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Tag: historic inscriptions

Ute Mountain Tribal Park: The Other Mesa VerdeUte Mountain Tribal Park: The Other Mesa Verde

Ute Mountain Tribal Park: The Other Mesa Verde

Friday & Saturday, May 14-15, 2021

After being constantly busy with school since January, Diane finally had a week off between semesters for a Spring Break and she was looking forward to getting away, so I planned a trip that would take us mostly to northern Arizona and New Mexico for the upcoming week. On our way down through the Four Corners area we would be spending our first day checking out the ruins and rock art at the Ute Mountain Tribal Park. The Tribal Park is found along the Mancos River and shares a boundary with Mesa Verde National Park. Thankfully that’s all it shares, since it doesn’t have the crowds, reconstructed ruins or the sterilized feeling of the popular National Park. A Ute guide is required to visit this park, so a few weeks before the trip I arranged for a private guide and a night in the campground along the Mancos River. Like many of the other trips I have done this spring, this was another one we had originally planned for last year, but which also got cancelled because of COVID-19.

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The Canyons of Trachyte Creek IIThe Canyons of Trachyte Creek II

The Canyons of Trachyte Creek II

Trail Canyon to Lake Powell | Friday – Sunday, March 5-7, 2021

I’ve got a few upcoming backpacking trips planned starting in just a couple of weeks and I thought it would be a good idea to get out on my first backpacking trip of the year so I could get back into the swing of things, especially since I realized that I have not been on a backpacking trip since early October! Last March Diane and I went on an overnight backpacking trip along Trachyte Creek at this time of the year that we enjoyed, so I thought it would be nice to return there again so I could explore a few more of the side canyons in the area. Since Diane wouldn’t be able to join me this time I invited my friend Jackson along. We haven’t gone backpacking together in quite some time, so when I asked him about joining me on this trip he was definitely up for it!

CONTINUE READINGThe Canyons of Trachyte Creek II
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Upper – Lower Muley Twist CanyonUpper – Lower Muley Twist Canyon

Upper – Lower Muley Twist Canyon

Canyons of the Waterpocket Fold | Sunday, February 28, 2021

I guess I didn’t get enough of the Waterpocket Fold two weeks ago when I spent my birthday weekend in Capitol Reef National Park, so on Sunday morning I stopped to hike through another canyon carved into the sandstone monocline on my way home since I happened to be driving right past the trailhead along the Burr Trail. After spending Saturday around the King Bench with Dennis and Chris, I left early from camp so I could hike into the upper end of Lower Muley Twist Canyon before driving home. Diane and I had missed this section of the canyon last year since we started at The Post Cutoff Trail to make a loop. I wasn’t expecting this section of the canyon to be as nice as the lower end, and it wasn’t, but it was still much nicer than I thought it was going to be and I ended up taking a lot of photos along the way since the light was nice.

CONTINUE READINGUpper – Lower Muley Twist Canyon
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Weekend Wandering Along the Waterpocket FoldWeekend Wandering Along the Waterpocket Fold

Weekend Wandering Along the Waterpocket Fold

Canyons of the Waterpocket Fold | Another Birthday Weekend in Capitol Reef National Park
President’s Day Weekend | Friday – Monday, February 12-15, 2021

I guess you could say I have a love for exploring the long sandstone monoclines that are found on the Colorado Plateau. I’ve already spent some quality time along Comb Ridge and the San Rafael Reef this year, so I figured it was about time I got back to the Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef National Park. Aside from last year, I typically spend the three-day holiday weekend after my birthday in Capitol Reef, so this seemed like the perfect time to get back again this year! I left straight from work on Friday afternoon and headed west into Utah. The sunset was looking like it was going to be good shortly after I passed through Green River, so I turned off onto the Old Highway 24 between the San Rafael River and Green River to take a few photos.

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Around The Block: Red Benches to The CoveAround The Block: Red Benches to The Cove

Around The Block: Red Benches to The Cove

The Chinese Trail, Mille Crag Bend and West Fork of Rock Canyon
Friday – Sunday, January 22-24, 2021

Late Friday evening a winter storm was forecast to move across the Colorado Plateau and into the mountains of Colorado that was supposed to stick around until Tuesday and bring much-needed moisture to the area. Leading up to the weekend I kept a close eye on the weather forecast and it seemed like the area around Hite would be the best location to get in some hiking during the days while avoiding precipitation. Heading that direction this weekend sounded like a great idea to me since there are plenty of places around the Dirty Devil Country that I’ve wanted to explore and camping in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Hite would allow me to visit a few of those places surrounding The Block.

CONTINUE READINGAround The Block: Red Benches to The Cove
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