GROUP HIKE! -- One Week In The San Rafael Swell

[Charlie Horse]

   

Here's our caravan leaving Buckhorn and heading east on Mexican Hat Road toward our camp spot, which I dibbsed (Hey spellchecker, that IS a word!) with my cot tent earlier.  While this road goes for another 25 miles and hooks up with I-70, not a single person passed by while we camped.


   

Robert and Connie being pestered by Bacchus, who tried to fill everyone's shoes with dirt as he dug himself nest after nest.


   

Bacchus wasn't the only one ready to relax!


   

Taffy had the great idea of bringing paint-pens and we painted some rocks to hide on our trip to Wildhorse Window later in the trip.  She also brought her patented giant chololate pumpkin pistachio cookies which ruined everyone's low carb diets!


   

Eldon had this great little pen made from portable panels.


   

As I had hoped, the sunset became epic on this night.  Perfect for all the plateaus, mesas, and cliffs! 


   

The sunset lasted an hour or more.


   

To my surprise, there were coyotes out in the river bottoms. They started singing well after dark, and just before dawn.  There was one yap-bark-singing nearby, and a family half a mile away, and another family way down river.  Luna didn't give any sign of being on alert.  Good thing the little goats were in the pen and I was nearby in my cot tent, just in case a 'yote got some ideas and tried to climb up our plateau. 

Tuesday was our travel day, so we had a great brunch at JR's diner in Castle Dale, fueld up, and shopped a little.  I swapped Bacchus out for Shelby GT, re-packed my cooler and we all met up in town for the trip to the south side of the Swell.  We took I-70 and then followed the "Reef" which is the long chain of sandstone pushed steeply upward along the south side of the Swell.