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San Rafael River: Fuller Bottom to Lockhart Box
Friday – Sunday, June 2-4, 2023


This weekend Jared and I met up in the San Rafael Swell so we could float the San Rafael River with our packrafts while there was still enough water left this year. Although our last packrafting trip together on the Dirty Devil River may not have gone as well as we had hoped, Jared was looking forward to getting his packraft on a river that actually had enough water this time and I was looking forward to a return visit into the Little Grand Canyon! I left from work on Friday afternoon and made my way over to the Swinging Bridge at the mouth of Buckhorn Wash, where we planned to meet up. I arrived a couple hours before Jared was going to, so I drove a little ways down the Mexican Mountain Road and found us a campsite just as it started to rain. Read the full story here: https://adventr.co/2023/06/san-rafael-river-fuller-bottom-to-lockhart-box/


Jeep Wrangler JL Third Time's A Charm: ADVENTR Jeep III 52954300875_3212599a16_c
Jeep View
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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An Evening Along the San Rafael River
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Window Blind Peak at Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Fuller Bottom
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Striped Canyon Wall
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Canyon Curve
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Fremont Pictographs
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Little Grand Canyon Views
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Black Box Beginning
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Swell Butte Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Floating Below Assembly Hall Peak
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Jeep Wrangler JL Third Time's A Charm: ADVENTR Jeep III 52954464188_45af58ce0e_c
San Rafael River View
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Jeep Wrangler JL Third Time's A Charm: ADVENTR Jeep III 52954107909_daf3ba5790_c
Lockhart Box Trail
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr
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The Dolores River: Fisher Creek to the Colorado River
Gateway Canyon: Fisher Creek to Dewey Bridge | Average CFS: 2,170
Saturday, June 10, 2023


This weekend Jackson was only free on Saturday so we planned a day trip to float down another section of the lower Dolores River from Fisher Creek to the Dewey Bridge Campground since it’s not too far away from home. Although most people run this stretch starting from Gateway, we decided to launch closer to Fisher Creek so that we would be able to easily finish it in a day while also skipping Stateline and Rockslide Rapids. While this kind of day trip would typically require a very long shuttle that would not make it worth the effort for most, living in the middle of the shuttle made the logistics a little easier for us. After work on Friday, Jackson and I dropped off his vehicle at the Dewey Bridge Campground and then returned home for the night. Then on Saturday morning Diane rode with us down past Gateway as we looked for a spot to put-in and then she drove my Jeep back home for us. This way we wouldn’t have to return to pick it up later in the day which would have required at least an additional four hours of driving time! The full story can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/06/the-dolores-river-fisher-creek-to-the-colorado-river/


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Gateway Morning
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Along the Dolores
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Dolores River Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Serpent's Tongue Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Jackson Below
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Back on the River
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Relaxing on the Dolores River
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Roberts Bottom
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Underneath the Dewey Bridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr
 
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Return to The Chute of Muddy Creek
Floating Through the Muddy Creek Wilderness: Tomsich Butte to Hidden Splendor
Friday & Saturday, June 16-17, 2023 | Average CFS: 185


This year Jackson was really hoping we would be able to make it over to the San Rafael Swell so we could float through The Chute of Muddy Creek before the water levels dropped, but for a while there it was looking like we might not be able to make it happen this season. Luckily, the water levels of Muddy Creek have continued to stayed high enough for a couple of weeks and on Friday afternoon as I was leaving work we made a last minute decision to give it a shot on Saturday morning. All of my river gear was still packed in the Jeep and ready to go, so we headed west into Utah and met up in Green River before making our way over to Hidden Splendor to drop off my Jeep at the take-out. The full story can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/06/return-to-the-chute-of-muddy-creek/


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Sy Butte View
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Shuttle View
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Muddy Creek Morning
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Tall Canyon Walls
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Leaving the Shadows
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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The Chute of Muddy Creek
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Golden Wall
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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The Chute
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Follow The Light
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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The Chute of Muddy Creek
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Out of The Chute
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr
 
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It's been a busy summer so far, and I haven't updated this thread for a while, so here's what I've been up to lately...


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Upper Marvine Lake
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Flat Tops Wilderness Morning
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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An Evening Drive in the Mountains
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Buffalo Boy
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Ridge Light
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Capitol Lake Campsite
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Capitol Lake Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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San Juan Wildflowers
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Lookout Mountain
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Summitville
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Evening Tarn Reflection
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Elwood Cabin Morning
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Rough Creek Falls II
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Lewis Mill View
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Fruita Dugway Morning
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Six Boats
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Ruby Canyon Evening
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Rowing
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Ute Mountain Fire Lookout
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Water Woman
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Two Dinwoody Petroglyphs
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Lake Louise
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Pinnacle Buttes
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Upper Brooks Lake Reflection
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Fremont Creek Overlook
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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High Top at Sunrise
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Thousand Lake & Boulder
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Cameo Point Sunrise
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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The Hunting Ground Rim
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Stinking Desert Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr​
 
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The High Plateaus of Utah: Proper Edge of the Sky
The Plateau Provence: Peaks & Plateaus of the Colorado Plateau
Wednesday – Friday, August 30 – September 1, 2023



Despite the loftiness of their summits, the dominant visual character of the High Plateaus is horizontal rather than vertical, an effect of the level strata and the long mural walls that lead the gaze into the blue distance. It is a country of long views, a spacious country, yet the horizon, however distant, is always clearly defined, the ridgelines providing a proper edge to the immensity of the sky.

– Edward A. Geary

The High Plateaus of Utah are a group of elevated tablelands that form the boundary between the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin in Central Utah and are what Wallace Stegner once described as “those remarkable mountains that are not mountains at all but greatly elevated rolling plains.” Although I have driven around and between the High Plateaus many times over the years, I have not spent very much time up on top of any of them and I wanted to change that this summer so I could see what they were all about. And what better way is there to get to know a new place than by driving the backroads and visiting the highpoints along the way! I figured that I would start at the northern end of the Wasatch Plateau and then work my way south, looping back around to finish up on Thousand Lake Mountain, where I could hop back on I-70 and head back home after a nice introduction to the area. That was the plan, and I thought it was a pretty good one, but as you will see, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

The full Trip Report can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/09/the-high-plateaus-of-utah/


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Jeep Wrangler JL Third Time's A Charm: ADVENTR Jeep III 53159986393_dae60a1afa_c
Skyline Drive
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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South Tent Mountain Ridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Jeep & Wasatch Plateau
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Skyline Drive at Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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High Top at Sunrise
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Mine Camp Peak Summit
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Monroe Peak Road
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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High Plateaus
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Monroe Peak Layers
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Hogan Pass Overlook
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Paradise Flats
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Smoky Sunrise from Thousand Lake Mountain
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Flat Top Ridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Raft Lake & Bluebell Knoll
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Stormy View
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Salina Canyon Tunnel
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr​
 

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Red Table Mountain: Crooked Creek to Mount Thomas
Around the Red Table: Crooked Creek Pass & Cottonwood Pass
Friday – Sunday, September 15-17, 2023



This weekend I headed out to the very northern end of the Sawatch Range so I could drive around and explore Red Table Mountain, which is located just west of the Holy Cross Wilderness between Gypsum, Eagle and Thomasville. I left from work on Friday afternoon, stopped in Rifle for gas and a bite to eat, and then continued on through the Roaring Fork Valley to Basalt where I turned off and followed the Fryingpan River to Lime Creek. Although I had driven through a couple heavy rain storms along the way, I found the beginning of the Crooked Creek Pass Road to be in good condition when wet, but that quickly changed as I dove higher and found some very slick conditions. After sliding off the road into the ditch twice, and thankfully not off the other side of the road, I found a small level spot to pull over and spend the night at. I had had enough of the slick and slippery road and felt it was too sketchy to continue driving up to the pass or turning around and heading down, so I was hoping that the road would dry out a bit overnight.

The full Trip Report can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/09/red-table-mountain-crooked-creek-to-mount-thomas/


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Steam Fog on Ruedi Reservoir
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Red Ridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Mount Thomas Ridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Down the Red Table Mountain
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Red Table Mountain Road
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr
 
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The Rico Mountains & Lizard Head Trail
Friday – Sunday, September 22-24, 2023


Earlier this summer I had planned on spending another weekend hiking and exploring around the Rico Mountains and Lizard Head Wilderness, which are located at the western end of the San Juan Mountains. I’ve enjoyed heading down to this area over the past couple of years and was looking forward to returning again, but unfortunately on that trip I had started feeling ill and ended up coming home early on the first night. This weekend I wanted to give that trip another shot before the summer season comes to an end and I start heading back into the desert for the rest of the year, so on Friday afternoon I left from work and headed back down to the Rico Mountains.

The full Trip Report can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/09/the-rico-mountains-lizard-head-trail/


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Woods Lake & Boskoff Peak
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Anchor Mountain
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Benchmark Fire Lookout
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Faint Two-Track
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Mount Wilson at Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Black Face
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr
 
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Fall Colors on the Grand Mesa
After Work Adventures | Tuesday, September 26, 2023


Hard to believe, but I recently realized that it’s been five years since I last headed up onto the Grand Mesa to check out the Fall Colors, which was something I used to do almost every year at the end of September. With that in mind, even though I knew the autumn colors seemed to be running a bit behind this year, I decided to head up onto the Grand Mesa after work today for a short evening visit since it would be my only opportunity this week.

More photos can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/09/fall-colors-on-the-grand-mesa/


 
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Into the Dark: Canyons of the Dark Canyon Plateau
Southern Utah Wanderings | Friday – Monday, September 29 – October 2, 2023


The time had finally come to get back out into the desert on the Colorado Plateau and I was definitely ready to begin my annual trip into Southern Utah with my friend Jared. This year we decided to start out hiking and exploring a couple of canyons that cut deep into the Dark Canyon Plateau and Elk Ridge so we could continue what we had originally began during our 2021 trip around the Abajo Mountains before we were chased out of the higher country by wet and stormy weather at the time. As usual, I left from work on Friday afternoon, grabbed a quick dinner in Fruita and then drove straight through to Monticello, where I topped off my gas tank so it would last me the next couple of days in the backcountry. It had been a very windy drive, which would be just a taste of what was in store for us over the next couple of days. From Monticello I followed the Harts Draw Loop Road into Indian Creek and then headed up onto the Salt Creek Plateau where I stopped at our usual campsite in the area and waited for Jared to arrive later in the evening.

The full story can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/10/into-the-dark-canyons-of-the-dark-canyon-plateau/


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Bowdie Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Bowdie Bridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Morning Sun Rays
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Along the Ledge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Scorup Cabin
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Scorup Cabin Kitchen
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Scorup Cabin Bedroom Stove
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Upper Dark Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Dry Mesa Morning
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Dark Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Dark Canyon Exploring
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Kiva
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Two Ruins
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Square Ruin
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr
 
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Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 9
Southern Utah Wanderings | Tuesday – Thursday, October 3-5, 2023


After spending the last couple of days exploring the canyons of the Dark Canyon Plateau, it was now time for Jared and I to spend a little time in the canyons of Cedar Mesa. After grabbing dinner and replenishing our supplies in Blanding on Monday afternoon, we returned to Comb Wash and found a nice campsite to spend the night in. Then on Tuesday morning we headed up the narrow and sandy road into Arch Canyon where we planned to stay through the following day. It’s been just about fifteen years since either of us had driven into Arch Canyon and we were looking forward to some new hikes, spending the night in the canyon, and hopefully finding some ruins that we had missed on previous visits.

The full Trip Report can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/10/cedar-mesa-chronicles-chapter-9/


 

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Chapin Mesa at Mesa Verde National Park
Thursday & Friday, October 12-13, 2023


For the past year or so, Diane and I have been planning to spend an extended three-day weekend in southern Utah so we could watch the Annular Solar Eclipse that would be occurring on Saturday morning. A month or so back we found out that she would also have Thursday off from work, so I went ahead and grabbed two permits for the Square Tower House Tour at Mesa Verde National Park because it’s the only tour offered in the park this year that we had not been on before. Since we had such a great time exploring Wetherill Mesa last summer I thought it would be a great idea copy that trip and spend the entire day visiting sites and overlooks on Chapin Mesa this time, especially the ones I hadn’t been to before or just don’t remember all too well. In the end we would spend sunup to sunset on Chapin Mesa and have a pretty great day, even if it was a bit windy and chilly out!

The full Trip Report can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/10/chapin-mesa-at-mesa-verde-national-park/


 
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IntrepidXJ

IntrepidXJ

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Beyond the Clay Hills: The Annular Solar Eclipse
Watching the Great Western Ring of Fire Eclipse from Nokai Dome
Friday – Sunday, October 13-15, 2023



After spending an amazing Thursday on Chapin Mesa in Mesa Verde National Park and then briefly stopping to visit Yucca House National Monument early on Friday morning, it was time to drive across the Great Sage Plain into Utah and then head even further west until we crossed Beyond the Clay Hills where we found a great camping spot atop Nokai Dome, which would be a perfect place to sit and watch the Great Western Ring of Fire Eclipse on Saturday morning. I had specifically chosen this remote corner of the Red Rock Plateau to view the Annular Solar Eclipse because it’s kind of out-of-the way and I hoped that we would be able to find plenty of solitude. It’s also a part of the Colorado Plateau that I really haven’t spent much time at and I’m hoping to change that and get a little more familiar with this corner of San Juan County. I really don’t think I could have picked a much better spot to watch the eclipse from since we were very close to the centerline of its path and I’m pretty sure there wasn’t anyone else around for miles. I should also mention that the views in all directions from Nokai Dome were pretty spectacular!


The full Trip Report can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/10/beyond-the-clay-hills-the-annular-solar-eclipse/


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Great Western Ring of Fire Eclipse
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Nokai Dome Road
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Skelly Point
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Skelly Point Summit
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Skelly Point Rim
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Evening Tent
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Ready for the Eclipse
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Annular Solar Eclipse 2023
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Other Side
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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US Navy
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr
 
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Hovenweep’s Centennial and the Great Sage Plain
Hovenweep National Monument & Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
Saturday – Monday, October 21-23, 2023


It feels like it’s been quite a while since the last time I visited and spent some quality time in Hovenweep National Monument and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and I’ve been really meaning to get back down to that area for the past couple of years, but it just hadn’t seemed to happen yet as I keep putting it off for other trips. However, this year I made it a priority to get back with Diane so we could celebrate Hovenweep’s Centennial year since it was proclaimed a unit of the National Park System on March 2, 1923 by President Warren G. Harding. I also figured that this would be a great opportunity for Diane to visit the units of the park she had not been to before and I would be able to hike the few remaining trails in Hovenweep that I had not been on before and could finally cross this park off my ‘completed trails’ list. So early on Saturday morning Diane and I loaded up the Jeep and headed south along the Colorado – Utah state line to spend an extended three-day weekend exploring Hovenweep and other canyons of the Great Sage Plain!

The full Trip Report can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/10/hovenweeps-centennial-and-the-great-sage-plain/


 
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Exploring Desert Stone: Harts Draw to Indian Creek
Tracing the Historic Route of the 1859 Macomb Expedition, Part II
Friday – Sunday, October 27-29, 2023


It’s now been almost an entire year since I started my quest to follow and explore the historic route of the 1859 Macomb Expedition, also known as the San Juan Exploring Expedition, which contained a small detachment of men who were quite possibly the first non-native Americans to view and describe what is now Canyonlands National Park. During that trip I followed the Old Spanish Trail across Dry Valley from Cañon Pintado (East Canyon) to Casa Colorado and then steadily climbed up Hatch Point until I was at the edge of the rim overlooking Cañon Colorado (Harts Draw) and the greater Canyonlands region. That point was roughly in the same area where Captain Macomb and his men would have had their first view of the region that would later become known as The Needles and where they would most likely have begun their descent to the canyons below in search of The Confluence of the Green and Grand Rivers. This weekend I set out to continue following their historic route as it descended from the rim of Hatch Point into Harts Draw and then I would continue downstream into Labyrinth Cañon (Indian Creek Canyon). Although I had hoped to follow the route segments in order, except that I had planned to start hiking from the bottom of Harts Draw up to the rim since I thought route-finding would be easier in that direction, but stormy weather on Saturday altered my plans a bit and I ended up hiking the segments out of order.


The full story can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/10/exploring-desert-stone-harts-draw-to-indian-creek/


I cannot conceive of a more worthless and impracticable region than the one we now find ourselves in. I doubt not there are repetitions and varieties of it for hundreds of miles down the cañon of the Great Colorado, for I have heard of but one crossing of that river above the vicinity of the Mojave villages, and I have reason to doubt if that one (El Vado de los Padres) is practicable, except with utmost care, even for a pack-mule.

Captain John N. Macomb, Jr.
November 1, 1860

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Macomb Expedition Overlook
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Harts Draw Road
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Harts Point Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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North Six-Shooter Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Lower Macomb Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Upper Macomb Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Fall Colors in Macomb Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Indian Creek Overlook
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Indian Creek Formation
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Hatch Point & Hunters Moon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

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Macomb Canyon Ledge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr
 
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Under The Ledge: Waterhole Flat to Teapot Canyon
Friday – Sunday, November 3-5, 2023

This weekend I headed back into the country Under the Ledge for the second time this year so I could finally stay at the Teapot Rock campsite, which is located along the road to The Doll House just before it starts to get rough. Although I have tried to book this camp during previous trips into the region, it always seemed to have been unavailable and never worked out for me, but since it’s the final campsite in the Maze District that I had not stayed at yet, I figured it was worth putting together a special trip to finally make it happen this year. A couple of months ago I booked the site for two nights so I could spend an extended weekend exploring the canyons in the area and I invited my friend Jared along to join me. So now after this weekend, besides having hiked all of the trails in Canyonlands National Park, I have finally completed my goal of staying at all of the designated campsites within the Maze District and Orange Cliffs Unit of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area!

The full Trip Report can be found here: https://adventr.co/2023/11/under-the-ledge-waterhole-flat-to-teapot-canyon/

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