San Diego Bound

Kobae Says Goodbye to Moab

Three Sharp-shinned Hawks

A few weeks earlier while out hiking with Kobae and taking a shade break I saw three Sharp-shinneds fly over doing circles and talking above us. I'd seen them a couple times since. Today I tennis balled one out of the tree and saw it fly across the river but moments later there was a second on the pump house and a third on the solar panels. By the time I return from San Diego I'm afraid they'll be settled in pretty good and it will take quite an effort to get them to depart.

You Want My Autograph?

If I knew how to make it so you could click on it and be there I would so instead, copy and paste.

http://www.utahstories.com/2015/10/moabs-base-camp-adventure-lodge/

Westworld

On the way to town I come around the corner to Cliffhanger trail and there are all these human heads on poles on the side of the road. I think it's Ed Harris that is playing the part of Yul Brenner in Westworld. They are saying not to take pictures and keep moving. On the way back, I'm ready.

Hiking with the Man

With forecasts showing highs in the 40s next week Kobae's Base Camp hiking days are down to just a few and he's making the most of it.

Stuff: Lawn Chairs and Water Containers

Were lawn chairs in the old days but have gravity chairs now for placing in the parking lot to view the night sky. Those lawn chairs are left there because they provide an escape tunnel for the ringtails and skunks when the foxes come. The water canisters if facing the lodge are full, if turned outward, empty.

Stuff: This Broom

I have three of the exact same broom, except this one is now only about half size on straw. I set the Go Pro out and since this is the broom that I sweep Kobae's leftovers below the Desert Willow there is always a little bit of romaine, banana, apple.....on it and the squirrels and chipmunks nibble away at the straw as they get their meal.

Dogs Somewhere

Kobae saw dogs getting out of some vehicles so he spends the afternoon circling vehicles searching for them.

Dead Horse Point

Saturday Morning

Winding Down

With Kobae's Moab time coming to an end I'm going to try to be available for as much hiking as he wants. In case Kobae suddenly took off on a hike I was prepared for all the guests checking in today.

Getting Comfortable

After four straight days of rain Kobae finally has some sun but he's having a little trouble finding just the right position to get comfortable.

Base Camp Flyover (Thanks Jamie)

Drone

Thanks to Jamie who was here about a month ago sending me this footage he took with his drone. Let me add, the one that says Chicken Corner is worth watching in particular for all the folks that drove out there but didn't feel comfortable walking around Chicken Corner. This will give you an idea of the view on the other side.

No Learning Curve

Brave Souls

Occasionally I get offers from guests to go hiking with Kobae. Takes a brave soul. As daughter Heather once said "Kobae goes hiking when he wants to go hiking, where he wants to go hiking, and for as long as he wants to go hiking." It's true. He is a force to try and control. I've hiked with him many hundreds of times and I still have days where it takes me 30 to 45 minutes to get him turned around or going in a direction that is not his idea. I heard from Christine and Riley off and on during the day that all was going well, until I got the call that it wasn't.

We're Going to Jackson

Now We Know

Linny is a natural. She can climb anything, hike anywhere, paddle all things, and drive everything she has ever tried. But, I've never let her drive the truck other than around here. On this morning Linny wants to drive the truck to town to know that she can do it and though I haven't had a serious injury in over a year I've had a couple almost paralyzing ones in the last few years. I'd also like to know if she's my ride to the hospital. With a near perfect drive up and down Hurrah and to town, she's my ride. When we hit the blacktop I said "Linny that was a perfect job." She said "I was scared the whole time." I said "If you were scared it didn't show and if so, why'd you do it?" She said "I wanted to know for sure that I could do it." The next day Kobae took off and it took me about an hour to track him down and we were nearly to the Wind Caves. I walkied Linny at the lodge with guests and she brought me the truck. Working out already.

Searching for Shade

Kobae just kept hiking and hiking and then when it got hot there was no place with shade. He was almost running looking for shade and I finally guided him to a little tree with a bit of shade where he quickly made himself at home.

Kobae Two Hours of Beach

Lot of drift wood left over from the last rain but that just gives Kobae more things to go check out.

Evening

Security Tortoise

Rock Cairn

About each time I go up to Hurrah somebody has gotten a little more creative building rock cairns. This time they are pretty big rocks.

Slight Chance Evening

Slight Chance Has Arrived

There's not going to be any moment by moment video here because it all happened so fast and I don't normally carry the Go Pro on Kobae hikes. We've hit the bottom of Hurrah Pass and arrived where the road levels out but still a mile and a half or so from Base Camp, travel time 90 minutes. I'm reading my book and marveling at our amazing luck so far. The sky is very dark, there's lots of lightning, but I haven't had to close the book once and put it in the protective plastic bag. I know the signs and I'm ready. When the first gust of wind hits the front has arrived and I have a couple minutes to get my rain gear on and look for any sort of shelter. Here in the flat part of the road though there isn't any shelter. The wind hits me, I'm putting the book in the plastic, pull my fanny pack around to get my rain gear but in less than 10 seconds after the wind hit the rain is here. Kobae has stopped and pulled everything inside his shell. The rain grows harder, it hurts. I've got my rain jacket on but the wind is so hard my rain pants are blowing straight sideways. I can't put those on without lying down.

I look behind us and see a side by side coming from Hurrah. I struggle to get my pants on. Look behind me again and the side by side has turned around and is leaving. They saw us but I don't blame them. They have to get back across Kane Creek before it floods or they'll be out here all night. I've been through this before. I bend down above Kobae to protect him as much as possible and we're going to wait it out. The rain is furious and every drop stings. We might be here for thirteen minutes (shortest so far) or for four and one half hours (longest so far). Two side by sides pull up. The first with two people in it and the second with one. They ask if they can help. Lightning is flashing everywhere and the rain is so strong we have to yell to hear each other. I ask the couple to watch Kobae and the two seater with only one person in it to get me to Base Camp to get the truck before the floods come.

Arriving at the lodge water is just starting to come down the creek/driveway but it won't be long. We have ten to fifteen minutes to retrieve Kobae and get back before it's a river. Returning Kobae has moved slightly off the road seeking shelter. Two of us pick him up and put him in the back seat of the truck and then we all race for the lodge. We don't make it. There are two more places just like this pouring into my driveway.



 The rain stops and within about 30 minutes the first creek is low enough to drive across where we can get to high ground and see what we're facing to get to the lodge. Surprisingly it's not too bad.

The down hill by the Base Camp sign, a problem in previous floods, held up pretty well while the driveway at the bottom of Base Camp survived but it took a beating. We got the side by side and truck up, unloaded Kobae, and our new friends from Georgia headed to town to beat Kane Creek flooding. They called me when they got to town to say not much happened anywhere else, just here.

Story of my life.

Kobae to Hurrah

It's the monsoon season but so far looking like Kobae and I might escape the disasters of last year as the season winds down. As we're heading up to Hurrah apparently, Kobae decides, the sky isn't looking bad and the weather report says "mostly showers with a slight chance of rain." Without taking even a slight break we're two thirds of the way up Hurrah. When the bad storms come from the east, west, or north I see them coming and we have time to take action. When they come from the south over the hill or Anti-Cline our time is limited and the Sep/Oct monsoons come from the south. We're only a few hundred yards from the top of Hurrah when Johnny calls on the walkie talkie and says "Looks like it's going to be a bad one." I see some dark sky to the west but nothing really ugly. Still Johnny can see what's coming up the river and I can't. Time to turn Kobae around. Now it's going to be a race against the storm and on my team is a one mile an hour tortoise.

Driveway

After two days of moderate rain I've been curious to see if the diversion of water kept the bottom of the driveway from washing away so when Kobae headed down the driveway at noon today I was ready. It's still there but it took a beating.