IN SEARCH OF A PLACE CALLED GEMINI BRIDGES

We had a lot of ground to cover today so we were into the Jeep early & headed to Moab with the heater on full on.  Time was 7:25 a.m. & the Jeep’s outside thermometer said it was 33F.  We went from freezing our Tooshes’ off to Hawaiian temperatures in a matter of minutes.  Noticed we are going to have a couple hefty long grades to get over Wednesday morning on our way to Moab.  Too help out Kelly will drive the Jeep separately to north of Moab where we’ll hook it back up to the rig before heading off to our early Thursday morning garage appointment in Grand Junction Colorado. 

ALWAYS HAVE TO AWARE OF THE LOCALS OUT HERE IN THE WEST

Even at the time of morning we drove through Moab it was busy so we just motored right on through & out the other side.  Somebody, & I can’t remember who, told us recently of a great Jeep road making a big loop around the northwestern side of Moab.  I remembered the west end of the dirt road section was out around Dead Horst Point State Park so that is where we headed.

ONE OF THE JEEP ROADS WE FOLLOWED THIS MORNING SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED STEEPLY DOWN INTO THIS DEEP NARROW CANYON

<<< PHEEBS & I WALKED A SHORT DISTANCE DOWN THE ROAD TO SEE IF IT WAS DOABLE

Took us a bit of looking & a couple trips down 2 dead end dusty back roads with one leading into a blind canyon & the other to an oil drilling operation but that’s Okay because that is what makes for adventurous drives.  Especially the blind canyon road which we opted not to follow any further.

 

AFTER MAKING A U-TURN AT THAT YELLOW SIGN IN UPPER LEFT WE MADE OUR WAY BACK OUT OF THE CANYON & I STOPPED UP TOP & WALKED OVER TO THE EDGE TO SEE IF I COULD SEE WHERE THE ROAD WENT

NOPE, THE ROAD DISAPPEARED & I COULD SEE NO SIGN OF IT FURTHER DOWN THE CANYON

On highway 313 I remembered passing a road called Gemini Bridges & figured that must have been the one these folks took so we backtracked a bit & got ourselves onto the right road which has the number 118.  Only thing not on our side today was the weather.  Had a high thin cloud cover so the landscape colors were not popping however for photography purposes it was actually better lighting than bright contrasty sunlight in many ways.

ANOTHER DEAD END ROAD LED US TO THIS OIL DRILLING OPERATION

A lot of tent camping spots in the area we traveled through with one road having the name, ‘Metal Masher.’  Dirt Bikes & ATV’s suggesting maybe a younger crowd.  We finally made it to a sign pointing up a short road to Gemini Bridges so in we went & shut er down for a leg stretch.  We had no idea what Gemini Bridges was until we read a reader board & I decided to take a short walk to what appeared to be the rim of a large canyon.  Kelly stayed with Pheebs & put her on a leash.

A VERY LARGE & DANGEROUS HOLE IN THE ROCK

 

THESE ARE THE 2 GEMINI BRIDGES ACROSS THE CHASMS BELOW

Heard a gaggle of people coming along the trail ahead of me & had to dodge behind a big rock until they passed.  It’s nature I want to see, not people.  Didn’t take me long to come across a most amazing spot.  Two large openings in the rock with drops of a couple hundred feet to the bottom of each one.  Two miniature canyons which reminded me of a much smaller version of Canyon De Chelly.  It was immediately apparent this was a very dangerous area as the hard rock surface gently sloped down to the canyon rim.  On a rainy day someone with ordinary walking shoes could easily slip on this rock then roll the short few feet & topple over the canyon’s rim.  The fall would be fatal.  It even gave me Goose bumps as I carefully edged up to the rim for a few photos.

LOOKING OVER THE EDGE INTO THE CANYON BELOW

 

 

ONE SURE HAS TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE ONE IS WALKING HERE

Two narrow rock formations ran between these 2 small but deep canyons & I could see right away where the name Gemini came from.  Anyone familiar with the night sky knows of the constellation Gemini.  The constellation consists of 2 stars, Castor & Pollux.  In the natural rock bridge over the canyon below there was a narrow opening in the center which in effect made it 2 bridges across.  A really cool beans place for sure & I took me a bunch of photos of course. 

  

It was while taking my photos I noticed a bronze plaque imbedded right into the side of a large boulder.  It was dedicated to someone who had died at this spot.  Not surprising when you can see how anyone or any animal could so easily fall over the sloping rims of these two small deep canyons.   I also did see 2 locations where metal pins were anchored into the rock & I am assuming they are anchors for people repelling down into the canyons for whatever reason.

I was soon back to the parking lot where Pheebs & Kelly were waiting & we resumed our trek east on the Jeep road.  A sign warned of a rough road ahead & suggested 4 wheel drive vehicles with high clearance.  Up to the Gemini Bridges point the road had been relatively tame but that soon changed as we began getting into the good stuff.  Bone jarring ruts, tight corners, short sharp grades up & down with lots of dust to boot.  However, the main troublesome thing on the road was nothing Mother Nature offered but what the human factor had to offer.  Young kids on dirt bikes coming the other way driving waaaaay too fast.  Met a lot of ATV’s.  Some with responsible driver’s & others once again driving carelessly & going way too fast.

 

 

Lots of great scenery along the way & as we approached the eastern side of the ride the road kinda tamed down again & I thought that was about it & we’d be at highway 191 shortly.  Well we got to highway 191 alright but road 118 had saved the best for last & that became very evident as we began ascending a steep dusty dirt road climbing up the side of a cliff face.  This Jeep ride got very exciting very quickly & from the gasps & sighs coming from the passenger seat I knew it was going to be a nail biter.

WE BEGIN CLIMBING A POWDERY DIRT ROAD WITH STEEP DROP-OFFS ALL THE WAY ON THE PASSENGER SIDE

 

HEAVY TRAFFIC COMING THE OTHER WAY

Like I have said before, narrow mountain roads are much easier for the driver of a vehicle than it is for the passenger.  The driver is in control & knows what he is doing but a passenger is totally at the mercy of not knowing what the driver is doing or thinking.   Today climbing that narrow road up the mountain Kelly was on the cliff side & that just makes things even more scary.  This steep road with it’s tight blind corners in many places is not wide enough for two vehicles to pass so it’s up to the discretion of the two opposing drivers who can back up easily & safely enough.  Luckily I got my back-up license many many years ago & am totally comfortable doing it so I never hesitate to back up & give the other guy the right away.

KELLY HAS A TIGHT GRIP ON THE JEEP

 

THAT JEEP’S CLINGING TO THE INSIDE

 

A BIG ‘THANKS FOR PULLING OVER’ WAVE FROM A FELLOW JEEPER

‘OH NO’ WHERE DID MY PASSENGER GO????

We could finally see traffic far below moving along highway 191 & after a number of pull-overs to let other folks get by we finally found our way bumping down the other side of the long mountain grade.  If one does not have a fear of heights I would recommend this great Jeep drive for anyone & for anyone wanting to get their adrenalin pumping in a hurry I would suggest you do this road from east to west meaning exit off highway 191 north of Moab onto road 118 & begin your journey from there.  Neat-O:))

 

LARGE PARKING AREA FOR OFF-LOADING ATV’S, DIRT BIKES ETC AT THE JUNCTION OF HIGHWAY 191 & ROAD 118

AND WE EVEN MANAGED TO STOP & PHOTO SOME FLOWERS ALONG THE WAY

With a quick stop in Moab at Burger King for a couple Whoppers & 2 coffee’s to go from McD’s next door we were soon southbound for our rig about 30 miles south of Moab.  We had planned to drive out to Needles Overlook as well but we were both so tired we just said the heck with it………….and then we darn well went anyway & I’m sure glad we did.  I hope to post my NEEDLES OVERLOOK photos in tomorrow night’s blog. 

I think it was after 3 sometime when we finally made it back to the rig.  It was a long day but it was a good day & day trips like that into new areas seeing new things is always one of my favorite things to do.  With another 145 photos to edit & a blog to write there was no resting up & I got right at it.  Sure beats sitting around doing nothing:))

MANTI LA SAL MOUNTAINS JUST NORTH OF US TOWARDS MOAB

GROANER’S CORNER:))   A boy, who was a witness in court, was asked by a lawyer: "Did anyone tell you what to say in court?"  "Yes, sir."  "I thought so! Who was it?"  "My father, sir."  "And what did he tell you?"  "He said the lawyers would try to get me all tangled up, but if I stuck to the truth, I would be all right."

JEEPING AROUND IN CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK & WE EVEN GOT THE JEEP INTO SOME SNOW:))

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK UTAH

Well, it was a decision making morning so we started off checking comments & emails from readers as well as looking up & finding reviews for garages in Moab.  Kelly had also posted a few questions in various forums & we checked those responses as well.  Couple emails from Chinle about questionable garages in Moab steered us in the direction of Grand Junction Colorado.  Checked out a few places on-line & found Bear Auto had good reviews & specialized in Workhorse 8.1 Chevy engines so we have an appointment with them for first thing Thursday morning.  We will head for Grand Junction Wednesday afternoon & overnight in a gravel parking lot near the their garage.

HEADED NORTH OUT OF MONTICELLO…FEW MEDIUM GRADES & THE RIG RAN FINE

 

FOUND US AN EASY BOONDOCKING SITE FROM WHICH WE CAN DO A FEW DAY TRIPS

In the Escapee ‘Day’s End’ book Kelly found a boondocking site north of Monticello just off highway 191 & that is where we are currently at.  Nice clean long views all around & a good Verizon signal.  A bit of traffic noise on 191 to our west is not a problem.  A big Jeep event coming up in Moab this coming week-end so our timing worked out in our favor in that we will be well clear of Moab by the week-end.  We certainly do not want to get caught up in Moab’s manic madness, Jeeps or no Jeeps.

HEADED UP A ROAD LOOKING FOR FOY LAKE & NO THOSE ARE NOT SKI RUNS

Not wanting to let our coach problems get us down we piled into the Jeep & headed back down highway 191 to highway 211 heading west towards CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK.  We had intentionally looked for a boondocking spot in this area so we could check out Canyonlands & a few other nearby spots.  Rolling west on scenic 211 we saw a sign for a road to Foy’s Lake so decided to go have us a look at what this Foy’s lake was all about.  These kinds of day trips are always scouting missions for future boondocking spots as well.

WASN’T LONG & WE HAD US INTO SOME SNOW

 

JUST WANTED TO SEE HOW THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE WORKED IN SNOW:))

In the direction we were heading we could see a small mountain with snow still on the top & the road we were on took us right up that way.  Foy’s lake was 9 miles in & after a couple 8% grades we rolled into Foy’s snowy campground.  Not open for the season yet but we had the place to ourselves & sure enough there was a small lake which back in Ontario we would call a pond.  Looked like spring water with the lake being crystal clear.  Many Aspen trees & oh how nice this must be especially in the Fall.  A short walk by the pond/lake then we purposely drove the Jeep through a few small snow banks just because we had a Jeep & knew we could.

FOY LAKE

 

CAREFUL PHEEBS CAUSE I KNOW YOU DON’T WANT TO GET ANY WATER ON YOUR PAWS

THERE’S THAT ACE BLACKBERRY PHOTOGRAPHER AGAIN SNAPPING UP SOME FACEBOOK PICS

 

WE DID DRIVE THE JEEP DOWN THAT ROAD TO THE RIGHT BUT HAD TO BACK ALL THE WAY OUT AGAIN BECAUSE OF SOFT MUD

Nine miles back to highway 211 & we once again headed west to see what we could see.  Had heard of a place called NEWSPAPER ROCK so we weren’t long in finding that so stopped to look at the Petroglyphs.  Probably the greatest concentration of Petroglyphs so close together we’ve seen in one single spot. 

 

 

 

The highway 211 drive in from highway 191 is truly scenic as shown on the map & the farther you go towards Canyonlands National Park the more spectacular the scenery becomes.  No wonder Utah has always been my favorite State & I was reminded of that with each mile traveled again today.  Utah’s amazing scenery just never stops & especially here in the eastern & southern side of the State.  We’ve been to Zion, Bryce, & the Arches & today it was Canyonlands.  Not one Park better than the other for each one has it’s own unique stunning beauty.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE BEAUTY WHEN ALL THESE TREES ARE LEAFED OUT NEXT MONTH

  

Stopped at the Visitor’s Center & picked up a map of the Park then headed off on a driving tour.  Dogs not allowed on trails so we didn’t get ourselves out for any trail hikes.  Checked out a couple campgrounds which of course were full.  Seems to be a lot of tenters.  The couple stops we did make were so awe inspiring we just wanted to stay forever.  This whole southwest just has that affect on so many of we RV folks.

 

One of the small problems I have with myself here in the southwest is allowing myself to become so overwhelmed with photo taking.  By the end of each traveling day it is not unusual for me to end up with a hundred plus photos & oh what a time I have of it each night deciding what photos to put into the blog.  Always too many I know & I’m sure there are folks out there who cannot open my posts because of so many photos just as I am unable to open several of my fellow Blogger’s posts for the very same reason.  At least until we get home where we have no limits on our internet.   In the meantime, so much beauty, so many photos & so little time & space to share them all with everyone.

KELLY’S GETTING TO BE QUITE A PHOTO WHIZ WITH HER BLACKBERRY

 

While on the topic of photos I have noticed for the past couple months something is amiss somewhere with my Picasa photo editing program.  The finished editing & corrections I a make on my photos with Picasa are not the same edits appearing in my published posts many times.  And yes I do remember to ‘Save’ my edits after doing them.  Colors & density are often off not resulting in what I consider to be satisfactory results in my final blog posts.  I saw one of my Grand Canyon photos from 3 days ago totally screwed up & that is not the way I edited & published it.  Sometimes I have to add a lot of density (darken) to some photos just to have them look right on the blog otherwise they come across looking overexposed. (too light)  Anyway if your seeing some strange unnatural colors etc it just means I still have not figured out what is going wrong where yet.  Going back & re-doing photos over & over is beginning to try my patience………..

  

KELLY & PHEEBS ARE IN THIS PHOTO

 

We have some big Borrego type winds going on here at the moment south of Moab Utah so we are doing a bit of rocking & rolling here in the coach tonight.  But that’s Okay, at least we’re not shoveling snow……………………….

Had to cut our Canyonlands wandering a bit short when I realized we were running low on gas.  Had been enjoying ourselves so much I failed to notice our gas gauge slowing edging closer to empty.  We were at the farthest end possible in Canyonlands National Park when I noticed the gauge at only a quarter full.  Jeeps are notorious for poor fuel consumption & it was about 30 miles back through hills & grades to highway 191 then another 15 miles to Monticello so without further ado we headed for a gas station in Monticello making it there with about an eighth of a tank left.  We finally made it back to the rig about 3 this afternoon & what a great day-trip day for the Bayfield Bunch.

Sunny skies with big white puffy clouds stayed with us all the way & temperatures were warm & not hot.  For us that all adds up to a perfect weather day:))

  

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A grade school teacher was grading a science test on the human body, The first question was, "Name one of the major functions of your skin."  One child had written: "To keep people who look at you from throwing up."