Nine Mile Canyon planning

After my impromptu trips to Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park, I really wanted Greg and I to visit some of the wonders of Utah together.  We have 3 big dogs, however, and that can make it difficult to plan simple overnight trips. So I started looking for day trips we could take with the dogs in tow. After seeing the petroglyphs in Capitol Reef, one of the possibilities I was considering was Nine Mile Canyon, but I wasn't sure it could be done in a day. Luckily, one of my colleagues mentioned that she and her husband had just visited the canyon with their dog. She told me that the road through the canyon had been completely paved, making the trip easier. Most importantly, she told me that the trip to the canyon could be done in one day, albeit a long day. I texted Greg to tell him I had plans for our Labor Day weekend.

Since he was agreeable, I started researching Nine Mile Canyon to plan our trip. I like to do a lot of research before visiting someplace new, so I don't miss anything important. I find that I enjoy my visit more if I research an area before I go. The research lets me know what to see, so I miss less when I am there. It also lets me see a place more in the context of its history. I always learn interesting facts which snap into place when I see and experience a place in person. Greg would probably say that my research is an indication about how obsessive I am about planning.

I knew very little about the canyon, except what I had read in a few of my Utah books, and what my co-workers who had visited had told me. I knew there was lots of ancient rock art to see, the canyon is known as the "World's Longest Art Gallery", and that the canyon was remote. Although it is called Nine Mile Canyon, it is actually over 40 miles long. Surprisingly, there wasn't a lot of detailed information online. I tried to find a hardcopy guidebook to the canyon instead. As famous as everyone said the canyon is, there had to be guidebooks. There wasn't. A couple of books and a couple of self-published brochures was all. The book with the most details and best reviews was out of print. Although it was available through a few sellers, I did not purchase a copy because there was not time to have it shipped before the weekend. There are probably copies available at the local visitor centers in Price, but we were going to go on Sunday, and I wasn't sure they would be open (they weren't). I have become used to having most information available online, but there just isn't much on Nine Mile, except for a couple of websites.

The websites with good information on where to see the petroglyphs were BLM's site (http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price/recreation/9mile.html), Castle County's site (http://www.castlecountry.com/Free-Map), and Climb Utah's site (http://www.climb-utah.com/Misc/ninemile.htm). Climb Utah actually ended up having the best information for us, although we supplemented it with BLM's info from their self-guided tour. Castle County's information would have been good as well, but it was available online only in a full color pdf to print, and our printer was out of color ink (which I discovered too late in the evening to get more ink cartridges).

Climb Utah's online guide and BLM's online guide both list the sites by mileage. You zero your odometer at the canyon's mouth, and then stop at the various mileage marks to see the petroglyphs, ghost towns, and Fremont ruins.  Perfect and easy. Less than 24 hours before we were going to leave, I remembered something important. The odometer on Greg's truck doesn't always work. There is a short in it somewhere, so that it does not always display. How were we going to know where to stop in the canyon, if the odometer went glitchy on us while we were there?

Luckily, Climb Utah's guide also included GPS coordinates along with the mileage. I would just have to enter the waypoints into a GPS unit. Both Greg and I have GPS units, so it shouldn't be an issue. I wasn't sure where mine was. I hadn't used it since my trip to Alaska in 2004, and I had moved over three times since then. I remembered exactly where it was three moves ago, but I had no idea where it is now. I was hopeful Greg knew where his was. When I asked, he had no idea where his GPS unit was either. We spent the afternoon tearing through all our camping and fishing gear trying to find one of the GPS units. We found a lot of other stuff we had forgotten about, but no GPS units.

I was getting frantic. I was worried that we would miss a lot of petroglyphs without some sort of way of knowing how far into the canyon we were. From what I had read, it appeared a lot of the petroglyph panels and Fremont ruins were somewhat difficult to find. I had no idea how well marked they were in the canyon, or if they were even marked.

We debated about whether we should purchase another GPS unit. Both of ours are over 10 years old, but we just don't use them as often as we did because of our smart phones. On the other hand, we spend a fair bit of time in areas without cell service. I would also likely use it as a backup when I am in remote areas for work. I have my SPOT satellite communicator, which records my GPS location, but the unit itself does not have a display to tell me where I am. We decided to go ahead and get one. I told Greg that after we purchased a new unit, we would undoubtedly find our old units after the trip.

So I found myself driving to REI a couple of hours before it closed to pick up a new GPS unit. I then spent the most of the evening trying to figure out the new unit, and how to put in waypoints. There was no easy way that I could find on such short notice, so I ended up spending a couple of hours manually entering close to 40 GPS waypoints.

In the end, it was well worth the time and effort. A good friend always emphasizes the importance of the 7P's (Proper Prior Planning Prevents P*ss Poor Performance). It is a concept I agree with, especially when traveling in remote areas. In this case, it made a huge difference to our trip and our enjoyment of the canyon.

UPDATE: While writing this post, I suddenly remembered where my GPS unit was. I went upstairs and looked in my electronics bin stored in my closet. Sure enough, there it was.

Impromptu trips to Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks

Twelve hours after we returned from our Greys River trip, I had to go to southern Utah for work. I was grumbly at 5am the next morning as I got in my truck to leave. I couldn't figure out what I was thinking scheduling something like this so soon after I returned from my relaxing weekend. But sometimes we think more about being good soldiers than we do about consequences. Nonetheless, I was committed and so departed early.

One advantage of starting work really early, is that you get done early in the day. And was I ever glad that I was done with work early. I knew I was going to be near some epic southern Utah country for the first time, but I didn't realize that I would be driving right through it. I would be traveling on Highway 12, one of the most scenic roads in Utah, on the way to my next destination. Once I hit Red Canyon, I knew I had to slow it down and take the time to sightsee. There was going to have to be some impromptu side trips.

Red Canyon



I knew I would be driving by Bryce Canyon National Park. I debated whether I should stop or not. I decided that I should not miss the opportunity to see Bryce Canyon. You never know when the next chance there will be, if ever, to see a place. So I turned off of Highway 12 to visit the park.

Bryce Canyon NP entrance



I also decided when I was there to get my Interagency Annual Pass, also know as America the Beautiful--The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. The pass covers entrance fees at National Parks and other Federal recreational sites (National Wildlife Refuges, National Forests, BLM, etc.) It is worth the $80--visit just 4 National Parks in a year and it will pay for itself.

After I arrived in the park, I decided to park and take advantage of the shuttle bus to see the most popular sites. Since this was a quick, impromptu trip, I did not have a lot of time. The signs at the entrance kiosk also indicated that many of the parking lots were already full, and I did not want to spend what little time I had trying to find parking.

I hopped on a shuttle bus at the Visitor Center, and headed to Bryce Point, the first stop. Even before you get off the bus, the views are jaw dropping. The further you walk out to the point, the more impressive the views become. Unlike the Grand Canyon, with its sweeping vistas, Bryce Canyon is immediate. The odd shapes and brilliant colors bombard you with their proximity.









It was crowded there, but everyone was really nice and happy to be there, including me.





The altitude can be deceiving. I was surprised it was as high as it was. Good thing I was prepared with water and sunscreen.



Bristlecones!!! One of my favorite trees resides in Bryce. I love how the gnarled wood evokes the gnarled stone.



From Bryce Point, I took the shuttle to Inspiration Point. The shuttle bus driver mentioned that it was a one and a half mile easy downhill hike to Sunset Point, and that the shuttle could be caught there as well. That was all the arm twisting I needed to get out and do some hiking around the rim of the canyon. I did not bother going to the overlooks at Inspiration Point, I just started down the trail knowing there would be plenty of overlooks with fewer crowds. I was not disappointed.
















I reached Sunset Point, and I thought hard about taking one of the trails down into the canyon. I really wanted to walk among the hoodoos. However, I still had a bit of driving to do to reach Escalante, where I was staying that night, and my camera batteries were dead. More importantly, my footwear wasn't really up to any serious hiking. Next time I am wearing hiking boots instead of sandals. Reluctantly, I hopped on the shuttle back to the Visitor Center. I felt I barely saw anything at Bryce Canyon in the few hours I was there, but what I saw was amazing. I know I want to return.

The next day, I worked in the morning near Escalante, and then it was time to drive home. After I had so much fun at Bryce Canyon NP, I wanted to stop at Capitol Reef NP. But Capitol Reef was a bit further out of my way. On the drive, I again debated about whether or not to stop.  As I approached Torrey, I decided that I would at least drive to the park entrance. Otherwise, I would wonder what I had missed.

As I approached the park entrance and saw the mileage markers, I decided that I should just go ahead and do a quick drive through the park. I had less time today, because I was expected to be back at a certain time, but I figured I could and should spend my lunch hour exploring Capitol Reef. The lighting wasn't very good for photos, but I got a few. I enjoyed my hour in the park. Unless you take the scenic drive (I didn't have the time), the park is free to drive through.




I took the following two pictures with the True HDR app on my iPhone. The app really worked well in the tough light.





Near Fruita



Petroglyphs





Reluctantly heading out of the park




I started my long drive home. I was really happy that I had taken a few hours to see both parks while I was there. Even short visits to some places are worthwhile, and these places touch the soul even during a brief visit.

Weekend Fishing Trip to Greys River, Wyoming

On August 16, Greg and I took a long weekend trip to Greys River, Wyoming. We rented the Deer Creek Cabin, a Forest Service Guard Station built in the 1930's by the CCC. The cabin has a stove/oven, refrigerator, lights, and water heater (all propane as there is no electricity). In the summer, there is also a shower and indoor toilet available. The cabin is also equipped with bunks (sleeps 6), table, and cupboards (bring your own bedding, cooking utensils, and TP). And it is pet friendly!!!! Having all this made for a really mellow weekend, allowing us to get away to the woods without having to stress about packing a bunch of camping gear.  This was the first time we had used a recreation rental from the Forest Service, but it certainly won't be our last.

Deer Creek Cabin

The cabin faces west. We really enjoyed sitting on the front porch, drinking our coffee in the morning. There is also a fire pit and picnic table on the grounds. We used that every night. Greg brought his guitar, and of course, we made s'mores.

Deer Creek Cabin interior (we were unpacking, so it is a bit messy)

The cabin is right across the road from Greys River. It had been far too long since Greg and I had gone fishing. The Greys River has easy access and eager cutthroats (Snake River cutts). But before we could go fishing, we had to take the dogs swimming.

Although we did go fishing quite a bit, and we caught several fish, I did not get any pictures. I have a lot more pictures of the dogs swimming than I do of our fishing. I was so focused on the fishing, I didn't have time for photos. I did well with an elkhair caddis with a beadhead nymph dropper. I caught cutthroat on the caddis, and I caught mountain whitefish with the dropper. Feeling the tug on the line after such a drought of fishing was an absolute thrill. Being on the river in the evenings was so relaxing. Hearing and watching the water flow by, reading the river to determine the likely trout spots, casting to those spots, feeling a tug on the line or missing a rising fish...for me it is a moving meditation.

If you go, know the Greys River is really busy since the access is so easy. Even with that, we had no trouble finding spots on the river to have to ourselves. The cabin is behind a locked gate and away from the road, so it offers some privacy. The cabin rental is a bargain at $40/night, but you have to reserve it months in advance. The cabin is open year round, but it is sometimes used for Forest Service crews and isn't always available. The cabin is 13 miles down a well-graded gravel road, and there is no cell service, so plan accordingly.

Greys River is only about 3 and a half hours away from us, making it an ideal weekend getaway, although spending more time there would be even better.  I have concluded that we need more of these extended weekend getaways. I can't wait to plan our next trip to the area.