No, Glenn wouldn't do a trailer, but the added room of an 80 is looking appealing. Admit it, you just want to hang with the rest of the club and not feel like an outcast still running leaf springs
It'll never drive like the 70, in good and bad ways.
Here are a few pictures of the Maze trip - more to come when I get the time.
As you know we started with 3 cruisers - Greg, Eric and I (two 80 series and my 70 series), but lost Greg in Salt Lake City. That Saturday we left Greg (as there was nothing further we could do) we drove to Green River and stayed at the Robbers Roost motel - $35 with tax. After checking in we went for a burger at the noisey local cowboy bar and took in the dusty western ambience. Sunday morning - in blazing sunshine we filled our NATO fuel cans stapped them down for the rough trail ahead. We headed to Airport Road to connect to the long trail south to the Hans Flats Ranger Station to pick-up our prearranged permit.
About 2 minutes into the trail my CB wire broke off!!! Given that communications is important, I tried to solder it with my cooking stove and a screwdriver tip --which proved unsuccessful and wasted a precious hour of daylight --- never did get it fixed untill a week later in Blanding.
In any event we headed down the dusty bumpy trail to Hans Flats and then down the Flint Trail switchbacks to our first camp at Mallard Canyon.
One we arrived at Millard I set up camp under the old Cottowood, Eric chose the official camp site with the commanding view of the Green River.
This is the most remote site in the Maze and takes 6 hours from the Hans Flats Ranger Station. The vastness of the area is incredible.
Next morning our destination was the Maze Overlook for two nights.
Here is a picture of Elaterite Butte which is a prominent landmark visible from most locations in the Maze.
We spent two nights at the Maze Overlook campsite.
The first morning we readied our packs and camelbacks for the scramble down into the canyon.
A prominant feature are the 'Nuts and Bolts', which we had to climb around to get to the trail into the canyon.
The last several hundred feet down to the canyon floor was a scary -- as we had to use toeholds cut into the rock to get down down the cliff faces, which when desending you can't see - only feel with the toe of your boot.
The last picture is looking back at where we had come on our way to the Harvest Scene.
Here are some pictures of the Harvest Scene. Because we got there mid-day the pictures have flat contrast due to the bright light. These pictographs are between 2,000 and 8,000 years old.
I wonder what kind of pigments the Indians used back then, because I can barely get paint to last 2-years on my house !
To take a term I think Enigma used once to describe driving his capable HDJ81, its like a photographers' "point and shoot" kinda thing --- Eric caught on - no problema!
Here we are coming out of the Canyon. Because we could see the toeholds climbing out it was easier that going down. Some tight spots to squeeze through.
The second picture are the Chocolate Drops. The Harvest Scene, which was our hiking destination is in the Canyon behind them.
The Nuts and Bolts from the trail below -- just them coming up to our final bench.
After two nights at our glorious campsite at Maze Overlook, (top picture) we headed to our Chimney Rock campsite, which is in the Land of the Standing Rocks. To get there involved a 6-hour drive and 2 hours of rock crawling from Teapot to the Wall, which gave Eric an introduction to the term ...
On our way past the 'Mother and Child" to the Land of the Standing Rocks.
The western part of the Maze is in the Glen Canyon Recreational Area, so to get to the Land of the Standing Rocks we entered Canyonlands National Park. The whole area is administered as one.
