Bikepacking the San Rafael Swell

Discussion in 'Adventure, Hiking, Backpacking and Travel' started by Hammer, Feb 8, 2018.

  1. Stone

    Stone Member

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    Thanks for your invite, @Charlie Delta.

    I'm still at work in the studio, and dinner is heating in the oven.

    But I'll be back after din din to check this out. Bikes R Us. :)
     
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  2. Stone

    Stone Member

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    This is why we get along so well, even though we've never met (yet) in meatspace.

    I love Maine, but I miss that country over in the SW. Spectacular country, awesome bike ride. Thanks.
     
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  3. Stone

    Stone Member

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    GASP!

    I will own and ride an ECR before I die. I hope they ship to Scotland.

     
  4. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

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    amazing landscape. I would love to explore that in a 4x4 and camp out for a month.
     
  5. joe_from_iowa

    joe_from_iowa Member

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    What a fun trip!! Love my Surly ECR too.
     
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  6. Andy the Aussie

    Andy the Aussie Administrator of the Century Staff Member

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    That is some great looking country !! When I was in Utah I didn't get to be very much exploring at all (some but not nearly enough). Good excuse for another visit I guess... ;)

    Though it does appear some dastardly fiend has stolen the engines from your bikes...!!!!!!!
     
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  7. Stone

    Stone Member

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    When I first found this thread last night (with @Charlie Delta's help), it was late in a very frustrating day at work, so I didn't give the images the close look that they deserved. I'm back here now during a break at work while a video renders (going to be a late Saturday night) to take a closer look.

    Spectacular images of what was obviously an epic trip. My hat's off to people who would ride on bikes for days through those landscapes. As a guy who spent years backpacking in southern Utah during the 80's and 90's, I can say with confidence it's some of the most rugged landscapes in the US by far, especially when it comes to deserts. Big Bend, the area south and west of Phoenix, and places like Death Valley may be harder climates, but the landscapes of the Utah canyons just can't be beat in my experience. And they can be dangerous as hell for the uninitiated; they call it "slick rock" for a reason. :eek:

    Here is one (of many) shots I took (timer on camera -- running back to the edge before the shutter clicked was a scary experience :oops: :eek: ) just before dropping into one of my favorite canyons, Dark Canyon, that's a tributary of Glenn Canyon (just upstream from Grand Canyon) circa '87 when I still had hair. The woman was my gf at the time. It took us over an hour just to find the way down -- dropping off into a little slot canyon -- then about two hours of scrambling with heavy packs over scree and talus to get down into the canyon.

    Below it is my fav shot at the bottom; one of the stretches where a spring actually led to flowing water in summer in an otherwise dry bed.

    Dark Canyon from the rim w people-sm.jpg

    Dark Canyon from bottom at green pool.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2018
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  8. Hammer

    Hammer Member

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    Just checking back in after being off-grid for a few days. Glad everyone enjoyed the pics! More to come, for sure....

    I believe they do - and yes, you should absolutely own one. If you distilled a Willy's Jeep and a Ford F-150 into bicycle form, it would be the ECR. Utterly reliable and willing to go just about anywhere you want to take it. ;)

    There's just something about that bike, right? I've owned and ridding a lot of different bikes, but the ECR is something special and just begs to be loaded up and ridden over the horizon.
     
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  9. Stone

    Stone Member

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    Being off-grid -- unplugged from The Matrix {tm} -- for substantial periods is crucially important for health.

    So, congrats! :cool:

    Re "Willy's Jeep and a Ford F-150", my F was an F-250 (Power Stroke Diesel, 1997, last of the square cabs; sold it in 2010, just before my migration from upper west coast to far upper east coast), but I drove a 1948/49 Willis Jeep when I was 16. My dad and I (with help from a mechanic friend) built it from two junkers. It would climb most objects that the western TN woods -- near the MS River -- had to offer.

    I'll try to find some images when I'm back on the main box ...
     
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