To Wonderland

August 30th
Day Off #4

We have wanted to see White Pocket ever since we heard about it soon after arrival but the directions for getting there (4WD, high clearance vehicle required; deep sand; unmarked roads; no cell phone service) scared me.  Fred has gotten us safely to similarly remote destinations over equally bad roads so when he said the recent rains have made driving through sand easier, I agree to make today White Pocket Day.

We started down House Rock Valley Road at 7:45  and two grueling hours later parked at White Pocket.  The shaking, bumping, thumping, rocking , bucking and washboarding were worth it!

 I lack the words to describe this place; all I can offer is our pictures which cannot do its harsh and unique beauty justice:

 

 

 

 

 

We spotted Fred Flintstone's vacation home!

 

 

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

August 29th
Day Off #3

OK, today we were supposed to be hiking in Capitol Reef but that didn't work out.  How many people live 30 minutes from Zion's east gate and have access to some of Earth's most wondrous scenery and plentiful trails?  Count us fortunate.

A reference to 'The Barracks' led to a write-up about Parunuweap Canyon.  The entire route is a tough 10-mile round-trip from Checkerboard Mesa to the East Fork of the Virgin River, requiring equipment and skills we don't possess.  But the trail can be done as an out-and-back of whatever length and difficulty desired. 

We began the hike with a happy accident, choosing the wrong wash.  It was a U-shaped chute of colorful sandstone with an ascending line of pools strung along the bottom.  Rain overnight had intensified the sandstone's colors and filled the pools. 

 

 

 

 

 

Realizing our error, we crossed a ridge and dropped into the wash on the other side.  Although this was the right one, it was very different from its neighbor:  cool, dark and more narrow.  Its sand floor was still wet and leaves on the over-hanging branches still held raindrops.  (We appreciated both of  these much more on the way out than on the way in!)

 

Moving along the drainage was easy for half a mile until we reached the first obstacle, a large chockstone looming over a deep pool. 

 

The work-around was the obvious path up the steep hill to the left.  Walking in the wash to the next barrier, scrambling upward to avoid it then returning to the wash was the pattern for the first segment of the hike.  Until we reached the point where the canyon's sides converged below saddle more than 100 feet above.

Getting up and over the saddle entailed making a difficult, almost vertical climb through deep sand.  From the summit, we had stunning views of Zion's East Rim to north and Parunuweap to the south.  The rocks, geography and plant-life south of the saddle was more desert-like than what we'd passed through north of it.  A vast expanse of sandstone, bare of most vegetation, swept out from Checkerboard Mesa's immense base towards far canyons dark and deep. 

Southern end of Checkerboard Mesa

 

 

 

We gradually descended and worked our way southeast around Checkerboard in order to see Checkerboard Arch, which was disappointingly small and distant.

The return trip was considerably faster because we could substitute following our footprints in the damp sand for way-finding.

 

Better Weather

August 28th
Day Off #2

The weather has improved significantly since yesterday.  Good thing, too, because being confined to the RV was taking its toll on our spirits.  Fred guessed that all the rain we've received in the past few days would serve to stabilize the sand road to the Indian Canyon rock art site near Coral Pink Sands State Park.  He was right!  We negotiated the deep sand, rock ledges and steep grades with no trouble. 

The difficulty of the approach limits the number of visitors; we saw and heard no one from the time we left Route 89 until we returned to it.  Finding the alcove in which the petroglyphs and pictograms are located was a bit tricky but well worth the search.  The majority of figures decorating the back wall were colorfully painted rather than pecked and many wore a head-dress (?) or hair style (?) that we haven't seen in other depictions.  Unfortunately, a modern 'artist' has seen fit to add his own touches to the panel.

Looking down the South Fork of Indian Canyon from the trailhead.

 



Large alcove containing the petroglyphs and pictograms.

 



Some of the 'ghostly' pictograms.

 



 

 

 

 

 Mother Nature does rock art, too:

 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Tuesday, August 27th
Day Off #1

When the work schedule showed four consecutive days off, we planned a trip along Route 12: 

Day 1--drive Skutumpah Road to Cannonville then proceed east to Boulder, UT and spend the night.

Day 2--drive the Burr Trail Road, hike the Upper Muley Twist trail then proceed to Torrey and spend the night.

Day 3--hike in Capitol Reef then return to Boulder for the night.

Day 4--hike Phipps Arch and return to Kanab.

You know that old saying about the best laid plans...?   The weather report contained strong warnings of thunderstorms, heavy rain and flash floods for the remainder of the week.  Traveling and hiking in remote areas under such adverse conditions seemed unnecessarily risky so we reluctantly we canceled our reservations and resigned ourselves to staying here.

By afternoon the rain diminished slightly but our cabin fever increased.  We drove the
paved stretch of Johnson Canyon Road, approximately 15.5 miles, to its intersection with Skutumpah.  Johnson Canyon is stunning in any weather but days of  rain had  intensified the color of its rocks and 'greened up' the fields and hillsides making it especially lovely.

In order to avoid spending a long, boring evening in the RV, we had dinner in town, took a walk and then went to Parry Lodge's Old Barn Theater to see Calamity Jane and Sam Bass, filmed in the area in 1949.