SW Trip 2014 - Mess Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park – Cortez, Co

June 30 - July 2

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After leaving Moab, we headed to Cortez, Colorado to visit Mesa Verde National Park. The RV park where we stayed was a commercial park that is a first class facility and very well managed. We were surprised to find such a nice park in a remote area. The park had a very nice dog walk area where we could let them off leash, which the boys really enjoyed. The park was about 1 mile from the entrance to Mesa Verde, which was convenient.

The next morning we headed out to Mesa Verde National Park. This park is the only N.P. that preserves the “works of man”. The Ancestral Pueblo people made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. The park mainly consists of two mesas with roads along the way for visitors to view and visit the ruins. The three main and largest ruins provide ranger-led tours in order to actually enter the ruins; otherwise, they can be viewed at a distance across the canyon. Our first mesa drive was on Chapin Mesa, where we were able to enter the ruins of Spruce House. Then we drove the loop drives and visited several villages with pit houses (the oldest known residences) and other ruins along the way. We were able to view Cliff Palace and Balcony House from a distance, they were still spectacular!  The next mesa we drove was Wetherill Mesa. Along this drive and loops, we saw the Long House Ruins and Kodak House from across the canyon and several pit houses arranged in a village. This mesa drive only allowed vehicles up to a certain point, at which they provided trams to gain access to the ruins and viewpoints. Heading back out of the park, along the road there were several overlook points with views of the surrounding valleys and canyons within the park. Mesa Verde is an amazing collection of ancient ruins, but the downside involved about 100 miles of driving (many with steep grades) to get to the remote areas of the ruins. We spent more time driving than actually viewing and exploring the ruins. It was a long day , but we were glad we did visit this park.

We were ready for some exercise, so the next morning we drove to Cortez to a great group of mountain bike trails called Phil’s World. The trails were excellent, with all levels from easy to technical. Kurt rode a couple of miles with me on the easier trails, and then he headed for the advanced trails. I continued on the easier trails and really enjoyed the ride. The trails were so well designed that it made them really fun without too much difficulty. After a couple of hours of riding, we drove into Cortez and found a local place for lunch. It was an old fashioned “drive in”, with the car hops that come out to the car, take the order and then deliver the food.  The food was good and we were full. After a couple of shopping stops, we headed back to the camper and began some preparations for our departure the next day to Durango, Colorado.

SW Trip 2014 - Moab Utah

Moab, Utah

June 27 - 29

Picasa web album link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/SWTrip2014Part6?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLWhl8mFlsnBBg&feat=directlink

We were excited to get back to Moab, we love it there. My sisters and friends will be staying there for a week and we will be there for the weekend. The drive back was beautiful, with a different view of the drive down to Bluff. The rock formations, cliffs, and windows were amazing. On the drive back, we noticed there was a vibration coming from the truck. We stopped and Kurt looked around and found nothing out of order. After arriving back at the RV park, he checked the truck again. This time, he found a huge bulge on the tread side of one of the tires. This was pretty scary, as we could have had a blow out while towing the trailer. He took the truck to a local tire dealer, recommended by the RV park owners. They checked the tires and explained that they were all old and needed to be replaced. Kurt had expected to have the tires replaced while on the trip since they were the original tires from 2008, but we didn’t anticipate that it would occur with a possible emergency. The dealer gave us a great price on all four tires, but had to order them. They would be in on Monday, the day we were scheduled to leave, but he promised they would be in first thing in the morning and we would be out by noon. Also, he replaced the bad tire with a “loaner” used tire so we could safely drive around Moab for the three days. What a nice guy in a great town!

That evening we met Cindy, Terrie, Cliff and Mike at the condo they were renting for the week. It was a great location south of Moab, with beautiful views of the Moab Rim to the west and the slickrock cliffs to the east. We hung out with them for drinks and lively discussions. Also, as the skies got darker, we were able to do some stargazing and actually saw the Milky Way! We had all decided to go kayaking on the Colorado River on Sunday.

The next day, Kurt and I went mountain biking back at Moab Brands, as we had really enjoyed those trails and they were close to town. As usual, we started out biking together, but Kurt wanted to ride the advanced trails. I rode the easy/moderate trails for a little over an hour, but headed back to the truck as it was getting much hotter as the day went on. The temps in Moab had gotten up over 100 degrees, much hotter than the week earlier that we had been there. We went into town and did a little shopping, and then went back to camp to let the dogs hang outside for awhile. Cindy called me later when they got back to the condo after visiting Arches National Park. Again, we went over to hang out for the evening.

The next morning, we all met at the Moab boat ramp to launch our kayaks. We unloaded the kayaks and gear, then the rest shuttled their cars to the take out at Gold Bar Recreation Area. The weather was warm and beautiful, but being on the water helped alleviate some of the heat, as the water was cold. We had a relaxed paddle downstream for about 10 miles with great views and amazing rocky cliffs. The boys were a little bored with the flat paddle, when a jet boat came by they were excited to ride the wake! I guess if you’ve already paddled Class II & III rapids, this was very tame! Oh well, we all enjoyed the day on the river, it was special for us all to be there together. Later in the evening, we brought pizza and wings to the condo and continued our fun together.

Monday morning we got up early and prepared to head out. Kurt got the tires put on the truck and was back around noon. It was a good feeling to know that we would be driving safer with new tires. We took off for our next destination, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.

SW Trip 2014 - Bluff, Utah & San Juan River trip

Bluff, Utah – San Juan River

June 20 – 26

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Bluff is about 1 mile long, a very small pioneer town founded by Mormons. We stayed at Cadillac Ranch RV Park, one of two in town. We also found that there isn’t a grocery store in town, just a convenience store that does carry some groceries. After getting settled in, we drove across town (about 4 minutes), then headed out to scout the river put-in at Sand Island BLM campground and boat ramp. This is where the group will be launching their kayaks to paddle downstream on the San Juan River to Mexican Hat.

The next morning, we headed west to Mexican Hat to find the boat ramp where they will take out their kayaks. It is a maintained boat ramp and park. This take out is about 23 miles downstream from Sand Island. After that we drove out to Goosenecks State Park to check out the overlook of the San Juan River. The views are amazing and the surrounding area is scattered with red rock formations, buttes, mesas and canyons. On the drive to Mexican Hat, there was a view of Monument Valley in the distance; amazing being that it is about 50 miles away. Next, we drove up highway 261, which goes up to Cedar Mesa. This road climbs up the side of the mesa on a special dug out road called the Moki Dugway. This gravel road is on the side of the mesa with many switchbacks and steep drop offs. Wow, it was exciting and scary at the same time and the views of the valley were amazing. After reaching the top, we headed back down towards Mexican Hat. The highway back to Bluff goes over Comb Ridge, a natural monocline going north to south and nearly 80 miles long. The pictures of the Comb from the air or satellite show an amazing natural structure. Later in the day, Kurt found another put-in upstream from Sand Island, called Footbridge Road. We drove out there to find the location, as he wanted to do a short paddle the next day on the San Juan.

The next morning, we drove Kurt and his kayak to the put-in where he launched. Two hours later and 8 miles downstream I picked him up at Sand Island. It was a fairly mild part of the river, with not many rapids, just very calm. This would give him a little idea of the river trip ahead of the group.

The next afternoon, the river group arrived in Bluff. Cindy, Terrie, Cliff, Mike and Debbie met us at our camper for a barbeque cookout. We all had a nice meal and discussed the river trip. They would launch the next day at Sand Island.

The next morning we all met at Sand Island, unloaded the kayaks and gear, and then shuttled their cars back to Bluff, where they would be stored until the end of the river trip. I watched as they all shoved off and headed downstream, they would be facing 3 major rapids which are Class II & III. I wondered and hoped that all would go well and they would have a great time paddling and camping two nights on the river. I headed back to the camper to hang with Kody and Kirby for two nights.

The next day, I visited Bluff Fort, the historic original encampment of the Mormon pioneers. There was so much history there about how the Mormon families suffered great challenges to create the road over the rock ridges to get to the chosen area. Some of the original log homes and buildings are still in place, others have been reconstructed.  Later, I was also able to get the dogs and their bedding washed. They were way overdue for a bath. I got some other housekeeping done and also cleaned the interior of the truck (it was full of red sand and gravel). I was getting ready to shower and have some dinner when I got a call from Kurt. They were already at the Mexican Hat boat ramp and were ready to get off the water. After I drove to Mexican Hat, they explained that the three ladies had all turned over their kayaks (at least once if not more) and most of their camping gear and clothing were wet, along with losing some of their gear. They were ready for a hotel room and a shower. We shuttled them back to their cars so they could go back to get their kayaks and gear. Even though they were mostly wet and survived the rapids, they still had a great time.

After everyone got some rest that night, we met again the next evening in Mexican Hat for dinner at a favorite restaurant, Swingin’ Steak. The meat is cooked on a swinging grill over the wood coals. We all enjoyed the steaks and side dishes. It was a nice evening to hang out with the family.

The next day, we all headed up to Moab, for a few days of celebrating and hanging out for some good times.