Federal Land Management

Yes, we drove down this.

Last evening we went on a wild 4x4 tour in the Sand Flats Recreation Area.   While I was expecting a tame tourist ride, our driver "Woodie" took us on the Hell's Revenge trail, rated 4+, the most challenging rating for off road trails.  We went places I would have never expected a vehicle of any kind could go.   Dashel laughed so hard he nearly peed in his pants.

But that's not my point.   Sand Flats lies immediately adjacent to Arches National Park.   The terrain is largely petrified sand dunes and sand fins intermixed with sand flats that have the identical cryptobiotic soil  the park has.  Damage to that soil was everywhere from off road vehicles.   It got me thinking about the inconsistent management of our federal lands:

Zion National Park: We do not sell bottled water because bottled water is destroying the environment.   Please fill your own bottle at our convenient filling stations.
Bryce National Park:   While you are here, please enjoy a bottle of Bryce National Park branded water.


Death Valley National Park:    Feel free to hike anywhere you want.
Arches National Park:    Anyone caught walking off trail is subject to a $150 fine.


Arches National Park:   Do not touch the fragile cryptobiotic soil.
Sand Flats Recreation Area:     Drive your 4X4, dirt bike, or ATV anywhere you want.   Spilling oil, hydraulic fluid, and fuel is just part of the fun.

Cryptobiotic Soil

Cryptobiotic Soil

Arches National Park is doing a fair job of protecting their fragile Cryptobiotic Soil.   The desert sand forms a thin crust as a result of microorganisms that protects substantially against wind and water errosion.   It takes years for this crust to form and one foot step destroys it.    Signs are well posted to warn people to stay on the trails.   But many do not read the signs, or judging from the European and Asian visitor count,  perhaps cannot read english.

Delicate  Arch.  Maybe I can photoshop out the humans.

I was surprised to learn that Arches ranks 19th in the number of visitors among national parks with  750,000 people entering per year.  Compare that to Smokey Mountains with 9.8 million, Grand Canyon with 4.3 million, and Zion with 2.7 million.   Problem is, everyone wants to visit the same five most famous arches and the concentration of people in those few places is quite high.  For a photographer its not the line to the bathroom that is maddening - it's the inability to take a picture of an arch without some fat guy in a Hawaiian shirt standing in the middle.

Maob's famous slickrock formations.   

Take a photo vertically to avoid getting 197 people in the picture

Boys at Delicate Arch.  Might be an Energy Vortex here.

Jeep Insanity!

My mind had mountain bikes crawling all over Moab.  There are plenty for sure, but they are outnumbered by Jeeps by a factor of 10. Off roading is the big thing here. And its a lot crazier than you would imagine.  We had a nice chat with a 4x4 woman from Nevada who was nearly evangelical about Jeeping. On the subject of Jeeps vs mountain bikes, she said while they do use much of the same trail system, they get along quite well. Makes sense to me, as they seem cut from the same mold - macho young guys on tricked out mountain bikes, macho old guys in tricked out jeeps - just more gray hair and higher cholesterol levels.

Jeeps at the Canyonland RV park

Probably not a vegetarian.

New Bike Video

The only good reason to bicycle up a hill is to enjoy the thrill of riding down the other side.   For that reason my new biking video leaves out all the boring uphill parts.  You'll weep at the inspiring musical score.

Energy Vortexes Have Left Sedona

Near lunch stop and first vortex sighting

 New age spiritualists in Sedona will be dismayed to learn that their beloved energy vortexes have packed up and moved to Bryce National Park.   I saw several on our hike yesterday - the first one at our lunch break right after my third handful of M&Ms.   Apparently the vortexes are fed up with the crowds in Sedona and don't particularly like being commercialized in dubious "vortex tours."     Bryce's wonderful sandstone hoodoos suit them just fine, even if it is a bit chillier.

"Beautiful, yet very strange."  That's how Dashel describes Bryce.   Couldn't say it better myself.

Kathleen observes vortex - upper right

Another vortex.  Or maybe its just the sun.

Boys observe where vortex has melted the snow.

17 degrees in Bryce tonight!

On the way to Bryce today.   Shortly after this point we drove
through a small snow squall.

We didn't bring clothes for this!   Bought the boys "small" work gloves at the Bryce general store.  Think that will keep their hands warm on the hike tomorrow?  And how about the pipes on the RV?  I guess the weather is not entirely unexpected.   Bryce is after all about 7,800' above sea level.

Great news!  We'll be driving north past Utah's famed Wasatch ski areas this weekend. Snowbird received a record breaking 711 inches of snow this year, and they will be open!  The trip will be taking a slight detour!

Had to stop here.   Gotta love a guy selling his homemade
elk and buffalo jerky out of a trailer in the middle of nowhere.

Angels Landing

 Being afraid of heights is not one of my problems.   But yesterday's hike to Angels Landing in Zion National Park gave me some concern.    The last half mile of the trail follows a thin ridge of sandstone with 1,000 foot drops to the valley floor on either side.   At one point it is two feet wide with certain death a step away, left or right.   The risk is real with one or two people falling to their deaths annually.

 As Zion's signature hike, it was very busy on a beautiful Saturday.  The simple act of passing someone on the "trail" added to the pucker factor.    But to the top we went wth the boys displaying an unusual amount of maturity and seriousness.  From the top we enjoyed the crisp blue day and a lunch of aged cheddar and M&Ms with an amazing view of Zion's magical sights.

One foot to the right and its 1,000 feet straight down.

Wesley and Dashel point to Angels Landing

Exploring the sandstone wonders.