Corona Arch and Dinosaur Tracks

Monday, June 17, 201

Yesterday was a chock full day. We commenced at Corona Arch Trailhead. The day was gorgeous with inflated cumulus clouds overhead in contrast to the deepest azure sky.

Corona Arch is fairly easy. It should simply take you an hour in and a little less to get out. It took us 3 full hours. We stopped along the way just to enjoy the magnificence of it all.

can you see the people underneath?

There are a couple of vigorous areas where the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) has mounted steel cables for assistance. There is one spot where they actually screwed an aluminum ladder into the rocks for you to utilize. Without it you probably could not scale the mammoth rock.

The first thing you do is climb a slope and cross over railroad tracks. You can see where the dynamite was placed on the rocks to blast a clearing for the train. This railroad track was built in 1964 and is used for the transportation of Potash. Pot Ash is a natural element that is used for the making of fertilizer. There are Potash pools all around Moab.

 

potash train

Just under the arch the train passed by 400 feet beneath us. There is a tunnel it journeys through that is over a mile long. It looks very little from where we were standing.

getting back down the rock

A little over ½ way into the trail you can see the arch. It looks so close, but it’s an illusion. We rested under an outcropping bluff for a bit. There we met a lady and her grandson who were also resting. We chatted and drank a lot of water. The temperature was well over 100 degrees and the trail is in 100% sunlight the entire time. We then continued on and ultimately reached the arch. Just before reaching our goal we happened upon this extraordinary void in the rocks.  The sun was shining down through the hole and offering the trees below chlorophyll.  It truly was dazzling.

this was SO cool!

lying under the arch in the shade

Onto our destination. Sitting below the arch there were 11 young adults that had just graduated from High School. They were on a vacation together. They told us they were from New Mexico and saved all year long for this trip together.  They were having a blast. Two of them actually fell asleep for a while.

enlarge, Im under the arch

enlarge to see the people

We attained our own little spot, in the only shade available, and sat to relax. We ate our apples along with a Cliff Bar. (That is a power bar, which I never in a million years would have thought I’d eat). They are really good though and have all kinds of nutrients in them to keep you energized while hiking. I am not a health food person – at all! 

We also lounged back and almost fell asleep until the kids started to stir and started their trek back. After a while we had to move over from where we sat because the earth was turning and the sun was no longer overhead and obstructed by the massive arch.

We remained another half our by ourselves and just enjoyed the silence and beauty that surrounded us. The hike back was so much simpler than going in. Most of it was downhill getting out.

waiting on Mighty Mouse

After conquering the Corona Arch we were headed home and came across another trailhead. This is called ‘Poison Spider’.  It is a jeep trail that takes you over the rim of the red rock we just hiked through. Tommy read the synopsis of the trail and is thinking about trying it. It is rated 4 out of 5 on the scale they use for difficulty. (I will be getting out and taking a lot of pics, I’m sure). LOL

Next to the Poison Spider is yet another trail called Dinosaur Tracks. It leads you up to imprinted tracks of a three toed dinosaur called Allosaurus.  Allosaurus’ walked on 2 feet and used their hands for clutching and holding. They are dated back to over 190 MILLION years ago. The trail is brief but almost straight up.

trek up to the dinosaur tracks

The tracks are of several sizes of meat eating dinosaurs walking across what was equilvant to a modern day beach, but with a subtle difference. The difference is; imagine walking along the sand and instead of seeing seagulls and sandpipers, there were conavour lizards hunting and being hunted.  The footprints of these giant beasts were 5 times the size of our hands. It was very cool and we were glad we stopped.

Dinosaur tracks

Once again along the path to home we stopped. This time at  some Indian drawings on the rocks on the side of the road. These petroglyphs were bountiful. Someday, when I find the time, I am either going to get a book, or Google what all the symbols mean. The one that gets me the most is, whenever we see a snake drawn it has 13 turns to it. Always. That has to represent something.

 

If you look closely at the bear drawing you can see a hunter standing in front of it with a bow and arrow. It is truly amazing the fearlessness these men had in order to survive and provide for their families. In todays world, the man usually either just BBQ’s store bought meat, or says, pick out a restaurant. LOL.

Finally, we were getting tired and stopped at the grocery store for dinner provisions. We also stopped at our favorite consignment store here in Moab. It is called WASABI. For every purchase made they give $1.00 to any local community project you choose. We always choose the Humane Society. I purchased a beautiful basket for the dog’s toys that only cost $3.00.

Finally back at home; we showered and had dinner with Ron and Judy. She cooked a lovely pork roast and we provided the jasmine rice and vegetables. It was delicious.

After dinner we all went back to Mill's Creek Trail with the dogs. This time we took them to end of the trail. We took them to the local hangout at the waterfall. They really enjoyed it. It was dark leaving the trail and when we arrived home, we all crashed. It was a very long, very filled with adventure, kind of day.

Today we are taking Ron and Judy to Negro Bill’s Trail. There is a lot of water on this trail so the dogs can come with us. Thanks fro reading. 

Chicken Corners with Ron and Judy 6/13

Saturday, June 15, 2013

We have been so engaged that it seems I cannot find the time to blog as frequently as I would like. So once again, this blog is 2-3 days absorbed in one.

Ron and Judy, our friends from the Florida Keys, arrived Wednesday evening around 9:00pm. It was Ronnie’s 70^th birthday. We purchased a birthday cake and met them as they pulled in to the RV Park.  On the cake Tommy had written’ “if you were a tree, you wouldn’t be old”!  LOL!

Dillon and Sire playing

Thursday, they needed a day to get acclimated to the elevation and time change so we kept the day simple. We drove into town and brought them to the Welcome Center. There ,they picked up all kinds of literature regarding Moab and the million and one things to do here.

DA Boys

We also introduced them to the Moab Brewery where we ate too many appetizers and ended up omitting dinner that evening. Around 7 pm we took them up to Ken’s Lake. There, Dillon, Ron and Judy’s Portuguese Water Dog, was introduced to Sire and Beaux. They got along famously. The dogs played in the river for a bit and we  then journeyed up to some caves where there were remnants of an old movie set. Ron and Judy were excited. We both got some really good pictures and it was just enough to introduce them to Moab on their first day.

Pretty Moon

Friday rolled around and we decided to go Jeeping. We headed out towards Chicken Corners. This is one of the most beautifully scenic spots we have found thus far. It over looks the Colorado River with bends and cliffs and time lines in the rock formations.

Ron and Judy

Most of Moab has been under water, literally a sea, 7 times. These grounds, and mountains, house the largest concentration of dinosaur bones excavated in the world. With Russia being second. Just last week a visiting family uncovered a dinosaur along their journey and it turns out to be fully intact. That is a rare occasion. The family called in the experts and it is now being carefully removed from the earth and eventually they, the family, will have the right to name it. We see fossils everywhere but are told never to walk on them. They are a precious part of history from millions and millions of years ago and should remain for all generations to see.

So back to Chicken Corners. It is a complete 4x4, 3.5-hour drive on the trail to reach the end. The trail is challenging at times but incredibly scenic which makes the time fly by.

The route travels the Colorado River Canyon just below Moab. It follows a spectacular part of Kane Springs Canyon, climbs the Kane CreekAnticline to Hurrah Pass, and descends to benches above the Colorado River.  The trail dead-ends about 400 feet above the river across from Dead Horse Point. Dead Horse Point is on a lot of postcards from here. The trial is 17.2 miles in to the very end. At that point you park and hike a little less than a ½ mile to an open vista with remarkable views. 

Along your trek you will descend 1760 feet into canyons and climb 1827 feet to the summit. There are switchbacks and loose gravel with rockslides. It is not for the faint hearted. The very end of the trail is named Chicken Corners for a reason. If you’re a chicken you will NOT turn that corner.

hummingbird

We stopped at Base Camp along the way. There is man named Tom who owns Base Camp. It is a house on the river that has 4-6 guest bedrooms. It will cost you $110.00 a night and everyone shares the main house, including the kitchen. Tom lives there along with his 9-year-old daughter Linnie. He offers disc golf, rafting tours, four wheeling, hiking, kayaking, fishing, rock climbing, nature walks, bon fires, and great story telling. All is included in your stay, no extra costs.

Hogan

He also has 3 Hogans on property. Hogans are a sacred home for the Dine’, (Navajo) people who practice traditional religion.  Every family, even if they live most of the time in a newer home – must have a traditional Hogan for ceremonies, and to keep themselves in balance. The most common form consists of conical frame, made by setting up a number of sticks at and angle of about 45 degrees.  An opening is left on one side of the cone to answer as a doorway. The frame is covered with weeds, bark, and earth except at the apex, where the smoke from the fire in the center of the floor is allowed to escape. There is never a nail used and they are truly impressive.

After stopping at Base Camp, we traveled on to a hiking trail, which led us to petroglyphs. We drove down an arid river wash and parked by an old car that was stuck and left in the riverbed for many many years. We hiked from that point around a huge rock and found several writings on the rock wall. Every time we find new petroglyphs Tommy tries to interpret them. Sometimes we can make sense of the them and others we are at a loss. Still, they are pretty cool to witness.

Back on the trail we headed toward the Wind Caves, but decided to stop there on the way back. They are a series of massive rocks that the wind has carved caves into. It’s almost like a carnival house of mirrors. You become confused inside with all the twists and turns, but is quite an experience. Years and years and years of wind have sculptured these amazing mazes. 

We continued on to the end and when we reached our destination and parked, Ron decided not to hike. We were 400 above the river and the hiking trail is approximately 4-5 feet wide with a rock wall on your left and a cliff on your right. We didn’t know it but Ron is not a fan of heights.

There, where you park, is a sole pinnacle rock that is completely separated from the trail and of course Tommy was the first one to jump over onto it. He coaxed Judy and me and eventually we also jumped over on it. This was huge feat for Judy. She is afraid of heights also and you can see down to the bottom through the separation of rocks. She was brave and proud and it was well deserved.

We sat and ate our celebratory apples along with cheese and bing cherries that Judy had brought along, and started our trek back.

We cancelled the stop at the wind caves on the way back because it was getting to be after 5pm and our dogs, along with Dillon, have been in the RV since we left at 9:30 that morning.

We finally got back home around 6:30, fed the animals and took them to Mills Creek for some fun. Dillon and Sire love the water. Dillon is as goofy as he is cute. Beaux and he are quickly becoming best friends.

  

After the boys came home and had baths, we all went out for burgers and hit the hay early. It was a long day and very much fun filled.

Today, Saturday, we are hanging low and catching up with laundry. Thanks for reading! (Double click on the pictures for a slide show).