SUMMARY: This was an informal
Ham Radio caravan, 4WD, and camping trip from California to Canyonlands NP,
Utah, and Ouray, Colorado, Sunday, September 5 through Saturday, September
11, 1999. We took the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands on Sept. 7-8, and the
Imogene Pass Jeep road in Colorado on Sept. 9.
TRAVEL: Bill, N6MSI, his dad,
Curly, and Les, W6TEE left Sonora, CA, on Sunday, Sept. 5. Ross,
WØXJ, left from Ellsworth, KS. See RADIO
below for details on 2, 40, and 20 meter operating. The CA group spent
that night at the Ely, NV KOA in a Kabin. We were joined at the KOA by
friends Lew, WA6ESA, and Adrianne, WA6CNE, who were headed for Jacobs Lake
with their trailer. We all arrived in Ely just in time to meet Don, NC6A,
from Redding, and 20-some rail "speeders" coming back from a two day trip
north on the rail line. Don had dinner with us at the Nevada Hotel and we
found that we had a lot of ham friends in common.
Ross spent that night in Canon City, CO, and ran into former MVRC member, Roger, KØYY (ex-W6SOT), and had dinner with him.
We caravaned with Lew and Adrianne the next day as far as Beaver, Utah, where we went our separate directions. We met Ross that night at Green River, Utah. Ross had a motel room and the rest of us had a KOA Kabin. Dinner was enjoyed at the Tamarisk.
WHITE RIM TRAIL: The White Rim
Trail was a two day 4WD trip, with the group having a permit for Sept. 7 to
camp at Murphy's Hogback. PHOTO - Bill and Curly climbing Murphy's
Hogback.
We had last driven this trail 15 years ago, but the only real changes were
the additional campsites and toilets along the trail. See
1984 below. Bill's CJ-7 Jeep was the same
vehicle that he drove in 1984. We did find it unusual to meet other people
on the trail since in 1984 we were alone out there. PHOTO - Ross and
Curly at Murphys camp B.
There are now three campsites at Murphy's and the other two were also
occupied. Each campsite is sized for the three vehicle limit on a
backcountry permit. PHOTO - Above the Green River. There were canoers
camped below.
TRAVEL-II: After completing the trail the next day, we made a grocery and ice stop at the always dependable City Market in Moab. We intended to spend the night somewhere enroute to Telluride, CO, but all the motels in Naturita and Norwood were booked up by a contractor. So we called ahead to the Super 8 in Ridgeway. This was slightly out of our way, but much nicer accomodations. We celebrated with dinner at Subway.
IMOGENE PASS: Bill got his fuel
pump replaced the next morning in Ridgeway. Then we drove to Telluride. We
didn't spend any extra time there since it has become so phony in recent
years. I watched them building a brand new Victorian house while Ross got
gas. Telluride is at the start of the 4WD trail over 13,100 foot Imogene
Pass. We have been over it uncountable times, but it is always interesting.
This time was no exception. Ross said that it was more of a challenge to
drive than the White Rim Trail. We had lunch among the mining ruins, then
went over the top to Ouray. PHOTO - Ross, Curly, and Bill braving the
cold.
We stopped at the Ouray KOA where everyone but Ross had a Kabin reserved.
Since this was the end of the trip, we said our goodbys and Ross drove on to
spend the night in Montrose.
TRAVEL-III: We continued back to California with one overnight stop at the Ely KOA, in the same Kabin. We got back to Sonora on Saturday night, and then to Sacramento and Roseville later the same night.
RADIO: The group used 147.555 MHz FM simplex for caravaning. We switched to 146.52 in Ely for Don and remained there next morning until almost in Beaver. We switched back then because we heard local activity at some unknown distance. Ross and I had 40 meter SSB mobile schedules on the first and last two days, on 7260 kHz at 1030, 1230, and 1430 Pacific. Some other hams had been invited to join us.
Ross was not heard the first day, Sunday, but I did contact Larry, K6AAW, in
Red Bluff, who was one of the group that I had alerted. Keith, K6QIF, in
Sacramento, was also on, quite by accident. Ross was on the 20 meter Elks
Net at 0900 Pacific the next day, Monday. This net is not held on weekends.
We had just crossed Sacramento Pass, just west of the Utah state line. I
heard that Ross was near Salida, CO, which was about where expected. He
was not heard on 40 meters that day either, but Larry, K6AAW, was on again,
as was George, W6GWB, in Woodland.
It turned out that Ross was having what appeared to be 40 meter antenna problems. While we were waiting for Bill to get his fuel pump replaced in Ridgeway, I loaned my 40 meter antenna to Ross to try, but with no better results.
On the way home on Friday, I checked in to the Elks Net from Thompson, UT, just east of Green River. Ross was reported just turning off at Pitkin, CO, for some backcountry exploring. The next day, there was no Net, but at the first scheduled 40 meter time, I talked to Larry, K6AAW, and Jerry, W6JRY, at Forrest Ranch, for over an hour. We were driving between Coaldale and Hawthorne, NV at the time. Good contacts like that make HF mobile operation worthwhile.
1984: The group in 1984 had four vehicles with Lew, WA6ESA, and Adrianne, WA6CNE - Mike, WA6RWR, and Doris, WA6UAF - Bill, N6MSI, wife Linda and daughter Heather - and Les, W6TEE, son Matthew (now KF6FIQ), and daughter LeAnne (now KF6FIP). The trip consisted of going into the Canyonlands Needles District over Elephant Hill, and camping in Devil's Kitchen for a couple of days, followed by two days on the White Rim Trail in the Island in the Sky District, camping overnight at Murphy's Hogback. We have been in the Needles several times before and since, but 1999 was our first repeat of the White Rim Trail.
Although this was not a Mt Vaca Radio Club activity, we invited MVRC members and guests to come along. This invitation was only with the usual understanding that we take these trips as friends and equals and no responsibility or liability is assumed by anyone.