Van-Tramp adventures 2016

[Van-Tramp]

hey Van Tramp what are the night time temps up that way now?  Convict lake sure is Beautiful isn't it?  highdesertranger

Here at Mono Lake, it is getting near freezing, but not at freezing. Been cool, but nothing a few layers can't handle. Makes for great weather for hiking IMO.

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks, I will be up there in a few weeks. highdesertranger

 

[Van-Tramp]

Bodie State Historic Park
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/bodie-state-historic-park/
 
Just over two years ago, I started following Kerri on Instagram (at the behest of two friends… I swear, I wasn’t stalking or anything) and soon afterwards commented on an image she posted of Bodie State Historic Park. That comment, although short, was our first interaction, and something we both talk about from time to time. She ignored all my other comments afterwards, until we met face to face a year later, where my good looks and charm swept her off her feet faster than she could say “go away” (thankfully). When we had the chance to visit Bodie State Historic Park together, as a couple, it came with a little extra meaning for us. But that plan nearly crashed and burned. On our way into the Mono Lake area we passed the highway leading into Bodie and it was blocked by a large sign empirically stating that the road was closed. We were heart broken.

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With a little research, Kerri found that the secondary road into the park would be open. It is a 10-mile long dirt road and advertised as “very rough”. In years past, this label may have scared me off but two things have changed since that time; 1) We are driving Kerri’s 4WD truck, and 2) I’ve been to Baja… those are very-rough dirt roads… America’s dirt roads are nothing. Still, after those 10 miles we had to hike another 1.5 miles to reach the town. Still again, the weather forecast rain for the day. But nothing would scare us off…
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And so we set out – prepared with a bag lunch for each of us, hiking boots, and rain gear – for a day of hiking and exploring the old ghost town and I must say it was the most pleasant day ever. As it turned out, the State Park opened the gate to allow us to drive all the way into the ghost town, avoiding the 3 miles of muddy hiking. And the weather lived up to the forecast, which only added to the day if I am being honest. The rain turned to hail, but since we had the right amount, and type of clothing, we stayed very comfortable in the hours we spent staring into the windows of the old houses and shops in Bodie.

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Even more images at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/bodie-state-historic-park/

 

[rvpopeye]

Nice pics , as always !
What a wonderful place , will have to add that to my must go list.

 

[highdesertranger]

everyone should see Bodie, highdesertranger highly recommends this one. Van Tramp there are actually 4 different ways in. did you try the road off 395 that is the main road into the town? then there is the road from Mono lake, that sounds like the one you said was closed. then there is the road though the ghost town of Masonic but that road is probably blocked by snow still. then there is the road from Nevada though the ghost town of Aurora. there's actually one more road from Nevada but it's a jeep trail. highdesertranger

 

[Yogidog]

Vantramp, thank u and Kerri for your adventurous spirts and bringing us all this info! I saw u wrote u were in Kerry's 4x4 in Mexico and the roads were rough, I forgot about that. To get to the good places to camp would you need certain type of vehicle. Could a small light no power pick up do it? So appreciative of you all sharing your wisdom, especially with Mexico and all the misinformation.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I saw u wrote u were in Kerry's 4x4 in Mexico and the roads were rough, I forgot about that. To get to the good places to camp would you need certain type of vehicle. Could a small light no power pick up do it?

Actually, we took my heavily overweight (with two adults, two dogs, and all the booze Kerri could sneak past me) and under powered 2WD van (now that we were carrying a full liquor store in it) into Mexico. All the roads are pretty rough, even the paved ones, but the van did great. We traversed numerous dirt roads to some far off the beaten path camping areas, some as long as 25 miles (one way) and all went smoothly... for us. Obviously, you just go slower and be mindful of where your tires are being placed. The risks of a puncture is much higher, and even though you will not have any cell coverage, the locals are not afraid of these roads and are supremely helpful to those in need.

A 2WD small pickup will do well down there, but I would recommend bringing some of the "traxx" boards to help you get unstuck from any sand if you get too adventurous near the beaches. We kept a level head when it came to the sand and never got stuck. Others that we met up with were stuck at every beach they came across.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Eastbound after Mono Lake
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/eastbound-after-mono-lake/

Our week in the Mono Lake area has come to an end. A good week it was, with a good helping of hiking, sight seeing, and even socializing. Our week was spent with the most amazing view of Mono Lake on one side, the Eastern Sierras on another, and a line of young volcanoes to another. No matter which way we looked, the view was breathtaking – my kind of camping. Our spot (see Campendium.com) happened too be the only spot in the area large enough to handle anything larger than a truck or van setup… not that we knew that right away or anything. By day-2 we had company and figured that would be the norm for the rest of the week, and it was.

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We took the week to hike at Convict Lake and visit the old ghost town of Bodie as you may have seen on the blog. We also took an early-morning hike with the dogs up Panum Crater which I had visited way back in 2011. We had planned on a morning kayak trip in the South Tufa area of the lake, but a cold snap of weather set in during our final days at Mono Lake keeping our jackets on and our feet dry.

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On Saturday morning, we hitched up (it’s still weird saying that) and finally, finally, finally (!!!) drove out of California and into Nevada [insert fist-pump and cheering]. During Kerri’s research of the path I chose for us to take – avoiding Las Vegas like the plague – she found that we would pass the uber spooky (to anyone, not just the anti-clown crowd) Clown Motel which coincided with a lunch break, so off she went to snap a few photos while I played it safe at stayed behind.

Embeded Instagram images at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/eastbound-after-mono-lake/

The route, chosen specifically because I have never driven a portion of it, brought us through some amazingly beautiful country. Right past Area 51 – which seemed to be the safer bet then having to go near Vegas – and into the vast desert of Southern Nevada. It reminded me of how Highway 50 was back in the early 90’s when I first drove it; lonely.
We had planned to stop just outside of the cute little town of Caliente, NV for the night but we missed the turnoff and did not find a place large enough to turn around. We just kept on motoring the full 500 miles in a single day, arriving in Hurricane, Utah just after sunset where a Walmart came to our rescue for a few items and a place to stay for the night.

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[Yogidog]

Van-Tramp,

thank u for taking time to respond, I learn something new all the time, I would have thought liquor is cheaper in Mexico, well I suppose some is shudder

this is great news, I will reread your blog and start researching. Relief.

I am not going to be one that is stuck at every beach!

Happy spring to u all


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Van-Tramp]

Zion National Park, take 3



Ah Zion. Zion is one of my most favorite parks. I visited for my first time in 2010 the first year Big Blue and I got on the road. It was only a quick one-day trip but the fall colors blew my mind then and it is still the first thing I think of when remembering Zion. In 2011 I returned, this time with enough perk in my step to go for the big hike; Angel’s Landing. If you have a moment, that blog post is worth the read as it was soon after I stopped smoking and just beginning to feel healthy enough to do such a hike.

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We did not go for Angel’s Landing this time around as even though Kerri had been to the park once before, she had not been able to go on any of the hikes due to the heat of the summer. She was missing the basics of the park, and her vertigo would easily cause issues on Angel’s Landing. Instead, we hiked just about every trail there is in the canyon, all in a single day.

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The very next day after the 2011 Angel’s Landing hike I would do the Taylor Creek hike which was re-hiked this week with Kerri, for her first time. We cranked in some serious miles in the two days hiking around the “normal” trails and I am content with that. Surely, one day, I’d like to get further into the park, maybe even down the Narrows, for more adventure, but that would take a bit more time then we have this trip.
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The payoff at the end of the Taylor Creek trail


If you went back to either of my previous blog posts from 2010 and 2011, you can see just how different the foliage is from Spring to Fall. Even though Spring is a pretty time to be here, the Fall in Zion is beyond amazing. If you are looking for the perfect time to be here, go for Late October to early November.

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[masterplumber]

If you're up for a challenge, I could meet you there sometime and we could do some technical canyoneering. When I used to teach adventure leadership we'd go there once a year and I've done many of the technical canyons. Some are easier than others - my wife has done a couple and she is definitely not a risk taker. We can rent any gear you may need at the Canyoneering place right outside the entrance (the name escapes me at the moment). Zion is an awesome place, and doing a technical canyon with rappels and such just makes it even more awesome.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Oh man, if we are ever near Zion together I would most certainly take you up on that offer. I just left today, already crossed into Colorado.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Virgin Dam boondocking
www.van-tramp.com/wp/virgin-dam-boondocking/

We had other plans for boondocking near Zion National Park, but when Kerri found a few Instagram-buddies parked nearby at a totally unknown location (to me), we headed that direction. The Virgin Dam BLM area overlooks the Virgin River and the Dam below, with 360 degrees of desert awesomeness surrounding us. Even though it is only a few miles outside of Hurricane, UT and a 30 minute drive into the National Park, those are not the biggest selling points as to why this place rocks. It is the view, the birds, and the river slowly creeping past below – way below – us… just wow!

Of course, I have added this spot to my Boondocking Locations Map

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On top of all the beauty, there is a BLM shooting range just 2 miles away. This came at a perfect time as I am now out of California and able to start carrying my pistol again. A healthy dose of practice to regain confidence and proficiency was needed after 6+ months without my sidearm. Over two days and hundreds of bullets fired, I feel much more confident and safe about it all. As luck would have it, I was not the only one who enjoys shooting, so on the first day we set out as a group for a day at the range.

More embedded Instagram images at www.van-tramp.com/wp/virgin-dam-boondocking/

 

[masterplumber]

Awesome boondock, I'll have to remember that one. And welcome back to Colorado!

 

[Van-Tramp]

Plowing through Utah
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/plowing-through-utah/

The original plan was to stay two weeks in the Zion National Park area, but family issues in Colorado have somewhat expedited our arrival. Although not super urgent, that need may arise at any moment, so a closer proximity to Colorado led us to take off a week early and plow straight on through Utah on a single day.
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Not our longest single-day drive by any means but the new timeline did cause us to skip past Capitol Reef National Park (which I have been too once way back, but Kerri has not). As it had turned out, Kerri had not ever taken I70 across Utah either, which has some of the most scenic rest area views in the country, so we stopped at them all, just for a few minutes each. The Colorado state line was made well before sunset.

Colorado National Monument became our single-night weekend spot. Again, I had already visited the park but it would be another new one for Kerri. After making the drive up the mountain side – trying to avoid all the bicyclists on the very thin road – we setup camp at the Saddlehorn Campground.

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Settled in we set out for a short hike around the canyon rim trail and out to see window rock. For experienced hikers this is no major feat, but consider that Kerri has severe vertigo and these cliffs are not easy for her to be around. All fours were required at times…

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I joke, but in all seriousness – the fact that she will get anywhere near the edge takes more courage than I can imagine. Her courage is one of the numerous reasons I have fallen madly in love with her.

Later in the evening we drove the length of the park, stopping to gaze out at some of the overlooks, and returned back to camp to complete a much needed relaxing day. To be back in Colorado takes a large wight off my shoulders as well. Since starting my travels back in 2010, I have never stayed away from Colorado more than 6 months, and next week would have marked a full year away if I had held out that long. It’s good to be back!

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[masterplumber]

If you're ever driving back along 70 again, there's a great boon docking area at the last exit in Utah, on the south side of the freeway. As you drive into it it doesn't look like much, but there are some great sites back in amongst the Cedars. The Kokopelli Trail runs right through there.

 

[Van-Tramp]

If you're ever driving back along 70 again, there's a great boon docking area at the last exit in Utah, on the south side of the freeway. As you drive into it it doesn't look like much, but there are some great sites back in amongst the Cedars. The Kokopelli Trail runs right through there.

By the looks of it, it is part of this same system at Rabbit Valley, Exit #2 in Colorado and where I am at this week. Do you recall the Verizon signal back there?

 

[Van-Tramp]

Following the rabbit
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/following-the-rabbit/
 
As luck would have it, I knew a place to spend the week before making the leap over the Rocky Mountains. Rabbit Valley BLM is a large area of land straddling the Utah and Colorado state line. I have over-nighted here a few times in the past, but this time it required more of a woman’s touch to where exactly we would camp. We unhitched the trailer and took the truck deep down the rabbit’s hole, scouting each and every dirt road to find our perfect spot in Rabbit Valley.


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Kerri would take lead on the decision making process. I tend to take the easiest place while she tends to take the most scenic place in the known universe – case in point, our spot on the cliff of the Virgin River. So we find a spot and Kerri says, “this is our home” and I do not argue [much, often]. We pull the trailer down a long, rutted, winding dirt road and come to a perfect solo an seclude spot right on the edge of McDonald Creek Cultural Area.

We spent the week sharing the land, and the rock walls, with the long-since-past Fremont Indians who I ran into a few years back  at Fremont Indian State Park in Utah. If weather were more cooperative we might have taken the BLM challenge to “simply explore the area” and find some of the cliff dwellings and artwork found among the rock walls. Multiple drizzly days kept us inside, with just a few excursions right outside the trailer to keep the dogs, and my inner-explorer, happy.

At one point Moose did take off down a rabbit-chasing-hole. It took nearly an hour to find him, barking an hauling ass chasing more rabbits well over a half-mile out in the trees. Moose does come back to voice and whistle, once he has tired himself out, but it still required me to climb the hillside behind camp so my voice could reach out too him. He slept well after that.
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[masterplumber]

By the looks of it, it is part of this same system at Rabbit Valley, Exit #2 in Colorado and where I am at this week. Do you recall the Verizon signal back there?

It's been a few years, as we used to stop there on the way home from Canyoneering when I was teaching Adventure Leadership. I'm sure it was good as it's on a hillside above the freeway, and if I recall correctly there is a cell tower at that exit. We all had Verizon so I can't imagine we would have made that a permanent stopping point if there wasn't a signal. We were always coming from someplace "back of beyond" so it would have been important for all the kids to use our phones to check in with parents and let them know we were safe.

 

[Van-Tramp]

McDonald Creek Hike
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/mcdonald-creek-hike/

Before leaving Rabbit Valley, the weather finally turned in our favor and we got out for the one major hike I wanted to do in the area; McDonald Creek, and Moose was able to join us. With the brisk morning air, and a mix of shade and sunlight on the trail, the conditions could not have been better.

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The McDonald Creek trail traces the creek down a long canyon to the Colorado River, 2.4 miles from the trailhead. Along the way are numerous pictographs from the native Fremont Indians dating more than 1000 years ago. We did scour the canyon walls when we could, but we found only one instance of the pictographs. Not that it took away from the hike in the slightest. Just hiking down the canyon, with huge walls on both sides, was amazing on its own.

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At the end of the trail is the Colorado River with its muddy waters flowing past, from left to right, on the way into Utah, past Moab, into Glen Canyon, and then into Arizona to further expand the Grand Canyon before finally ending up watering the lawn of some idiot living in the desert of the greater Los Angeles area. All that effort to make such a long distance trek, doing so much good along the way, only to be wasted by societies over indulgence on our natural resources. As you can tell, I have some strong emotions about my Colorado River, and it was great to be standing beside it out in the wild.

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