Mikey's Memorial Run

[Chris]

Our week long trip in Moab and the Henry Mountains in Utah is what I'm calling "Mikey's Memorial Run." Michael Craig, "Mikey" to his friends, died from a brain tumor and expressed his wish that his ashes be scattered at a specific site in the Henry Mountains. This trip was to honor that wish.

This photo was at the beginning of the trip at Newspaper Rock, a place Mike had told me about the previous year when I was honored to take him and his dad on Fins & Things when his family met us in Moab during the Cruise Moab event.

The photo shows Ronnie, Mike's best friend - Jill, Mike's sister and Ronnie's SO - Denny and Chris, Mike's father and mother - Barb & myself, Felix (3 years old) and his parents Bill & Julie. Mike expressed his wishes to Bill, who served as our guide, a few years prior to the discovery of his tumor when wheeling together in the Henry Mountains.

[Chris]

Day one was a leisurely drive entering at Gemini Bridges area and exiting via Shaefer Trail in Canyonlands to let the renters Ronnie & Denny get accustomed to their Jeeps and to simply get out on the rocks for the day.

Ronnie was unable to drive Mike's Sami despite his best efforts, long hours and determination. Ultimately he replaced the motor but that presented enough serious questions of its reliability to conclude he shouldn't risk the drive from Illinois to Utah in an untested truck.

The trucks included 2 rental Rubicon's with Denny in the 4 door and Ronnie the 2 door , Bill's Jeep and my FJ62.

[Chris]

Day 2 we headed to Elephant Hill to start our trip. This was fun and since this was Denny's 1st real off-road driving also very exciting and challenging. Denny proved he was more than capable and wheeled the Rubi like a pro before long.

We stopped at Newspaper Rock, a few side trips to view petroglyphs and stop at Needles Outpost for topping off our tanks at $6.00/gallon. We camped the first night in Devil's Kitchen which has the most fantastic camp sites we've seen complete with fantastic scenery and natural rock caves and shelter.

Campsite:

[Patrolman]

Nice pics and great writeup! Makes me want to go back! We took a friend from Pennsylvania on Elephant Hill for her first time ever offroad. She drove great and it was a good ego booster when it was over!

[Chris]

More camp site:

[Chris]

Next we headed to the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers, did some fun Baja running in the sand, stopped for more petroglyphs, S.O.B. Hill, and Beef Basin towards the indian ruins.

[Chris]

Hmm, the next stop is a bit fuzzy. I'll come back to more...

[Funrover]

Very Cool!

[solid rock]

YOU CAMPED!!!!!!!!!!



OUTDOORS?!!!!!!!!!!



it was a great cause Chris, thanks for sharing.

[Chris]

:lol: 2 nights Jim!

Then the old folks high tailed to a hotel while the young'uns camped a 3rd night.

[Chris]

Here's what the 2nd night camp looked like before we got set up, I can't find anything else. The dust was the predominant memory of the roads we were on. :eek:

[Chris]

Everyone knows I'm a big believer in "leaving no trace" but we made an exception this time with a final beer with/for Mike at his final resting place in the beautiful Henry mountains...

[Jimmy]

Thanks for sharing Chris. Very touching - good for you all to do that (even if you left the beer can behind :) ).

[Chris]

Some wheeling pics. Sorry no Poison Spider or anything close to it, just fun wheeling.

[Chris]

more...

[Pathrat]

What incredible pictures. :clap: Nothing like Poison Spider? You posted some pretty good obstacles in your last two picture postings. I must camp at Devils Kitchen. Please give me the directions. I wanted to take Hugh to the Needles Canyonlands district and that looks like the ideal spot. How's the Needles Outpost Lady, odd and talkative as ever?

Thanks for posting the pictures and the story; I did something similar on my one and only trek to Sedona AZ.

[Chris]

The Needles Outpost lady is crazy isn't she? Some tennis finals were on and she was jumping and yelling and telling us all about the match. We were all clueless but she didn't care. Living there must take its toll :lol:

Devils Kitchen is after Elephant Hill. Just follow the sandy "Baja" trail right to it. Very cool place and to everyone's delight even has a vault toilet. ;)

I'll show you on a map when I see you next.

[Patrolman]

When I first started going to Needles, there was no back country vehicle camping allowed. Our last trip a year ago, we stayed at a location beyond Devil's Kitchen. You have to make reservations early for the back country locations. They have always had pit toilets which is a luxury for most of Utah!

Did you make it out to the Joint and do the short hike? WELL worth it!

My question is, where is the "ruins" in the pics? I have never seen those in Needles. Maybe we have just missed them somehow.

[Chris]

Did you make it out to the Joint and do the short hike? WELL worth it!

Is that where you walk through the huge rock splits to the overlook?


My question is, where is the "ruins" in the pics? I have never seen those in Needles. Maybe we have just missed them somehow.

The ruins are in Beef Basin, there's an area that's full of indian ruins, iirc the area is called "the ruins" which would be appropriate. There's a road that runs around the entire area.

[SCRubicon]

Very cool report.