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Monday, June 10, 2021
Canyonlands Maze District - Maze Overlook to Fort Collins via Moki Dugway & Valley of the Gods road

Today will be the blue line - starting at Maze Overlook. We'll head out to UT-24. There, the group will split. I will head south to Hanksville for fuel with a destination of Moki Dugway and the nearby Valley of the Gods road. From there I'll either camp or, depending on weather, might drive through the night for home. If you wish to jump to a section... The Switchbacks Moki Dugway Valley of the Gods road

If we look at the location of Maze Overlook campsite on this detail elevation profile - and spot that point on the above elevation profile - today's driving will be more than half of the whole trip - and done in less than one day where the other less than half of the trip took five days. This will be one-long-day (with a bunch of good stuff to see!).

Driving out from the Maze Overlook campsite - a last view of the Chocolate Drops and Standing Rock across the maze.

Hmmm - straight and mostly flat...

Fuel gauge is looking promising. How close will it be?

Panorama Click for a larger size

Wait - what's that we see?  Top right corner of this picture - is that a straight line out in nature?

Hmmm - a curious straight line. We know there are some notable switchbacks to be encountered today - but that's all I know about them.

We're getting closer to that line...

Above was zoomed in a fair bit. The line is visible right of center here.

The Switchbacks Nosing closer to where that straight line is - in the green trees ahead of us.

The switchbacks are steep in places.

Yep - steep in places. I'm parked here while Matt takes some pictures.

14 degrees it seems

While the shelf road is one-lane, the switchbacks have ample parking space for passing.

Here is that straight line cut we saw from afar.

Good fun - quite entertaining

Up top.

Panorama Click for a larger size

Photos captured - now to head out to asphalt and bring the Maze District trip to a close.

Looking back at a road sign

Up top - looking west to the Henry mountains.

There will be many miles of this. At least it's easy (and quick) for driving.

Sand dunes

We're out to asphalt. My destination is the Hanksville gas station - 20 miles away. I believe I can make it w/o issue (so no ask for spare fuel from Matt). Trent and Matt are heading home - heading north to I-70 and I'll head south.

We just tended 80 miles.

I made it to the gas station. Something's not proper with the fuel gauge. We put on 20 miles but the gauge didn't change positions. Hmmm - yes. I went back and triple checked the pictures (and time stamps). The gauge didn't change after driving 20 miles. Now, how many gallons of fuel were added to the 15 gallon gas tank... 14 gallons Very close to sucking fumes With two empty gas cans I did fill one of them as I was still traveling with few gas stations around.

Just before filling at the gas station - it's not telling the truth - only 1 gallon in the tank. I should look at calibrating the sender...

More empty, long straight, asphalt road.

Open range. Cattle on both sides of the fence.

Cloud (snow?) over the Henry mountains. Weather is looking sketchy.

A nice valley

First view of the Colorado River - the FAR north end of Lake Powell - looking south.

Around a corner or two - the Colorado looking north.

Hite townsite / Hite Marina Water levels are very low. A fair bit of this area could be under water Panorama Click for a larger size Click for a larger size - with annotations

From the overlook, we'll descend, cross the Dirty Devil River and then cross the Colorado River. I'll drive into the marina as they are listed as having showers. Are they open? Are they coin operated? I'm curious - I'm here.

Arch bridge over the Colorado river

The bridge across the Dirty Devil river (recall we drove through the river a few days ago - it was less than one foot deep).

Dirty Devil river

An asphalt runway alongside the road. Looking at various maps - there are many airstrips in the area - most are no longer used / overgrown.

Curiosity answered - no coins needed - just push a button - but I didn't stay for a shower - miles to yet cover.

Outside showers too.

Next stop - Moki Dugway.

Roadside memorial

In many directions the sky is beautiful. In some directions it's ominous with clouds and weather.

Hmmm - something's ahead...

Good signs.

Then - BANG - we're here Moki Dugway. A first visit can be more impressive heading up vs down - but I'm close - up/down - no matter.

The asphalt road is the main highway that we're traveling. I'll take the left turn onto gravel as that is the Valley of the Gods road.

Panorama Click for a larger size

Interesting

Back to asphalt - we're done with the dugway.

Now for the Valley of the Gods road...

This one held that pose for me for many seconds.

Interesting scenery

Hmmm - a larg-ish RV. The road I have traveled so far, while graded, has a few abrupt rabbit hills. How could that long wheelbase, low clearance vehicle get in here? From the other entrance?

Do I set camp or keep moving - mostly keep moving as this place is flat and I don't have a reliable starter (though people are around to ask for a pull).

And look at that RV - it must be coming in via the eastern entrance / exit.

Done with Valley of the Gods - I turned back for the EST. 650 A.D. Bluff Utah sign. 650A.D.?

Some of the ominous clouds.

And unpleasing weather ahead. I'm in the mindset to drive home. Four fuel stops between here and home.

A Moab sight.

Between the above Hole in the Rock and this train, we've passed through Moab - picked up fuel and some food. The train is hauling superfund cleanup soil from the Moab area to the dumping area north of I-70.

Looking north to I-70. I'll take a right before the cliffs and head to Grand Junction.

North Denver - I-25 heading to home... back with snow

Folks putting two and two together might say - how'd there get to be a significant difference in lighting between these two photos. The above photo was taken at 1:49am and the below at 5:43am. Where'd the four hours disappear for a one hour drive? Waiting for a tow truck. Do recall that the starter motor is giving fits - check. Cresting a hill near Johnson's Corner (truck stop) the motor died (about 20 miles from home). I coasted to the side of the freeway, in a construction zone area, and parked where a tow truck could get me. If I had a working starter - or a hill to bump start - I might have worked to diagnose and possibly repair the issue at hand and drive home. Without the starter, at night, in a drizzle... I called a tow truck. The first dispatched truck got themself stuck about 3/4 of a mile from me (trying to U-turn on the frontage road - the front tires dipped off into the mud and it was stuck). It took about three hours before a tow truck pulled up. Since I had been camping, I had a sleeping bag with me. Out it came and I wrapped up in it and went to sleep (temps about 30/32F). The bottom photo, I'm sitting passenger in the tow truck heading for home. The jeep will be dropped into the street at home. I'll shuttle stuff from the jeep to the car and will head inside and get some sleep - unloading the car later in the day and tending the jeep much later (a week or two later). Jeep repair below...

A surprising amount of snow - though nothing to stick to pavement.

With some time on my hands (a busy couple weeks+ catching up with work) the first task would be to replace the starter. It's an easy item to replace. With tall tires on the jeep - no need to jack it up. Just grab the needed wrenches and head to the jeep. Disconnect the battery. Climb underneath - disconnect two electrical connections - remove two mount bolts - remove the bad starter. Reverse the steps. Ten minutes later - hit the key and it turns and tries to start. It's very weak and dies - but it does try to run. This sets my mind into the fuel delivery camp vs. an electrical / spark ignition issue camp. I had fuel pump issues in the past and back in 2013 I cut a fuel pump access hole in the back of the jeep. This allows ten minute access to the pump vs. having to remove the fuel tank. I might benefit from that project. Photos of the access hole project are here. Opening the access plate and removing the fuel pump - a similar issue as that in the 2013 pictures - the flexible line between the fuel pump and the hard line of the pump/level sender assembly is the problem. The hose slipped off of the bare metal tube. All that is needed is to loosen two hose clamps, slide the hose into place, tighten and re-assemble. But I'm not in a rush and don't wish this to happen again. I'd like to put a hose barb on the end of the straight metal tube but I don't have the tools and don't know who could tend that project. I'll go with a patch - I'll use a longer flexible hose so that I can have two more clamps (total of four) on the straight metal tube. Might that be more reliable?? The ultimate solution is to remove the 15 gallon metal tank that came with this 1990 carburated jeep and install a 1994 20 gallon fuel tank that is designed for fuel injection (the fuel pump / sender assemblies are different). It just notched higher on the ToDo list. One item I'll tuck in my mind...  What I could have done, when I passed through Grand Junction, I could have found a parts store that had my starter. I could have changed it in the dry parking lot of the parts store. When this fuel line issue happened I could have resolved it at the side of the freeway. I would have needed to unload ALL of the contents of the back of the jeep. As it was wet / raining, on the side of a freeway I likely would have defaulted to a tow truck - but had weather and location been different, simply having the starter issue resolved would have been grand (note to self...).