Desert Mountain

Today I set my sights on the desert southwest of Salt Lake City. Going out sufficiently far on paved and semi-paved roads would get me away from people and in the middle of BLM land. I plotted my course on the trusty atlas and headed out at noon--warm clothes, lots of water, extra food, and a tank-up of gas and Dr.Pepper on the way out.

Thanks to Mikey Q I discovered that my cell phone can email pictures to my yahoo account, so I am delighted to offer photos--albeit tiny-sized--to do a much better job than my words.

Off down Utah 86, which took me all the way down Utah Lake, through annoying construction, and then down like a ruler line, south to meet route 6.




Naturally I took this opportunity to go fast. Broke 95, but didn't feel like trying to get 120 like I did once on the way to Akron. Nothing like an overheated tire blowing to ruin your day.



Once off the highway proper, it was about 10 miles of paved road, and 17.5 of unpaved, like this. Not too bad. Managed 20 - 35mph without any problems.




Here looms my destination. A small range of mountains stuck in the middle of a vast plain. It looked rocky but do-able, and decent roads let right up to it.




This was the start of the climb, and pretty well represents most of it. All the rock was sandstone, which afforded lots of variation, meaning handholds and footholds.



Lots and lots of climbing stuff like this. Got my hands pretty well scraped up, and got pretty tired out too. And when I finally scrambled up the peak... each one merely revealed a higher one behind it! This happened about 3 times.






Yes I climbed up here, and yes I went under that rock. Saw some amazing grottos as well, and some fantastic rocks, the soft sandstone worn in unearthly ways.







At last I did reach the top, and was greeted with an incredible view. I could turn in a complete circle and see nothing higher than myself for at least 15 miles, if not much much further.




There were more clouds than clear in the sky, and the wind absolutely RIPPED. Ceaseless, relentlessly, roaring in my ears and making it not a simple task to stand up straight. I can appreciate people who dislike the wind now. The few moments it ceased were sweet sweet peace.

One last view from the top. Which happens to include the road I came on. And shows just one sliver of the panorama that encircled me.






On the way down I saw some more remarkable formations, had a few hairy descents, got strung out on adrenaline from them, and from hunger, and by the end trotted down the rocks, quite comfortable negotiating them.



I couldn't believe it. Perfectly hand-sized. Why weren't there more of these?!?






Now you see it...







Now you don't!







Coincidences are ridiculous. How is it that after all that highway, and clattering down dirt roads, and pulling over at whim when I felt close enough to the mountain, the odometer would end up exactly here? I glanced at the odometer as I was getting ready to leave, and couldn't believe it.

So that was my trip! The last picture I leave you is of tumbleweeds. It's hard to describe what they were like down all those unpaved roads. They seem for all the world like animals. They scurry along almost randomly, but in a definite direction. The oblong ones skip across the ground like little kids. You see them piled relentlessly in any hollow and against any obstruction. They line the cattle fences like caged animals wanting to get out, and in the corners where enough pile up, I watched lucky ones skip over their fellows and come flying over. Fascinating to watch, and I never could bring myself to run over one on the road.

Farewell tumbleweeds! May you live to roll another day.







This day has been fantastic. Ham & eggs fill my belly, celery and broccoli I'm sure have added years to my life, and I think I'll be ready for bed directly. Burned a lot of calories today.