The Adventures of Gary

[CobraNutt]

Just noticed this section...so decided I should start my own journal for my weekend adventures. I hope to have a LOT of them!

6/21/2014
This past weekend, I had made Friday night/last-minute decision (my usual style of planning) to scout out a new area for some future campsites in the back-country of Northern Utah. I have never been through the area, even on the paved highways, let alone the miles and miles of dirt roads that wander through the wilderness and mountains, but I know I wanted to do some camping up in the cool air during the summer, and save the west desert and southern Utah park areas for the fall and winter.

My plan was to leave no later than 0900 on Saturday and make an entire day of it, but Saturday didn't quite work out a planned. I got a call from my son and he decided he wanted to tag along...but wouldn't be available until around noon or later. I decided we needed some time together as we don't get very much these days...so it was a modified trip, and quite a bit shorter than originally intended...but worth it.

I'll do a true "trip report" when I actually go up and spend some more time (overnight) and explore the area.
But for now...Here's a MAP OF OUR ROUTE, and a couple pics... I didn't shoot much at all, but we DID see a lot of this...

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...and lots of these...

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...and meadows full of wildflowers which smelled so good...nature's perfume...

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...and a little bit of this...

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You get the idea... Beautiful country! Temperature was a PERFECT 61°F around the Baldy Peak area. Nice drive while spending much needed time with my son.

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[Dave]

Awesome trip/pics.


Dave

 

[CobraNutt]

Willard Peak - 4th of July 2014

Took a little trip up to Willard Peak on the 4th to watch the fireworks from up above the city. I had never been on this road before, and I see myself going back again very soon! Well...as soon as I figure out the trans temperature issue I had going on...but that's another story...

The road up to the peak is a pretty easy drive. One of the guys at the top said he saw a convertible Mustang up there last summer! (poor car!!) It's bumpy and rocky, but not bad at all with a little clearance. My GT wouldn't have made it 20 feet off the pavement! We made a couple stops along the way...to let my trans cool a bit and to take in some scenery.

You can see for miles and miles! Such great views all the way up!

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It's a dusty trail, but well worth the run! I was hitting bumps and watching clumps of dust/dirt slide down my windshield...reminded me of the PET...but it didn't stop me from taking pics while we mosey along!

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Stopped at the sign to take a look around...and cool the Liberty trans again...Grrrrr....:favorites68:

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Beautiful country...and it was getting nice and cool as we climbed! Bonus!

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Sun was going down....almost to the top!

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Found a couple spaces among the crowd (way more then I had anticipated!!) at the top and settled in for the fireworks down below...

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Even without fireworks, the views are impressive!!

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I can't wait to go back and hit up some of the campgrounds we saw along the way!

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

You're a very good photographer, Gary! Thanks for the pics and stories :waytogo:

Bob

 

[CobraNutt]

You're a very good photographer, Gary! Thanks for the pics and stories :waytogo:
Bob

You're too kind, Bob! I'm very much an amateur behind the lens, but it gets me out of the house and it's fun! I'm just glad people enjoy my shots!

 

[yellocoyote]

Awesome - trip and photos!

 

[profdlp]

Great stuff, Gary! I look forward to more of the same. :cheers:

 

[Dave]

Beautiful country and pics.


Dave

 

[CobraNutt]

Currant Creek Reservoir - Wolf Creek Campsites

Saturday, I took off for a day-long trip to scout out some new camping areas that I might want to drag my trailer to. I started out at Strawberry Reservoir and followed dirt roads over three mountain passes and had a very enjoyable drive. Here's the PRIMARY ROUTE info.

Lots of beautiful country up there, and the temperature was in the low 70's...perfect!

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An old, but still in use (kinda) barn near Currant Creek. It's open range area, so the local cattle use it for shelter now and then.

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I don't like shooting mid-day...but sometimes I just have no choice.

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Currant Creek Reservoir...20 second exposure with a 10-stop filter...not bad...

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A stare-down with one of the locals...I call him Tripod. lol!

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From Currant Creek, I ventured over a couple valleys to an area I've been a couple times before. There's a small pond and campsite, and I've thought about camping there. Yesterday, the mosquitoes were HORRIBLE!! So I think that may be a spot for cold weather camping. But...I did see a little friend on my way by!

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From there, I took a little jeep trail down to a place called Heart Lake. Nice little ride! I had my GoPro on the Jeep and caught a young elk buck running off through the foliage in my way to the lake. I'll get it on YouTube later and embed it here.

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The sun was going down, so I hustled back up to the ridge to catch the sunset. I caught a glimpse of this little guy before he headed over the ridgeline...

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I wanted to get some better shots of him, but the sun was going down fast, so I had to get over to the area I had i mind to catch it from...I made it...and I was not disappointed...

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Quite possibly my favorite shot of the day...

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Oh...and then the moon made an appearance a few minutes later as I was packing up my gear. It was cloudy and I didn't think I'd get to see it before I had to head back home...but alas...

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I decided to see if I could catch some detail. I failed to adjust my ISO correctly (DOH!!) ,so not at good as I had hoped. Oh well.

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Until Next time.... :mexsmoke:

 

[CobraNutt]

Another weekend, another adventure!
Well...not really...I just drove to one of the same areas as last
week, but I dragged the trailer along and spent a night this time.

After exploring a few new areas on my way up the hill, I finally arrived
at my camp site about 8:15 Friday night. Altitude of 9880 ft...temperature of 53 degrees...PERFECT!
Quick setup of my home for the evening, and time to relax!

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The view from the "rear deck"...

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The Welcoming Committee sent this little guy to check on me.

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Just in time to enjoy the sunset through the trees.

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Decided I was hungry, and the Pudgie Pies were calling, so it was time to get my fire going.

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After I was well fed, I simply sat and enjoyed being outside...the cool breeze...fresh air...camp fire...sounds of the forest...

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...did I mention Fire?!

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After a good night's sleep, I awoke and headed out exploring some of the area a bit.
Didn't see wildlife like I was hoping (They were all down over the ridge at the lake),
so I found other stuff to shoot.

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This beast of a fly decided it liked my shoe...

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Hey Look!! A Plane!

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I did some more exploring, but I've shot most of it already before, so I won't bore you with the same old stuff.

This little gal wandered through camp in the evening just as I was preparing to head
over to a different area to catch the sunset before heading home.

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...and then the sun set...

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Smoke from fires in Idaho and Oregon have drifted across our skies here, making for some spectacular color!

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Last glimpse...

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Then the Farewell Committee sent this guy to see me off...

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Homeward bound after another fine couple of days in the Uinta's!

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[BDEE]

Holy cow your pictures are awesome. Subscribed.

 

[CobraNutt]

My three kids took me camping this weekend for my B-Day...good times! First time in I don't know how long that they've all gone camping with me at the same time! Getting them together for stuff like this is like herding cats! But they planned this one out on their own...makes an old man proud.

The campground was properly decorated when I arrived Friday night. Dutch oven pork shops, roasted corn on the cob and dutch oven peach/blueberry cobbler, and time spent having fun laughing around the campfire...perfect!

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Saturday, we went to go play in the water a bit...

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My youngest daughter just bought an inflatable SUP, so she had to try it out...

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...and so did my son...

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...and so did their little sister, Emily....ok...she had assistance just off-camera... :gr_grin:

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My oldest daughter and I stayed close to shore and chilled under our canopy. We were guarding the food from the visitors...

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Just a nice, quiet, relaxing weekend with my kids, their little half-sister, my youngest daughter's bf, and lots of sunshine.

 

[Dave]

Looks like you had fun. Happy Birthday.


Dave

 

[CobraNutt]

Skyline Drive Aug 15 to 16th

I met some new friends after work Friday evening, and followed them out on
a new adventure to the Skyline Drive area. I had never been in this area
before, so I was excited to not only meet new friends, but to visit some
new country in this beautiful state of ours!

Route: http://goo.gl/maps/opyBh

The Liberty and X4 are all ready to go!

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We headed south out of Lehi and made our way over to Ephraim Canyon
and up toward Skyline Drive. We arrived about 8:00PM…just in time to
watch the sun drop over the mountains for the night.

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After we scouted around a bit, we nestled ourselves in among the trees
just above Loggers Lake. We were later joined by the rest of our group
that we were expecting.

We spent the evening enjoying the company of friends, telling stories
around the campfire, and tasting the deliciousness of some new pudgie
pie recipes that one of the guys and his wife were preparing before
finally calling it a night around midnight.

We awoke to the sounds of nature…and some OHV’s…and slowly
assembled ourselves for the day around the not-so-early- campfire
for some breakfast.

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The scenery around us was fantastic! There is still a lot of color up
there in the fields and meadows. Beautiful country!

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We discussed the plans for the day, and decided that Loggers Lake
was just a little to boggy for paddling and fishing….I think the cows
agreed with us. Although…if you look real close, you can see quite
a few fish in there…

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We decided to head over the ridge to Snows Lake. Great choice!!

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Snows Lake turned out to be a little piece of heaven! What a terrific
little place. We would spend the rest of our journey here enjoying
the peace of this little lake at 10,115 ft in elevation.

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So what do you do on a little lake like this?!

PLAY!!

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The “Taxi Driver”, taking one of the girls out for a spin around the
water, while her dog, Fender, keeps an eye on things.

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Her husband hopped into the yak and joined them…

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One of the other guys would eventually be recruited as a Taxi Driver
as well. Look at those happy passengers!

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What about those of us who weren’t ready to get cold and wet? Oh,
we had our fun, don’t worry! This guy caught a 9lb Rainbow…no really! :happy175: Hehe!

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I dragged line or two, and just had a lot of fun relaxing watching everyone
play on the water and have a great time!

All the paddling wore everyone out, so it was time to kick back for a bit,
and then load up and head out in our various routes toward home…

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Oh wait…Fender needed to have a turn too!

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We really couldn’t have asked for a nicer place to spend part of the day!

One last look at Snows Lake on our way out…

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Just a few more shots as we headed north along Skyline Drive…

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Since I was already this close to Manti, I had to stop and get a picture of the LDS Temple…one of my favorites.

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Looking forward to many more trips with these folks! Good people…good fun!

 

[ltd02]

That's about the bluest sky I've ever seen. Great pictures. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[CobraNutt]

That's about the bluest sky I've ever seen. Great pictures. Thanks for sharing!!

Wide angle lens vignetting that I could have toned down a bit...but didn't! lol! :icon_twisted:

 

[Dave]

Awesome place and pics.


Dave

 

[uss2defiant]

Great pics!

How's the inflatable paddle board? Pretty stable?
Got a link?

 

[CobraNutt]

Great pics!

How's the inflatable paddle board? Pretty stable?
Got a link?

They're not mine...the belong to the guys I camped with. They seem to like them though! My daughter has one...I'll have to look up the website...but it's very stable.

 

[CobraNutt]

I decided to check out a new (for me) route through the Soapstone Basin area today. Perfect weather, really nice drive!

My Route
(From marker "G", I took the highways back home...)

I opted to run up Big Cottonwood Canyon and over Guardsman Pass, which was CRAZY crowded today! I've never seen so many vehicles parked up at the top! Stopped for a couple shots neat Brighton.

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Coming down the east side was nice. Lots of yellow out there...the reds are still coming, I hope!

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Nice to see the Natives are still hangin' around!

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Heading down toward Midway, there are a couple places I have found to explore. I didn't go far due to nearby gunfire. Never know who might mistake a khaki liberty for a hunted critter these days...

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Last shot before I head through Midway and up to Hwy 35...

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Just a couple miles before the first Soapstone turnoff...perfect weather!

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I found lots of little side-roads along the way. This one ventured east off 174 to an overlook...

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...which is also where I found this:

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Anyone have information on these triangulation markers?!

From here is was a matter of following and exploring lots of dirt road! Oddly, I didn't see a single critter (elk or deer) the entire time, until just a bit before sunset, when I finally say a little family of four deer trotting across the road.

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Sad to see so much dead wood up in that area. The south side of the area, closest to hwy 35 seems to be the worst.

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Like I said...the yellows are out in force! Hope to see the reds soon!!

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Which way do I go?! Hmmm....left it is...

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Look! More yellows!

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Even the thistle weeds are cool up here!

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This is about as bad as the road ever got if I recall. I never did get out of 2wd except for a couple side roads that were a little rough and steep.

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Yes...it was sooo tempting...

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One of the campsites I marked for future use...anyone missing a car?

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Heading back around the loop toward the hwy...

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Connected back to hwy 35, and heading home...just in time for the sun to go down...

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Terrific day for a drive. Had I gotten started earlier, I would have connected back to the Mirror Lake Hwy instead. Next time...