This week,
my true-blue friend - Bonsey - and I took a wee adventure in my 4-wheel drive vehicle,
up to Utah's most lonely and lovely mountain ranges.
The High Uintas are a 150-miles-wide protected wilderness area
in northeast part of our state and it is , indeed,
HIGH.
Like, the ridgeline rarely drops below 11,000 feet altitude
and there are mountain 'basins' above 12,000.
REALLY HIGH.
Even though it's almost July,
the aspens are barely greening up. - as you can see in the photo BELOW.
A few minutes after this shot was taken,
we were forced to SLOWLY & CAREFULLY back the car down a mountainside dirt road,
impassable due to SNOW!
We also found ourselves FORDING STREAMS,
TOSSING BOULDERS INTO DEEP GULLIES to construct crossings,
getting stuck in MASSIVE MOATS created by nature's folly,
strategically WEDGING FALLEN LOGS beneath the wheels to get back on the trail.
Bonsey is FEARLESS and therefore a perfect companion for such adventuring.
(I took this photo 35 years ago. It's about time I publish it.
My travel-mate is still over-the-top cute!)
Let me just say,the back roads of the Uintas
are better navigated by the LOCAL SHEEPHERDERS on HORSEBACK.
We DID see bounteous flocks of SHEEP and herds of CATTLE.
Sometimes, it was a task
to maneuver my Honda Element around these oblivious beasties.
My favorite (and only) daughter-in-law, Jill, grew upraising sheep in the Uintas.
Her dad still herds livestock from the saddle.
Again - GOOD CHOICE, considering the terrain we traveled.
We traded in our tent for a $35-a-night cabin at theDefas Ranch on the North Fork of the Duchesne River.
The next morning, after hiking along the river (above),
we hopped back in the wagon to explore another part of the territory -
the 'Mirror Lake Scenic Byway'
It's NOT just about Mirror Lake.There are HUNDREDS of lakes in the Uintas.
Well, some are large ponds, like this one. Still lovely.
The Upper Provo River flows alongside the road - a totally asphalt road, btw.
In the afternoon, we stumbled upon these falls, still roaring with the spring run-off.
Simply spectacular.
Right there, we shook hands on a DEAL.
Simply spectacular.
Right there, we shook hands on a DEAL.
We're going to return.With a TENT.
After all, the High Uintas are just 50 miles from home.
Definitely a 1st class, low-budget Utah vacation
during the summer months.
2 comments:
Okay - does this remind me of those summers in the '70s? Remind, reheart, refeel - and, of course, it's you bringing me this gift, you and your lovely camera.
Though I'm happy NOT to have had to wedge logs under wheels. G and I took a little trip out the backside of Cascade Springs one summer sabbath evening - in my Volkswagon bug, by the way. Doing exactly what you just described, and finally making it out somewhere around Strawberry. Thought we wouldn't make it - one more stream - all mud and about thirty feet wide. We saw a 4x4 truck on the other side and yelled across, "How far is it to a road?" thinking we might just have to drive the several hours back across the mountain. He stared at us - "There's a camping area about twenty feet that way - " he said.
Then his eyes got big. "You came all the way down the mountain - in THAT?"
Yep. But the blue baby was never the same again.
That's so cool! I showed my dad your post and he was impressed. We've stayed at those cabins before-fun stuff! I look forward to hearing more about it today.
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