Here's photographs of the ten members of our backpacking group, taken on the evening of our last campsite. First, Kim Robinette. Sitting around our various camps, we also gave everyone names from the Seven Dwarfs movie, or something similar. So Kim is alias "Happy." Everyone is from the Knoxville, TN, area except as noted.
Will Skelton, alias "Sleazy Dopey" (named by Ron on a prior trip, using the lawyer connection).
Susie McDonald, alias (self-named) "Grumpy."
Roger Jenkins alias "Ropey" (Roger lost our rope somewhere on the first day, although we never really needed it). Roger and Susie are from Bozeman, MT, having moved there from Knoxville for retirement a few years agao.
Sue Fisher, alias "Indy' (for her exploration).
Andy Butler, alias "Sneezy" (he had a cold). Andy and Sue are from near Austin, TX, having moved there from Knoxville some time ago.
John Finger alias "Doc" (he was one of the five people with doctorates on the trip).
Barbara Allen, alias "Bashful" (awarded because it's so untrue).
Terri Cox (her first alias was Sneezy II as she was getting over a cold, and then she suggested "Noisy").
And last but certainly not least, as he fixes really good pancakes (sometimes), Ron Shrieves. Plus he did all the driving for the group Kim and I were with. Alias "Dumbo" which I gave to him on a prior trip after he named me.
Our group converged on Blanding, Utah, from all over. Here Ron is driving a rental Ford Expedition with myself, and Kim , John , and Terri; we drove through Farmington, NM. Roger and Susie drove down from Bozeman, MT; Andy and Sue flew up from near Austin, TX, and Barbara drove out from Knoxville.
As a precursor to hiking in Anasazi country, the Ford Expedition group stopped in Bloomfield at the Salmon Ruins Museum. Built by native peoples from Chaco Canyon and later occupied by peoples from Mesa Verde, the ruins are located above the floodplain of the San Juan River. Here's a good description and map showing where the Anasazi peoples went when they abandoned their Four Corners houses, incluidng Salmon Ruins.
A perfect clay pot in the museum.
And the ruins, which are shaped like a bracket, with the open area facing the river. Only the back (shown here) and one side have been excavated.
There are numerous kivas, more than ordinarily the case, at the Salmon Ruins, including this "Tower Kiva" up high, and a much larger one in the open portion of the "bracket."
After viewing the ruins, we had a great lunch at the Three Rivers Eatery and Brewery in downtown Farmington, NM. Then on west into the Navajo Indian Reservation.
West of Shiprock, NM, driving through the Navajo Indian Reservation, we run into the worst sand storm any of us had seen. The pictures show how bad it was. And last time I was in this area, about the same time of year, Kim and I ran into a snow storm. So lots of possible weather.
The really bad sand was over after a half hour or so, but until Bluff, Utah, there was evidence of the storm.
Finally in Blanding we have dinner at the Homestead Steak House across from our Gateway Motel.
Ray Payne flew out for a driving vacation in the Four Corners area, but met us for dinner in Blanding.
On Sunday morning we're at the BLM Kane Gulch Ranger Station for permits, and we get some bad news for our proposed hiking route. A ranger had told Roger by telephone that we could descend into McCloyd and then hike down canyon to the mouth of Fish Canyon, and exit by Fish Canyon. So that's what we planned. But this ranger says no way, it's very very difficult, and he was right when we later saw the route. So we quickly (we've done this before) changed plans to a new Plan B: Go into McCloyd and see the Moonhouse Ruins and pour-offs that block descent of the canyon, then hike across the mesa to a point lower down McCloyd Canyon that this ranger says some people go down (although telling is the ranger's comment that he had not personally done it...see more later).
We drove down the sometimes very bad Snow Flat Road to the trailhead for McCloyd Canyon. Roger took the opportunity at this particularly difficult place to practice his traffic direction-giving skills.
In 2008 Carol Coffey and I, after our canyon backpack, drove down this road contemplating a day hike to McCloyd Canyon, but turned back at this point; Carol's all wheel drive mini van wasn't up to this sort of road but the SUV's did fine.
The classic view of the Bears Ears Peaks to the north of Cedar Mesa, behind which is located another wonderful hiking area, Dark Canyon.
We hiked from our trailhead down an ORV road and then on a trail to the canyon rim. This is our first view of the principal purpose for going into McCloyd Canyon, the Moon House Ruins.
Close up of Moon House Ruins, which we'll day hike to on Monday.
On down into McCloyd.
There were several difficult points, with this being one of the easier ones.
The view down into McCloyd Canyon; we camped around the bend in the distance; Moonhouse Ruin is upcanyon to the left.
The most difficult point in descending into McCloyd Canyon is getting down this slickrock wall, maybe 10 feet or so.
We ended up sliding the packs down to someone waiting below, and then carefully climbing down. The descent was aided by a pile of rocks someone had placed at the bottom.
Here's the last steep climb down to the rock canyon floor.
The first of many unique and beautiful rock formations we'll see.
Finallly we're at the bottom of McCloyd Canyon.
Then we walked down canyon about a half mile to our campsite. There were several more difficult sections and especially this one.
The wildflowers were great, starting with these. They're probably a Locoweed, sweet pea or wild peavine.
Camp in McCloyd Canyon, beside a dry creek bed but with water not far away.
After getting camp set up, on Sunday afternoon everyone headed out for day hikes, down canyon first to see the major pour-offs that prevent an easy descent of the canyon.
Here Kim and I are standing just above the lip of the first of three major pouroffs in McCloyd Canyon. They prevent one's walking on down canyon, and the only way around them is a very difficult route that simply isn't doable with packs.
SilveryTownsendia.
There are at least two difficult areas in the descent of McCloyd Canyon, by which you get around the three pour-offs. Kim is looking at the first one, above the first pour-off. No sane person would do it with a backpack and without really good rock climbing protection.
The red arrow points to the place you have to cross, with backpack, and at which Kim was looking. No one even considered giving it a try, because the exposure, a 500 foot or so fall, is just too great.
Another view of the difficult passage. The rangers reported a woman fell to her death from this spot last year.
Barbara and Terri hiking on the other side of the canyon wall, having gone down the left side above the pour-off while we went down the right side.
Some of the cryptobiotic soil of the high deserts, which we try to avoid when possible.
Although the creek wasn't generally flowing, upper McCloyd Canyon had lots of great pools like this one.
Back in our McCloyd Canyon campsite.
Roger.
And Susie preparing dinner.
And Kim.
And Terri.
And finally Ron showing everyone his "spread sheet" of his meals for the backpack. Interesting how people choose their dinner meals; Kim and I simply pile all the dinner entrees into a bag, and each evening pick out one to eat while others have set entrees for each evening.
On Monday everyone hiked up canyon to see the Moon House Ruins and other near by ruins. T
That's Ron way up on the canyon wall, near the Moonhouse Ruins.
The same rock as seen on Sunday, from a different perspective and different light.
After climbing up a fairly easy route up to the rock level where the ruins are located, we're at the Moonhouse Ruins.
Easily one of the best set of ruins I've seen in canyon country and even author Kesley calls them one of the best on the Colorado Plateau.
There are about 49 rooms in the complex.
Most unusual, we haven't seen it before, is that Moon House has an outer wall and the rooms are built behind the outer wall. This photograph is of the outer wall; behind it is a small courtyard and then several rooms.
Here's a stitched-together photograph of the entire "outer wall."
The variety of number of ruins is outstanding, and all are quite scenic with the green McCloyd Canyon far below.
Kim just below the outer wall.
Inside the outer wall. The outer wall is on the left, and the rooms are on the right, with the courtyard in between.
The outer wall has small peepholes that provide visibility of every portion of the canyon below; this view is looking through one of them.
Kim sitting in the entrance though the outer wall; entry into most of the ruins is prohibited but is allowed through this doorway, so this is the only ruin we entered.
Roger and Susie having lunch below Moon House Ruins.
And both down canyon and up canyon there are other ruins; these are just down from Moon House Ruins.
Interesting "arrow" rock.
After seeing Moon House, Kim and I hiked back up to the mesa top, hoping for cell phone reception so she could call her son Forrest Robinette and find out how the sophomore class presidency election at Webb High School in Knoxville went (Forrest is cuyrrently the freshman president and was running for sophomore president).
Western wallflower
At the very highest point on the trail/road that leads to the rim of McCloyd Canyon we were finally able to get cell phone reception, probably from Blanding since it's the only town remotely in line of sight, and its around 35 miles away. Bluff may be a bit closer but it's well below the canyon rims and last time we were there did not have cell phone service.
The election result is that Forrest made the runoffs; and a strange runoff with three people in the runoff. So we won't know the final election results until we finish the backpack on Saturday.
Heading back toward McCloyd Canyon; an ORV road (which we chose not to drive) goes to near the canyon rim and a trail leads on down into the canyon.
Note these day hikers lowering their dog down over the difficult point of the descent. They rode 4-wheelers down the ORV road as far as they could and passed Kim and me hiking. And their large dog, not on a leash, came charging toward us; I didn't see it until Kim yelled "there comes a big dog!" I turned and really didn't have time to access whether it was a friend or foe type tog, and yelled at the dog and pointed my trekking pole at it. The dog quickly backed off. The lady however was furious that I'd even threaten her dog charging me and jumped off the ORV and started yelling. Her husband on ahead apologized for her behavior, saying she was "very protective of the dog."
Reflection of McCloyd Canyon walls on a pool in the canyon bottom.
Our second night, Monday night, in McCloyd Canyon.
Ron's delicious looking pizza.
And Kim and my dinner, Spanish Rice with added black beans and re-hydrated salsa.
On Tuesday we have to climb back out of McCloyd since we can't go on down canyon. Here we're again negotiating the difficult portion.
Once on the mesa top, we then hike cross-country, parallel somewhat to McCloyd Canyon, to a side canyon of McCloyd where the ranger said we might be able to descend to the canyon bottom and bypass the three pour-offs.
On the mesa we found some great evidence that the Anasazi once lived up here, probably tending crops when there was more rainfall. Lots of pottery pieces lying around in several places.
Across a somewhat clear area that was probably "chained" by the BLM; they use huge chains to clear the land of pinion pine and juniper trees and sagebrush and hope more grass will grow for the cows that they seem to think more of than anything.
This is the first view we had of what we'll call "Little McCloyd Canyon" since it's the only significant tributary of McCloyd; this is were the ranger told us we might be able to descend to the canyon bottom. Ron and then Andy went down for a look, and we anxiously awaited their news. In retrospect I wish I had either remembered more or had my map from the 1991 trip, as it turns out back then I'd hiked UP McCloyd Canyon to this side canyon, and then ascended all the way to the top ledge. Note the Anasazi ruins just below the rim rock face at the left side of the picture. Then check the next photo.
These are the ruins in the prior photograph and to which I climbed in 1991, and which Kelsey calls "three ruins & kiva" on his map (note two ruins and a kiva at top of the ruin on right; note also that you cannot see the THIRD ruin that's hidden behind the cliff face at bottom left). So clearly the canyon-top was accessible in 1991 from the bottom; whether conditions have changed or what since then I'm not sure, but at the time I'd forgotten about my climbing up to these ruins.
For comparison, here are four photographs taken in 1991. First, here's a photograph looking up Little McCloyd Canyon from near it's mouth; I climbed up the rock terraces on the right to reach the ruins at the top center, just below the overhanging wall.
Second, this is the pour-off up LIttle McCloyd Canyon a ways, and located I think, just below where we waited on the rim in 2009; it can be ascended to the left side behind the photographer.
Next is a photograph taken from I think above the pour-off, loking over at the ruins, just below the desert varnish streaked cliff in the middle and just left of middle.
And here's the ruins themselves in 1991. Compare to the prior telephoto shot. They look almost the same after 18 years. Also note that the ruin on the left is not visible in the 2009 telephoto shots; only the two ruins to the right are visible. The ruin just to the right of center is the best to compare the 2009 and 1991 photographs; the ruins look identical.
And finally a timer shot of me looking in one of the ruins in 1991; the place we waited on Andy and Ron in 1991 is on the rim to the top left.
Returning to 2009, there were more ruins in Little McCloyd Canyon, just across from where we waited and which I didni't find in 1991.
And a close-up.
Roger's getting impatient.
Do these look like Easter Island statutes or what?
And some kind of desert sheik?
We wait on the results of Ron and Andy's explorations.
We wait some more. IF we can't make it down into McFloyd, the option we talk about is to do the classic Fish and Owl Canyons loop that some of us did in 1991.
We think the red arrow is pointing to the second difficult passage in coming down McCloyd and bypassing the pour-offs. The guidebook author, Michael Kesley, describes it as a "skinny passage."
And here's a close up of the "skinny ledge."
Common paintbrush.
The news is bad; half way back up Ron slices his hand across his throat. Both he and Andy agree it's not feasible to go on, so we revert to plan C we've been discussing: hike to the cars, and drive to the Fish and Owl Canyons trailhead where our shuttle car is located, and do the famous Fish and Owl Canyons loop backpack.
Roger nears the vehicles as we prepare for Plan C.
And here we are at a new canyon entrance, Owl Canyon. We went in this way in 1991, but those of us on that trip (myself, Roger, John and Barbara) forgot how difficult it was (or we're older and/or the terrain has gotten worse).
Descending into Owl Canyon.
A small ruin on the way into the canyon.
A view down Owl Canyon.
Kim contemplating a difficult section; she had to climb down the rock wall to her left.
And another difficult section.
Finally we're down to the canyon bottom with running water, and reeds like here.
Our camp on Tuesday night in upper Owl Canyon.
Kim and my tent beside the creek.
On Wednesday we headed on down Owl Canyon, to a planned campsite below the junction of Owl and Fish Canyon. This is a Showy stoneseed.
I'm walking toward a huge pour-off in upper Owl Canyon, with a trickle of water making it a real waterfall.
But to get down to the really large turquoise pool below the waterfall, several more difficult sections have to be traversed.
And here's the pool at the bottom of the pour-off.
Scapose greenthread.
Could be a very rough road.
Eaton's penstemon; there are several photographs of these.
Claretcup cactus.
One of many pools in upper Owl Canyon.
An interesting block of sandstone.
The most scenic single sight in Owl is probably Neville Arch, first seen here just showing behind the canyon wall on the left.
We finally reach the junction of Owl and Fish Creeks, and here Kim is walking past our 1991 campsite on the right side of Fish Creek. We moved on down canyon this year so we wouldn't have to walk so far for water.
Ron contemplating the canyon or whatever.
Kim and my tent in lower Fish Canyon, where we'll layover for two night, Wednesday and Thursday.
This is the rather dubious source of water for our campsite. Note the old beaver dam upstream, and there's a larger one with a good sized pool just downstream. So needless to say we pumped and boiled and pilled the water (my Katadyn Hiker Pro water purification pump's handle broke while I was using it on this trip, a rather serious design defect since two other people on the trip have had the same problem; I was able to use it some with difficulty and Ron also loaned us his Sweetwater pump several times).
On Thursday we did a day hike down Fish Canyon, mainly to see a couple of Anasazi "Watchtower Ruins." This is maybe the Dandelion bladderpod.
Whipples fishhook cactus.
This has got to be a huge rock pig?
Tumbleweed.
The creek is still flowing and here I'm getting water to replace the water we drank for lunch.
This is our first view going down Fish Canyon of the Watchtower Ruin, high on the cliff in the center of the photograph, right on top of the top-like rock.
And a little closer view of the best Watchtower type ruin I've ever seen, on the horizon in the distance, indicated by the arrow.
And a close up by telephoto lens, although Kim and I promptly climb up to it. The others turned back after seeing a watchtower below this one, but I really wanted to see it close up as I'd done in 1991 when it really made an impression on me.
The canyon wall we climb.
Difficult in places but certainly doable.
The view down canyon from the location of the Watchtower.
And here we are at the Watchtower. It's constructed of fitted rock, without moter or plaster, on a top-like rock on the edge of the mesa, with incredible view everywhere.
And some close-ups.
In 1991 I climbed up to the ruins themselves, using some logs that have been since removed on the right side. Note a pile of rocks on the right side where the logs used to be; without the logs it's way dangerous for me to try without protection. And as we left I removed the rock; probably better to leave the ruins alone. And I wonder how long they'll last up there; they've lasted maybe 700-900 years so far.
Sitting under the spinning top rock.
Here's a couple of photographs taken on the 1991 trip. Note the log 'ladder" on the right that I used to ascend to the ruins in 1991.
And here's the ruins themselves after I'd climbed to the top of the top-shaped rock on the log ladder in 1991.
We finally had to leave, and hike out the rim looking for a place to descend down toward the lower Watchtower. Here Kim is taking a final look back through a monocular.
Whipple's fishhook cactus.
More Scapose greenthread.
This is our route down, and was kinda difficult although a small tree made it possible.
Woolley locoweed.
Common globemallow, one of the most beautiful of desert wildflowers.
This faint trail leads up to the second and lower Watchtower Ruin.
The ruin is not is as good shape, probably because it is more accessible. It is located just above the Fish Creek floodplain on a low ridge.
More Common globemallow
Lots of pottery shards around the ruin, since people probably also lived here.
Common globemallow
Larkspur.
Here's a 1991 photograph taken from the lower Watchtower, with the higher Watchtower visible on the right canyon rim. The lower Watchtower seems to have suffered some damage and is not nearly as high.
And here's almost the same view, taken in 2009, of the lower and upper Watchtowers.
Back in camp on Thursday night. Here Roger is working with his Steripen water purification system, the virtues of which he had extolled to me that morning, but with several malfunctions he wasn't as enthusiastic at dinner. So I'm sticking with a manual pump for now.
Ron and John at dinner.
Kim and I had what is probably my most favorite dinner, spaghetti with re-hydrated Paul Newman Mariana sauce.
On Friday morning we head back up the canyon, and go up Fish Canyon at the junction of Fish and Owl. Here are some colorful grasses near our camp.
Up Fish Canyon.
These strange circular growths of grass are found all over canyon country.
Here's a rather obvious sculpture in stone.
Note the "footprint" in the rock.
Finally we come to flowing water in Fish, which is wetter than Owl for more of its length.
One of the first ponderosa pine trees we see in upper Fish Canyon.
A huge rock monolith in upper Fish Canyon; on the backpack I carried Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: Odyssey Two" but as usual read not a word; I did finish it on the flight home, and this rock certainly reminds on of the monolith found on the moon in that science fiction book.
The hiking gets harder in upper Fish Canyon.
Near the campsite are several huge and beautiful pools; Ron and John went swimming in one and reported very cold waters.
Our final Friday night's campsite in upper Fish Canyon. Just below the route of the steep climb out.
Cave primrose.
Before darkness settled in, we saw these wilted flowers right beside our tent and wondered what they were; see more later.
The campsite for Kim and me was just about perfect. A pool and flowing water beside us, rock benches to sit things on, a flat sandy tent site (although I had to use rocks to tie the tent down since rock was just under the sand), a large shelf of rock in the distance for everyone to cook and socialize on, a beautiful canyon all around us, and bullfrogs after dusk to serenade us at night.
The final night's meal is macaroni and cheese, with re-hydrated salsa on top.
After cooking dinner and preparing to get into the tent, I noticed something white beside the tent and was shocked to see these beautiful white Dwarf evening primroses. They bloom at night and die and turn pink as the day fades. Nocturnal insects pollinate them.
These photographs are taken with the camera flash.
Note the Evening primroses near the center of the picture, behind the tent. They will soon wilt and turn pink, but in the early morning light they were especially beautiful.
Closer views of the Evening primroses.
During the night we heard rain and for the rest of the night and morning we had periodic rain. So for the first time we don rain gear as we head out of the canyon Saturday morning, and the tent was packed up wet.
At a rest stop on the steep climb out, I got the camera out and took several photographs of the wet and different looking canyon below.
We reached the rim and with the rain stopped are looking back at the canyon.
Here's a view of the final crux of the climb out; actually it was not as difficult as a sloping 15 foot section of sandstone down below that we had to carefully climb up.
The last backpacking photograph, taken overlooking Fish Canyon. We then hiked 2 miles across the mesa to the vehicles and drove to the Ranger Station. After hugs and goodbyes, everyone was off in different directions for the trips home.
Our Ford Expedition group drove south off Cedar Mesa and down the Moqui Dugout Road to Mexican Hat for lunch. These are views from the Moqui Dugout Road, a narrow and twisting gravel road built to access uranium mines years ago.
The Moqui Dugout Road through our windshield.
The western end of Cedar Mesa from the south.
The "Mexican Hat" after which the town of Mexican Hat on the San Juan River. We headed there for lunch.
It's kind of a tradition if possible to eat in Mexican Hat at the San Juan Cafe; they've got a new sign out front shown here.
Everyone had Navajo Tacos, either meat or vegetarian versions, shown here.
Then we drove on to Santa Fe, by the Shiprock formation shown here, with a stop at the Three Rivers Eatery and Brewery in downtown Farmington for cream sodas that we had on the way out and which were so good.
Across northern New Mexico and here it's obvious why so many painters love the area for its light.
In Santa Fe we were treated to this great rainbow just as we arrived at our hotel.
We had dinner Saturday night in Santa Fe at one of the best New Mexican food places anywhere, Maria's. They've got 100 types of margaritas and the ones we had were the best.
On Sunday we explored Santa Fe a bit.
The historic Santa Fe plaza.
The area on the east side of the plaza where Indians sell jewelery and such.
Art is big in Santa Fe and here's a painting being done.
We had brunch at the Cafe Pascual's, a must try in Santa Fe. Later we drove back to Albuquerque and everyone except me flew home on Monday; I stayed for a short road trip in southern New Mexico (see separate album).
