Blanding Adventure

Leaving camp yesterday morning, I tore off the front bumper getting through the ditch next to the road. (see prev blogpost)



In town I stopped at Eric's place for propane.

When he asked how things were going I told him. In spite of my whining about being poor, he darn near insisted I go see Ivan at CARRSHOP. 

At CARRSHOP, 

two young men said Ivan was away but would be back soon. I decided to risk it and explained the situation. The next thing I knew, Jackson, in the white t-shirt, and Braxton, in black, 

were going to town on the car as if their lives depended on it. 

Over the next twenty minutes I watched as they power-sawed off a bolt that someone else had put in before and was impeding their progress. It was amazing to watch a team who really know their stuff.

Ivan showed up just as they finished. 

When I asked about payment Ivan referred me back to the two. In the interests of helping them make some REAL money next time, I'll not disclose what we settled on. But The Scvoog is now, once again, proudly sporting his frontice piece.

Good As New

And we're thinking mayyyyyyybe of staying off "the dirt."

Mil Gras, guys!

Cedar Mesa, Utah

I spent the past week roaming the area west by northwest of Blanding and Bluff. Road conditions vary with many having extended sections of what appears to be sand but is, in fact, clay.

When it gets damp it becomes slippery; and when it gets wet it forms a thick, impassable gumbo. 

I was camped near The Twist on Hole-in-the-Rock Rd when clouds started to gather. It meant leaving sooner than planned, but after an all-night rain the next evening I was glad I'd made the decision. I could move about in The Valley of The Gods without having ten pounds of mud on my feet (see next post).

For those unfamiliar, Cedar Mesa is said to have more archeological sites than anywhere else in the world. And this is the best time of year to visit. By the end of next month daytime temperatures will average 35 degrees centigrade and higher (upper nineties).