05/18/02:
Well, after several days of travel I arrived here at Flaming Gorge... by way of Colorado. Huh? I got tired of the wind and dust in southern Utah and thought I'd shoot up to the Badlands in South Dakota. I worked my way into Colorado through the San Juan National Forest then to Ouray. Too cold and too much snow here so I stopped off at Black Canyon National Park and then on up to Grand Mesa National Forest. Too much wind and snow here so I continued on up to Arapaho National Forest outside of Rocky Mountain National Park.
I wanted to drive through Rocky Mountain National Park but the roads at the upper elevations were snowed and iced in and it would be hours, if at all, before they were passable. So I paddled South Mountain Lake for a while and then got the maps out. Oh no, I thought South Dakota was right above Colorado but somebody slid Nebraska in between the two. Since I would have to drive all the way back to Colorado to visit friends at the end of the month, I scratched that deal. Instead, I chose to come over to Flaming Gorge and explore the Wyoming end of it.
Things weren't a loss though. I drove through some beautiful country again, especially UT-550 through Ouray and UT-40 going into Granby. Heard a couple of wolves howling one night at Grand Mesa. Coyotes sound like little puppy dogs howling. Wolves sound like full grown large dogs so there's no mistaking the two. Saw another herd of prong horn antelopes exiting northeast Colorado. UT-40 near Dinosaur, CO has prairie dog towns on either side. The last time I was through here I had a hard time dodging the little critters as the insisted on dashing across the road in front of me. Quite a few hadn't made it and had been splattered on the road. Only a couple made the perilous trek this time.
05/19/02 Paddling Horsethief Canyon:
Wanted to get an early start this morning so I could be back near the put in when the daily winds started around noon. 50's at 7:45 with wind blowing 5mph. Bright sun reflecting off the ripples right into my face. Flaming Gorge is at 6000 feet as I launched the sea kayak at Sheep Bay boat ramp.
Red and beige sandstone bluffs to the north and green hills rising 200+ feet to the south. 20 minutes and I hung a right into Horsethief Canyon. 25 minutes later, pushed by 10mph+ wind I made another right and 10 minutes after that a left. More green hills to left and right. Jagged behind me though.
Most of this stretch is steeply forested slopes. After 2 hours of paddling these began to give way steeper red walls. Passed an osprey nesting on a big rock at the water's edge. Came to Carter Creek on the left with lots of red cliffs and pines growing where the can. Looks worth exploring but several boats were back there fishing and I didn't want to disturb them.
Thought I saw a goose or something swimming along the far shore. Turned out to be a something. If it was a goose it was shaped funny. Then I saw two big ears and looking closer I saw a long back trailing behind it and I guessed it was a deer. It scrambled up onto shore and calmly walked up through the rocks. I could see it but the distance was too far to see it clearly. My cheapy binoculars didn't help much either. Got to get a better pair.
Continued up the canyon past Eagle Creek to the beginning of Red Canyon. This was my original destination. I was up in here last year but figured it would be too far for this trip. And that turned out to be true because the winds picked up and I turned back.
I turned into Eagle Creek but it became un-navigable after a short distance as it gave way to a small brook tumbling down from up above. The boats were still blocking Carter Creek so I kept going.
Winds kept coming from all directions for the next couple of miles, sometimes pushing me along, sometimes trying to push me back. The last 1.5 miles or so I got the full benefit of strong winds right in my face. Most of the time it was about 15mph and I could only make 1mph headway. When it gusted to 20mph I was happy to just maintain my position. Occasionally it dropped to 10mph and I'd paddle like hell to gain some ground.
At the boat ramp a couple of different people came over and told me the expected me to pull in to shore to wait out the wind. I told them I just didn't have that much sense.
05/20/02:
Big winds last night and this morning. Lots of storm clouds this morning too. Decided to go running but couldn't find my running shoes. After 20 minutes I think I remember putting them on top of the cab to dry after I spilled water on them the other day. Guess I drove off with them up there and they blew off. Not a good day so far. Did see lots of female deer and elk on the road though.
Wandered on up UT-191 on the east side of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir towards Wyoming. With the wind still blowing above 25mph, I could at least explore the coast, even if I couldn't paddle. I found a lot of shore side camping at Jug Hollow. Looks to be some good paddling here, maybe a day or two.
05/21/02:
Wind still blowing hard. No hiking opportunities so decided to go back to Vernal, UT to pick up some running shoes. To get back and forth from Vernal to Flaming Gorge the road climbs a couple thousand feet through the Ashley National Forest to 8500 feet. On the way back the storm clouds took over and I found myself driving through a pretty heavy snow storm, and it was laying along the sides of the road.
Back at Flaming Gorge the wind was still blowing too hard to go near the water. I found more camping a little farther north and spent the rest of the day reading while the wind tried to push the truck over. Did see a lone prong horn antelope buck on the way in.
05/22/02:
More high winds. Tried my new cheap Wal-Mart sneakers out. Walked up a slight incline for a mile or so and then ran back... into the wind and the sun. Explored the dirt roads on the Wyoming side of Flaming Gorge. Lots of camping opportunities. Looks like good paddling up in the river through canyons.
Ended up at Fire Hole where the Green River flows into the reservoir. Camped 1/2 mile south of their campgrounds. Winds were howling too. Watched a pair of white pelicans trying to fly against a 30-35mph wind. They'd flap their wings a little and then slip sideways and somehow made some progress. A couple of the interstate highways in southern Wyoming were closed because of the winds. 20 or so trucks rolled over due to high winds.
05/23/02 Paddling Green River (Firehole):
Winds dropped last night but so did the temperatures. Frost all over the windows but the water wasn't crunchy. Went up to the Firehole Canyon boat ramp and launched the sea kayak at 8:30am. Highs for the day are only supposed to be in the 40's or 50's. I turned north into the Green River and a 5mph wind.
Birds were the big thing for today. Canadian geese were making their gawd awful racket in the canyon which only magnified the noise. Lots of those black and white cormorant things, a few pairs of mallards and lots of swallow type birds swooping down over the river.
The Green River is about 200 feet wide at this point, no noticeable current and a greenish brown. The west shore is 20-50 foot high cliffs while boob shaped hills topped by small columns or bluffs are to the east. These soon give way to mud flats on the inside of the current and buttes and mesas to the outside.
A few terns fly around for a while as did a few ducks with white bodies and black wings and head. After two hours I spotted 30-40 white pelicans up ahead. They were resting in shallow water while several others circled overhead in preparation to landing while others were taking off. I drifted to within 150 feet of them but backed off when they became restless.
The wind began blowing a little harder and started shifting around. The way the wind's been blowing the past few days I didn't want to take a chance of getting caught on the wrong end of it so after 2 hours I turned back. 5 minutes later the wind increased but didn't get much over 10mph until I got back to the boat ramp and then it really started blowing.
Part way back I spotted a prong horn antelope buck grazing 50 feet or so from the shore. What an opportunity. I just sat there within 150 feet for a few minutes watching him. He kept his eye on me too and then all of a sudden something spooked him and he was gone. And me with a broken zoom on my camera. :-(
05/24/02 Paddling Flaming Gorge Reservoir (Firehole):
High winds late yesterday afternoon died down in the evening. Temperature in the 40's. Ran 20 minutes this morning. Light wind as I launched at 8am and headed south into the reservoir. Fooled me.
Raised mud banks to the east and eroding cliffs rising 200 feet to the west. As soon as I pulled away from the little cove the boat ramp's in the wind started. 10mph. I wanted to see if it was for real so kept going. It was and it cranked up to 15mph. I paddled against the wind for another half hour and decided that was enough exercise for the day.
Fossil Butte National Monument:
Drove the hundred odd miles to the monument. The only fossils are in the Visitor Center. All the others have been moved out to universities and museums and such. Turned around and drove back.
05/25/02:
Drove across most of Wyoming to Laramie and then down to Fort Collins, CO. I have to be in Franktown for Memorial Day and thought I'd camp and do some hiking in the Roosevelt National Forest. Wrong! Little camping opportunities on the eastern side of the forest and it is Memorial Day weekend. Nuff said.
Drove all the way back up to Laramie and there's little camping opportunities there either. Thought I was going to go to Medicine Bow National Forest and was almost there when I turned around. It would be cold up there and I was hungry for some chicken so drove back to super Wal-Mart where I camped for the night.