Just Around The Bend Episode VI UTAH The National Park

JUST AROUND THE BEND

Episode VI
ROUTE 128: ‘THE RIVER ROAD’



Although the activity on the water may make you think your
still in civilization don’t be fooled it’s not an indication of the
wilderness ahead. These first few miles are easy to get to and
have lots of sports people on the water. Large inflatable’s with
several people in them are the most common river craft on the
Colorado. Seldom have we seen any Kayaks, Canoes or John
Boats.








































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There are also several Bureau of Land Management
campgrounds along the banks. Just outside of Moab, is the
largest and most popular. They are cheap and attract a lot of
young adventures from all over the world. We would camp
there except it’s the wrong time of the year. It’s much too hot
for us in the summer. Unfortunately, it has only pit toilets and
water for the campers. Those facilities are as good as it gets
along the road.

During these first few miles there is one resort, with several
low laying fields under cultivation and with vineyards. We’ve
never tried their wine. But, the land along here should be
really fertile as


































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the river does flood, and carries silt along from Colorado and
it’s few miles in Utah.

These early miles are also an easy area for Hollywood to set up
and film. Beside the steep cliffs, when the canyon opens up to
the remote countryside it’s so attractive and rough and tumble
. The towers, mountains, colorful red earth and the wild river
lend themselves to good westerns. Many movies have been
made here including ‘Wagon Train’ and a couple of John
Wayne films.







































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Names are given to every monument, every special bend in the
river, and side canyon. But it’s difficult to keep up with the
river and it’s changes. For instance here along the river is this
new unnamed monument that looks like an Egyptian castle.
Similar to the back of a Camel Cigarette package, and the
saying ‘What would you do if caught in a sand storm? Why of
course I ‘d turn around the corner to the castle.

Who knows how often the officials in Moab come out to
name such monuments, but they obviously haven’t been here
for a while.

Looking down the river from the north the Fisher Tower
identifies the few miles left of the canyon. Moab, is just ahead,
and the only road joins Rt 128 from the La Sal Mountains.































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That road is an interesting trip around the eastern side of
Moab. The drive is high into the Mountain where cool
weather caused green grasses and purple Iris to grow. It is the
only road to intersect with Route 128.
This part of the road along the river was the first to be paved
around 1921.

Paving roads in Utah was never high on their list. Most of
The River Road wasn’t paved until 1933. The road from
Boulder (Anasazi State Park) over the 9,000 foot mountain
summit into Torrey wasn’t paved until 1986.





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ROUTE 128: ‘THE RIVER ROAD’


It took more than ten years to get the ‘River Road’ resolution
passed through Utah’s congress. When finally it passed much
of the road was too close to the river. It had to be changed,
and raised above it’s original location so that it wouldn’t flood
during high water.

Being above the high water mark has it’s advantages. Not only
is the road a joy to drive, because it isn’t flooded, and heavy
trucks aren’t allowed, it’s in really good condition.

There are few if any washouts, or pot holes. Some roads out
here will test your vehicles, like Shafer Trail, but, we have
never had to get a realignment because our wheels were
battered.


































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ROUTE 128: ‘THE RIVER ROAD’


When we get into these canyons and see how high the walls
climb it is so difficult to realize that the river cut through the
desert to get there. It has taken thousands of years. Here the
shear walls drop several hundred feet before the debris settles
toward the water line.


































During the spring and rainy season water pours off the canyon
walls carrying sand and rocks that are believed to be the real
transformers of the landscape.

Side canyons are created whose flows feed the river. Here is a
particularly active one.




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It’s named for a African American cowboy, ‘Negro Joe’.
Maybe because it cuts so deep into the soft Wingate sands of
earth to uncover the earliest stone known, black and shiny Pre-
Columbian. He has been celebrated on a U.S. postage stamp.


































Most rivers age as they flow over the years. They change their
depth and width. Young ones often are narrow with ‘V’
shaped profiles, making them deeper. Usually their current is
stronger under the surface, and calmer on the top. Rapids and







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sand bars are caused by boulders, or narrowing of the stream
or by the buildup of debris.

It seldom is a secret what the river is doing once you look at
the lay of the land.
































Yet, when you look at these several pictures the Colorado
looks placid and the surrounding country looks wide enough
for the river to spread out and be rather shallow. Look at all
the trees and brush along the shore. It hasn’t been disturbed
for a while, maybe more than a season.







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That’s possible yet I’m suspicious. The Colorado’s current
rises and falls as the seasons past. Before the dams the flow of
the Colorado was much higher. Once registered as high as
100,000 cfs, Cubic feet per second. In the summer it’s flow is
much less than the spring.









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Even so it has a fast moving current. Around Moab, where
there are no dams the flow usually averages about 22,000 cfs.
In the summer it might be as low as 13,000 cfs. That flow is
pretty fast and could be compared with the Green River that
flows along the west side of the Canyonlands before merging
near Needles. It’s flow is around 6,000 cfs, much slower.




















If you know the flow speed and its pretty strong we advise you
to admire the river from the road or shoreline. At best if you
want to go with an experienced guide, like we did at
Westwater.






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I’ve swam in many streams across the country during flood
stage as well as slack water. I’ve also paddled whitewater and
flat water with our canoes and kayaks.
The Potomac River, in Washington D.C.,above the Great Falls
was an experience I won’t easily forget. Myself and two
friends swam across the river, about 75 yards. On the far side
we waded to an island. It was too far, yet after resting we
pushed a dead log off using it as a resting place. It wasn’t 50
feet before we were inundated by large biting black ants that
were jumping ship and biting us. We kept going until the
middle of the river, and




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the strongest current. We were all tired, but around the bend
was the beginning of the falls. We floated down stream with
the log too exhausted to push forward.

The strongest boy a couple of years older than us, struck out
for the shore by himself. It looked like dooms day for us, until
he returned in a row boat to save us. We left the ant infested
log and tried climbing into the row boat. The freeboard was
so high above the waterline that it took our friend to haul each
of us aboard. Even then we lost one of oars.

We have often taken our kayaks along this route. And as
beautiful and flat as the river looks we were never tempted to
unload them an paddle. down stream.























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As we drive along you can see how the road rises and falls
around the curves and the canyon walls following closely the
river.




































We stop time and again, to sit and chat on the shoreline and
occasionally throw flat rocks across the stream to skip to the
other side. There is seldom anyone else on the road.







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At one point we pull over where a sand bar separated the
stream. It makes a nice place for a swell picnic. We had
stopped at City Market in Moab and picked up a few things.
Red potato salad, carrots, celery and dill spears, genoa and
gouda slices, a fresh Italian bread, pink lemonade and cup
cakes for desert.. It was a fine time.










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We are now near the end of our journey along the river.
Ahead of us route 128 crosses the river on the only bridge
since Moab. The remains of Dewey Bridge are along side of
today’s. Dewey Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in
Utah for years before it was burned down, in 2008.

We are headed out away from the river into the desert.
Between us and Grand Junction the river is much more rugged
and the highway doesn’t follow. This area is where we took
the Westwater rafting excursion.





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Here is one last view of the Colorado River as it approaches
Grand Junction. This is high above the river from the
Colorado Monument.




































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Episode VI
APPENDIX 1

TRAVEL MAPS OF UTAH

UTAH























































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TRAVEL MAPS OF UTAH

WESTERN UTAH






































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TRAVEL MAPS OF UTAH

EASTERN UTAH






































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APPENDIX 2

PLANNING AND TRAVELING

PLANNING


Arlene and I have been camping or traveling for 20 years.
Starting innocently with a night on our deck in Connecticut, a
test run putting up our tent in the living room, and a 5 month
journey across the U.S., Canada and Alaska. Since then we’ve
camped and traveled across America in every State and
Canadian Province.
As travelers, here for two days, and moving on, instead of
camping, in one place for a week or two makes planning
different.

Each winter we start planning our summer excursions. It
takes a couple of months, during which we consider such
things as the weather, what we’d like to see, how we pack our
camper, how we find a camp, set up our camp, and once we
decide making reservations.

Making reservations is an experience in itself. We have always
wanted to go ‘free lance’. Just wander around the country
across the plains westward toward some target, like
Canyonlands.

But, then we consider the big holidays, and how difficult it is
to find a place to stay. That’s when we make our first
th
reservations, for Memorial Day, The 4 of July and Labor
Day. Following those we begin to worry where we’ll stay each






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weekend. Camping has become so popular with locals that
camps fill up every Friday, and Saturday during the summer.

We solve that problem by filling in those days, and for a good
measure include Thursdays. We are left to ‘free lance’ during
the remaining days, Sunday through Wednesday. We therefore
leave camps on Sunday, drive around ‘freely’ until Thursday,
and camp in our next prearranged site until the next free day,
Sunday. That’s a pattern that follows month after month.
In between these plans we always talk about the other
campers, how friendly, how terrible, how inconsiderate, how
interesting, and above all how happy they are.

Once we thought we’d rather be traveling during the summer
than staying home. We continue to do so, but have taken
several fall trips that have been marvelous. It’s not just the
weather that makes fall so nice, it’s the campers, fewer and
better equipped, and the weather.















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TRAVELING

‘Where should we go?’ ‘How about Zion?’ ‘How many times
have we been there’. Maybe not this time.’ ‘How about Las
Vegas?’ ‘Sure, so we’ve been there before, but there’s always
new shows.’ And so it goes. Starting in early January, after
we’ve gotten over the last trip; which only takes a couple of
months to readjust, and regain our traveling values. We begin
again.
We have over the years gone one direction , west or north.
Occasionally we’ve gone north and then west. And seldom
come from the west to the north. Chicago usually gets in the
way, going either direction. And if there’s one thing we do
best it’s staying away from large cities, and huge populations.

Choosing a place or area has never been easy. It includes
research on the internet of specific places, The Sand Dunes of
Colorado, or Mesa Verde; reading books about areas, like the
lives and travels of settlers across the plains, western
adventure by Louis L’amour, New Mexican mysteries by Larry
McMurtry, or Indian Reservation stories by Tony Hillerman.
Research in camping books, AAA, Trailer Life, and Woodall’s
and our favorite Corp of Engineer camps tells us a lot about
the campgrounds, and where they are. We need to know when
they open how much they cost, and their facilities. Do they
offer electricity, water, and sewage? Are there activities
nearby, like water for kayaks, golf courses, hiking? How long
can you stay? Often State Parks require 2 day minimums and
2 week maximums. As travelers 2 days is often too long, while
we’ve never stayed anywhere for two weeks.



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TRAVELING

When we’ve decided where we want to go and camp we look
over highway maps to decide how to get from one place to
another. Usually that’s with an Atlas from Wal Mart, or
individual AAA State maps.
Our GPS, ‘Gabby’, goes everywhere with us, but, is used
sparingly and suspiciously. Once she gave up on us and
stopped working in downtown Atlanta. That wasn’t so good,
but then once we were miles from nowhere in a snow storm,
on a narrow country road, where an occasional MIA flag was
all we could see of a camp or lodge. Signifying how desolate it
was. She came through with instructions to keep going 35
miles turn north 40 miles toward Bear Lake, Utah our
destination. Arlene could have kissed her at that point.

If you know where to go and how to get there it’s only a small
effort to decide if there will be a spot for you; Reservations, do
or don’t.
Reservations usually conclude our basic travel plans. Nothing
is easy until we add visits to our relatives. Then everything
comes to a standstill. Campgrounds are pretty well fixed, it’s
either yes or no we’re filled. With our children, brothers, or
cousins its not so easy. They are usually very busy and
choosing a time that’s good for them and for us takes
additional planning.








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APPENDIX 3

WEATHER

HEAT, ALTITUDE, AND FIRES


Weather plays a big part in any camping trip, but maybe not
like you’d expect. We tend to look at it by the climate and
geographical lay of the land, instead of the usual national
regions.
For instance, instead of either New England or the Deep
South, we look at the East Coast, from Florida to Nova Scotia,
or NewFoundland. All are along the Eastern side of the
Application Mountains. We expect woods and forests, waters
and oceans, hills and low mountains, and lots of people. All of
which contribute to the weather. It will be humid, warm or
hot, but not suffocating, maybe just uncomfortable at the
worst.

There are five broad areas, The East Coast, The Great Plains,
between the East and Western Mountain chains, and the West
Coast. The last two are the Northern Area, along the U.S.
Canadian border and further north, and the Southern Area,
along the Southern States and Mexico.
Our Northwest is similar to the east coast. Higher mountains
and a lot more rain, along the coast, even foggy.

Inland beyond the mountains on both the east and west coasts
is the largest similar area for climate and weather. It’s a dry
climate of high and low deserts which extends south into the






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Baja, and east into Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. There, the
arid lands, are often drought areas with torrid heat, little rain,
slight forests, and small populations.
In between, are our Great Plains that run from the Canadian
Shield south into Texas and Mexico, It’s mostly plains, dry,
with low humidity, with warm days and nights. And the big
surprise, the wind blows constantly, sometimes in the summer
like a torch. ‘

The influence of the Mississippi River dominates the valley it
creates along the western appalachians from Alabama,
Louisiana, and Arkansas north beyond the great lakes. It has
everything rolled into one. Humidity, rain, sun forests, and
plains.

When we go in the early spring or the late fall the more
constant summer weather patterns change. These two seasons
are really ruckus in comparison. Our last trip during the fall,
November and December, across the south into the
southwestern deserts was an eye opener. We ducked the
tornados that harassed Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Catching the
gorgeous fall leaves in Alabama and Louisiana. We met up
with our sinuses in Louisiana where the swamp was covered
with pollen, inches deep.







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Heading west across Texas and New Mexico we were met with
100 miles of fog then rain. Near Tombstone we first saw
warning signs of poor visibility, then came the sand storms.

We had a friend that described sand storms that were 4-5
inches deep and infiltrated everything. Our encounter wasn’t
more than a dusting, but enough to heed the signs.
Once on the plains there’s always the wind. It must start in
the Arctic Ocean, picking up speed in Canada moving like an
express train through the U.S. down into Mexico. It never
stops.

Despite these small inconveniences, the fall weather was
incredible. There were no 100 degree days, we used our heater
as often as our air conditioner, and we were always able to get
out and hike or walk around. Imagine Death Valley at 85
degrees…That’s a dream.

Returning home we encountered even more different weather.
The Grand Canyon greeted us with an unusual inversion.
Infrequently, every couple of decades the canyon fills with fog.
It doesn’t last long, less than a day. We were so lucky to see
nothing except the cloud cover and the edge of the south rim.

During that same visit we got up for our usual 3 O’clock pit
stop, only to find our woods filling with snow. It’s beautiful,
quite and dreamy, yet by 5:00 we had packed and were






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sloshing and sliding our way down to the lower desert, and
Phoenix. Crossing Texas, we ran into more fog, and another
100 miles in an ice storm.

The role of the weather when at home planning takes a lot of
our time. We need to consider what kind of equipment,
clothing and protection we need, and should expect. Later,
when on the road it either pays off or we end up making
adjustments.


























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APPENDIX 3

HEAT, ALTITUDE AND FIRES


We’ve come a long way in the deserts, across the Southwest,
and have a lot further to go, yet never have we mentioned
much about the heat, or altitude and wild fires. Not much
except that it’s really hot, and we’ve driven around forest fires.
There’s lots to be said, but we’ll leave it to others, and only
cover some basics.

We’re at 8,000 feet, and the temperature is in the mid 90’s.
That’s pretty good, as it’s also dry, and everyone says the dryer
the cooler. We could step under the shade of a ponderosa and
the temp might drop 10 degrees. But, the temperature,
altitude and humidity may fool us.
Our temperature fluctuates from higher at our surface to lower
as we rise above sea level. For instance; at Badwater, in
Death Valley, below sea level, it was 120 degrees, in Las Vegas
at 2,000 feet it was 105, and in Bryce at 8,000 it’s in the 90’s.
All are equally dry, under 10% humidity, hot and
uncomfortable. In Florida at 400 feet the temp is 80-85, and
the humidity may match it. It’s pretty uncomfortable also.

So as we climb in altitude the heat remains while the
temperature drops 8 to 10 degrees per 1,000 feet. At the same
time the higher we go the less atmosphere there is for the sun
to cut through. Therefore we need to be careful about
staying out in it, even though it may feel better. It will fry you
quicker.






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We’ve been fortunate not to be caught in any forest fires. The
smoke may be the worse part. During the years we’ve skirted
around several, gagged on some, and been stranded by one.

We’ve visited the ‘Smoke Jumpers’, in Montana, where a few
brave men will parachute behind the fire lines to halt the fire’s
growth. We’ve watched planes drop smothering chemicals
and water on these ‘wild’ fires. Above all we’ve been very
happy to see how fast fire fighters, all over the Southwest
respond to Wildfires. In Nevada a hundred miles from the
nearest town we were cut off by a desert brush fire. Within
three hours helicopters responded with fire retardants.
We’ve listened to lots of Forest Ranger presentations. They
are a wealth of local and environmental information. Many
lectures are directed at young children, but from time to time
they upgrade them making them pretty interesting.

At Bryce there are older tourists and campers and therefore we
had several upscale presentations including one on forest fires.
Here is our take on one of these. Most fires are begun, by
either lighting strikes or human carelessness. They usually
burn out of control when they are fed by the underbrush and
climb upward toward the sky as opposed to along the ground
unless the wind alters their direction. If the wind is over 60
miles an hour it creates what’s called a wildfire which can
create it’s own environment, of high heat and wind.






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Only recently, 30 years or so, has our government realized the
importance of prescribed burns. Before that prescribed burns
had been as common as humans. North American Indians
have burned areas for years to rejuvenate the forests, and
plains. They, and now we believe it stimulates new growth,
reduces and controls the wildfires.

Many fires are allowed to burn today, because of this belief.
The great 1980’s Yellowstone fire is an example. Now, thirty
years later the forest is still rebuilding. In many places the
young trees are so thick it’s unsafe to hike. The Las Alamos
or Bandelier fire was a prescribed burn that got out of hand.
It’s believed that the humidity was to low and the wind to high
for a prescribed burn. We traveled the fire road 3 years after
the fire, and the countryside was desolate. Very little new
growth existed.
It’s believed that prescribed, back fires shouldn’t be started
when the temperature is over 90-95 degrees, or if the humidity
is low and the wind is high. The heat from this toxic
environment will draw the water out of the trees, and brush
creating a volatile situation.

Fires are fought, controlled and prescribed with different
equipment. Shovels picks, axes and chain saws are
rudimentary. Bull dozers and explosives are used to lay fire







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breaks. These fire breaks are like back country roads, 10 – 15
feet wide. They could be many miles long.

Helicopters and planes carry thousands of pounds of fire
retardants. We’ve watched many planes make one run after
another on these fires. This is a photo of a 4 engine prop
plane making a run on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
We were on the opposite side.
















It’s hard to realize what fire fighters wear to protect
themselves. It’s very heavy. The ‘Smoke Jumpers’ have
usually heavy fire protection boots, overalls, retardant coats
and metal hats. They also carry water, and light aluminum fire






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retardant blankets. If they are over run by a fire, which often
moves very fast they dig holes and cover themselves with the
blanket. Hoping that the fire will blow over them and they
would survive. It has worked in the past, but not always.













































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