Part 8: Salt Canyon to Newspaper Rock, UT

20150528

The Trip

We spent our night on the rim of Salt Canyon with a world-class view.  The wind picked up during the night, but was gusty rather than steady.  The morning broke clear and bright.  We broke camp at Salt Canyon overlook and headed back down the "ledge trail".

The Photos

The photos below are what we saw.

The view from the overlook was breath-taking.

To our south was the flanks of the Abajo Range.

The group headed out across the ledges.  Above, Bill Burke spots Vince.

Brad's truck approached a drop-off.

Rob spots Mark and Gail.

Rob spots Vince over a little ledge.

Brad is driving carefully.

Even a small ledge like this, if taken on the wrong line, can cause problems.

Chris and Ann bring up the rear.

Looking toward Grand Junction, CO we saw a set of contrails that mark the passing to transcontinental aircraft.  The Grand Junction VOR is under the middle of that triangle in the sky.

While we were looking at the contrails, this jet passed overhead at about 30,000 feet.

The recent rains brought out some nifty flowers.

These orange blooms were dusted in pollen.

When we completed the ledges, we headed to a cattle tank  for some winch training.  Above, Chris drives into the tank to simulate the stuck vehicle.

Mark had mis-spooled winch cable, so his rig was chosen as the pulling vehicle.  Given the weight of the vehicles and the terrain, use of a pulley block was required.  Above, Bill discusses the issues of attaching shackles to cables.

The correct attachment method for the pulley block.  Note the shackle pin is inserted from the top.  It is important to use a pulley block of adequate rating for the intended pulling job.

Mark spools-in cable insuring that it wraps correctly on the drum.

Chris demonstrates the correct method for attaching a safety strap on the pulley block.  The strap will help prevent damage or injury should the pulley attachment point fail.

Mark spools-in under load.  Note the routing of the control lines for the winch hand controller.

When Mark completed extracting Chris, Brad positioned his rig for a single line winch-out.



A strap was used to spread the load and prevent damage to the pinon tree.



Brad did not have enough cable, so several straps were cascaded with strong shackles.  He recovered himself without problems.



Because "size matters", Vince showed us his 24" Crescent Wrench.



When the winch training was completed, we headed toward Newspaper Rock.  Above, we looked behind us to catch the balance of the group in transit below huge red rock cliffs.



We got to Newspaper Rock and dismounted to look at the rock art.  The exact meaning of these symbols is unclear.  But, what is clear is that these symbols spanned thousands of years and multiple cultures.



In the upper left of the photo is a signature of "Gonzales" in 1902 and 1954.  These were ranching families in the area.  Look for your favorite glyph on the wall; it is likely there.



Some of the foot prints have 6 toes which is spiritual symbol.



From the parking lot at Newspaper Rock is a nice hoodoo on the western wall of the canyon.



The "mog girls".  L to R: Ann, Gail, Kathleen, Oksana, Maya (foreground).

Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2014 all rights reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.