EIGHT STATE PADDLED
Thu, October 29, 2009
I intended to paddle the Great Salt Lake… around Antelope Island but when I got to that area is was very windy, cold, and threat of snow. At some points the visibility on the road was pretty bad… so I kept driving with the hope of staying ahead of the snow. (I can always hope.)
So I didn’t stop there but kept on driving in hopes of getting ahead of it. I pushed on hard toward St. George. Tried to spend a night in a truck stop, but the weather was worrying me so… I kept driving.
Someone here had also mentioned Quail Creek Reservoir near St. George and I will plan on going there. It was warm today, but another storm is coming in. Spankie and friend, were surprised to find us at another body of water and this time, I told him he had to go with me.
On the far shore was a duck family. A Muscovy duck crossed with a Mallard and their mottle offspring. Knew another such duck family back in Monterey, CA. What a curiosity.
I was pleased to have paddled my Eight State, though I wish it had been a bigger more challenging paddle.
I spent a few days then just exploring St. George, UT. I really like that town. Found a Petroglyph Park….
After resting a couple days, I headed out toward Zion Park with the intent in camping along the Verde River on some BLM land. That didn’t turn out so well for SwankieWheels. Not looking so swankie now.
Tow truck driver did damage to my hitch and my wiring, but I found a good shop in town that did good work at a very reasonable price.
I then went on to spent about a week in Zion Park… hiked… a lot. Took photos. Rested. Got annoyed by RVers opening and closing door almost constantly, smoke from campfires gave me breathing problems… decided I needed to move on.
I bought some dry pants today... and plan on being warmer and dryer on my next paddle. I'm hanging out at Wal-Mart at night (up against a wall for protection from the wind)... and connecting at Staples during the day. I slept till 1pm today.
More of Zion:
Until Nov. 4th, I won't be using my air card (watched too many videos) and will have to find Wi-Fi hot spots to log on. I have used my air card for a few seconds when I couldn't get Wi-Fi... just to get directions. Drove around town a bit today so am oriented pretty good now.
11/10 I bought the RoadPro Stove and have it sitting between the two front seats on a box... wedged in so it can't move. I can take photos if that is of interest to people. So far I have baked bread, heated up frozen dinners, heated up canned soups and beans, and just hot water for cocoa and hot cereal. Seems anything is possible. I'm going to soak some rice and then see how it cooks up. I think with the addition of a dehydrator, I could live/cook/eat pretty cheaply on the road.
Here are picks of bacon and eggs I fixed one morning:
But food spoilage is a problem. I can't eat a whole loaf of bread before molds, so I have set up my cooler again to keep bread in it. I think I might have to check into getting a 12v fridge like Bob Wells. I don't like messing with the melted ice and food getting wet.
Was curious about Colorado City, AZ after all the new casts about the polygamist colonies… so decided to go drive around there. Very interesting indeed… and kind of creepy.
Then I happened upon this Mormon Park and there were no “No Trespassing” signs, so I explored. Parked over my the maintenance area for the night and no one even came by. Stars were very bright and there were suppose to be comets at 1am… but I was fast asleep and the wind was howling… I wasn’t come out of the van. I left early the next morning without seeing anyone.
At the end of the canyon…
Misc. Photos around Colorado City, AZ.
Next heading to NV and hope to paddle Lake Mead and check in with some family there.
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