Red Rocks Open and SE Utah

7 Sep - 22 Sep 2022

We had had a pretty good time while volunteering at the Chelan Open paragliding meet, so we thought we should try the same thing at the contest that was to held around Monroe Utah. We figured that September would be a good time to visit the normally too hot desert. Even better, Chris and Patricia were going and had booked an Airbnb which had a hookup for an RV. They invited us to tag along and share the bathroom in their little converted shed. To make the long drive worthwhile, we planned to do some exploring of the red rock country on our own after the meet.

7 Sep, Wed – We spent most of the day getting ready to leave for Utah on Thursday. I rolled the trailer out and plugged it in so I could cool the refrigerator down. I prepped the remaining quarter of the deck and, when the sun was off the surface, put a coat of stain on it. I rode over to Safeway to get milk for the trip. The trailer tires were a little low on air (36 psi so I used the compressor to inflate them to about 45 psi. 

8 Sep, Thu – We got going a little after 8 o’clock, got gas in Union Gap, and again in Caldwell where gas was just below $4/gal ($3.999). We stopped for the night at Three Island Crossing in Glenn’s Ferry (usually $36, but $21.5 for seniors, Mon-Thu). No one came around to collect and we did not find any envelopes or an “iron ranger”.  

9 Sep, Fri – By morning 40’s and the comforter was just barely enough to keep us warm. We got a fairly early start by 0830 and cruised along I82 to I84 and over Sweetzer Gap to Utah. Gas prices were also $3.999 near Tremonton but got more expensive as we approached SLC. We bought gas at a Costco at W Bountiful for $4.099) and that got us all the way to Monroe. We made a lunch stop at a Culver’s near Lehi and shared a double baconburger and then had frozen custard for dessert. We made one more stop before we got into the weekend traffic exiting SLC; we stopped at a AAA office to get some maps and information. We pulled into Monroe and the Airbnb that we are going to be camped outside of around 1700. Chris and Patricia won’t be there until after midnight because they left early Friday morning. Around 1830 we drove to the volunteers meeting at Pete’s Place, a grassy, treed place a short distance outside town on the Monroe Canyon Road. It sounds like this meet might not be as strictly organized as the Rat Race/Applegate Open or the Chelan comps. We'll have to see how Gavin McClurg manages all the challenging aspects of the meet. We got back to our trailer around 2030 and sat outside with a snack watching the moon rise over the high ridge to the east. Chris and Patricia did not arrive until 0100.

10 Sep, Sat – We drove to Pete's Place and sat through a meeting mostly about driving. When the food arrived, we picked up two breakfast burritos and two big sandwiches on rolls, plus fruit and chips. Then we parked at the Rodeo Grounds LZ and hopped on a van. The trip to the top of Monroe Peak was almost an hour and the road was gravel and bumpy most of the way. C.J. and I helped on launch as people set up and flew, some with self-imposed tasks. We rode down with Paula Steed in her VW EV. From the rodeo grounds we drove over to Lions Park in Monroe and had lunch (half of a sandwich) while waiting for registration to start at 1600. C.J. dealt with getting waivers signed and I handed out t-shirts. Registration finished up around 1900 and the pilots meeting started at 1930. C.J. headed back to the trailer to get a shower and, after the meeting I gave Chris a ride back. We saw a very cloudy moon rise just a bit to the south of where it had the night before. 

11 Sep, Sun – C.J. had overnight oatmeal and I ate half of a leftover breakfast burrito heated up. We left at 0830 for Pete's Place. We grabbed lunch and Miles grabbed us to go up to Monroe Peak with him and Cheryl Morgan to help get launch checkout set up. We put up the shade shelter and several Salewa feather flags. Cheryl handed out the trackers and then there was a brief meeting. The task was almost straight north to Mt. Pleasant. C.J. and I and another volunteer checked radios, InReachs and hook-in. Then we helped on launch until everyone had taken off. Gusty conditions and cloudy skies kept us from flying. I drove a volunteer's (Dr. Gresham, I think) truck down to Pete's Place. We hung out for a while and had a cold Red Rock pilsner and some chips. Then we returned to the trailer and I got a shower in the cottage. We sat in the shade and did Duolingo, etc. When Patricia got back from her hike into some red rock country (Cedar Rdg Cyn), we heard about her trip. Later we had dinner together. Chris had made goal at 1849 but his InReach had run out of battery, and he was unable to send an LOK so we didn’t hear about it until later. We went to bed early and were rousted out by Chris and Patricia who had been trying to program my InReach which he had borrowed until Patricia could buy a new one somewhere. We went over to the cottage and signed into my account and got the InReach set up for Chris to use. Then we went back to bed around 2300. 

12 Sep, Mon – We got up early at 0630 and found a message on the Volunteer Telegram group that there was a meeting for vols at 0800. I had some hot chocolate and C.J. had her overnight oatmeal and we made the meeting by shortly after 0800. It was almost entirely about driving so we weren’t even required to be there. We did find out that Gavin was not going to require the pilots to go through the InReach+radio+harness check. That would speed up the launch prep and get everyone off launch before the possible bad weather from the Hurricane Kay remnants spun through. We rode up to Monroe with Miles along with Cheryl and another pilot. We got the shade shelter up and several Salewa flags before the weather started looking less than optimum. A few pilots got launched for flydowns anyway. The task was declared – even farther to the north to G02 about 140 km. Just when competitors were almost ready to go to launch, it started raining. We hid out under the EZ-up with as many pilots as could cram inside and waited for the hail and rain to stop. After maybe an hour most people gave up and began packing up in the rain. Vans were loaded and most pilots headed down. We stayed to take down the shade, tables and flags. Then we loaded on with Miles and had a wild ride down the mountain. It was sunny when we got back to Pete’s. And we headed back to the trailer where we had some lunch. Patricia had been successful in getting an InReach Mini for Chris at a local sporting goods store in Richfield. Later we drove to Richfield to get local info about hiking and touring around the area at the visitors' center. On the way back we stopped at Ideal Dairy for ice cream. Back at camp we discussed with Chris and Patricia what we might do if we had another canceled day – backcountry tour around Fish Lake, drive in Capitol Reef north section to an overlook of Cathedral Valley, and/or go to Castle Rocks. Around 1600 it started to rain and there was thunder and lightning. Later we had dinner with Chris and Patricia and discussed going for a scenic drive/scouting expedition (Gavin had called off Tuesdayś comp). After dinner Chris and I got my Garmin account functioning on my InReach. Rain had stopped by dinner time.

 

13 Sep, Tue – Since the day had been called, we cleared out the Sorento and left with Chris and Patricia around 0900 for a scenic drive to Fish Lake and the Backcountry Byway, stopping first for gas in Richfield (4.099). Traffic was minimal and it took less time than I had expected, so when we reached Hwy 72 which runs north to I-70 from near Loa, we turned north for a couple of miles. The road into the north section of Capitol Reef NP is gravel but in good condition through the Fish Lake National Forest. We stopped at a rest area on the Great Western Trail, an ATV trail, and then turned right (south) on a FS road toward Elkhorn CG. After a short drive we stopped at Desert View outlook and had a good if distant view of the Cathedral Valley’s spires and walls. A couple more miles took us to a road that was signed as possibly impassable during weather events. It was six miles to the boundary of CRNP and then the road got rockier. After another mile or two we reached a great viewpoint that gave us a much closer view of Cathedral Valley. Weather was questionable with lots of dark clouds and occasional sprinkles. We didn’t want to get stuck down in Cathedral Valley, so we headed back up before lunch. We tried going south a mile or two towards Elkhorn, but the road was muddy and slippery. We turned back and stopped for lunch at the Desert View. Next, we retraced our route to Fish Lake via the Backcountry Byway. We thought we might do a hike up Pelican Canyon (as recommended by the volunteer at the Richfield visitor center. We first tried the road to the trailhead, but it became too rocky partway up. Then, we tried to find the trail at the Bowery Haven Resort (closed for the season). A maintenance guy showed us where the trail there was but suggested we skip the steep climb and drive just partway up the road we had first tried. We went back and did that even though it added a half mile to our hike. From Pelican Promontory we followed the Pelican Canyon trail for a short distance then took a right fork along the bottom of the canyon (but climbing) through groves of quaking aspen. After a mile and a half, we cut left and climbed up to where the main trail had been following the ridge top and completed our loop coming back out at Pelican Prom. We returned to the car and drove along Fish Lake again (and near Pando, the clone aspen grove billed as the world’s largest organism) and then onward retracing our route over the ridges and back to Richfield and eventually back to Monroe. We had dinner with Chris and Patricia. 

14 Sep, Wed – Gavin called the day at 0930 and I took Chris over to the rodeo grounds LZ to catch a van to Kodachrome Basin State Park. Unfortunately, only one other person showed up so Seth had to cancel the trip. I stopped at Pete’s to get a couple of lunches and then we returned to the Airbnb. After a short time of regrouping, Patricia said we should go to South Cedar Ridge Canyon and do the hike she had done on the first day. So we all rode there in her Plymouth Vibe (2006, BTW, Patricia told us yesterday that Chris’ Toyota Forerunner had been declared totaled by his insurance company). The beginning of the hike reminded me a lot of the beginning of the Little Wild Horse Canyon hike. But before too long we were following a trail that meandered from side to side crossing the rocky canyon floor. At times we could walk for a short distance in the middle of the mostly dry canyon, and the farther we went up the canyon, the rockier and narrower it became. While we were stopped for lunch about two miles up the canyon, Alex and Nicole from BC passed us heading out. Then, later, Violeta and Jordan passed us trailrunning farther up the canyon. C.J. and I turned back at just about three miles according to my Backcountry Navigator app, not far from a large side canyon, Strawberry. We got back to the car around 1600 or so, before Chris and Patricia who had continued up canyon to Strawberry before turning around. On the way home we stopped at a Health food store so Patricia could pick up something she wanted. We found a surprisingly good deal on a pound of raisins for our trail mix. We also stopped at GG’s grocery/etc. store in Monroe. Back at the trailer, we changed clothes and did a Duolingo lesson before going with Chris and Patricia to Richfield. We met Mike and Paula Steed at their nice but small Airbnb. Then we had dinner at South China (39) with lots of leftovers of not particularly memorable food. [choking incident] Back in Monroe we heard from Gavin that there was going to be a task either at The Cove or Monroe Peak leaving at 0800 (Volunteer mtg at 0730). 

15 Sep, Thu – Up at 0630 and rushed around to get breakfast ready for us and Chris at 0700. We left here a little after 0730 for the volunteers meeting which was over by the time we arrived. The call was for launch at The Cove, so we rode up with Miles and Cheryl. The Thompson Basin Road was much rougher than when we had gone up it during the first (or one of the first) Red Rock Fly-in. There were big tarps on the west launch, the SW launch and the slightly more southerly launch. There were still problems with launching as the cycles were not consistent and the roots and sticks were very grabby. The task called was to fly south to the next bump, return to launch and then go N past Richfield and cross the large valley, then cross again to the NE to an airport north of Redmond. After almost everyone was launched, we moved the official launch to the W launch. A vanload of relaunchers came up and took off. C.J. had decided to fly and launched last. Unfortunately, she did not find any lift and did not make it across the big powerlines landing in a field near Red Hill hot spring (not Mystic). I rode down with Janicka in a rental van. It was a wild ride. Around then Gavin stopped the task due to big cloud development along the course line to the north. At the car at Pete’s, I heard from C.J. by text that she had gotten a ride and a few minutes later she pulled up in a bright orange Kymer (?) ATV. I had not received any InReach messages from C.J. and when I checked XCfind, her track was there but no message was shown. Same for Chris A. Back at the trailer, we pulled up C.J.’s Garmin account and noted that she still had her messages being sent to officials of the Applegate Open.  She got those changed as well as the emergency information and then tried to sync but got stuck. When Chris got back, he helped get things sync-ed. Later I gave Chris a ride over to Pete’s to turn in his tracker and later to get his oxygen tank filled. I called Village Theater and after only a short hold time, I was able to change our tickets to 28 Sep (that means we don’t have to rush home). Meanwhile Patricia had been off on an adventure of her own to Capitol Reef NP. We had dinner of mostly leftover Chinese food, and Sam Crocker came over. Later Sam and C&P went to the local hot spring at Red Hill. 

 

16 Sep, Fri – Rain, hard at times during the night. We got up at 0615 to make a 0730 volunteers meeting (which got changed to a short mtg at 0730. The ẅheels up" time got pushed back from 0800 to 0900 so we went back to the trailer to get our dishes cleaned up. We rode up with Miles and Cheryl (and Spike); the road to Monroe Peak was muddy in place – no problem for the 4x4 but the vans found it a bit slick. As usual we set up the EZ-up shade shelter and put up the task map, and the Salewa flags. It was cold (41 deg) and windy on Monroe Peak it really felt cold when the sun went behind a cloud. We were finished fluffing by shortly after noon and then tore down all the things we had set up. C.J. was feeling the altitude more than usual so she did not fly. I didn’t even bring my wing up. We drove the #3 van down so Brian could fly his 14m2 single-surface wing. We ate our sandwich at Pete’s and then went over to the RV Park for some ice cream (6.68) and ran into Blake who was controlling the retrieve from a shady spot on the porch. We returned to the Aliner to get reorganized and do Duolingo, etc. Later we had dinner with Chris (Patricia was returning late from her hike in Bryce Canyon NP). After cleaning up we drove to Pete's to see if C.J.'s flying gloves were still in the van we rode down in. They were. We spent a little time talking to some of the volunteers and Alderich and Astrid (Astrid had also gone to Bryce where she did more touring than hiking but had still run into Patricia). 

17 Sep, Sat – The call was for “wheels up” at 0800 so we got to Pete’s a little after 0730 (after getting up at 0610 in the dark and cold). We found out that we were going up to Cove launch and rode up with Miles as usual. It was windy on the south-facing launch and chilly, but not as cold as it had been Friday. We set up all the usual stuff and three pilots flew, Blake and two others who were flying A wings. I was glad I had not brought my wing up because the launches were pretty difficult. All flew and landed safely, but still... A task was declared to a place out in the middle of the valley and not too far north of Richfield. No one rushed to get ready. A while later, Gavin canceled the day and set 1500 as the time for the awards ceremony at Pete’s. After taking down all the flags and EZ-up, C.J. and I rode back down with Miles and Cheryl. It wasn’t even noon so we decided to check out the possible hiking trails at Monrovian Park three miles up Monroe Canyon Road. We took the Third Left Hand Fork trail which followed Monroe Creek up an increasingly narrow canyon with steep walls and big talus fields. We went as far as a makeshift bridge which C.J. was not comfortable crossing. We went back a short distance to a log with a good view of a toothy-looking spire and had lunch (the usual big sandwich on a roll with some Fritos or crunchy Cheetos, no fruit today). We thought we might be hearing climbers somewhere up the trail on one of the granite walls, but we couldn’t see them. We got back to the trailer around 1415 and washed our hair in the sunshine using warm bottles of water from the car. Then we changed up and went to Pete’s for the awards. Gavin did a good job, and the trophies were art glass in the shape of a beer glass etched with the award. The BBQ dinner should have been at 1700 but was late because the grilled food wasn’t ready. When it was served, we had smoked chicken, grilled brats, burgers and, for the volunteers, slices of steak. Plus, there were sides of lettuce, green salad, potato salad, apple pie and ice cream. There was lots of Red Rocks beer (but few non-alcoholic drinks). The strong wind cooled the food off rapidly and you had to keep your hand on your plate to keep it from flying away. We’ve decided to move the trailer to Pete’s place on Sunday and stay for at least one day of the free clinic for volunteers even though it will be too windy for flying. Back at the trailer, I added water to the tank, and we repacked stuff for traveling. Chris and Patricia had rented bikes at Big Rock Candy Mountain resort down toward Sevier and ridden the bike trail through Sevier Canyon before the awards ceremony. After they got packed up, they invited us over for tea and we visited for an hour. Then we returned to the trailer (around 2100) and did Duolingo and journals until 2145. 

18 Sep, Sun - Chris and Patricia left long before we got up, but we were still able to eat breakfast and pack up and move the trailer to Pete's Place. We got to Lions Park in Monroe around 1030 for the ground school clinic that was being presented since the winds were too strong for flying. Logan and Gavin did the talking and I took notes on my phone. We broke for a late lunch. Since none of the stores were open in Monroe (except Family Dollar) we drove to Richfield to buy milk and a bottle of Food Club spaghetti sauce at Lin's. We were hoping for a quick ice cream but Ideal Dairy was closed like most/all of the local businesses. We got back to the class, now being held at the RV Park back room. Those people who had deployed their reserves in practice got to assist Logan and a few other pilots who were competent at packing the square and steerable square chutes. No one had a round. I may consider upgrading my rescue chute to the newer tech. (Woody Valley Quadro 100 light costs around $1K) Since most of the eating places were closed, we went back to Pete's and grilled some leftover burgers and brats; there was also salad and lots of condiments as well as one of the big apple pies. 

 

19 Sep, Mon - Another windy day. Since there would be no chance to practice any of the stuff from the ground school on Sunday, C.J. and I packed up and were on the road by 0900. We took the same route (118-119-24) past the Fish Lake turnoff and down into Loa. The scenery got better and better as we approached Capitol Reef NP which seemed very busy (slow traffic). Heading down from CRNP toward Hanksville, we spotted two routes to Cathedral Valley, one was labeled "river ford". We bought gas in Hanksville (4.399) and drove South on Utah 95. It was scrub desert for a distance, but the scenery improved and there were lots of red rock walls. We stopped at one overlook to look down at the Colorado R (?) near Hite. We also stopped to get out some lunch supplies at Hog Spring rest area. Sometime later, we crossed the Dirty Devil R and then the Colorado. We followed White Canyon up until we reached the turnoff for Natural Bridges National Monument around 1400. We skipped the visitor center and went directly to the 13-site campground. We felt really lucky to score Site 13 which was just big enough for the trailer and car. After a quick setup, we went to the VC to show our pass and get some local info. I asked about the cover photo on Nat Geo of Citadel Mountain and found out that it was a sacred place and the rangers had been asked not to tell people where it was. We thought we might get more info at the Ranger Station (Kane Gulch) on Cedar Mesa so we drove there only to find that it closes at noon. We continued on to the top of the Moki Dugway and took the unpaved road to Muley Point. It was a pretty smooth road but the signs indicated that it was impassable in rain. We reached the end of the road where we found incredible views as far away as Monument Valley and closer in of The Goosenecks of the San Juan River. I even got my camera out to take pictures that could be adjusted later. There were a few dark clouds to the south and we felt some raindrops so we didn't prolong our stay (although at least one couple was setting up a rooftop tent to stay the night). When we reached the beginning of the three-mile-long Muley Point Road, we headed east down the Mokl Dugway. It is still unpaved and narrow but not a problem; also there wasn't a lot of traffic. Since we had already driven through the Valley of the Gods some years ago, we skipped that and drove toward Bluff to catch the south end of the Comb Wash Road. We never found it and the one road labeled "Comb Ridge Road" looked totally impassable for a regular vehicle. That left us with either retracing our route up the Moki Dugway or continuing the loop through Bluff and Blanding. We chose the loop and lucked into finding the Bears Ears Education Center still open (We had been told that it closed at noon, clearly a mixup with the Kane Gulch RS). We got the same story about Citadel but got a free map and I bought a Falcon Guidebook to Utah's Bears Ears and Cedar Mesa (25). Bluff was a pretty small town but Blanding had an A&W where we got a root beer float around 1800. On the way back to camp on Utah 95, we stopped at Butler Wash Culture Area and hiked 0.5 miles mostly on slickrock to a viewpoint overlooking a canyon with several cliff houses and kivas in deep alcoves. It was almost dark when we returned to NBNM but we had had good sunset colors on the rock ridges and the few clouds (plus a bright Venus above the sunset). We made some sausage and pasta stir fry with onion, green beans and celery. We had already had dessert. The sky was every bit as dark as advertised and the stars and Milky Way were even brighter than they had been last night at Pete's. I could not find a water spigot; I hope we have enough in our tank (which i had refilled in Monroe in case we had to boondock). ⭐ 

20 Sep, Tue - I found out this morning that there is no water in the CG, for conservation reasons, the only water is at the visitor center and there is a limit of five gallons per person per day. We had the leftover overnight oatmeal for breakfast and then headed off to drive to Bears Ears Pass. The road was pretty good at first but there was a sign saying it was impassable when wet. The clouds were threatening rain so we kept an eye on them. Halfway to the pass (about 3.1 miles) the road got muddy, and we stopped. It was a decent spot to get a picture of the two summits from pretty close. On the way down we began to have light rain and by the time we reached the visitor center it was raining hard with some thunder and lightning. We spent some time in the VC looking at the exhibits. Then when the rain had stopped, we filled our two water cubes (1.3 gal ea.) and all the water bottles. We didn't even stop at the campground but drove directly to the Loop Drive and the trail to Sipapu bridge. It was a 1.6-mile round trip with an elevation loss and gain of 500 ft some on ladders and stairs. At the bottom we walked under the bridge and far enough upstream to get some decent photos. The climb back up was more strenuous and C.J. had a harder time than usual since she has a cough, probably a cold. (Tested last night, negative for Covid). We started getting sprinkles as we reached the top, but we went on to Horse Collar Ruins and walked the 0.3mi to the overlook and back. Lastly, we stopped at Owachomo Natural Bridge and walked the short distance to the overlook. Then we returned to the trailer for some toasted cheese lunch and rest. It started raining significantly around 1500; we'll definitely be moving on toward home tomorrow. C.J. felt like she has a fever and spent the rest of the day in bed. She took some IBs but that apparently has not made her feel any better. I heated up some leftover pasta for dinner. The sun finally came out as the sun got nearer the horizon. And the night was quite clear with many, many stars. 

 

21 Sep, Wed - Overnight C.J.'s temperature seemed to moderate, and she said she was feeling a little better. (But I have a slight cough today, too) She ate oatmeal with me for breakfast. It had started raining in the very early morning and it did not quit, so we had to break camp in the rain. It wasn't pouring, at least. We were out of camp by shortly after 0800 (after getting up at 0645 and not wasting any time). We were glad that we had seen the sights, like Comb Ridge, while the air was clear. We filled up the tank in Blanding at the place we had bought A&W floats the day before (4.379). Then we just kept driving all day passing Monticello, Moab, and Green River. We made a bathroom stop at Jackass Joe's weird gas station/convenience store at the intersection of UT-191 and I-70. UT-6 took us north past Price and over Soldier Summit (ca 7500 ft) and down through Spanish Fork to I-15. We headed north through Orem and Lehi, Sandy and East Jordan and SLC. We stopped in Ogden for gas at Costco (3.899!) and a bathroom break. Then it was just a slog north on I-15 and I-84 northbound over Sweetzer Gap to I-84 westbound. We reached our day's goal of Glenn's Ferry and Three Island Crossing SP at just after 1900. There were no sites vacant in the lower CG and we didn't find an open one in the upper CG until we reached the very last one. We hurriedly dropped the trailer off and drove back to The Fudge Factory where we shared a Huckleberry Joe (a Sloppy Joe made with their huckleberry BBQ sauce) and a side of sweet potato fries. Plus a big scoop of ice cream for dessert. Back at camp we found the envelopes for paying the camping fee (21.50 on Mon-Thu for seniors) at the entrance and near the host's site 42. After plugging in to 110V, I took a shower in the bathroom - no shower curtain and a very aerosol shower.  

22 Sep, Thu - We got up at 0730 and were on the road by shortly after 0900. We stopped at Costco in Caldwell for gas (4.239?) - no traffic problems there this time. Another long day of driving with few stops at rest areas. We ran low on gas battling a strong head wind mostly after Pendleton and most of the rest of the way. At the Colombia we turned west on SR 14 then north at Paterson on 221 (?) to cross the Horse Heaven Hills to Prosser. We got a couple of gallons of gas at the interchange for Toppenish (the mural town) and then filled up with gas at Costco in Union Gap (3.999). After a drive through the Yakima Canyon, we made a stop in E-burg at Winegar's for an ice cream and a mocha frappe. We hit stop and go traffic after the Bullfrog Interchange and crept along for close to an hour (!) before merging to one lane and resuming speed. We were home after sunset and after 1900. We did minimal unpacking - fridge mainly - and C.J. went early to bed. She has been testing negative with old home tests and tonight she used the thermometer to be sure that she had no fever. My intermittent cough has continued but I haven't tested.