I finally have time to tell you about the Canyonlands trip. As you can see from the pictures and video below, we did have a good time. Saundra and I went down there on our own May 25th. Steven had told us the road was washed out in places and that our old camp was trashed (he had been down there the previous fall). Well, we decided to go find the camp spot we were in the year Steve came with us before he and Cambrie were married. We couldn't find that spot, but we found a new one that was great.
On our way in the final dirt road we came across two guys on an ATV :-( We saw many other SUVs and some other camps in there that week. Everywhere we went, including where we've always found arrowheads, there were fresh footprints. We went in to see "initial rock" and our old camp, and on the way back out, there were footprints in our tracks on the road and closer to ruin park, vehicle tracks over ours. When we first started going down here, we NEVER saw another person nor signs of other people having walked through the trees. Of course the road was a lot rougher then. Now there are two new buildings there in ruin park put there by the BLM. Before long, there will be a hotel/spa resort, I know it.
Randy and Kert arrived Tuesday 27th and since we all had ATVs we decided to go to Imperial valley. Man, I just don't remember that road being that rough. I can't believe I've driven the Jeep over it multiple years...I don't think I want to again. Even on the ATVs we had to get out and build road in a few places. Definitely easier than the Jeep but still hard. We stopped at a place we've been in previous years and started hunting. Footprints. Yup...all over the place. Anyway, we got back on our mounts and got almost to our old Imperial Valley camp (the windy wash) when the road was blocked by tumbleweeds stacked 8 feet high for a length of about 50 yards. So,we got off and hunted. Found some good ones then drove all the way back to camp before it got dark. It was only 15 miles from camp but those 15 miles took us over 2 hours to ATV. With all the footprints, we were discouraged.
We hunted in a couple of our old places again, and every day came across footprints. We decided to head back down to Imperial Valley one day and about half way there we decided to stop at a place that looked good. We found a few arrowheads but we also found food cans.
Many times during the trip I was wishing that my sister Pat, and grandpa/grandma could be there and how thankful I was for them bringing me to this wonderful place. A couple of times when I was just riding and thinking my mind had a quick, immediately known as unreasonable thought that I should take a picture of this or that to send yer grandpa. You know...the kind of thought that the instant you think it you realize how silly it is. I couldn't get him out of my mind however since he loved that place and those activities with a passion. I choked up and almost cried a couple of times thinking that my Dad, mom, and sister would no longer be there and there was only myself and Saundra left of that generation to enjoy it and because of the amount of people that had "found" that place, the glory days were over.
I don't know that I'll ever go back. With all the people it's just not the same and the arrowhead hunting has dried up. Imperial valley still has some decent spots, but it's so difficult to get down there. I don't want to drive the jeep again and we only have 3 atvs for family so that's not really a good option. I'm also feeling my age. Arthritis is starting to raise it's ugly head and make my tent camping life not so easy any more. Besides that, my sweetheart won't go down there any more. Maybe some day when you kids are all rich and have your own ATVs and invite me on a Canyonlands trip that you plan, I'll go down again if I'm not too old and infirm by then.
I used to think of that place as ours. We made the road to camp and we were the first white people to explore many of the places down there. Now the road we made has a county road number marker on it, there are buildings and all kinds of people down there. Looking around at the scenery this time I realized that this place once belonged to the hands that made those arrowheads and pottery shards and moki huts. People just like me. I realized it had been there thousands of years before they lived there. A thousand more years has passed since then and I spent a few days there over my life which was just a little blip in history. The place will continue long after I'm just dust in some grave. It doesn't belong to me or anyone else. We're just short time visitors. I'm glad I've got pictures which I love to pull out and look at from time to time, but every time I do I realize that those first glory years down there have flowed under that bridge and have since been swept far, far away. It's always a part of me but it's just not the same. I'll use Google Earth to visit and explore it from now on. :-)
I think I'll focus my summertime camping and recreating efforts trying to get family to go camping with me at Reservation Ridge or some such close, easy place to get to. I can't wait until I get to go camping with kids and grandkids. That's the future for me!
On our way in the final dirt road we came across two guys on an ATV :-( We saw many other SUVs and some other camps in there that week. Everywhere we went, including where we've always found arrowheads, there were fresh footprints. We went in to see "initial rock" and our old camp, and on the way back out, there were footprints in our tracks on the road and closer to ruin park, vehicle tracks over ours. When we first started going down here, we NEVER saw another person nor signs of other people having walked through the trees. Of course the road was a lot rougher then. Now there are two new buildings there in ruin park put there by the BLM. Before long, there will be a hotel/spa resort, I know it.
Randy and Kert arrived Tuesday 27th and since we all had ATVs we decided to go to Imperial valley. Man, I just don't remember that road being that rough. I can't believe I've driven the Jeep over it multiple years...I don't think I want to again. Even on the ATVs we had to get out and build road in a few places. Definitely easier than the Jeep but still hard. We stopped at a place we've been in previous years and started hunting. Footprints. Yup...all over the place. Anyway, we got back on our mounts and got almost to our old Imperial Valley camp (the windy wash) when the road was blocked by tumbleweeds stacked 8 feet high for a length of about 50 yards. So,we got off and hunted. Found some good ones then drove all the way back to camp before it got dark. It was only 15 miles from camp but those 15 miles took us over 2 hours to ATV. With all the footprints, we were discouraged.
We hunted in a couple of our old places again, and every day came across footprints. We decided to head back down to Imperial Valley one day and about half way there we decided to stop at a place that looked good. We found a few arrowheads but we also found food cans.
Many times during the trip I was wishing that my sister Pat, and grandpa/grandma could be there and how thankful I was for them bringing me to this wonderful place. A couple of times when I was just riding and thinking my mind had a quick, immediately known as unreasonable thought that I should take a picture of this or that to send yer grandpa. You know...the kind of thought that the instant you think it you realize how silly it is. I couldn't get him out of my mind however since he loved that place and those activities with a passion. I choked up and almost cried a couple of times thinking that my Dad, mom, and sister would no longer be there and there was only myself and Saundra left of that generation to enjoy it and because of the amount of people that had "found" that place, the glory days were over.
I don't know that I'll ever go back. With all the people it's just not the same and the arrowhead hunting has dried up. Imperial valley still has some decent spots, but it's so difficult to get down there. I don't want to drive the jeep again and we only have 3 atvs for family so that's not really a good option. I'm also feeling my age. Arthritis is starting to raise it's ugly head and make my tent camping life not so easy any more. Besides that, my sweetheart won't go down there any more. Maybe some day when you kids are all rich and have your own ATVs and invite me on a Canyonlands trip that you plan, I'll go down again if I'm not too old and infirm by then.
I used to think of that place as ours. We made the road to camp and we were the first white people to explore many of the places down there. Now the road we made has a county road number marker on it, there are buildings and all kinds of people down there. Looking around at the scenery this time I realized that this place once belonged to the hands that made those arrowheads and pottery shards and moki huts. People just like me. I realized it had been there thousands of years before they lived there. A thousand more years has passed since then and I spent a few days there over my life which was just a little blip in history. The place will continue long after I'm just dust in some grave. It doesn't belong to me or anyone else. We're just short time visitors. I'm glad I've got pictures which I love to pull out and look at from time to time, but every time I do I realize that those first glory years down there have flowed under that bridge and have since been swept far, far away. It's always a part of me but it's just not the same. I'll use Google Earth to visit and explore it from now on. :-)
I think I'll focus my summertime camping and recreating efforts trying to get family to go camping with me at Reservation Ridge or some such close, easy place to get to. I can't wait until I get to go camping with kids and grandkids. That's the future for me!
Comments
I can't believe that there are so many people down there. I doubt that they are arrowhead hunting, so what on earth are they doing? There are better places to ride ATV's i'm sure.