The Colorado River trip 14-17 0ctober 2008

For more ........

http://skeernc.blogspot.com/

http://www.texsriverways.com/

http://picasaweb.google.com/saabi1966/ColoradoRiver2008#

http://picasaweb.google.com/saabi1966/GrandCanyonToMexicanHat#

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/Er3iw9DX

http://community.webshots.com/album/568172690UNaMmf

Moki Dugway , Utah , october 13 2008

The breathtaking ride up or down the Moki Dugway is an experience not soon forgotten. Stunning views open from the Dugway as it winds its way 1,200 feet from Cedar Mesa to the Valley of the Gods. The Dugway descends a steep 11% grade from the mesa top to the valley floor.
The road twists and turns through switchbacks allowing views to the north and south. From the overlook near the top, you can see much of the Four Corners region of the Southwest. On the horizon to the east lies Sleeping Ute Mountain near Cortez, Colorado; to the southeast is Shiprock in New Mexico; to the south you can see the Carrizo Mountains which straddle the New Mexico/Arizona border; and, to the southwest is Monument Valley, which sits across the Utah/Arizona border.
Closer to the Dugway, and to the east, you can see, from north to south, Pyramid Peak, Rooster Butte, Setting Hen Butte, and the Seven Sailors. Visible to the southeast are Sugarloaf and the Raplee Anticline, wavy striations in a purple/gray hillside.
To the south, Alhambra Rock rises as a dark brown monolith. The anticline is also called the Navajo Tapestry or Rug. Alhambra is an igneous plug of hard volcanic material which was pushed up through overlying sandstone. When the softer sandstone eroded, the plug was left standing. Plugs like this are found throughout the Four Corners region.
As you view the bottom of the Moki Dugway you see Bell Butte to the southeast, and the Valley of the Gods. This area is also known as the Cedar Mesa Cultural and Recreational Management area.

The Mokee Dugway is located on Utah Route 261 just north of Mexican Hat, UT. It was constructed in 1958 by Texas Zinc, a mining company, to transport uranium ore from the "Happy Jack" mine in Fry Canyon, UT. to the processing mill in Mexican Hat. The three miles of unpaved, but well graded, switchbacks descend 1100 feet from the top of Cedar Mesa (on which you are now standing). The State of Utah recommends that only vehicles less than 28 feet in length and 10,000 pounds in weight attempt to negotiate this steep (10% grade), narrow and winding road.
The term "mokee" is derived from the Spanish word moqui, which was a general term used by the 18th century Spanish explorers and settlers in this region to describe the Pueblo Indians they encountered and the vanished culture which had left behind the numerous ruins they discovered during their travels. This term continued to be used by the Anglo pioneers, who moved into southern Utah during the 1800's, and their descendants.
Today the standard term used to describe these prehistoric Native Americans, who lived in this region more than 1000 years ago, is "ancestral Puebloans". It is based on present day Puebloan tribes' and archaeologists' beliefs that these people were the ancestors of the today's Hopi, Zuni, Acoma and Rio Grande region cultures. You may also see them commonly referred to as the "Anasazi", a Navajo word meaning "enemy ancestors".
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I drove down the Moki Dugway on October 13, 2008. Here are some pictures ....

Mexican Hat 12 october 2008

MEXICAN HAT

is a tiny desert community of 50 or so people near the southeastern corner of Utah. It sits along the San Juan River among impressive rock formations. It serves mainly as a stopping off point for those traveling to Monument Valley (22 miles southwest) and Natural Bridges National Monument (44 miles north). Mexican Hat is also a convenient base for those exploring the San Juan River. A few other attractions -- Goosenecks State Park, Muley Point Overlook and the Valley of the Gods -- are within 15 miles of town.
Mexican Hat is located on Hwy 163, 24 miles west of Bluff. It has a few small motels, a private campground, a few restaurants, service stations and some gift shops. Mexican Hat gets its name from a rock formation north of town that resembles an overturned sombrero.

Valley of the Gods

The main road through Mexican Hat (US 163) eventually joins US 191 which goes north to Monticello and Moab, but before this it passes close to the Valley of the Gods. This is a smaller scale version of Monument Valley, with tall, red, isolated sandstone mesas and cliffs standing above the level valley floor, remnants of some ancient landscape. The area may be toured via a 17 mile dirt road (FR 242) that winds amongst the eerie formations; this is rather steep and bumpy in parts but should be passable by normal vehicles in good weather. The western end joins UT 261 shortly before its 1,200 foot ascent up Cedar Mesa, while the eastern end starts 9 miles from town along US 163 and heads north, initially crossing flat, open land and following the course of Lime Creek, a seasonal wash, before turning west towards the buttes and pinnacles.

Goosenecks State Park

Around the small village of Mexican Hat in southeast Utah, the San Juan River is slow-moving and flows through a relatively shallow red rock canyon with many wide curves; more of these convolutions can be seen in the nearby Goosenecks State Park, reached by a 4 mile paved side road (UT 316) that branches off UT 261 a little way north of town. The park, to which entry is free, has just one extended viewpoint of several huge river bends, now flowing one thousand feet below ground level in a deep canyon with a series of stepped cliffs and terraces, a feature recognized as one of the best examples of entrenched river meanders in the world. At the park, the waters flow through 5 miles of canyon whilst progressing westwards only one mile. Beyond the visible meanders, the river continues to twist and turn as the canyon deepens, before joining Lake Powell after about 35 miles.

The Night

The Hat Rock Inn is literally in the heart of Southern Utah

The Hat Rock Inn sits 100 feet abovethe Gypson Rapids (class III) of the San Juan River.Currently, access from the motel to our private, as of yet un-developed beach, requires a 1/4 mile walk along acliffside trail that adjoins a dirt road, you may also drive to a public beach!

http://www.hatrockinn.com/

Grand Canyon 11 october 2008

Grand Canyon Time does not operate Daylight-Saving Time
and so operates Mountain Standard Time all year around



Mather Campground- Grand Canyon ,AZ









No hook-ups- 30-foot trailer or RV maximumOpen year-round. Operated by the National Park Service and located in Grand Canyon Village, this campground offers tent and RV camping. Accessible campsites and restrooms are available. Pets are allowed, but must be leashed at all times, and may not be left unattended. Wood and charcoal fires permitted in provided campsite grills only. No gathering of down wood, wood may be purchased at the general store. Laundry and showers located near the campground for a fee.
Reservations may be made through the National Recreation Reservation Service by calling1-877-444-6777 or online at the http://www.recreation.gov/ Reservations are strongly recommended from March 1 through mid-November. Golden Age or Access passport holders pay only ½ price year round (passport number is needed when making reservation and passport holder must be camping at the site). Fees are $18 per site per night. A maximum of two vehicles, six people, three tents are allowed per site. (A vehicle that is towing a trailer, pop-up, tent trailer, fifth wheel, or a motor home pulling a vehicle is considered two vehicles.) Group sites are also available, $50/night, maximum of 50 people and 3 vehicles per group site.
Pets are NOT allowed below the canyon rim at any time. Pets are NOT permitted on the shuttle buses. Kennels are available in the South Rim Village.

Temperature:
24.0 °F / -4.4 °C

High:
50.0 °F / 10.0 °C

Low:

24.0 °F / -4.4 °C

http://www.nps.gov/grca/

One more day ... colorado river trip

Weather forecast


Saturday, Oct 11


High: 45 °F RealFeel®: 31 °F
Winds gusting past 40 mph and colder with intervals of clouds and sunSaturday Night, Oct 11
Low: 18 °F RealFeel®: 9 °F
Breezy in the evening; otherwise, clear to partly cloudy and very coldStargazing conditionsForecast Details Hourly Forecast for Saturday Hourly Forecast for Saturday Night AccuPOP® Precipitation Forecast

two more days before colorado river trip

FORECAST ! BRRRRRR........

Saturday
Breezy. Much cooler. Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain and snow showers. Highs around 44 on the North Rim to around 71 along the Colorado River.

Saturday Night and Sunday
Breezy. Partly cloudy with a 10 percent chance of rain and snow showers. Lows around 22 on the North Rim to around 40 along the Colorado River. Highs around 46 on the North Rim to around 72 along the Colorado River.

Neuse River ,North Carolina

The Neuse River is a major permanent stream rising in the piedmont of North Carolina, emptying into the Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately 275 miles (443 km),[1] and its drainage basin, measuring 14,582 square kilometres (9,061,000 mi) in area, lies entirely inside the state of North Carolina. It is formed by the confluence of the Flat and Eno Rivers prior to its entering the artificial Falls Lake reservoir in northern Wake County. Its fall line shoals lie submerged under the waters of Falls Lake.











The Parks and Recreation Department provides 5 canoe launches along 17 miles of the Neuse River starting at the Falls Lake Dam. The access points are designed for paddle-craft and are open from sunrise to sunset. Below are the access locations, directions, and river miles from Falls Dam - Mile 0. Maps for the two most paddled sections are available below.

Falls Dam Access - Mile .25
12098 Falls of the Neuse Road - From the I-440 beltline take Capital Blvd North exit 11B. Travel 6.4 miles and turn left on Durant Road. Travel 2.3 miles and turn right on Falls of the Neuse Road. Travel 2.4 miles and just before crossing over the Neuse River turn right on a gravel road which ends at the access point. Turning left before the bridge will end in the Army Corps of Engineers parking lot which has access to the base of the dam.




Buffaloe Road Access - Mile 10.7
4901 Elizabeth Drive - From the I-440 beltline take Capital Blvd North exit 11B. Travel 2 miles and turn right on Buffaloe Road. Travel 3.6 miles and just before crossing over the river turn right on Elizabeth Drive which will end at the access point. Caution: a 10 ft dam is located 3.5 miles downstream.

Milburnie Dam Access - Mile 14.2
1101 Old Milburnie Road - From the I-440 beltline take Route 64 East exit 13B. Travel 2.7 miles and just after crossing the bridge over the river turn left on Old Milburnie Road. Travel .2 miles and turn left on Loch Raven Parkway. Travel 100 yards and turn right onto gravel road which will lead to the river access downstream of the dam.

Anderson Point Access - Mile 16.2
120 N. Rogers Lane - From the I-440 beltline take Route 64 East Business exit 13B. Travel 2 miles and turn right on Rogers Lane. At the stop sign bear right to stay on Rogers Lane. Go about 1 mile and turn left on Neuse View Drive. At the stop sign turn right on to Anderson Pt. Drive and then left into the parking lot before the bridge overpass. Follow the dirt road at the end of the parking lot to the round about at the river.


Poole Road Access - Mile 17.7
6501 Poole Road - From the I-440 beltline take Poole Road East exit 15. Travel 2.4 miles and turn left on gravel road just before crossing over the river.

birds

The Everglades, Florida

Its fame as North America's window to the tropics is almost a cliche.
The names Anhinga Trail, Mrazek Pond and Snake Bight Trail — "must-see" locations on the Everglades birding loop — are etched in every birder's mind. Though shaken by drought and diminished by competing land-use problems, the Everglades remains an engrossing, enriching environment — and one that holds special treasures for visiting birders.
Pick up any birding magazine. Look at the photos of anhingas, purple galinules and assorted other water birds. Chances are the shots were taken on the Anhinga Trail. Dare the walk down Snake (a.k.a. Mosquito) Bight. Listen for the sly taunt of mangrove cuckoos and the eruption of a white-crowned pigeon as it wings from the gumbo limbo trees overhead. It's a tropical experience almost (but not quite) beyond the latitude of the place.
At the end of the road, where the flats vibrate with shorebirds, scan the heron-pocked horizon for the phantom flock of flamingoes. Even if flamingoes are elusive, youll certainly find something to compensate for the insects and the heat. The cumulative bird list contains more than 350 species — but in a place as magical as the Everglades, possibilities are boundless

Lumber River , SC 08/23/08

The Lumber River State Park contains 8,438 acres of land

and 115 miles of state natural and scenic waters,

81 miles of which are also designated national wild and scenic waters.

What a wonderful place to paddle and camp!

Location & Canoeable Mileage


-- For an epic journey of about 140 miles that includes the Lumber, Little Pee Dee, and even some of the tidewater on the Great Pee Dee and its distributaries, start out in Lumberton, NC. It will take you about 10 days to work your way down the Lumber, Little Pee Dee, a few miles on the Great Pee Dee, then down Bull Creek, and finally ending up on the Waccamaw River (Intracoastal Waterway). Your final take out should be Wachesaw Landing, near Murrells Inlet, SC. This trip will allow you to experience the evolution of the river from a small winding stream to the tidal waters of the ICW. You will float about 60 miles on the Lumber River, another 60 miles or so on the Little Pee Dee, 6 miles on the Great Pee Dee, 10 miles on Bull Creek (really the main channel of the Great Pee Dee), and 4 miles on the Waccamaw River. If you want a shorter trip and enjoy the smaller river experience, take out at one of the many landings on the Little Pee Dee. If you prefer the larger rivers but only have 6-7 days, start at Fair Bluff and go all the way down!
A lot more of the upper Lumber River is canoeable seasonally (over 60 miles, putting in as far upstream as the a public landing at route 401 or about seven miles farther upstream at Turnpike Road where Lumber River State Park officially begins). This upper section can be wonderful paddling, but it is dependent on good flow, and it is subject to blockage by fallen trees. Even farther upstream, canoeists enjoy floats on Drowning Creek, the headwaters stream of the Lumber River, when conditions allow.



Interesting Features


-- This river system represents an outstanding example of an Atlantic coastal black water stream. It flows through dense forest and swamp lands. Common species of trees include abundant baldcypress, water tupelo, black gum, and water oak. Due to the remote nature of most of this run, the river has a near-wilderness quality. Where high ground is encountered (rarely in some sections), you will see signs of development such as riverside settlements. There are few long sections between bridges, so you are never too far from civilization.