We Almost Died at Pucker Pass.

Sounds like the potential for a good western, but yes, we almost did.  Pucker Pass is appropriately named for two reasons; #1 - the cheeks of your ass will pucker up together; #2 - pucker up your lips and kiss your clenched ass goodbye!  So, lets get on with the story...

Long Canyon Road is a 4 wheel drive trail off of Potash Road (Route 279) just north of Moab.  (Click Here for map.)  We had attempted to drive this once before, but a thunderstorm had driven us out of the canyon; getting caught in a flash flood is not on our to-do list.  After the snowstorms that blanketed Grand and San Juan Counties between December 23, 2015 and New Year's Day of 2016; the end of January barely showed a dusting left upon the red rocks.  What do I and Roy decide to do after being cooped up in Monticello?  Sure, lets go gallivanting in Moab; as Roy puts it, "Lets go up into Long Canyon and to Pucker Pass", she said.  "It will be fun.", she said.

At the beginning of Potash Road, the Atlas Mine Tailings Project is still in full swing.  The removal of the uranium tailings began in 2009 and is not projected to be finalized until 2025.  It's also at this start of the road that you can get a good view of Arches National Park and the La Sal Mountains beyond.

As soon as you see Jug Handle Arch, make the right hand turn over the railroad tracks; this is the beginning of Long Canyon Road.  Depending on whether it was a shady area, or directly sunlit, the wet (snow/ice) or dry of the dirt trail varied.

The spires along both sides of the canyon are awesome!  At one point, I spotted a rather unusual formation on top of one.  Taking a close up, well, I have found it....the Eye of Sauron (Lord of the Rings reference, in case you didn't understand) which means we were near Mount Doom, so no wonder we almost died!

"Eye of Sauron" - that's the name I've given it.

Passing by two formations, I know one is called "Balanced Rock" on the maps, but the other, well with the rocks behind it, it looked like a side view of faces.



Balanced Rock

We had previously seen a sign that this was a "mountain sheep" area, and what do we see as we are climbing upward? Three mountain sheep, but before I could get a shot, they bounded over the ridge.  Up around the corner was a dry pull-in area, so we stopped and looked for them, but those fast little buggers were no where to be seen.  However, the view from this point was breathtaking!

Break time over!  Back into the FJ and upward it was again; around the next corner we saw the spires up close and personal; and then we saw the condition of the shaded road ahead.  Now you would think we'd turn back at this point, but no; I did tell Roy, "You know, if you aren't comfortable with this, we can turn back."  However, as he told others, I was using "Ninja Woman Logic" on him; while I was saying, "You can turn back."; he said I was loudly thinking, "If you're scared."  Scared!!??!!  Well he had to prove that definitely was not happening, so we continued on.  The way up wasn't that bad actually, it was the way down later.....oh boy.

Finally we reached Pucker Pass and our vehicle was small enough to fit through.  If you happen to be driving an overcompensation huge vehicle, don't plan on driving through, or maybe you want to get stuck inside the rocks?  On the other side the road became very steep and was a sheet of ice.  Nope, we were not continuing onward; if we had, we would have come out on Route 313 which is the road to Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands - Island in the Sky.  Sure, what's a little snow with ice, but all ice...no, no.

We made it through!

...and back through again!

Caves across from Pucker Pass.

Now it was the descent back down the road that we ran into trouble, and it wasn't even on a decline.  We were traveling on a flat section of road when I suddenly heard a grinding sound.  I thought there was something wrong with the engine; no it was our rear wheels sliding against the ice.  The rear of the vehicle began turning towards the edge of the cliff, but Roy was able to get it back on track with a little give and take on both gas and brakes.  We stopped at the dry pull-in area, and yes, we were shaking like leaves in a hurricane. 

I said to Roy that if we're going to do things like this, then maybe we should consider putting the chains on the tires first.  He says, "Oh, they're in the back of the FJ."   He was standing near the edge of the pull-in and was lucky I didn't push him off.  Then again, he didn't get too upset when, after we straightened out on that icy section of road, I said, "Wheee, lets do it again!!!".

So, that's the story of how we almost died at Pucker Pass.  As soon as it gets warmer, and the road is completely dry, we're going to do it again and drive all the way to the end.  Can't leave an adventure uncompleted, can we?

Mary Cokenour

Moab's Potash Road is a Great Adventure Ride.

Now while Main Street in Moab is always packed during tourist season, there are some other roadways that, while not packed, can be often busy. Potash Road (Route 279) is definitely a busy place and no wonder why: petroglyphs, arches, dinosaur tracks, canyons, Colorado River, sheer vertical walls to climb, campsites, and the workers going to and from the Potash Foundry at the end of it...or is it the end?  I'm not going to keep you in anticipation for this post; past the foundry is a boat ramp, the paved road ends and becomes a "must use 4 wheel drive vehicle" type of roadway.  It leads through a section called the "Shafer Switchbacks" and eventually to Shafer Basin within Canyonlands National Park; I haven't done it, so cannot give too much detail about it.


From the Anticline Overlook, you can see the foundry and the road that continues beyond it to the switchbacks.  Since I am writing about that area, I might as well give you a couple of photos of the foundry, so if you go to Anticline, you'll know what I'm referring to.




Wow, I certainly started this post "bass ackwards", so I'm going back to the beginning, basically because you can't get to what I just wrote about without doing that.  Potash Road is just a few miles past the bridge crossing over the Colorado River after you leave Moab...I'm going to use this as my main focal point for getting there.   Most folks don't simply see the road coming from the other way and say, "hey lets check it out"; namely because they don't know much about it yet.  Once you get past the newly "renovated" area (that's where they dug up the old uranium tailings and removed them), you'll notice that you're driving parallel to the Colorado River.  On both sides are mountainous walls of sandstone; by the way, that other road you see across the river, that's Kane Creek Blvd (Road), and you'll want to do that road at some point in your visit to Moab.
















As you drive along, you'll see many inclines with fallen boulders, cacti and various other plant life growing along rocky shelves. If you're adventurous, it won't be surprising to find yourself parking your vehicle, and attempting to climb, climb, climb.  There are caves here and there, and from the Kane Creek Blvd side you'll see "Little Arch"; it's more difficult to see it on the Potash Road, since it is so high up on the sheer wall.

 

The section visitors to Moab find most fascinating is "Wall Street"; sheer faced, vertical walls that are constantly full of climbers, most using ropes, but some attempt free hand. Drive slowly along this stretch as sometimes they're so into their own excitement, they forget there is a roadway directly behind them.

This area also has a large amount of petroglyphs on the walls, so don't be surprised if you have difficulty finding a place to park. You will have to leave your vehicle to see them; look, photograph, don't touch and don't leave your own markings.

 

 

This set of petroglyphs is located further down the road from "Wall Street"; a sign was finally put up to mark their location.  There used to be a load of greenery blocking them; Roy and I found them only because we decided to climb the rock shelving.  You can only imagine our surprise when we looked on the wall and found these beauties!  It truly irks me when someone wants to drive around and only see what they can see from the comfort of their vehicle; they're missing out on so much, and why are they in this area in the first place is my main question?

  

 





Gold Bar Campground

Now I did mention "Little Arch", and then to indicate the opening to Long Canyon, you'll see "Jughandle Arch"; when you see a huge metal storm drain pipe (large enough for a person to walk through), then you're near the trail to Corona and Bowtie Arches.  Camping?  There are campgrounds along both sides of the road, some with facilities and some labeled "primitive", or in other words, no water or electricity.

 

Poison Spider Mesa can be reached via, what else?, Poison Spider Trail; 4 wheel drive vehicle, bicycle, motor bike or hiking.  So, in the parking lot is a restroom area; look east from the restrooms and you'll see this large, flat boulder sort of leaning against the rocky incline.  Dinosaur tracks!!!  That's right, there are dinosaur tracks on the flat side of that boulder; you'll have to walk about 600 feet across the rocky terrain as there really isn't much of a trail to it.

 

Now I have mentioned in several of my posts that I love to climb around the Red Rocks.  One day we stopped here to use the restrooms, and while my hubby was still inside I began to wander around...and then up and up and up.  Roy emerged and looked all around for me, and then suddenly got the idea of looking up.  Lets just say that when we're in a rocky area, and I've "disappeared", he now knows to look upward first.  I was about 3/4 of the way up to the Mesa, but I didn't make it all the way to the top; and that is strictly my fault as I let doubt overtake me.  Roy knows I'm a good climber, but sometimes gets nervous and begins yelling at me about how I'll fall, or lose my footing.  I let the doubt creep in and knew if I continued upward, I would probably over think my footing and misstep; so I did the smart thing and climbed back down.  I'm telling you this not to embarrass myself, but to help you understand that you need to be careful when climbing around the Red Rocks; it's not a simple playground of monkey bars and sandboxes.

 

 

Which leads us to the foundry, the boat ramp; and depending on your vehicle, how much gasoline you have in it, and your adventurous spirit, to the Shafer Switchbacks.  If you just intend on driving along Potash Road for sightseeing and not much else, it should take you a couple of hours to complete.  That would definitely give you enough time to find Kane Creek Blvd and do the same thing on that road.  Personally, doing it all, up close and personal, is more enjoyment than just driving around and sitting on my butt; then again, that's just me.

 

Mary Cokenour



Long Canyon via the Shafer Trail.

Potash Road (Route 279) is one of my favorite roads to travel in the Moab area; there is always something new to see. The entrance to the road from Route 191 has changed drastically due to the removal of "tailings" from the area.   What are tailings?  Ok, to be blunt; it's uranium poop; waste from uranium mining that was put into a huge dump.  Anyway, before you would ask yourself, "Where exactly is Potash Road?"; now you can't miss it (all those new road signs help a bit too). Potash Road is not only full of amazing rock formations, but has several areas of petroglyphs; there is "Wall Street" which is a very popular spot for climbers who love the 80 to over 100 foot vertical walls; it parallels the Colorado River; there are campsites either along the bottom of those massive rock walls, or along the river itself, and there is the Shafer Trail which will take you through Long Canyon. Long Canyon is what I'm going to concentrate on in this post, well as much as I can.



Jughandle Arch

So you're traveling along Potash Road wondering where the entrance to Long Canyon might be; there's no sign by the way, you sort of have to know where it is.  Big help, right?  Here is the biggest hint you will need, and it truly is a big one; when you see Jughandle Arch, you're there.  You'll see an opening on the right; just go over the railroad tracks (make sure to look out for any trains as the Potash Foundry still uses these tracks) and you'll immediately be on a dirt road.   The Long Canyon/Shafer Trail Loop is about 37 miles of which 28 miles of it is dirt, rocks and ruts; a 4 wheel drive vehicle is a must unless you enjoy taking your car to the auto mechanic.  Past the entrance you'll see another unusual rock formation leaning against a rock wall; if you pass this formation, you've gone too far.  Think of Jughandle Arch and this other formation as the entrance pillars to Long Canyon.




















What is so special about Long Canyon? I'll get to all that, but it reminds me of the first time Roy and I were out gallivanting there. We had decided to stop and check out a dried out river bed; amongst some boulders were kangaroo mice scampering about, and we simply enjoyed watching them. Suddenly this SUV pulls up and about six elderly women get out, walk along the road and stop opposite us. One shouts at us, "Do you see them?", so we shout back, "See what exactly?". "The petroglyphs" one of the ladies shouts back, "No, no, we're just watching the wild life". One of her companions asked her to repeat what we just said, and I swear Roy and I almost fell down laughing when we heard her yell, "Wild life? What the hell do they want to look at wild life for?". The ladies all got back into the SUV, made a U-turn and headed out of the area. There are petroglyphs in Long Canyon, just farther than they wanted to travel to I guess.

Anyway, let me introduce you to Long Canyon with the few photos I was able to take.  Unfortunately, the weather started to turn stormy and there are many signs along the trail warning of flash flooding.  When we heard the first thunder boom, we high tailed it out of there; no way we were becoming a statistic.  Flash floods are nothing to turn your nose up at; they hit suddenly and if you hear that roar, just like with a tornado, it's too late to get out of the way.  So, the trail through Long Canyon is the Shafer Trail; the same trail that goes through the Shafer Basin beneath Dead Horse Point Overlook.

For a complete description of the route, simply click Here.

Around each corner, the view will become more and more magnificent.  Eventually the road will begin an upward climb on a hill where you'll ride along terraces with views of the Colorado River.

Of course the route is full of amazing rock formations, plant and wild life; you'll be entering the terrain of Bighorn Sheep and if you see any, be quiet, take photos, but don't harass them.  There is no camping allowed along this trail either.

Claret Cup Cactus
 

That takes care of our little jaunt through Long Canyon, cut short by inclement weather; just another excuse to go back, do it again and this time to the end.

Mary Cokenour