Sun To The North: Arizona & Utah with my Expedition Trailer in 2012

April is a great time for exploration in the states of Arizona and Utah in the amazing terrain along their common border. On this trip I brought along the expedition trailer and I agonized for a while over the decison, not wanting to get stuck on some deep sand uphill.

On the truck I needed tires so rather than buy another set of all-season tires (Bridgestone Revo D696) I went with the newer Goodyear Duratrac tires with a more agressive tread. I also have a rear axle locker from ARB and that turned out to be the advantage that made the difference. I also brought along a nice set of aluminum sand ladders, a shovel and an ARB X-Jack, trying to cover all of the angles for self-extraction should the need arise. I read and re-read information on airing down tires and ultimately aired down the truck tires to 19 pounds and the trailer tires to 25 pounds whenever I was faced with deep sand. My onboard ARB air compressor handled the air locker as well as re-filling my tires when needed.

One of the first stops was a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I left the trailer in Kanab in order to make the jaunt go more quickly. it turned out that the dirt road had been extensively re-graded so it was a fast drive. The views over the canyon rim are always thrilling and the peek-a-boo sun behind the clouds made for fascinating photograpy.

There was also time for a quick stop at Pipe Springs National Monument back up on Highway 89 where you can learn some of the fascinating intersection of cultures and religion.

The sturdy Fort named Winsor Castle that controlled the spring water source. The blocks of stone came from the nearby hill and a team of stone masons labored 19 months to build the "castle".

The next day came quickly and required an early start to head out from Kanab to House Rock Road and then across deep sand roads to White Pocket and South Coyote Buttes. Base camp was established on the slick rock near White Pocket.

White Pocket is a mecca for adventurous photgraphers. The fanciful erosion of the multi colored layers of rock creates endless variations to capture in your own images. When bathed in glowing sunsets and sunrises, the rock takes on unique hues that are well hidden in harsh noontime sunlight. Patience and skill are required to navigate the roads and to photograph White Pocket. Here are a few of my photos.

Here you can see that the setting sun can dramatically reveal the vivid palette that the age-old rocks were hding.

A very peaceful place to nap.

Coyote Buttes South is about a one hour drive over the sandy trails followed by an easy 20 minute hike. Again, a photographer is given endless chances to capture their own vision of the fanciful terrain that Nature has created.

Spot the sneaky photographer?

After a few days in this area it was time to pack up the trailer and move the base camp across miles of desert roads (see video at end of blog) to a peaceful and remote mesa high above Lake Powell.

The new base camp!

What better view from a tent could be asked for?

Enjoying the show of color at the end of a great day

All too soon the sun had set and dinner had been enjoyed but the show was not over. The rising moon added new vistas to enjoy.

The following day a new sunrise beckoned with soft light reflecting on Lake Powell's vast waters, carressed by soft eddies of desert winds.

Testing my trusty SPOT device and sending back the whispery radio frequency signal that relayed through the orbiting satellite that I was OK!

Soon it was time to turn on the westward trails home. There were stops along the way such as Utah's Pink Coral Sand Dunes...

...and easy hikes in Zion National Park

But they are almost too easy to access. No need for 4WD, airing down tires or digging out of sand traps. Sigh. Who would think that one would look back on such troubles with something akin to longing?

Here is a 8+ minute video that shows a bit of the terrain that can be found, from deep sand roads to hard packed dirt. The landscape at times was as if you could drive on the moon; starkly barren and hued in many shades of grey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHlkq1NoIE