RFJTOY (Stan), his son Jeff and I took a quick getaway relax and get out of town trip to AB this past weekend. I'd just spent a week on business travel that took me from the OC to Sacramento on Monday, then into Chicago Monday night, Tuesday in Chicago then down to Nashville. Spent Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville and flew home Friday early morning to meet Stan and Jeff for the weekend. I was ready for it!
We decided just to go up to my favorite campground in AB which is Sheep Canyon. Uneventful drive up the superhighway they now call Coyote Canyon to Sheep Canyon Campground. While I do like the new firepits and beefy wood picnic tables, and even the self pay daily or overnight fee of $10 per campsite, I still don't like what they did to the third crossing or the two rock gardens up to camp!
Friday night was a beautiful evening to just relax around the fire and catch up with Stan and Jeff. It'd been too long since we'd been out camping together. Stan now has a full fledged small manufacturing plant up and running through his charitable work in Malawi, Africa producing protein packed peanut butter that's being distributed through the region he's been helping for years now via his Mission work. The product is helping malnourished kids in Malawi - his organization is called Peanut Butter & Jesus (for the mission work that accompanies the trips. Jeff has graduated from Cal State SLO at the top of his Engineering class and is now a transportation engineer here in OC. Before too long we can all blame Jeff for gridlock!!!
Saturday got up at our leisure and then went to see Fonts Point. None of us had visited this iconic overlook in years. As normal, the view of the badlands did not disapoint. After that, based on some trip reports I'd read somewhere, we went across the highway and explored Rockhouse Canyon Road. The first 8 or so miles were nothiing but graded dirt and rock roads. It wasn't until the split between Rockhouse and Butler Canyon that the driving became fun up Rockhouse up through the wash and sandy road. The road came to an end 3.3 miles from this split. We walked up the wash to Hidden Springs - nothing more than a slit in the ground that had a little water based on the swarm of bees looking for the water. We hiked up about a half mile or so further, but didn't see any Rock house that is supposed to be there somewhere. A quick search today says there is one somewhere, but we didn't explore further. After a quick drive out we headed back to camp for another wonderful dinner of Carne Asada, generous portions of wine and Wild Turkey and a great fire. Sometime in the middle of the night Mother Nature treated us to the WORST freight train winds I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing. It did literally blow Stans big 10x14' Springbar tent down!!! My Globetrotter/Trailer was rocking pretty good, but outside one buckle clip tearing out of the cover over the tent, it survived. Sewed that clip back on when I got home Sunday. Stan and Jeff ended up sleeping in his truck after we all put some heavy items on top of the tent remains that night!
The next morning the winds were still howling so we beat a quick retreat down and out to Borego Springs for a nice breakfast in town and then home.
Sorry for the lack of pics. Been out to AB so often I just don't take the camera any longer.
We decided just to go up to my favorite campground in AB which is Sheep Canyon. Uneventful drive up the superhighway they now call Coyote Canyon to Sheep Canyon Campground. While I do like the new firepits and beefy wood picnic tables, and even the self pay daily or overnight fee of $10 per campsite, I still don't like what they did to the third crossing or the two rock gardens up to camp!
Friday night was a beautiful evening to just relax around the fire and catch up with Stan and Jeff. It'd been too long since we'd been out camping together. Stan now has a full fledged small manufacturing plant up and running through his charitable work in Malawi, Africa producing protein packed peanut butter that's being distributed through the region he's been helping for years now via his Mission work. The product is helping malnourished kids in Malawi - his organization is called Peanut Butter & Jesus (for the mission work that accompanies the trips. Jeff has graduated from Cal State SLO at the top of his Engineering class and is now a transportation engineer here in OC. Before too long we can all blame Jeff for gridlock!!!
Saturday got up at our leisure and then went to see Fonts Point. None of us had visited this iconic overlook in years. As normal, the view of the badlands did not disapoint. After that, based on some trip reports I'd read somewhere, we went across the highway and explored Rockhouse Canyon Road. The first 8 or so miles were nothiing but graded dirt and rock roads. It wasn't until the split between Rockhouse and Butler Canyon that the driving became fun up Rockhouse up through the wash and sandy road. The road came to an end 3.3 miles from this split. We walked up the wash to Hidden Springs - nothing more than a slit in the ground that had a little water based on the swarm of bees looking for the water. We hiked up about a half mile or so further, but didn't see any Rock house that is supposed to be there somewhere. A quick search today says there is one somewhere, but we didn't explore further. After a quick drive out we headed back to camp for another wonderful dinner of Carne Asada, generous portions of wine and Wild Turkey and a great fire. Sometime in the middle of the night Mother Nature treated us to the WORST freight train winds I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing. It did literally blow Stans big 10x14' Springbar tent down!!! My Globetrotter/Trailer was rocking pretty good, but outside one buckle clip tearing out of the cover over the tent, it survived. Sewed that clip back on when I got home Sunday. Stan and Jeff ended up sleeping in his truck after we all put some heavy items on top of the tent remains that night!
The next morning the winds were still howling so we beat a quick retreat down and out to Borego Springs for a nice breakfast in town and then home.
Sorry for the lack of pics. Been out to AB so often I just don't take the camera any longer.
