Moabman returns from the promised land

[moabman]

Back in town and got the nose to the grindstone again. Thought some of you would like to look at pictures from "the homeland"

 

Moab pictures

 

They had the classic car show there while we were there and it was a lot of fun. More hot rods in one place than I have seen lately. Rat rods(?) seemed to be especially popular. Couple of GT500s and a Ford GT showed the modern Ford badge and the most unusual entry was a classic 50's eighteen wheeler with a perfectly restored 50's ready-mix cement truck and dump truck on the flat bed.

[07Shelby#6200]

Sweeeeet! I don't have much time to comment right now but from what I saw the pics were incredible! There have been tons of car commercials made in that area and two movies that I know of with Kurt Douglas in one, (Breakdown) and Thelma and Louise. Gods country for sure! The back road out of Moab should be in everyones future! Trust me!

[moabman]

Did you take all those pics? Very nice.

 

I did but I shamelessly copied a lot of the great pictures I have looked at from famous photographers over the years. Some of the others were lucky: "F8 and be there" shots when the storms came in.

[moabman]

Sweeeeet! I don't have much time to comment right now but from what I saw the pics were incredible! There have been tons of car commercials made in that area and two movies that I know of with Kurt Douglas in one, (Breakdown) and Thelma and Louise. Gods country for sure! The back road out of Moab should be in everyones future! Trust me!

 

I had hiked many times in the Needles district but this time we took Jeep Rubicons way deep into the grabens. It was a lot of fun. Those things can really climb!

 

[RUFDRAFT]

Awesome pics!

 

...suddenly I'm very very thirsty....

[KobraII]

Awesome pics!

 

...suddenly I'm very very thirsty....

Coincidence? I think not. Lets find out, in the Twilight Zone.

 

*Do do do do, Do do do do, Do do do do*

[RUFDRAFT]

Where do you think I live? :shades:

[KobraII]

Where do you think I live? :shades:

Bizarro World?

 

Tell me what that's from, and me love you long time. And you better not use Google

[68fastback]

Back in town and got the nose to the grindstone again. Thought some of you would like to look at pictures from "the homeland"

 

Moab pictures

 

They had the classic car show there while we were there and it was a lot of fun. More hot rods in one place than I have seen lately. Rat rods(?) seemed to be especially popular. Couple of GT500s and a Ford GT showed the modern Ford badge and the most unusual entry was a classic 50's eighteen wheeler with a perfectly restored 50's ready-mix cement truck and dump truck on the flat bed.

 

Great pics, Mark!!! The Moab area is one of my fave places on planet earth! Man, the rental jeeps have come a long way ;-) -- last time I was there in the '80s they were getting stuck in Lanthrop canyon (off the white rim trail) all the time. Have taken my 4x4 E250 over Elephant Hill several times and to the maze... and all the way around the White Rim trail ;-) ... the Moab area is just spectacular! ...Canyonlands, Arches, Natural Bridges, Escallante (sp?), Capital Reef.... I want to go back again!!!

[68fastback]

The back road out of Moab should be in everyones future! Trust me!

 

You mean up the road that goes along the Green river and across that scary-azz wire and wood-slatted suspension bridge that looks like a 200' plunge to your death is inevitable?!!

[moabman]

And they pay me to do this! I love my job. I have always hiked in to the Needles and mainly hiked into Chesler Park but this was the first time I have 4x4'd into that area. Those Rubicons are pretty neat; they push button lock either the front or rear axle or both on the fly and they have a push button sway bar disconnect for those extreme wheel movements.

 

We hiked up to the Portal Overlook and some jeeps went up by us and over some areas that I can't see how they did it. I did notice, however, that something was dripping from a vehicle on the rock past the tough spot.

 

I just read Desert Solitude by Edward Abbey and I can recommend it. I think my family visited Arches while he was a seasonal park ranger there. Not sure he would want all this hero worship stuff I read on the net about him.

 

I'm ready to go back already.

[RUFDRAFT]

Bizarro World?

 

Tell me what that's from, and me love you long time. And you better not use Google

 

Star Trek, young grasshopper. Do not forget with whom you are in contact with, yes?

 

 

Mark - what a life you have! Me? Wanna talk about the Hunt's Point Market in NYC?

[68fastback]

And they pay me to do this! I love my job.

 

ok, now, you don't get away that easy! <lol> Curiosity is killing me, Mark! What work do you do that takes you to Moab (...and how can I apprentice <lol>)?? ;-)

[KobraII]

Star Trek, young grasshopper. Do not forget with whom you are in contact with, yes?

Mark - what a life you have! Me? Wanna talk about the Hunt's Point Market in NYC?

ERR!!! Wrong, try Early to Mid 80's Saturday Night Live. Bizarro World was the world where everything was backwards!

[moabman]

I'm a geophysicist and I was there on a field course called "Extensional Tectonics and Normal Fault Patterns" Fancy name but it means I get to hike around a lot of neat areas and look at the rocks. One interesting thing about being a geoscientist is that you learn to think on another time scale. John McPhee calls it "deep time". Instead of thinking about time in terms of years and centuries you think of 100,000 years and millions of years. When you think this way, those "eternal" mountains suddenly don't seem too "eternal". They pop up and are eroded down and when viewed regionally, look like a constantly evolving landscape that is in constant motion and very much alive. Right now, the Colorado River in combination with an event called the Monument Valley Uplift that raised the entire Colorado Plateau have created all of this fantastic area we know as the Canyonlands and Arches area.

 

As my kids will tell you, don't get me started. We have a family joke about the "OK Dad, you can stop now" comments that always accompanied my explanations of some fantastic formation we were passing by while on a trip.

 

Now, how about you? Why and when did you start exploring that area so extensively?

[moabman]

.... Wanna talk about the Hunt's Point Market in NYC?

 

Yeah I do. Is that where you drove the semis? Somehow I didn't think you were hauling produce. Was it hard to find your way around there?

[68fastback]

I'm a geophysicist and I was there on a field course called "Extensional Tectonics and Normal Fault Patterns" Fancy name but it means I get to hike around a lot of neat areas and look at the rocks. One interesting thing about being a geoscientist is that you learn to think on another time scale. John McPhee calls it "deep time". Instead of thinking about time in terms of years and centuries you think of 100,000 years and millions of years. When you think this way, those "eternal" mountains suddenly don't seem too "eternal". They pop up and are eroded down and when viewed regionally, look like a constantly evolving landscape that is in constant motion and very much alive. Right now, the Colorado River in combination with an event called the Monument Valley Uplift that raised the entire Colorado Plateau have created all of this fantastic area we know as the Canyonlands and Arches area.

 

As my kids will tell you, don't get me started. We have a family joke about the "OK Dad, you can stop now" comments that always accompanied my explanations of some fantastic formation we were passing by while on a trip.

 

Now, how about you? Why and when did you start exploring that area so extensively?

 

Fascinating stuff! I once saw a simulation on NOVA (in the early '90s maybe?) that showed a time-compressed but accurate simulation of all the western volcanos over the past x-millions of years. It was like watching zits pop! ...as the pacific place [?] pushes under the continental plate [?] leving a trail of volcanos!

 

I've been following the rapid tilting of Yellowstone lake with much interest -- possibly the largest caldera on planet earth? That's fascinating stuff you're involved with.

 

I've always loved trying to figure out what caused the formations so started reading about that in the '70s. Have visited that region (desert SW) four times in the 70s/80s ...just because it's so beautiful ...I was working for IBM at the time, had money, and could take long vacations if I saved enough time up.

 

There's a lesser-known but very cool spot we found not too far (in SW scale <lol>) from the Moab area... if you go toward Mexican Hat and to the Gossenecks of the San Juan River State Park (at which we've never seen another human being in 4 trips), there's actually a 'rear' exit out the back that switchbacks up the side of a finger butte on a narrow dirt track. As soon as you reach the top the road bends hard-right and becomes rough-paved, but there's a dirt-tail to the left in the turn that runs all the way out a mile or two to the tip of that finger butte with an impromptu camp spot (that we've never seen anyone else at)overlooking the convoluted goosenecks of the San Juan river in the day and what seems like the whole SW at night. Exploring the rim of the butte is fascinating -- you could spend all day hiking/climbing through the edge formations ...there's one area with many petroglyphs (to the left of the entrance trail near the terminal camp spot), and the views are just astounding! You can see all of the vast Navajo lands/formation like little 'toy' features all in a single 'view! ' One night Jan and I were camped there in our 4x4 E250 high-rider van looking out in the pitch-black night. Occasionally a headlight would wink-on at the horizon and it would take over a half-hour before if would wink-off under a starry sky you could almost touch! We were picking up radio stations from Mexico City to the Midwest and Canada! Could be a Motel-6 there now! Who knows! ...sure hope not.

 

Another cool area is the navajo lands themselves -- we used to stay at Gouldings outpost before the university took it over. The entrance to the navajo lands visitor center is just down the road a 1/2 mile. We found a neat trick to go where no one else can. We sign up for the tour (a Navajo will drive your vehicle because they won't let a non-Navajo drive on much of their lands) but if you offer him $20 (maybe $100 now?) he'll take you for a full day to places few get to see very much -- mazes, sand dunes, the sacred burrial lands, some ancient sites... neat stuff (not geologicaly signif, tho).

 

Mark, there are a lot of folks with cool jobs here, but you'd get my vote! ;-)

 

So, the short answer: we go there just because it's beautiful and peaceful/spiritual ...the Moab area is very special ...almost hypnotizing. ;-)

[RUFDRAFT]

ERR!!! Wrong, try Early to Mid 80's Saturday Night Live. Bizarro World was the world where everything was backwards!

 

And just where do you think SNL got it from?

[RUFDRAFT]

Yeah I do. Is that where you drove the semis? Somehow I didn't think you were hauling produce. Was it hard to find your way around there?

 

Hunts Point Market was a lot more than produce wholesalers. At that time, I was delivering corned beef to the Market. Finding places for the first time was not any fun at all. But you quickly develop your ability to return to a place without getting lost! One wrong turn could cost an hour - or more! Lot of hookers at the Market, too. Even at 4 a.m.! And - lots of crime. We didn't wander too far from the rigs.

[moabman]

Fascinating stuff! I once saw a simulation on NOVA (in the early '90s maybe?) that showed a time-compressed but accurate simulation of all the western volcanos over the past x-millions of years. It was like watching zits pop! ...as the pacific place [?] pushes under the continental plate [?] leving a trail of volcanos!

 

I've been following the rapid tilting of Yellowstone lake with much interest -- possibly the largest caldera on planet earth? That's fascinating stuff you're involved with.

 

I've always loved trying to figure out what caused the formations so started reading about that in the '70s. Have visited that region (desert SW) four times in the 70s/80s ...just because it's so beautiful ...I was working for IBM at the time, had money, and could take long vacations if I saved enough time up.

 

There's a lesser-known but very cool spot we found not too far (in SW scale <lol>) from the Moab area... if you go toward Mexican Hat and to the Gossenecks of the San Juan River State Park (at which we've never seen another human being in 4 trips), there's actually a 'rear' exit out the back that switchbacks up the side of a finger butte on a narrow dirt track. As soon as you reach the top the road bends hard-right and becomes rough-paved, but there's a dirt-tail to the left in the turn that runs all the way out a mile or two to the tip of that finger butte with an impromptu camp spot (that we've never seen anyone else at)overlooking the convoluted goosenecks of the San Juan river in the day and what seems like the whole SW at night. Exploring the rim of the butte is fascinating -- you could spend all day hiking/climbing through the edge formations ...there's one area with many petroglyphs (to the left of the entrance trail near the terminal camp spot), and the views are just astounding! You can see all of the vast Navajo lands/formation like little 'toy' features all in a single 'view! ' One night Jan and I were camped there in our 4x4 E250 high-rider van looking out in the pitch-black night. Occasionally a headlight would wink-on at the horizon and it would take over a half-hour before if would wink-off under a starry sky you could almost touch! We were picking up radio stations from Mexico City to the Midwest and Canada! Could be a Motel-6 there now! Who knows! ...sure hope not.

 

Another cool area is the navajo lands themselves -- we used to stay at Gouldings outpost before the university took it over. The entrance to the navajo lands visitor center is just down the road a 1/2 mile. We found a neat trick to go where no one else can. We sign up for the tour (a Navajo will drive your vehicle because they won't let a non-Navajo drive on much of their lands) but if you offer him $20 (maybe $100 now?) he'll take you for a full day to places few get to see very much -- mazes, sand dunes, the sacred burrial lands, some ancient sites... neat stuff (not geologicaly signif, tho).

 

Mark, there are a lot of folks with cool jobs here, but you'd get my vote! ;-)

 

So, the short answer: we go there just because it's beautiful and peaceful/spiritual ...the Moab area is very special ...almost hypnotizing. ;-)

 

Dan

 

I know the spot! It's called Muley Point and it's one of my favorite places also. The finger butte is called Cedar Mesa and if you follow it all the way to the North where it butts up against the Abajo's, you will run into Natural Bridges National Monument. There is great camping and backpacking all along Cedar Mesa especially to the west where the canyons meander off to join the Colorado.

 

Muley Point

[68fastback]

Dan

 

I know the spot! It's called Muley Point and it's one of my favorite places also. The finger butte is called Cedar Mesa and if you follow it all the way to the North where it butts up against the Abajo's, you will run into Natural Bridges National Monument. There is great camping and backpacking all along Cedar Mesa especially to the west where the canyons meander off to join the Colorado.

 

Muley Point

 

Mark, that's amazing!! That's it! I couldn't remember the name.. it's been over 25 years since we'd been there. I just started telling my wife about our posts and she immediately blurted out: Muley Point Here brain cells are doing better than mine <lol> Is it still fairly pristine or has it become beat-up?

 

Btw, have you been involved in any geophysical studies surrounding the controversy of locating the US nucear waste repository in that salt dome out near Moad somewhere? I had read alot about it a few years back but haven't heard if it's still 'stalled' or not ..was just curious.

 

You've made my day just knowing someone else who knows Muley Point. When we travelled more we always would search out the most out of the way places we could find ...and I'm sure there are many more. ;-)

[moabman]

Don't worry - it hasn't changed at all except maybe the road has been graded a little (I hope).

 

Didn't work on the Nevada salt deposits that are being considered for the nuclear repository. My take on the whole repository controversy is we should concentrate more on making a repository secure and not worry about how long it will be stable and hermetically sealed. When I look how far we have come in the last 100 years in our knowledge of atomic structure and chemistry it makes me think that in 200 or 300 years, we may want to be able to get back to use these relatively rare heavy atoms.

 

They are adding and extra lane to the highway from Moab to Green River to haul away the uranium tailings pile that sits right on the bank of the Colorado. I thought those were potash tailings - Yikes! It is a superfund site and they are going to truck all 15 million tons to a new site in the Book Cliffs.

[68fastback]

Don't worry - it hasn't changed at all except maybe the road has been graded a little (I hope).

 

Didn't work on the Nevada salt deposits that are being considered for the nuclear repository. My take on the whole repository controversy is we should concentrate more on making a repository secure and not worry about how long it will be stable and hermetically sealed. When I look how far we have come in the last 100 years in our knowledge of atomic structure and chemistry it makes me think that in 200 or 300 years, we may want to be able to get back to use these relatively rare heavy atoms.

 

They are adding and extra lane to the highway from Moab to Green River to haul away the uranium tailings pile that sits right on the bank of the Colorado. I thought those were potash tailings - Yikes! It is a superfund site and they are going to truck all 15 million tons to a new site in the Book Cliffs.

 

Holly moley! I thought those were potash tailings too! I'd get sick later in the day whenever we'd been near them! I suspected there was radiation of some kind in the area -- my wife thought I was imagining it (I just told her) ...we used to take the shortcut thru Potash to Canyonlands white rim trail. Makes me wonder if the several different forms of cancer I've had are related ...probably not, but who knows? Good to hear it's being cleaned up.

[moabman]

Whoa - sorry to hear about your health problems! The tailings have very low levels of radiation but they are elevated. We hiked right by them to go look at the Moab fault where the railroad enters the tunnel right above the tailings pile and I was hoping for a light NW breeze or at least no breeze.

 

BTW some of the most naturally radioactive rocks are dinosaur fossils. If you have some that you have found laying around the house, go get them tested with a Geiger counter.

 

here's a link to the superfund site:

 

Moab Superfund Site

[68fastback]

Whoa - sorry to hear about your health problems! The tailings have very low levels of radiation but they are elevated. We hiked right by them to go look at the Moab fault where the railroad enters the tunnel right above the tailings pile and I was hoping for a light NW breeze or at least no breeze.

 

BTW some of the most naturally radioactive rocks are dinosaur fossils. If you have some that you have found laying around the house, go get them tested with a Geiger counter.

 

here's a link to the superfund site:

 

Moab Superfund Site

 

Thanks, Mark

 

...looks like it will take a while and be very expensive to remediate!

 

Thanks for the dino bone warning... don't have any but good to know.

 

Dan

[RUFDRAFT]

Geo-thermal UNLEASHED!

[Super Snake]

Back in town and got the nose to the grindstone again. Thought some of you would like to look at pictures from "the homeland"

 

Moab pictures

 

They had the classic car show there while we were there and it was a lot of fun. More hot rods in one place than I have seen lately. Rat rods(?) seemed to be especially popular. Couple of GT500s and a Ford GT showed the modern Ford badge and the most unusual entry was a classic 50's eighteen wheeler with a perfectly restored 50's ready-mix cement truck and dump truck on the flat bed.

great pix