Falling Man Update

In a bit of unusual happenstance, Gordon and I were taking one of our last rides together on the butte this season (and still commiserating about the complete incompetence of the BLM over the "first rock" fecal "grafitti" that they have been completely ignoring for the past two years on some of the most old and rare petroglyphs in the whole area) when we saw something completely unexpected that I'll tell you about.

But first, as you may know, there are petroglyphs of several different ages at this particular site and it's some of the oldest that are being destroyed by the fecal matter being flung at them. We've posted about this before in this blog and reported it to the ranger as well as other BLM officials more than once. My guess is that either they are so misguided that they think large birds can't fly to another rock to nest; OR they are too lazy to do the minimal work necessary to "rearrange" the birds descretionary choices.

PEOPLE, birds can move (even poor little eagles) but petroglyphs can't! And, once they're gone, they're gone… FOREVER!

However, I digress. You must forgive me, for this kind of "official" incompetance stirs my soul. Back to the story.

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Extreme Sleepovers

While researching for an unrelated post I stumbled upon an article which had me mesmerized enough to journey on a major diversion of such proportion that I still can't remember what it was that I was originally looking for.

The great gimmick these days seems to be trying to set yourself apart and garner attention by calling whatever you are doing an "extreme" something. "Extreme Makeover," "Extreme Sports," … "Extreme Politics," "Extreme Tree Hugging." You get the idea.

So I was a little taken back to see the title: "Extreme Sleepovers" – sorta sounds like something your teenage son is begging for you to authorize over spring break. It turns out however, that if anything has the real right to call itself "Extreme" anything it's this: doing research on Mt. Everest.

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NEW: Bryce Canyon Trail System

You know, with age, I find it increasingly difficult to do two things at once. I learned a term in my youth, back when things called computers were invented – it's called "time sharing." Afterwards, the womens movement claimed the prior discovery rights to the activity; they said it had been inherent in the gender to "multi-task" since the time of Eve.

I used to be able to do it like a whiz, you know: drive and read a map, listen on the phone and continue reading mail, dictate a letter and drive to work, walk and chew gum… I used to be able to juggle navigating an ATV over a single-track, watching a GPS trac, scanning for photo ops, listening to a CD and pointing out items of interest to companions all at one time. Well, I still can do the "gum" thing but it's difficult to both work on building trail maps and write blogs at the same time.

However, have I got a deal for you today! A rider from southern California named Randy began communicating with me several months ago about some rides he had taken up in Utah, around the Bryce Canyon area. Over the last three or four months, we've been communicating about the area and he has been able to send in three great GPS tracks for those of you who want to ride the area with your offroad machines.

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Offroad: Gold Butte - Jumbo Mine, Historic Baylor

This was the fourth ride for the Kokopelli ATV club in the 2010-11 riding season. It seemed like there were more new faces each time we rode and that everyone was getting side-by-sides. Some who rode single rigs last year were trading them in for "double wide" and bringing their wives along.

And this ride was a great place to be. It finished a previous club ride around the lower Gold Butte-Treasure Hawk Mine area which was cut short, due to some mechanical failures that required a bit of towing – yet one more reason not to go alone out on "The Butte." Especially on such a seldom used trail as this.

Almost directly on the other side of the mountain from the historic town of Gold Butte (east), is the historic town site of Baylor. Now only a dusty wide spot in the trail, people once lived there while working the area's mines in. Who knows, for a vacation they might have gone to the "big city," Gold Butte, of a weekend.

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Offroad: Gold Butte - Middle Area for Seniors

Absolutely anyone who has been on Gold Butte more than once in the past three years will immediately recognize the devastating effect the "Great BLM Barricade Project of 2009" has had on Seniors ability to visit sites they have been to for years and years.

Add that to the "landscaping" and "corrals" the fiends of Gold Butte have inflicted on the area and people who have lived here for years can't even recognize the place even if they could get to it.

Even though the Great BLM Trail Closure decimated accessibility to seniors, this post describes a full day ride through the Middle Gold Butte riding area, full of great color and things to see (if you can hike)… and to remember (if you can't).   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: Middle Gold Butte For Seniors.]

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Offroad: Mesquite - Canyonlands, Virgin River

This second offroad excursion in the 2011 snowbird year was taken out of exasperation with the continual bad weather over the previous month. Rain and cold had precluded riding our ATVs for what seemed like an eternity so we bundled up at the first sign of the sun in weeks for an afternoon ride into "the Canyonlands."

We also wanted to see what, if anything was left of the trails along the Virgin River which was doing its SECOND "100 year flood" in five years.   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: Canyonlands-Virgin River.]

Tecnhically, I supposed, the Canyonland trails are on Gold Butte, but the area is only 4 miles past the Riverside Road turn off, and still connected to the West Bunkerville Flats riding area. Most locals don't consider "riding the Butte" to begin until you at least round the gap at the Little Virgin Mountains along Clives Landing.

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Trail 1: Gold Butte Backcountry Byway and Mine

Despite a couple of rain and show storms, the 2010-11 Winter riding season is underway around Mesquite Nevada. Offroading Home accompanied the Kokopelli ATV club on its second ride this season (didn't want to brave their first ride in the snow).

There were several 'new' members along to make taking one of the "old standard rides" – the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway – very interesting and enjoyable, even when a sticky automatic-choke valve requred towing and cut the ride a tiny bit short.   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: Trail 1: Byway/Treasure Hawk.]

Whitney Junction

Even though we had eight or nine trailers, we were able to swing around the newly environmentalist-inflicted, railroad-tie fenced, control-those-nasty-offroaders parking lot they've landscaped the desert with now at Whitney Junction and still all fit in. That was most assuredly because we all arrived fairly close together and had the same goal as we swung around and parked properly. Surprised that the environmentalist scheme to landscape didn't fit in with what the area is actually used for? I'm not. Who's gonna break it to the campers that their spot is actually supposed to be a parking lot?

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Moab 4WD Backroads: Central - Part 4

Even though Moab isn't in either of its surrounding "national areas," it takes next to zero amount of "make-up" to change this area of the desert into a Disney-worthy spectacular extravaganza. They don't call this Canyonlands for nothing!

And even though it doesn't take much to turn the area from a peaceful ride into a life-threatening challange (think rain, flash floods and landslides) more and more of the "get-away-from-it-all" population is landing in this Coppola-esq city – some, even in the blistering summer.

As Offroading Home readers know, we have begun digitizing the trails found in Charles Wells' book "Moab, Ut Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails" and this is the fourth and final post about those ATV and SUV trails in the central area whose base-camp is the town of Moab. Two other riding areas remain for digitizing into maps; but, we thought that you would rather see them as each area is finished rather than waiting until the whole map is done.   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: Offroading Home on the Utah tab under the file name: "UtahMoabTrailsystem.kmz".]

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Moab 4WD Backroads: Central - Part 3

If you've been following along with these series of posts about the new "Moab Trail System" maps, you've got to be tired of exclaiming "wow!" There is some incredible country "down south."

And the most interesting thing is that many "tourist types" [you know – see the world from your car window] drive right by most of it not having a clue that there's anything there. In all fairness, when you look at the land from road level it does look kinda flat and non-descript. But that's because the much of the terrain is: under ground (i.e. below surface level.)

And that's precisely where many of the offroaders in the area have their most fun – finding a way down to the river along the ridges in the cliffs and down the washes. Erosion is what has made the Moab area, not tectonics like in much of the rest of the country.

Of the twenty trails mentioned in the book "Moab, Ut Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails" by Charles Wells" as being in the Central riding area, a full 14 are rated "difficult" and require modified vehicles.   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: Offroading Home under the "Utah" tab and in the file "UtahMoabTrailsystem.kmz".]

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Moab 4WD Backroads: Central - Part 2

This is the second of four posts describing the trails in the central riding area described in the book "Moab, UT Backroads and 4-Wheel Drive Trails" by Charles A. Wells. Like the majority of riders into the Moab area – Wells is merely a "visitor"; but, he's done it a lot!

Offroading Home is digitizing GPS tracks for the trails he describes in the book. The fifteen trails in the Northwest area were published previously and now we are working on the 20 trails in the Central area, the majority of which are considered "difficult." Wells rode the trails in his Jeep (and therefore "street legal") but many should be rideable in an ATV with a bit of pre-planning.

  [The portion of the map for the "Central" riding area of the system is complete and ready for download over at the Offroading Home web site, under the Utah tab and entitled, of all things: "UtahMoabTrailSystem.kmz".]

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Moab 4WD Backroads: Central - Part 1

Three previous posts explained that we are digitizing trails in the Moab Utah area into a master map which will serve as a companion to the book: Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails. The Northwest and Arches section was completed and received heavy amounts of downloads in its first week of offering.

Now, the portion of the map for the "Central" riding area of the system is complete and ready for download over at the Offroading Home web site, under the Utah tab and entitled, of all things: "UtahMoabTrailSystem.kmz". As usual, it's a Google Earth file and requires the program in order to be utilized. You may want to run on over there and load the file while we explain some of the trails – I'll wait.

There are twenty trails in this central riding area, immediately adjacent to Moab, which will be covered in four posts. If the Northeast section was predominantly "easy" trails, then the trails in this area are mostly for the experienced rider and modified rigs – most are really "hard"!

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GEO-tography: Mountains

Black, white, red, blue, brown, rocky, smokey or superstitious – the one thing they all have in common is: they're mountains!

Continuing our series of posts about GEOtography, today we have a collection of photographs that we found on the web about mountains of all sizes, shapes and colors.

Despite their ubiquity around the globe, these photos pretty much tell the tale that: mountains are usually, really off-road.
[Remember, like always, these are full photographs so be patient while they load.]

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Moab 4WD Backroads: Northwest - Part 3

My guess is that these posts about the Moab Trail System Map which Offroading Home has produced will go on to become one of the all-time most downloaded before this is done.   From the looks of my "site analytics" either Google has finally found us OR there are an awfully lot of you who are planning a trip to Moab Utah in the next few weeks!

This is the third (of three) posts about the fifteen trails in the Northwest Moab area of those listed in "Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails" by Charles Wells and includes those around the Secret Spire and Mineral Point section.   There are three other areas listed in the book which are under construction; but, this one being done, I felt like y'all would like to see it now and from the looks of things it was fairly timely.   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: Offroading Home on the "Utah" tab.]

You should be aware that Wells prepared his book of trails from the back of an SUV and a Jeep so they might not be directly transferable to ATV rides as they stand.   Looking at the satellite image however, there are definitely alternate trailheads for these trails which avoid paved roads.   Check with local shops for better details when you get down there – then please let us know if we need to change anything.   AND please turn on your GPS so you can send us your track which will allow us to verify the map.

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Moab 4WD Backroads: Northwest - Part 2

Whoa… there must be a grundle of you guys heading for Moab in the next few weeks cause my blog "hits" went off the wall a couple of days ago when I posted about the "Moab Trails" offroad map. Good for you, it's a great place to ride – AND it's getting to be the best season to ride down there as well!

This is the second of three parts about the Google Earth map Offroading Home is producing as a compliment to Charles Wells' book "Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails".   There are 15 trails in the "Northwest Moab and Arches NP" area and it is now complete.   The other areas are under construction even as we speak.   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: Offroading Home on the "Utah" tab.]

Wells is not a Moab native but he just as well could be with all the time he must have spend there riding and re-riding these 58 trails for his second edition of this book.   Originally trained as a graphic designer he moved to Colorado and became a printer come outdoorsman.   Not content with riding only Colorado trails he joined a club and began riding Moab – the rest, as they say is history.

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Moab 4WD Backroads: Northwest - Part 1

When someone sends me a book full of offroad trails it's a bit difficult for me not to want to create a Google Earth map to go along with it as I analyze it for possible rides.   Such is the case with a book which I recieved as a donation some months back: "Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails" by Charles A. Wells, published by FunTreks.   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: Offroading Home on the "Utah" tab.]

I've mentioned his books before in relation to the various types of "difficulty ratings" found between various sources.   There are 58 trails described in this book, all given difficulty ratings of: Easy, Moderate, Difficult or Extreme, and all found within close proximity to Moab in Utah's "Canyonlands."   Arches National Park is in the area in case you were wondering.

Some of the trails are part of the Easter Jeep Safari held every year down that way which draws hundreds of "jeepers" from all over the country.   Therefore the trails in his book are sort of based upon "street legal" vehicles; but, in most cases a little review will enable you to decide upon a slightly different trailhead which circumvents paved roads and will allow you to ride an ATV.

Wells has also written two other books called: "ATV Trails Guide" for both Moab and Colorado's central mountains (which I would greatfully receive as a donation or loan should someone like to see a map made of its trails – hint, hint… see the donation link "wish list.")

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Autumn Leaf Loop - East Canyon

Our "Autumn Leaf" tour around the Wasatch Range concludes this post as we reach East Canyon after having traveled from I-215 in Immigration Canyon, around through Mirror Lake in the High Uintas and out through Evanston Wyoming before going over Monte Cristo past Causey Reservoir. Backroads all the way, it none-the-less is easy for our offroad-challenged street vehicle and covers nine counties in Utah and Wyoming.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Autumn Leaf Loop]

We're now looking at the leaves going out of Huntsville over Trappers Loop on our way to Weber Canyon where we'll head to the Morgan exit.   It's been a slightly grander "Sunday Drive" to see the leaves than we originally bargained for; but, hey, these are the the autumn colors we're seeing and this is the mountains!   And besides, we remember all these places back from the time when we were less chronologically challenged (or at least tell ourselves we do) and the government was less extensively exclusionary of seniors.

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Autumn Leaf Loop - Mirror Lake

Recently, we took a grand-loop tour up Immigration canyon, through the Uinta Mountains by Mirror Lake, around through Woodruff and down Monte Cristo, by Causey Dam, into Huntsville and over Trappers Loop, up Weber Canyon to Morgan then over East Canyon until… finally, reaching Immigration Canyon again.   [Those of you who have never heard of these places, trust me, it's a long way for a day-trip.]

A bit more than one deliberately sets out to take in one fell-swoop; but, once you get going, it's hard to stop… until you can't, and it's just plain "shorter" to go around than go back.   Especially when you think you remember all the places you're seeing – and even more especially when you're talking about the Uinta Mountains where most of us had spent many a summer.

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NEW: Black Joe Mine-Horse Thief Canyon-Keyhole Canyon Trails

In his nearly tireless efforts to GPS track every offroad trail in southern Nevada before he turns 30, Mike took his jeep across "the dam" (or possibly we should call it "THE Dam") the other day with his son and captured two more trails: Black Joe Mine and Horse Thief Canyon.   [A free Google Earth file of this route is available at: OffroadingHome.com/nevada/nevada.htm and is called the "Great Basin SUV Trails: Southern Nevada" map.]

He says his son loves to hike, which is a good thing because both of these trails end in a short hike to mines or the mountains, although at least one requires climbing gear.

As you can see from opening the map in Google Earth, both trail-heads are just a hop-skip-and-a-jump east of Boulder Dam on the Arizona side. ATVs or high-clearance 4WDs are a must on these trails due to rugged terrain and pinch points, and both have primitive camping opportunities.

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GEO-tography: The Island of Antelopes

Offroading Home took a short jaunt over to Antelope Island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake the other day. Later, when I posted about it, I reviewed our trip on the Google Earth map and was struck by how many Panoramio postings of photographs there were.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Antelope Island Auto Tour]

Continuing our series of GEOtography, I've selected a few, which struck me by their color, composition and content as being representative of the island, and have posted them below.

You are welcome to view the others, and there are many, and will notice that many come from the same photographers: andre bonacin, jerome bastianelli, ryan ferrin and hessidy – to name just a few.

You will also notice that there seems to be an inordinate fascination with buffalo's… once endangered, but not now.
[Remember, like always, these are full photographs so be patient while they load.]

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NEW: McCullough-Telephone-Rhyolite

Three submitted trails have been added to the Southern Nevada area (folder) of the "Nevada Trails" Master Map: McCullough Pass, Telephone Canyon and Rhyolite Back Door.   [Obtain a free Google Earth file of this route at: http://offroadinghome.djmed.net/nevada/nevada.htm]

They were anonymously submitted trips which DO check out on the satellite image, DO look like they visit or pass significant features verified in the USGS Features file BUT WEREN'T submitted with specific directions or ratings SO NEED the verification of other riders.

I think that I've mentioned it before, but we always try and verify all the trails which are submitted for inclusion in our master maps. You just need to actually look at one of our maps to see that they are NOT like those computer generated, forum posted, difficult to follow "Every Trail" on other sites. Most of our submitters welcome the help with making their listing look polished and be helpful for others who come behind them.

Once in awhile, for whatever reason, a track comes through without the ability to get back to the submitter, which puts me at a disadvantage. If the trail looks like it could be in a popular area, does actually follow visible markings on the satellite image or is in an area where there are few other submissions then I may decide to try and include it – hoping for further verification and descriptions.

Such is the case with these three trails. They are all in most interesting areas which should be able to be verified easily.

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