Along the bluffs

We enjoyed our local backpacking trip so much the previous weekend that we decided to go on another local trip. In particular, a place in nearly BLM land that will become well-trodden in a few short weeks.

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We’d follow some rougher jeep track, follow a now-closed roadbed, and then cross country to a point that looked interesting on the map.

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We enjoyed the views across the rim and to the Colorado River from our vantage point on the rim.

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And into an intriguing-looking canyon.

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We wandered along the mesa and found a fair amount of potholes that provided some “bonus water” for our evening course of hot drinks and morning coffee for me.

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Dip and sip!

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The evening light from our camp a bit later made for another of our memorable evenings among the red rock of the Colorado Plateau.

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The smile on Joan’s face certainly captured the delight we seem to have out here regularly.

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We woke up the following morning to a quiet and expansive desert landscape.

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We took a different “ghost road,” leading to a different set of views than the previous morning.

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We concluded the trip, made it to our vehicle, took in the nearby Dewey Bridge, drove along the river road, and spotted a circa 1902 “Kings Toll Road” from a pre-bridge Moab.

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“Access between Moab and Castle Valley was originally via a pack trail called the Heavenly Stairway. This trail, named for a dramatic descent of over 1,000 feet was described as beautiful, but difficult to navigate. Isolated from Utah’s population centers, this area depended on Grand Junction and other cities in Colorado for supplies and a market for agricultural products. Moab residents pushed for a road to be built along the riverbank. By 1902, the trail was replaced with a toll road, called King’s Toll Road, after Samuel King. King was the operator of the toll ferry used prior to the construction of the Dewey Bridge. Rocks inscribed with “Kings Toll Road” can still be found along the roadway. While the road improved travel, it was not built high enough above the river level and was often flooded.”

Another fine weekend while keeping it local.