Shay Ridge Trail - Here's a Tease.

Shay Ridge, Shay Mountain and Shay Canyon; a trilogy that will soon be completed by Roy and myself.  When it comes to the 4 Corners region, I still have a five page to-do list of sites to visit and things to accomplish.  Just as I cross off one at the top, another three get added to the last page; so is it any wonder I have to live to age 100 to possibly get it all done!?!

The trailhead for Shay Ridge can be accessed at Foy Lake; it begins as FR 104 to 6.2 miles which can be traveled via 4 wheel drive, ATV, mountain bike and hiking.  There are designated camping areas; we found a real beauty at 2.8 miles with stone barbecue and a creek.  At the end of 6.2 miles, the trail (changes number to 162) becomes narrow; nothing larger than an ATV can continue on.  There is a wooden fence there with an opening just large enough for an ATV, but an SUV can't get through.  There's also an informational sign there that lists rules for traveling the next section of this trail.

Along the 6.2 miles, the landscape is quite stunning; within the forest the Ponderosa Pine trees are amazing!  I have to admit that I actually put my arms around one and Roy took a photo.  It was really the only way the size of the trees could be seen without being up close and personal.

This blog post will basically be a tease; it was the first time we went onto the trail, but a sudden thunderstorm moved in quickly.  We hightailed it out and back to Monticello, making it home just as the rain began to pour down.  When we went up a couple of weeks later, the mud slides were apparent; this is an event we certainly did NOT want to be part of.  Oh, we did get to Foy Lake just in time to see a cattle drive; recorded it and the YouTube link will be listed below.

So, enjoy the tease...

Trail is loose dirt, sand and small rocks, but graded for easier travel.

Campground and Creek at 2.8 miles 

Prickly Pear Cactus

 The Cattle Drive at Foy Lake

Cattle Drive Video

There will be more to read about on this adventure, so keep a look out; better yet, subscribe to the feed and become a follower!!!

Mary Cokenour

Overlooking Bulldog Canyon and Recapture Reservoir.

Happy New Year 2018!

This is my first travel post of the new year; many may be wondering why I haven't been writing about my travels throughout the 4 Corners area lately.  Several reasons kept us home most of the time, but we did get to venture to a few places throughout the summer and fall.  Writing though, writing for me seemed to be lacking, mostly, inspiration.  I made the decision yesterday to work on a file of photos and have them ready to begin the new year, so here it goes...

First off, when I give directions and mileage readings, I mainly use some type of landmark; this time I used the Monticello Post Office located on Main Street, corner of 200 South.  Heading south out of town and 15 miles along Highway 191, right hand side, there is, well it starts out as gravel, crosses over a cattle guard and then becomes part of an old paved road; you can still make out a double yellow line going down the center of it.  It ends in 5/10s of a mile to become a horribly ruted dirt trail which eventually will get you into Bulldog Canyon, that is if you hike or ATV the trail.
















We decided to see if the trail got better further on, but by a half mile in it only began getting worse; still great for hikers and ATVers though.  Don't be deceived by the photo, this was the level part of the hike.  Only went a half mile, but we saw beautiful scenery just the same

Now what's so important about Bulldog Canyon anyway?  There are a few ruin sites here and there, but it does have historical value for San Juan County besides those.  The first sawmill was sent up in Bulldog Canyon by Willard Butt and C.R. Christensen.  The logs came from the Abajo Mountains, and lumber for the first sluice gates in Bluff were cut with a rip saw by Parley R. Butt.  The saw mill is long gone, but it's a popular recreational area, especially being adjacent to Recapture Reservoir.

Back to our adventure, we turned our vehicle around, only went 2/10s of a mile before we spotted a trail going through the trees; oh what the hell and down it we went.  The trail ended, you guessed it, 2/10s of a mile inward, but we could see rocky outcroppings and a hint of Recapture Reservoir.  Now the rocky outcroppings were the same that could be seen from a dirt trail that goes around Recapture, and here we were about to hike the top of them.  There are many cracks and openings between sections of the rocks, so be careful walking on them; pay attention or falling down between huge boulders will definitely be an option you won't enjoy. 

By the way, we went to this area twice, the first time was in May 2017 and the next day was an unexpected snowstorm.  The second time was in July 2017 and the next day it poured rain as if the monsoon season wanted to get it all done in one day.  So, I guess if the area needs more moisture, we should make a trip to this overlook?

..and back to the story.


This seems to be a popular area for wood cutting and it was easy to follow short trails through the trees; at one old tree we found an unusual sort of "nest"; looks like deer enjoy resting here as well.  We found several stone rings created to hold a campfire, so campers, here's another option for you to visit.






















Of course, standing on top of a huge section of boulder, looking across at Recapture; the quiet, the serenity, it was just one of those "ahhhhh" moments.

My hubby, Roy, having an "Ahhhh" moment.

As with many of my travel postings, I can't resist adding some photos of the local plant and/or wild life.

Desert Dandelion (Aster family)

Penstemon grandiflorus is a perennial plant of the genus Penstemon. Common names include large beardtongue.

As I begin writing more postings of where we went during those warmer months, I want you to think about making plans to come on into San Juan County, Utah and visiting these places as well.  Don't forget now, I'll be working at Canyon Country Discovery Center (northern end of Monticello), giving out plenty of tourist information and advice.  Come on in, buy an admission to play inside the Exhibit Hall, climb the Bouldering Wall and who knows what goodies you'll find inside the gift shop.  Think of it this way, a little playtime indoors before tackling the great outdoors!

Mary Cokenour

Ode to the Old West Cook.

Chuck Wagon, Ranch House, Wagon Train; the cook had one of the toughest jobs of the Old West.  Not only was he responsible for providing meals, but they better be good ones if he didn’t want to find himself staked out over an ant hill, or worse, lynched.  Provisions, many times, ran scarce which meant nothing could be wasted, it had to be transformed into something belly filling, and definitely not make anyone ill.  We take for granted supermarkets with every food item imaginable; we take for granted that restaurants and fast food joints are just around the corner.  Not so easy for all, not just the Utah, pioneers of the 1800s, and early 1900s where the next meal might be sucking on cactus juice, or roasting rattlesnakes.

Which brings me to the tale of Harry (or Henry, presuming that was his full name) Hopkins; cook for the LC (Lacy (ey) Coleman) Cattle Company.  After the horrors of being a soldier during the Civil War Era, Harry decided to move to Colorado, join a ranch, be a cowboy; and he must have been a darned good cook.  Eventually, he found himself in San Juan County, Utah; continuing the cowboy life and running the kitchen there as well.   “Wash, a Ute Indian, reported a white man had been killed by lightning near the head of Devil Canyon.  Investigation showed that Hopkins, the L.C. cook, had been shot in the back – supposedly by an Indian.  He was found by Hickory Dennis and another cowboy lying face down with a pair of field glasses in his hand.  Before coming to the country he had been a cook for the riders on the Disappointment range in Colorado, at the time several Indians had been killed in a fight with the cowboys.  The Utah Settlers felt certain that the Utes had taken revenge on this inoffensive man.” ~from Saga of San Juan San Juan County DUP; page 94.

History of San Juan County by Albert R. Lyman filled in more of the story (page 62-63); “"In the late spring or early summer, while the new settlers were farming at South Montezuma, and making such preparations as they could to move to Monticello the next spring, the Ute known as Wash came in reporting a dead white man somewhere up the creek. Parley Butt went with him and found the body of a man named Hopkins. He had been cooking for the L. C. outfit and someone had apparently shot him from ambush while he waited on a log fence for the outfit to return.  He had crawled a short distance from the fence before he died."   Only 3/10ths of a mile from the grave is an old corral; could this have been the “log fence” where Harry was shot, and he crawled with the last of his life energy to where he is buried now?

Back then, the Indians blamed the white people; white people blamed the Indians; cowboys from competing ranches blamed each other, the Mormon settlers or the Indians.  Since all the people from that era are long dead and buried, and history is usually written by the victors, we'll probably not find out the true story, unless someone finds a written confession from dear old great grandpa. 

We came upon Harry‘s grave on one of our gallivants through the Manti-LaSal Forest in the Abajo Mountains one spring day.  Riding past the NFS campground at Devil’s Canyon, there is a junction six miles inward; the flip of a coin decided which trail to continue on.  At 7/10s of a mile (on CR 110/FR 084 eastward to Hwy. 191)), we got a real surprise...Harry Hopkins Grave.  Who was Harry Hopkins, How did he die, and Why is he buried off this forest trail poked at my curiosity; the research began. 
 

Now some folks asked me, “Why do you care so much about him?”  Simple answer really, because I can, and someone should.  One of the basic fears we have about dying is not being remembered; not having our life story passed on, or even our grave visited.  While an Eagle Scout Project by Cameron Palmer gave Harry a trail marker and information board; it wasn’t cared for after a while.  The plastic covering over the information sheet did not protect the paper, so it is extremely faded and illegible (May 2016); by November 2016, someone had torn it down completely.   I found out that local Sue Morrell and her husband often ATV up to the grave, fixing the fencing if needed.  While another visitor had placed plastic flowers near the headstone; Roy and I cleaned the dead leaves and debris away to make his name seen clearly.

So, to honor the memory of this Old West cook, I give to you my recipe for “Cowboy Stew for the Crock Pot”.  I’d like to imagine I would have made a good ranch cook myself, but then again, electricity has spoiled me.

Cowboy Stew for the Crock Pot

 Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean roast beef, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 russet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch pieces, parboiled
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into ¼” slices, parboiled (or use 8 oz. bag of baby carrots)
1 large onion, rough cut into 1/2” pieces
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
2 (28 oz.) cans vegetarian beans
2 cups barbeque sauce

Preparation:

In 6 qt. crock pot, set on low, mix together beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, salt, pepper and paprika.  Spread beans over top, then bbq sauce.  Cover, let cook 6-8 hours; beef will be very tender.  Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

Note on leftovers, if there are any; the gravy will thicken and become richer.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

  

Copper Ridge to Klondike Bluffs - Part Three

So there we were, back at the 1 mile junction (from Route 191), trying to figure out which was the 4 wheel drive trail while the mountain biking trails were quite obvious.  Scanning the landscape, we noticed two pickup trucks parked in the distance and simply followed the trail they were on back to us; now we knew how to head on.

While a passenger car could make it to the dinosaur tracks area (see Part Two), this trail was a definite 4 wheel drive must; having a skid plate helped a lot too, and hope you don't mind tipping to either side here and there.  I'm not huge on tipping vehicles, so I did end up walking a quarter of a mile sometimes, but hey, it's good exercise!

At mile mark 1.4, there is a junction for three separate mountain biking trails; at 1.6 miles, the Dinosaur Stomping Trail begins which can be hiked or mountain biked.  As much as we wanted to see the other dino tracks, we were not fully prepared; not enough water for a major hike plus continuing our exploring of the trail we were currently on.  Have to play it smart to stay safe and healthy out here in the desert; it's not a Disneyland park, and it's most definitely NOT idiot proofed.
















Driving on, the landscape stays pretty much prehistoric; mile mark 2.3 are bike trails for Baby Steps and Jasper/Agate; 3.3 miles is the Little Salty Trailhead.  Yes mountain bikers, you may all thank me now for giving you this information; investing in maps is still a good idea though.

At about 5 miles the Klondike Bluffs offer up a peak at them; 5.4 miles is a junction and here is where it might get a bit confusing.  So, the sign for Klondike Bluffs points to the left, but there is a sandy trail to the right with no information.  Checking our maps (yes, we carry more than one type always), the trail to the left is the Jeep Safari trail.  Ok, how bad can that be, right?  Wrong!!!  We had only traveled 3/10s of a mile and came to...hmmm, how to describe this....a rather large step to reach the next section of trail.  To the side of it, hikers or bikers could get easily through, as a couple of mountain bikers soon showed us as they whizzed by (showoffs!!!)  Yeah, no, we weren't doing this on our own; at least with Jeep Safari, there is a group of Jeeps and people to help each other out. 

Klondike Bluffs Jeep Safari Trail

Cross over a dry wash.

The "Oh Hell NO!!!" moment - it's steeper than it looks in the photo.

We went back to the junction and sat for a few minutes deciding if we should return back the way we came, or try out the sandy trail that was now in front of us.  The unknown won, and would you believe, in just one mile we reached the staging area on Klondike Bluffs Road (see Part One).

So Close, Yet So Far.

Since we had just traveled this road, we knew that turning left onto it would bring us to the "Blue" movie set; just one mile.  The "Fallen Peace Officers Trail" is located there, so decided to check it out, and have lunch too.  We had only gone one mile which included ascending slickrock before we came to a very rocky section and decided this was best left to ATV riders, not us.  In fact, a senior couple drove by us while we were there, and then back again; they seemed to be having a good time.  However, it was a glorious picnic site with stupendous scenery; that's why I always tell folks, "Bring a picnic!".

6/10s of a mile later, we came upon another section of "Fallen Peace Officers Trail" and tried it out; a little rocking and rolling until a sign (3 miles later) that stated we had reached the boundary of Arches National Park; no motorized vehicles allowed.  Now who came riding towards us, that senior couple and they were as confused as we were.  How can you have a 4WD/ATV trail that crosses through a National Park, but you're not allowed to ride it???  We know this trail also has a start off Route 191, but the maps have it looping around several times, including through the Arches, so....yeah, confusing.  Oh well, back to Klondike Bluffs Road....


About 2.5 miles onward we noticed another sandy trail marked with cinder blocks; seeing the Bluffs, and Tower Arch, across the desert, well hell yeah we were trying this out!  There were several camping areas along the way, and the trail finally did end at a dry wash, but we were able to get some nice shots of the Bluffs and Tower Arch (thanks to the zoom lens on my camera).

Tower Arch

Tower Arch

We went up and down a few other trails, but nothing brought us any closer to the Bluffs.  It was starting to get late, we were very exhausted and headed towards Dalton Wells; we did get another view of the Marching Men though.  We got home to Monticello in time to say, "The hell with it, lets go eat out at Shake Shack!"

Future plans are to come back, and check out more trails we saw, but just were too tired to explore this day.

Mary Cokenour