Road Bicycling in Moab, Canyoneerinng Morning Glory Arch and at visit to Sego Canyon Rock Art Site.

2015 Fall Travels of the Mercury, Oct 15th to 22nd.

We’re back in Moab, one of our favorite places. Moab is crazier than ever. Lines of traffic extended all the way through town. Rush hours consist of people leaving town to go play and coming back at the end of the day. The RV parks and hotels are filled with tourists from all over the world. Most come to see Arches National Park, mountain bike or do extreme jeep routes. We’re here to bike, hike and canyoneer with friends.

Looking up at the cliffs from our campsite at Kings Bottom along the Colorado River.

We camp at Kings Bottom, a BLM campground on Kane Road along the Colorado River south of Moab. The cost is $14 or $7 with the Senior Pass. The only facility is a pit toilet, and no hookups or water but oh, the view.

Looking into the upper end of Hell Roaring Canyon.

Our first hike is to Hell Roaring Canyon on Island in the Sky. Hell Roaring was named by John Wesley Powell during his famous expedition. On their journey down the Green River they camped at the mouth of this side canyon were the winds blew down on them sounding like hell roaring.

We hike cross country along the rim of the canyon.

Jim hiking the rim of Hell Roaring.

 We also visit larger than life pictographs in what may have been a sacred site. The mystical anthropomorphic images wear ceremonial robes and headdresses.

The pictograph panel near Hell Roaring Canyon.

The old spirits are here.

The images are faded but at one time were very impressive in color and stature.

The next day we take a 25 mile bike ride along the Colorado River from Moab to the end of Potash Road. This is a flat road with very little traffic and great views of cliffs and river. A really fine, fast ride.

Jim biking the Potash Road south of Moab along the Colorado River

Great views of the Colorado River along Potash Road.

Jackie at Jug Handle Arch on Potash road.

Behind the Rocks near King's Bottom campground.

Our next hike is cross country in Arches National Park. We wait in backed-up traffic to get into the park then drive to the Delicate Arch parking lot. It's crowded and we're lucky to find a parking space. Instead of joining the pilgrimage to the arch, which we've all seen before, we head north off trail ascending ramps of eroded sandstone and leaving the crowds behind. Our friend takes us to some nice views into the beautiful side canyons of Salt Creek.

Jim and Lisa hiking along a canyon rim.

Looking into Salt Creek.

A future arch in the making.

Fins of rock  rise from a canyon floor.

Far away the long lens picks out the crowds gathered around Delicate Arch. 

The next day we take a 35 mile bike ride to Island in the Sky on Moab's scenic bike path.

Jim riding Moab's scenic bike path.

At the junction of Hwy 191 and 313 to Canyon Lands is the Dinosaur Tracks Museum where you can take a Paleosafari and walk among life size dinosaurs on the Dinosaur Trail. This is dino country so don't miss a chance to see them.

The entry to the Dinosaur Tracks Museum and Dinosaur Trail.

Look a dinosaur in the eye at the Dinosaur Tracks Museum.

Dinosaurs walk through the desert . . .

and the big guys hunt the chaparral.

We join our friends for a canyoneering adventure which begins with an easy hike to Morning Glory Arch. We drive up to Sand Flat and hike cross county to a wash that will take us to the top of the arch in Negro Bill Canyon. You have to know which wash to go down to end up at the right place. It’s a beautiful hike into fins of sandstone.

Our gang ready to go canyoneering to Morning Glory Arch.

We hike cross country to a wash that will lead to Morning Glory Arch.

A pause before we descend.

Walking a ramp of sandstone into the canyon.

Hiking in a grand landscape as we descend to our first rappel.

Lisa sets the ropes for our rappel into the Medieval Chamber.

Our first rappel is into the Medieval Chamber. The rounded edge of the chamber makes it impossible to get close enough to look down until you hook into the rope and begin backing over the edge.

The rounded edge makes it impossible to get close enough to look into Medieval Chamber.

It’s a 2-tiered descent. There’s a pool at the bottom of the 1^st tier which can be circumvented if you’re in the right place. Then you edge over to the lip of the second drop to finish the rappel to the bottom of the chamber. And by the way, there’s a pool at the bottom of that as well.  We managed to avoid getting wet.

Descending the 2nd tier. Jim waits at the bottom.

Lisa comes down last and then we pull the rope.

Looking up to a scratch of sky from the floor of the Medieval Chamber.

The chamber is gloomy even on bright days with only a crack in the overhanging rock to let light filter to the floor. This somewhat circular room is about 20 ft. in diameter.

We exit the Chamber through the crack and into the main canyon.

We exit the chamber and into the main canyon through a crack and it’s a short couple hundred yards down canyon to the top of Morning Glory Arch.

Looking up canyon from the Chamber.

The canyon floor abruptly ends in a drop off of about 120 ft. with span of about 15 ft. to the top of the arch. The arch is a natural bridge and is accessible from the right side so you can walk across it as you can see in the photos below.

The canyon floor abruptly ends in a 120 ft. drop off.

Walking across Morning Glory Arch.

Looking over the edge from the top of the arch.

Getting ready for the rappel behind Morning Glory Arch.

There's a popular 2.25-mile hiking trail from the Colorado River up Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory Arch. We can hear people below but can’t get close enough to the rounded edge to look down at them and they can’t see us up on top. They know we’re here because Lisa called down to them before throwing our rope to the bottom.

Jim is the first down. When he backs over the edge it’s the first time the people below can see him. He zips down the rope and we here cheers and applause from below.

Looking up at Morning Glory Arch and the rappel.

The rappel is down a wall for about 30 ft. then free hang to the bottom.

The first 30 ft of the rappel is a cliff and then a free hang to the bottom.

Lisa  zipping down the rope.

Morning Glory is an easy canyoneering route. The hardest part is the 2.25 mile hike out and the shuttle back to Sand Flat. It’s been a fine day playing in the rocks.

Next day we visit the Sego Canyon Rock Art Site. It's an easy drive north from Moab on Hwy 191 to I-70, then east on I-70 to Thompson Springs. From there take road 159 about 4 miles north. This is a BLM site. There's a pit toilet and educational signage about the rock art created by several different cultures. As in other sites it is water in an arid land that becomes the focus for these special places.

A sign explains the style of one of the rock art panels.

The pictograph featured in the above sign at the Sego Canyon Rock Art site.

Fremont pictographs.

Anthropomorphic figures with birds. 

A line of figures stand a the base of a cliff.

A very strange figure hovers above the head of one of the anthropomorphs.

This site is very accessible and should be respected and cared for. In earlier days cowboys used these for target practice. You can see the bullet holes in the walls. There's also more modern vandalism. You would think people would behave better. If you visit treat this place as the rare and valuable work of art that it is.

Pictographs.

Ute pictographs.

Next post we'll be spending a few days in the Needles District of Canyon Lands then returning to Moab for more canyoneering adventures.

Until next time.
Jackie