Utah 2018 HITR Adventure
#16
08-17-2017, 11:18 AM
#17
08-17-2017, 11:20 AM
#18
08-17-2017, 11:38 AM
I would enjoy company. An maybe someone ta share wheel time. Just need ta see how this all plays out. Green has rust issues. Engines woe's. A bad tranny. And it made some unknown noise last time I had the front end in. Thought about getting a middle 90's TTB Ranger and put the front end and lift out of Jr. under it. Spring over the rear and 4.11's with a locker. Put a c-4 behind the engine with all the tranny coolers in the bed away from the engine. And the doubler outa Green. Then borrow Clint's TSL's. Another idea I was kicking around was ta git a heep. Somethin I could drive out un back. Starting to lean more ta the idea of driving my car out an just rentin a heepie. I don't know. Maybe in 6 ur 9 months I'll have it figured out.
#19
08-17-2017, 12:00 PM
Great history in the area, spectacular scenery. And thousands of miles of good, graded dirt road that are basically county maintained, suitable for high clearance 2WD practically year round. And then the jeep and 4WD trails.
During the 1930s the federal government sponsored a writer's project for books on all 48 states outlining the history and tourist attractions. This is worth checking out if you're visiting Utah. Kent Frost wrote a book in about the area "Canyonlands", he grew up in Monticello and Blanding when nobody hardly lived there. Much of the now parks area was still largely unexplored till the 1950s uranium boom. I called him up once and he talked for quite a while about some neat things he found, he was a tour guide for a long time. I always liked the "old" Moab, before it became yuppified. And then there's the Zane Gray novels. Start reading about the history of the area, places to explore, and you'll get the fever for sure.
During the 1930s the federal government sponsored a writer's project for books on all 48 states outlining the history and tourist attractions. This is worth checking out if you're visiting Utah. Kent Frost wrote a book in about the area "Canyonlands", he grew up in Monticello and Blanding when nobody hardly lived there. Much of the now parks area was still largely unexplored till the 1950s uranium boom. I called him up once and he talked for quite a while about some neat things he found, he was a tour guide for a long time. I always liked the "old" Moab, before it became yuppified. And then there's the Zane Gray novels. Start reading about the history of the area, places to explore, and you'll get the fever for sure.
My book on Hole-In-The-Rock is missing. Cain't remember if I ever read anything by Frost ur not. I feel the same way about Moab. And there is just so many other places to go. Roobers Roost. San Rafael Swell. Henry Mountain's. Old missile test sites. Old outlaw hideouts and trails. Old movie sites. I have often thought of moving out to southern Utah.
#20
08-17-2017, 12:57 PM
When I got the bug I got it bad for a while. A group of us went out one Spring break mumble years ago. Probably been out there 25 times or so. Not all at once. It's interesting to see distances out there. In a cornfield it's just a bowl for the sky, out west it's views almost a hundred miles in places, the equivalent of seeing Wisconsin from here about. The old eyeballs need long range exercise now and then.
I've read that some foreigners from extremely populated countries/societies start to lose it a little out west. Huge areas of hundreds of square miles with nothing don't compute and they wig out. I kinda like it. Least till I run out of coffee. Or need a shower. That last one didn't take, been meanin' ta ask for a refund.
I've read that some foreigners from extremely populated countries/societies start to lose it a little out west. Huge areas of hundreds of square miles with nothing don't compute and they wig out. I kinda like it. Least till I run out of coffee. Or need a shower. That last one didn't take, been meanin' ta ask for a refund.
#21
08-17-2017, 02:04 PM
Hotshot
#22
08-17-2017, 04:32 PM
When I got the bug I got it bad for a while. A group of us went out one Spring break mumble years ago. Probably been out there 25 times or so. Not all at once. It's interesting to see distances out there. In a cornfield it's just a bowl for the sky, out west it's views almost a hundred miles in places, the equivalent of seeing Wisconsin from here about. The old eyeballs need long range exercise now and then.
I've read that some foreigners from extremely populated countries/societies start to lose it a little out west. Huge areas of hundreds of square miles with nothing don't compute and they wig out. I kinda like it. Least till I run out of coffee. Or need a shower. That last one didn't take, been meanin' ta ask for a refund.
I've read that some foreigners from extremely populated countries/societies start to lose it a little out west. Huge areas of hundreds of square miles with nothing don't compute and they wig out. I kinda like it. Least till I run out of coffee. Or need a shower. That last one didn't take, been meanin' ta ask for a refund.
It does call to you. Being from KS the openness never bothered me. I knew a feller from back east an took him out west of town and looked over and could see he was outa sorts. I have read thet folks used ta stuff close in kin feel neked in the open country.
Man yall have me thinkin bout all them trails I been over out thet way. Tell ya the truth I'm bout 2 shakes away from callin U-Haul an packin up my possibles an headin west. See if I kin hold off till next year an git my fix then ta last me.
#23
08-17-2017, 05:22 PM
Well not zactly. It is true that we did not do the last part that we had planned to do on that trip.
That trail was used ta move settlers from Escalante on the west side of present day Lake Powell to near Bluff UT. The first part of the trail is over to the west across Lake Powell and is mostly a car road now. But there are lots of 4x4 side roads over that way. And the hole in the rock is on that side of the Lake Powell. We did the last almost 1/2 of the trail from where the Hall's Crossing road joined the HITR road to Bluff. The difficult 4x4 section is near the middle of the route south of Halls Crossing. Where we went to the marina and hung out when it was raining.
And we are among the few that have actually traveled that last complete section. We did that tight brushy section north of Snow Flats road that many do not even know is there.
#24
08-17-2017, 07:32 PM
No worries folks. We have a good time on these things. See my rememberer broke back in 77 an the fellers I used ta go with would sometimes say stuff thet was not so much the truth. Makes no never mind ta me I can't remember truth right much of the time anyway. And every so often folks just have ta go see somethin. You know Curtman like when we started up Hotel Rock an I miss....... eh decided ta not make thet turn an drive up thet other trail a bit.
Fact is when I started goin out an ask folks ta foller me they almost changed my handle ta "Wrong Way".
But I'm over thet. I knows zactly where I ta go. Trust me.
Fact is when I started goin out an ask folks ta foller me they almost changed my handle ta "Wrong Way".
But I'm over thet. I knows zactly where I ta go. Trust me.
#27
09-26-2017, 11:35 AM
So is there anything else in Utah that folks want to do while we are out that way?
I've been looking at the Bears Ears NM stuff and not sure we can get out the north part of Hotel Rock like we did last time. I would think we could get into Beef Basin but I would have to check next year to be sure. If we can get through that would be an option. Go north up and over Hotel Rock again then into Beef Basin and on out over Elephant.
Another option would be to do all of the HITR route from Escalante to Bluff and do as much of the side trails as we can.
Or we could do the difficult part of HITR then go and do something somewhere else ifin someone has a trail they'd like to go and do.
Anyone have any ideas?
I've been looking at the Bears Ears NM stuff and not sure we can get out the north part of Hotel Rock like we did last time. I would think we could get into Beef Basin but I would have to check next year to be sure. If we can get through that would be an option. Go north up and over Hotel Rock again then into Beef Basin and on out over Elephant.
Another option would be to do all of the HITR route from Escalante to Bluff and do as much of the side trails as we can.
Or we could do the difficult part of HITR then go and do something somewhere else ifin someone has a trail they'd like to go and do.
Anyone have any ideas?
#28
09-26-2017, 02:28 PM
Hotshot
If I get to go, which I am planning on so far, I would like to knock out that last section that we planned to do last year, and go back up that 7 mile valley with all of the indian dwellings near where we camped last time.
if we could knock those out in about 3 days? maybe we could head back and do Black Bear Pass and Imogene one more time or a few of the more difficult trails we were going to do until my Jeep broke last time.
if we could knock those out in about 3 days? maybe we could head back and do Black Bear Pass and Imogene one more time or a few of the more difficult trails we were going to do until my Jeep broke last time.
#30
09-26-2017, 08:08 PM