President's Day Camping

President’s Day

February 19, 2005

It had been raining in Southern Utah for at least a week, so we were a little concerned for our annual President’s Day camping trip. But, we prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. The intrepid crew, Steve & Deborah, Howard & Michelle, Steve & Marsha, and Paul & I left Salt Lake City early Saturday morning. The rain had moved into northern Utah the night before, and scattered rain was forecast in the south. No problemo!

We expected a blizzard & white out conditions through Spanish Fork canyon, but were happily blessed with clear sailing, all the way to Ray’s in Green River.

Wave to the crowd!

After lunch, we took off for Yellowcat, south if I-70, north of Arches National Park. Paul & I had never been in this area, and were looking forward to getting close to the Devil’s Garden in Arches. Every fork in the road provided exploration opportunities.

The roads were still wet from recent rain, and the mud got deep. When we turned south toward Arches, we were stymied & stuck. Lucky for us, we had plenty of tow rope & horsepower to spare.

Steve & Deb's Toyota is stuck...

Up to the rims!

Too bad, not enough traction! Steve Strode tries to pull them out, but his wheels just dug more deeply into the mud.

Time for Plan B. Good thing that Steve had a tow hook added on to the rear bumper!

Hook up that puppy!

This time we hooked Paul’s truck to Steve’s from behind.

It was successful. So successful, in fact, that we decided the road wasn’t that bad, and we would keep trying to reach those beautiful cliffs just ahead. Steve Strode took off over the flat, only to find himself stuck in mud to his rims.

Howard to the rescue!

After extracting the second truck, we decided we’d had enough fun for one day, and retreated. Eventually we found a campsite near an abandoned uranium mine. I guess that explains the why we found ourselves unusually ‘lit’ that night around the campfire. Anyone care for more Riders in the Sky?

We were awakened during the night by the sound of rain on the roof of our truck, and a sense of foreboding. Would we ever get our trucks out of there? But the rain cleared out before we got up, and we were once more pleasantly surprised by the mild weather.

Sunday morning muck

After breakfast, we assessed our position, and made plans for the day.

Break out the maps

Discretion being the better part of valor, we decided not to risk driving the muddy roads, and made do with a day of spirited & cutthroat horseshoe competition.

Marsha does best when she throws like a girl.

Howard is looking for his groove

Steve & Paul are the champs for the day

The gallery watched and was amazed.

Marsha was designated official and eternal Bloody Mary Maker. She made an awesome mix, and Mother Nature contributed Natural Ice
creating:

Hail Marys



Eventually, blue skies prevailed.

After playing horseshoes, we enjoyed an afternoon hike up the nearby wash. The light was spectacular.










Although some places reminded us of Mars, the mud turned other places into a

Moonscape ….

Right down to the footprints of the man in the moon.



The skies were clear, and it was a beautiful afternoon for the hikers returning to camp.




At sunset, Paul & Howard got the campfire ready


and Deb makes a spectacular dinner of Ham Hock Soup.

Monday morning, Steve Strode & Paul build a fire in an existing fire ring, the muddiest spot possible!

Sharing a cup o' Joe

Steve washes last night's dishes

While Deborah creates Eggs Benedict over Savory Waffles (with real Hollandaise!)

After breakfast, more shoes….


Howard found his form


Deb does better –


Sandra wears her hat -


and Michelle makes it look easy.




Karma wants to play, too.


It’s an exciting match, and a wonderful day..


What a fun trip! The weather turned out to be the least of our worries – another successful camp trip. Late afternoon we were packed up and ready for the trip home – time enough for a final road junkie – looking for places to camp next time!

On the way out

Muddy road

Michelle in the truck