So we had a good nights sleep after the bats came out and the bugs went away. We got packed up in the morning and started moving out. While we were heading back to the trail, a guy on a mountain bike went riding by. He was making an oddly good pace and it took some time to actually catch him. He was cool and allowed us to pass and we continued on. We got to a place we decided to stop and check out. No sooner do we get stopped and here goes this guy on the bike, passing us while we were stopped.
The scenery is still awe inspiring:
This is the only pic I got of the guy on the bike:
Gratuitous truck/s pic:
More scenery:
So we came upon a trail heading down to White Crack Camp Area. We turned down the trail as it looked like it might have a view of the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers. It turns out we couldn't see them, but at the end of the trail we found a mountain bike. After wandering around and taking a bunch of pictures, we came upon the owner of the bike. This is the same guy that we passed and then he passed us. He was walking back out from the overlook point to his bike when we came upon him. He looked to be around 50 years old and we chatted for a bit. We asked where he camped the night before and he said he had dropped in that morning. Wow, already caught up with us. When we asked where he was camping that night, he said he wasn't camping, he was riding out. Huh?!? This is like a 100mi loop. In summer. On a bike. The only water he had was a Camelback reservoir on his back! We asked if he wanted a top off on his water and he said he didn't need it. Huh?!? Uh, ok buddy. Well, further into the conversation we find out that he was the first person to ride a mountain bike from the coast of Antarctica to the geographic south pole. Holy cow. That's pretty hardcore. So with a little more chat, he bids us a farewell and gets on his bike and heads on down the trail. Hey, did you get his name?? Nobody got his name. Damn. Oh well. We head out to the point to take pictures and soak up the views. One of the things we come across are these pools of water. The pools are normally dry "potholes", but fill up with water when it rains. The coolest thing about these pools are the life forms that "wake up" when the water fills the pools. Their real name is Ephemeral Pools. The dirt in the bottom of the pothole looks like plain dry dirt, but it is actually biological soil crust full of bacteria and other creatures that have developed a resistance to dehydration over thousands of years. Some of these invertebrates can go from dehydrated to functioning in less than an hour. It is absolutely amazing to look into this pool of water and see things swimming around in it!!
A view from the point:
A neat twist on a cairn:
The diagonal line going up the side of Murphy Hogback doesn't look like much from this angle or from the top looking down at vehicles coming up it, but it really looks different from inside the vehicle--an angle I had not seen before. Luckily my wife was running the camera while I had my head hanging out the window keeping the truck on the trail.
A view back before we start up the hill:
On the hill:
A little further up: (getting the feeling that it is steeper than it looks from below??)
Nearing the top:
A view from the top:
We met up with some bike riders coming up the other side of Murphy Hogback and asked if they saw a guy riding a bike by himself . Oh yeah, Dan Burton. That guy rode his bike to the south pole!! Yeah, that guy!! Some other bike riders had seen him go up Murphy Hogback and he made it 3/4 of the way up before he got off and walked his bike the rest of the way. Unbelievable. We had asked where the bike riders had camped and various locations were given by various people. One thing they all had in common was any campsites near water were mosquito infested misery. Oh swell. Our campsite that night is Hardscrabble Bottom. Right on the water. Not good. Somewhere around then we decide to head out of the trail that day and camp somewhere else. We continue on with minimal stops. Moving right along we cover a decent amount of ground.
More scenery:
Later the trail ends up on a shelf road right next to the Green River:
Lance coming up from Potato Bottom:
So we kept going at this point trying to make some time and get to Moab so we aren't setting up camp in the dark. We never did see the guy on the bike again. Coming out of the White Rim Trail is a series of switch backs and rapid elevation gain. We made it up those and we end up on a long straight, flat road leading back to the paved road that connects the visitor center to US191. So we are on this dirt road, moving at somewhere around 50-55mph and I see something on the road ahead of us. WTH is that up there, I ask. We can't tell. It's not long and I can make out the distinct shape of, wait for it, wait for it, a guy on a bike!! Dan Burton had ridden his bike fast enough consistently to stay ahead of us all day long in our air conditioned, four wheel drives with supplies and refirgerators. We slowed and hollered at him for a minute, then continued on out track back to Moab. My boy did some research on Dan and found some neat information. There is a bunch out there, but this is a link to some wiki information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burton
It just goes to show, you never know what you'll find or see out on the trail!! My boy still talks about this encounter to this day.
On our way out, a super-neat cut for the roadbed.
So we camped up over Moab and the next day came back into town and had breakfast. Then we filled up the tanks and hit the road southbound for home. We made it home in a little less than the "specified" amount of time. All in all, for no plan, ever-changing weather and an impossible meet-up, we had a great time. My boy's record for liking every stop better than the last one remained intact as the White Rim Trail was complete and total visual sensory overload for him as well as us. Every turn was another view that can not be captured effectively with a camera, nor described accurately with words. Obviously, my combining of the two doesn't do the job either, but it's the best I have to offer. This is a run I highly recommend if you are ever in the area or going to be in the area. Actually, everything on this trip would be highly recommended to see if the opportunity presents itself.
The scenery is still awe inspiring:
This is the only pic I got of the guy on the bike:
Gratuitous truck/s pic:
More scenery:
So we came upon a trail heading down to White Crack Camp Area. We turned down the trail as it looked like it might have a view of the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers. It turns out we couldn't see them, but at the end of the trail we found a mountain bike. After wandering around and taking a bunch of pictures, we came upon the owner of the bike. This is the same guy that we passed and then he passed us. He was walking back out from the overlook point to his bike when we came upon him. He looked to be around 50 years old and we chatted for a bit. We asked where he camped the night before and he said he had dropped in that morning. Wow, already caught up with us. When we asked where he was camping that night, he said he wasn't camping, he was riding out. Huh?!? This is like a 100mi loop. In summer. On a bike. The only water he had was a Camelback reservoir on his back! We asked if he wanted a top off on his water and he said he didn't need it. Huh?!? Uh, ok buddy. Well, further into the conversation we find out that he was the first person to ride a mountain bike from the coast of Antarctica to the geographic south pole. Holy cow. That's pretty hardcore. So with a little more chat, he bids us a farewell and gets on his bike and heads on down the trail. Hey, did you get his name?? Nobody got his name. Damn. Oh well. We head out to the point to take pictures and soak up the views. One of the things we come across are these pools of water. The pools are normally dry "potholes", but fill up with water when it rains. The coolest thing about these pools are the life forms that "wake up" when the water fills the pools. Their real name is Ephemeral Pools. The dirt in the bottom of the pothole looks like plain dry dirt, but it is actually biological soil crust full of bacteria and other creatures that have developed a resistance to dehydration over thousands of years. Some of these invertebrates can go from dehydrated to functioning in less than an hour. It is absolutely amazing to look into this pool of water and see things swimming around in it!!
A view from the point:
A neat twist on a cairn:
The diagonal line going up the side of Murphy Hogback doesn't look like much from this angle or from the top looking down at vehicles coming up it, but it really looks different from inside the vehicle--an angle I had not seen before. Luckily my wife was running the camera while I had my head hanging out the window keeping the truck on the trail.
A view back before we start up the hill:
On the hill:
A little further up: (getting the feeling that it is steeper than it looks from below??)
Nearing the top:
A view from the top:
We met up with some bike riders coming up the other side of Murphy Hogback and asked if they saw a guy riding a bike by himself . Oh yeah, Dan Burton. That guy rode his bike to the south pole!! Yeah, that guy!! Some other bike riders had seen him go up Murphy Hogback and he made it 3/4 of the way up before he got off and walked his bike the rest of the way. Unbelievable. We had asked where the bike riders had camped and various locations were given by various people. One thing they all had in common was any campsites near water were mosquito infested misery. Oh swell. Our campsite that night is Hardscrabble Bottom. Right on the water. Not good. Somewhere around then we decide to head out of the trail that day and camp somewhere else. We continue on with minimal stops. Moving right along we cover a decent amount of ground.
More scenery:
Later the trail ends up on a shelf road right next to the Green River:
Lance coming up from Potato Bottom:
So we kept going at this point trying to make some time and get to Moab so we aren't setting up camp in the dark. We never did see the guy on the bike again. Coming out of the White Rim Trail is a series of switch backs and rapid elevation gain. We made it up those and we end up on a long straight, flat road leading back to the paved road that connects the visitor center to US191. So we are on this dirt road, moving at somewhere around 50-55mph and I see something on the road ahead of us. WTH is that up there, I ask. We can't tell. It's not long and I can make out the distinct shape of, wait for it, wait for it, a guy on a bike!! Dan Burton had ridden his bike fast enough consistently to stay ahead of us all day long in our air conditioned, four wheel drives with supplies and refirgerators. We slowed and hollered at him for a minute, then continued on out track back to Moab. My boy did some research on Dan and found some neat information. There is a bunch out there, but this is a link to some wiki information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burton
It just goes to show, you never know what you'll find or see out on the trail!! My boy still talks about this encounter to this day.
On our way out, a super-neat cut for the roadbed.
So we camped up over Moab and the next day came back into town and had breakfast. Then we filled up the tanks and hit the road southbound for home. We made it home in a little less than the "specified" amount of time. All in all, for no plan, ever-changing weather and an impossible meet-up, we had a great time. My boy's record for liking every stop better than the last one remained intact as the White Rim Trail was complete and total visual sensory overload for him as well as us. Every turn was another view that can not be captured effectively with a camera, nor described accurately with words. Obviously, my combining of the two doesn't do the job either, but it's the best I have to offer. This is a run I highly recommend if you are ever in the area or going to be in the area. Actually, everything on this trip would be highly recommended to see if the opportunity presents itself.
