Bunch! And never can I say "thank you" enough.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for showing us your fantastic beautiful day trip. I know you put a lot of work into your posts, but they make a lot of people happy. I also checked before bed time and you had not posted yet, but it gave me a great start to my day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. More awesome pics, and another fun day. It is difficult to decide on which pics to publish when you take so many.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We loved Canyonlands. What a gorgeous place. The snow gives it added beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I haven't noticed any decrease in the beauty and quality of your pictures. Utah is an amazing natural beauty and I am so thankful to those who had the foresight to preserve it. Just loving your pictures today. Newspaper rock is a favorite of mine but Foy Lake is a beauty I have not seen. Glad to hear you have a good place to take the rig. Hope it's an easily identifiable and fixable problem.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your pictures are convincing me that this time of year might be a good time to travel down there. We've always wanted to see the parks in Utah.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UTAH! Also my favorite state for sure. When I first traveled through it back in 1996 I became spell-bound. The colours, the rocks, the incredibly blue sky. That's it..BEAUTIFUL! And in 2004 we visited picture rock with my mom. Memories.....

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a great day! Foy Lake looks like a sweet little find - and of course you had to make tracks in the snow :-) I don't know what's more impressive, the glyphs or the massive boulder above them. The contrast in color from the varnish to the upper face is very dramatic. Agree, you can't post too many pics for me. Love the gnarly branch Kelly found to sit in.....

    ReplyDelete
  11. Never too many photos, especially if you are in Utah!! Glad you have an appointment and even more glad that you, Kelly and Pheebs had such a great day!! You are making us long for Utah--soon!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful photos. My next trip just has to be Utah. So glad you found a garage to work on the Big E. I should have gone north on hwy 191 instead of south out of Canyon de Chelly.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Enjoyed the pictures. Every trip we have made through Utah has been memorable.

    arlonHboozer.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's been ages since Den and I were out West..We did Zion Nat'l Park and that was all. At that time, Den was still working at Cat and could only get 2 weeks vacation..Now that we have an RV and the time, we have obligations at home that keep us from traveling very far except in the Winter...Beautiful photos...I really want to get back to Utah and Idaho..

    ReplyDelete
  15. I really enjoy today's photos. They remind me of what I missed a couple of summers ago when the government shut down and I was unable to visit the southwestern parks. I don't know if I will ever be able to make it back there.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The photos from Canyonland are magnificent!! We had a wonderful hike through the Needles two years ago. We can't wait to get back to Utah. We arrive on April 3rd for at least a month and a half. It is so hard to not take a thousand photos:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Don't worry about posting too many photos Al. It was them that first drew us to your blog. - Don & Gayle

    ReplyDelete
  18. Same thing happens to me in LR (Light room) so now I use Topaz more. When I would go to watermark my pics, it changed my colors, slightly, but enough to piss me off lol K~

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for the great pics! We have not been to Canyonlands yet, but it's on our list of things to do. As far as the petroglyphs, I decided after seeing them at Gila Bend AZ that they are just "caveman graffiti" by bored teenagers.. .their moms sent them away to pick berries or gather wood, and they all just hid out and did graffiti to pass the time..... LOL (just kidding)
    KarenInTheWoods and Steveio
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    (Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    ReplyDelete
  20. Your photos are being adjusted by Google+'s "auto enhance" program because most people have google+ and blogger linked together now.

    Fortunately, you can turn off the auto enhance feature.

    Go to your Blogger dashboard, and in the top right corner click on your little photo to find where it says "View Profile" or "Account Settings".

    Then, on the left hand side where it says "Profile", click on that and scroll down to the "Settings" and click on that. Then, scroll down to "Pictures and Videos" and you'll see where you change the setting for "Auto Enhance" to Off.

    Problem solved. :-)

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

    ReplyDelete