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Category: Exploring

Half the White Rim Trail

Saturday & Sunday, September 10-11, 2011

The White Rim Trail seems to be the one I just can’t complete. I’ve been wanting to for years, but it just never seems to happen. The first big issue for me is getting a permit to camp along the trail (yes, I know I could probably get around the full trail in a day if I wanted, but I would prefer to enjoy it and not rush through it). I dislike planning my weekend trips too far in advance, so in the past I have always just never bothered to try to get a permit. Finally, last year I decided I really was going to try and get a permit so that I could drive the trail near the end of the year. Unfortunately, a storm managed to wash out the Mineral Bottom switchbacks making a complete loop impossible for a while. Once they repaired the switchbacks earlier this year I actually managed to reserve a permit for September. Who knew that the Green River would flood for much of the spring and summer and the road would again be closed? I was hoping Canyonlands would open the road right before our trip this last weekend, but thanks to another storm causing some damage to the switchbacks again on Friday, it just wasn’t in the cards this time. We decided to drive to our campsite at Murphy Hogback on Saturday and then drive back out the same way on Sunday. Even though we didn’t get to complete the full loop, we had a great time and am glad we still went. I guess there’s always next year to try again! On a side note, the park opened up the complete loop again on Tuesday…we were just a few days too early…oh well!

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Labor Day Weekend in The Needles

Saturday – Monday, September 3-5, 2011

Over the Labor Day weekend I decided to head down to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park to revisit some rock art and to find some new panels. I explored a lot of the park in my Jeep and on foot. I drove over Elephant Hill a few times and I ended up camping just outside of the park in Bobbys Hole. I even found the time to take a quick side trip up into Beef Basin. Here are some of my photos from the weekend…

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Archaeology on the Gunnison River

The Gunnison River: Gunnison Forks to Highway 65
Sunday, August 28, 2011 | Average CFS: 1,360

On Sunday I met up with my friend Jackson and his wife Sarah to float a section of the Gunnison River from the North Fork to Colorado Highway 65 near Delta. It’s a pretty easy stretch of the river, which is a good thing since this was my first time in my own boat. Previously I have only ridden along in a larger raft, so this was a good learning experience for me. There were a few tricky sections that helped me work on my boating skills, but nothing dangerous.

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Deer Creek Petroglyphs

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

This is just a quick and short report from my after-work excursion today. Earlier in the day I learned about the location of a new petroglyph panel, known as the Deer Creek Petroglyphs, which happens to be located near my house, so I set out this evening to visit it and get a few photos. I tried to time my visit so that it would be close to sunset in hopes that the late sunlight would be shining right on the panel, but apparently I was too late since it was completely in the shadows when I arrived. Good thing it’s close to home, because it will be easy for me to try again! Here’s a few photos I took.

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White Rocks Rock Art

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Earlier today I found some info that helped lead me to some rock art located in the Colorado National Monument which is pretty close to home. After work I went home and changed before heading out in search of them. Luckily, they were easier to find than I thought they would be, but unfortunately the area they were located in had a lot of vandalism and graffiti. I only had taken my S90 point and shoot camera with me since I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, so these photos aren’t that great. I will have to return with my better camera in the future…sometime. Here’s the photos of what I found…

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