Moab Expedition Trip April 17-25, 2012

[Happy Jack]

Green River was once home for a missile test site. If you have time it's a great place to poke around and kill some time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs8S26MrR5A

My pics are of the geyser and the bunker.

 

[Happy Jack]

Smith's Cabin.

 

[Tbars4]

..Joseph Smith's cabin??

..Mike...Cool on the new photo album..:biggthump: .I completely forgot going thru your other albums last year..

..Time needs to start slowing down as these trips keep coming up faster and seem to end quicker than the last one..

..Thats why we plan on taking this one a bit s-l-o-w-e-r..

 

[Scott B.]

The good news is my engine will be assembled next week!

Now, I wonder if it is going to fit...

 

[Tbars4]

...Even so...You still have a bunch of wiring to do..

..If the moon and stars will align, I may have new gears installed in the next week or so..

 

[mjmcdowell]

Moab 2012

Yeah Ted some great memories of the "1st annual Desert Expedition" and I will be making another one for the 2nd and on and on... I hope. It will be great to wheel and stop and camp, hang out, take photos and just yak, oh.... and cook.. Scott do you hear me? stay safe all, Michael

 

[Scott B.]

I hear you - I could go for a chorizo-potato-onion-egg burrito about now...

 

[Martinjmpr]

Green River was once home for a missile test site. If you have time it's a great place to poke around and kill some time.

My pics are of the geyser and the bunker.

You know what's funny - I consider myself something of an amateur "cold war historian" and I never knew about that until yesterday when I Mapquested the distance between Moab and Green River and the map showed the "Utah Launch Complex."

So I googled around and found some interesting stuff. Don't know if the other guys are interested but I will definitely be checking this site out as I love Cold War history stuff (I've visited most of the deactivated missile silos in Colorado, although I've never been "down inside" any of them.) Apparently the site is wide open and on BLM land, so there's no reason we couldn't camp there if we want.

 

[Happy Jack]

..Joseph Smith's cabin??

Not sure about that. If you mean Joseph Smith the founder of the Morman's I'd have to guess no. Read somewhere he was killed back east and Brigham Young brought the folks west. Butch Cassidy's folks were Morman and made that trek west. Butch and some other Wild Bunch guys robbed the mine payroll in Castlegate, UT April 21, 1897. They headed south through Buckhorn Wash and split up. Butch continued south to Robbers Roost while another took the loot east around Mexican mountian and past Smith's cabin and the NE to Browns Hole or Butch's HQ near Powder Springs.

Map shows some landmarks at the test site south of Green River and Smith's Cabin pictured in the above post NW in the upper left hand corner.

 

[Scott B.]

You know what's funny - I consider myself something of an amateur "cold war historian" and I never knew about that until yesterday when I Mapquested the distance between Moab and Green River and the map showed the "Utah Launch Complex."

So I googled around and found some interesting stuff. Don't know if the other guys are interested but I will definitely be checking this site out as I love Cold War history stuff (I've visited most of the deactivated missile silos in Colorado, although I've never been "down inside" any of them.) Apparently the site is wide open and on BLM land, so there's no reason we couldn't camp there if we want.

I'm game. I've worked for defense contractors for so many years, I really enjoy seeing the things we've come up with.

 

[Happy Jack]

Apparently the site is wide open and on BLM land, so there's no reason we couldn't camp there if we want.

Well yes and maybe no. That land has been leased to oil/gas companys. They had a pipe line layed out on top of the ground when I was there last. But you could still get to the bunker and walk inside. Sometimes the gate for a large building is open and you can look inside it. Other times I have been there it is closed and locked.

Sorry my eyes saw "poke around" not the "camp" that was posted. I have always been able to camp at the Crystal Geyser. Smith's Cabin is first come and we got beat in there before so we just backed out to a wash and went into the wash and around a bend to camp for the night.

One time a friend tried to go past where the barracks had been to get to the bunker but was not permited. Must have been working on that pipe line then. But we have both been there since then. You need a flash light to see inside the bunker. Watch for critters who have made the bunker home. Plenty to see and if you can't get in to see something just try again next trip, and the one after that.

 

[Scott B.]

Head Count

It's getting to be time to make reservations - especially for White Rim Road/Trail.

So, who is in?

Please list your name, number in party, and days of attendance. (You could list your vehicle if you want.)

I will make a list, and then split the names up for permits, etc.

I am also posting this on Expedition Portal - you only need to respond to one forum.

Thanks. 3 months to go!

 

[mjmcdowell]

Moab 2012

Scott, all I need is the location of the departure point in Green River, I'll be there on the 17th waiting with bells on, ready to go! Michael

 

[Happy Jack]

Well since folks seem to like the Green River test site, has anyone been to or have info on the Black Mesa site SW of Blanding?

 

[Martinjmpr]

Well since folks seem to like the Green River test site, has anyone been to or have info on the Black Mesa site SW of Blanding?

Google/Wikipedia give the site's location as 37° 22′ 0″ N, 109° 17′ 0″ W, SE of Blanding. If that's the correct location, a quick Google Maps search reveals not a lot there. I see one building and some flattened earth areas that may have been launch sites. The coordinates above appear to be at the Southeastern end of a projecting Mesa, oriented to the Southeast, so certainly if they were firing missiles at WSMR that would be a good location to do it from.

I wonder if they were at all squeamish about the prospect of firing missiles over Albuquerque? A direct track would have the missile passing between Albuquerque and Grants, which is pretty sparsely populated, but if the missile was off track by just a few degrees to the East, that could have had it passing over ABQ...

 

[Happy Jack]

This is what Delorme shows. The blue line along the left edge (west) is Butler Wash Rd. The high lighted loop is a route that looks like it might be fun.

What is the gps of the building? I was on Google and could not find it. Had a big cloud blocking a lot of it.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Here's an Astronotix site about it.

http://www.astronautix.com/sites/blakmesa.htm

Location given as Longitude: -109.2900 deg. Latitude: 37.3700 deg.

Here's the Wiki, which is pretty sparse:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_Test_Range

Location given as 37°22′N 109°17′W

Google gives location of the bldg as 37.365467,-109.282047

 

[Happy Jack]

Those GPS coordinates are SE of Black Mesa a good deal. They are over north of Montezuma Creek. Looks to be that is part of McCracken Mesa and well in the Indian Reservation. Black Mesa is just east of Butler Wash and Comb Ridge. As shown in the Delorme map above there is a bunch of roads on Black Mesa and one still has the name Army road. In addition to all the roads on Black Mesa and the two routes through Cottonwood Wash/Canyon I'd like to see what CR230 is like from Butler Wash Rd. to Army Rd.

GPS for Army Rd. is N37 30' 4.7" W109 34' 57.4"

 

[Brian1]

Im still a probable attendee

Brian
Arrive on the evening of Day1 most likely.

 

[Tbars4]

..It's very important for those who are interested to check in now

..Scott posted a few days ago about this but, there is very limited space for vehicles and camping on White Rim Trail..More camping info for WRT can be found here..
http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/whiterimroad.htm

Campsites
Bicyclists and four-wheel drivers must stay in designated campsites. Twenty individual campsites are arranged in ten camping areas. Toilets are provided at each area. When there is more than one site at a location, they are generally positioned to be out of earshot and, as much as possible, sight of each other. Each campsite will accommodate up to 15 people and 3 vehicle