Succor Creek Getaway

I've spent a lot of time in Southeastern Oregon, but never managed to visit the Succor Creek Recreation Area.  It's located east of Owyhee Reservoir and near the Idaho border.   The Bride was visiting our youngest daughter, so the dogs and I decided a one to two night getaway was in order, it was also a chance to see how I could coexist with two large dogs in the ATC Cougar shell.

Following a gravel road out side of Adrian Oregon (Home of the Antelope), I soon found myself in open country that looked like this.  The green from our wet spring and good winter snowpack was starting to brown.  The terrain started to narrow, and I followed the creek through the narrowing canyon.

There were a few campers at the campground, but not many.   Just two young families, and a gent from Bend with another pop up camper.  It was 91°, so walking the dogs, siting in the shade and chatting with the gent from Bend, and having a cold beer seemed to be in order.  I did notice that one of the young families had a campfire even though all fires and open flames were prohibited, and I should have said something then.

The sun started dropping behind the canyon walls, and the temps began to slowly drop as well.  It's a pretty place, with lots of what I believe to be ash trees.  After feeding the dogs and myself, it was time to call it a night.  The nighthawks were booming, and I was tired.  I didn't check the time, but sometime close to midnight I was awakened to the sound of a van coming into the campground, then looking for a campsite.  Of course the lights were on as the driver drove around looking for just the right spot, and of course... the site they selected had the lights pointed directly at my camper.  The dogs took exception, and it took a bit to quiet them down.  If you see a guy in a van with California plates,  a man bun, and tie dyed sweat shirt, you may have found the villain. 

Awakened by the cheerful calls of yellow breasted chats and canyon wrens.  I was up and about early, and decided to not exact revenge on the nighttime intruder.  Just had a few cups of coffee, started breaking camp, and prepared to continue on to Leslie Gulch.  The young Idaho couple in their lifted Land Cruiser had also packed and were leaving, with their fire still smoking.  I stopped them as they left and told them their fire was not out, and suggested they return to the campsite and make it so.   When they noticed I wrote down their license number.  They did return and dowse it down with water from the creek.

Off I went towards Leslie Gulch, climbing into some of the most beautiful country I have been in.  

At the top of one climb, I found something I had not expected. Camped on a small turnout, with a steep drop on the canyon side was a Bowlus Roadchief Travel Trailer.  The Roadchief was the brainchild of Hawley Bowlus, who was the construction superintendent for Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis.  His nephew Bob, who worked for Hawley, was one of my chemistry professors.

The scenery just got better. 

Reaching the turn to drop into Leslie Gulch, the scenery was stunning.

This particular section was also more troublesome than the others.  There were coveys of chukar all along the route, and I had two German Wirehair Pointers going nuts in the cab of the truck.  The chukar weren't as iPhone photogenic as the California (Valley) Quail.  I should have taken a big lens and better camera.

The scenery stayed spectacular. 

There were quite a few wildflowers still about, but this one caught my eye.   I don't recall seeing it before.  If anyone has an ID for it, please let me know.

All things considered it was a great, albeit quick, trip.   I learned that two high prey drive dogs are more that I want to deal with on a ramble like this.  I also learned I need to do a much better job of organizing and staying organized in a shell model pop up.  There was a lot of bird life, but noticeably absent were no large mammals, no pronghorns, mule deer, and bighorn sheep.  I need another trip into this beautiful land.  Perhaps to Jordan Valley next time.

Wandering the Wet West (Chapter 3)

(09/17/15 Cont.)  For a day that started with a nice brace of striped bass, it sure turned into one with drama.  Once again, I want to say how great the NPS was in responding to the issue.   In particular, Eden Wynd.

In the middle of all the hubbub, Brent and Dixie arrived on Discovery, the Tomcat 255 that was in Alaska with Hunky Dory.   It was really great to see them again.   Last year, we only managed a wave as we passed them on the road between Hanksville and Loa.   We had to pull early because of issues with our steering.

One thing that is still unresolved is how to deal with John and Grayle's boat, Hallelujah.  We made contact, and it will be taken to Antelope Point by Dr. Bob and Marie, to be put into storage.   Now we need to get all the fresh food and consumables off the boat, so it won't drawn rodents while in storage.   Lots of steak in the freezer, plus other fresh food.   No fish for dinner tonight...

(09/18/15)  A terrible accident on Lake Powell this morning!   Terrible I say.   Striped bass died.   Marie and I went out to catch a few more fish for the get together.   It wasn't long before we had seven more nice fish to contribute to the pot luck.   Out of this, I've learned that an electric fillet knife is a handy thing to have.

Oh oh, more drama...   a yellow jacket came in to dine on the scraps, and when I swatted at it with the knife, Marie did the same.   Too close a call, I tried to amputate her finger.   One more lesson learned, and we didn't need any more emergency situations.

Four more CDorys arrived mid day.   It was the gang from the Mississippi CBGT at Alton, Illinois.   Tex and Sharon on Bixby's Cub (Tex is a Mark Twain fanatic, and Bixby's cub was Mark Twain himself when learning the river from Capt. Bixby), Jim and Jeanine on Blue Rose, Ken and Pat on Pelican, and Mike on the nameless boat.   With this group, we had Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota represented.

Somewhere along the way, Tim and Mary on Wild Blue (aka Lost Petrel) became unlost.

Here's a shot from above the gathering...   Photographer Jody Kidd (JKidd on WTW)...

Thanks Jody for letting me use your photo!   There are thirteen boats present in the photo.   In 2010, we had twenty seven.

(09/19/15)  Today is the big day for the pot luck.   Two more boats came in Jody on Voyager, and Tony and Diane on C-View II.    The awnings are up for shade, and people are starting to fix the goodies.  I'm going to link to some photos of the gathering on another site (CBrats), but can't give credit to the photographers, as I am not sure who took the photos.   Apologies in advance!

Tex, in addition to being a great Mark Twain impersonator, is a pretty creative chef as well.   Please note the ice cream churn and dutch oven in the foreground below.   Homemade vanilla ice cream along with cherry cobbler is a must for any desert expedition.   

That is the author diligently studying his plate...  Mike from Minnesota brought out the flags that are in the background...   From what I can gather, the message is please bring more cold beer.   Good food, ice cream, cherry cobbler, cold beer... Who could ask for more.

(09/20/15)  Like most of our get togethers, we disperse after the big feed.   All of the boats except Thataway, Discovery, C-View II and Constant Craving headed for other parts of the lake.   Of course we still had Hallelujah here with us.   Dr. Bob and Marie will take it to Antelope Point when they head down river.   Tex led the mid west fleet up river, and I believe up past Hite.   That's a part of the river that I haven't explored.   Maybe next trip.

We received a medical update on John.   In a word, his condition was serious, and it's good that we got him evacuated when we did.   Everyone is sending their prayers and best thoughts for his complete and speedy recovery.

(09/21/15) Today's the day that we are heading out.   Bob and Marie to Antelope Point with Hallelujah, C-View II back to Wahweap, with Discovery and Constant Craving leaving for the upper Escalante.   The low water levels didn't let us get as far up the Escalante as we wanted.   Close, but not quite to the island that is opposite Explorer Canyon.   The Bride and I had hoped to hike up Explorer to Zane Grey Arch.   There are a few Anasazi structures along the way, mostly granaries, plus some delightful little natural garden areas along the small stream that drains the canyon.   Maybe next time.   One surprise was discovering Wild Blue in the Escalante, too.   Hunky Dory and Voyager were also there, but were leaving for up river as we were getting there.  The weather report is predicting storms, so I hope it doesn't hit us.   Earlier this year,  an anchored boat swung into the path of a pour over and was sunk.   No thanks.

(09/22/15)  Brent and Dixie needed to get home on the following day, so we left early and headed for the Bullfrog and Hall's Landing areas.   Discovery powered up and was cruising much faster than we could, but we got the boat up on a plane and hit a nice cruise speed at 16 MPH.

At Hall's landing, we were once again the subject of much interest.   The CDory boats attract attention where ever they go.   I think the boat itself sells more of them than the dealer network ever could.   Our friends El and Bill lived on their CDory for a number of years.   If you want to read some  interesting trip reports, read their blog on Halcyon.  Bill is also the author of "The Geology of the Great Basin".   He is a geologist, and a great person to travel with.   Getting a 'Bill' guided tour of Glen Canyon is an education.   Bill did a lot of work in the canyon before the dam was built.   He's one of the few folks who got to see it before and after the lake.  He also did a lot of geology work in Death Valley.

At Hall's, we encountered a Catalina 25, sans mast that was exploring the area.   Walt and Patty had just completed a trip down the Mississippi, from St. Paul to Venice, Louisiana.   Impressive!

Tonight, we are in Hall's Creek Bay.   It's a beautiful place, but popular with the go-fast crowd, and also popular with the "Instruments of Satan", better known as personal watercraft.   Still, I really like the area.  

I started having swelling in my feet (bad words, more bad words).  I'm not sure if it is too much sun, too much salt in the diet (chips???), or not enough exercise because of sitting in the captain's seat and pointing the boat at things.    

Tomorrow, we will start back towards Wahweap, with an exploration of Annie's and Iceberg Canyons.   In Annie's, there is a large amphitheater where we pull in, kill the motor, and swim under the overhang.   This year, the water level (and another boat) made it impractical.

We wanted to spend the night in Iceberg, but when we got to the end of the canyon, all of the campsites were taken by houseboats.   More bad words!!

Wandering the Wet West (Chapter 2)

(09/15/15)  We launched early at the Stateline ramp to avoid the usual mess that occurs when a lot of folks hit the ramp at the same time.   We warmed the engines then headed up river.  One of the other CDory folks was a day ahead of us, so we tried contacting the Lost Petrel.   Alas, the petrel remained lost, and we didn't get a return hail.   We had about 40 miles to cover to get to the Dangling Rope marina for fuel and anything else we needed.   With the RPM at 3,000, we chugged along at a bit under 8 MPH.   Dangling Rope appeared at just over 4 hours of cruising.   The port tank was the only one we used, and it took right at 8 gallons.   Not too bad for a boat, a heavily laden boat at that.

With another hour, we hit Oak Canyon and met up with Thataway, and our old friends Dr. Bob and Marie Austin from Pensacola, Florida.  Anchored stern to the beach, then got off the boat to see Bob and Marie.  Lots of talk and catching up after a year.   I got the little Yamaha generator out and charged the battery for the Engel freezer (Jay, it worked like a champ!!  Thanks again!).   Quite a bit of wind, but no rain.

(09/16/15)  Up a bit after 6:00.   The wind was rattling the burgee, so I got up and took it down.   Then I couldn't go back to sleep.   It was kind of nice watching the sun come up.

A whole lot of splashing going on...  Wow, a striper boil.   They were really going after the thread fin shad, so grab the rod and start thinking about dinner.   First cast was a 10" smallmouth bass, and then I started hitting the stripers.   I kept two for dinner.   One about 2 pounds, and another that was pushing 4 to 5 pounds.   A quick fillet and release, and we had enough fish for the four of us.

It's still windy, in the low 80's, but lots of sun.  The forecast was much the same for the rest of the week.   Thataway took off for Dangling Rope, and we found that our anchor lines were crossed.   They reset with no harm.   Bob left his lines attached to the dinghy, so they just had to grab them when they returned from getting ice and other supplies.

Bob gave me a copy of "The Very Hard Way - Bert Loper and the Colorado River".   what a great read!!!   Loper was one of the pioneer river men on the Colorado and its tributaries.   He started before 1900, and met his end on the river in 1948 at the age of 80.   He was one of the few people who got to see and run it all, before it was lost to the dams.

(09/17/15)  Again, up early to watch the sun creep down the canyon walls, and to wait and see if there would be another striped bass boil.   At about 7:00, the water erupted with fish going crazy.  Marie wanted to get a few fish, so I knocked on their boat and let them know the stripers were in.   It was just a few minutes before each of us had two really nice fish.   That was enough to put on the table for the get together, so it was time to put the rods away.  Here's Marie with the days tally.

Jay, on Hunky Dory arrived a little later in the day.   He and his bride Jolee, along with Brent and Dixie on Discovery had just returned from nearly 90 days on the water in SE Alaska, plus stops at Yellowstone Lake and other places on their return.   Hunky Dory is a 22' boat like mine, Discovery is a Tomcat 255 (and roomy!).   Here's Diana, Marie (with Miss Angel),  Dr. Bob and Jay.

Another CDory arrived just after Jay.  It was John and Grayle on Hallelujah, a beautiful CDory 25. Something didn't seem right as John couldn't respond on the VHF.   He finally understood where we wanted him to anchor, so set he the hook and started backing down...  right at my boat.   We started screaming for him to go forward, but the cabin door was closed, so it took a while for him to understand what was happening.   There was less than a foot to go before his kicker would have speared my boat.   Close...

Bob and I took the dinghy and helped John set the hook, then got his stern lines to temporary ties.   John likes to use sand stakes, so he grabbed a couple, along with a good sized hammer and started to hammer them in.   About three swings, and John collapsed.   Bob is a retired physician, so we got John into the shade and reclining.   He was dehydrated, but other vitals were reasonably good.   Bob, Jay and I got the boat secured.

After resting for a bit, John was well enough to get into the boat with assistance.   We left him to rest, with Grayle giving him liquids.   When we checked on him again, he was beginning to vomit, so Bob made the decision that Bob needed to be evacuated.  Bob and I took the dinghy out to a place where we could get a cell signal, and called 911.   Since it was NPS jurisdiction, we were directed to them.   Bob got them on the line, advised them of the situation, and asked for a ranger to come up from Dangling Rope.  The NPS also had a helicopter standing by.  It wasn't long before we saw his boat, so  Bob went with the ranger, and I brought the dinghy back.   By the time I got to the boats, the helicopter was less than 10 minutes away.   In addition to his other symptoms, John also had elevated carbon monoxide levels (CO).

We got all the tarps and awnings down, and the helicopter was there.   After some initial diagnosis by the medical team and Dr. Bob, they agreed to take John to the regional medical center at Flagstaff.  There wasn't room in the helicopter for Grayle, so she had to stay behind.

The ranger after a lengthy discussion with his supervisor received permission to take Grayle down to Wahweap that night, so she could rent a car and drive to Flagstaff.   I have nothing but true praise for the NPS.   Ranger Eden Wynd did a fantastic job of managing the situation, coordinating with the medivac team, and ensuring that Grayle was cared for.   This is how I like to see my tax dollars used.

Wandering the Wet West (Chapter 1)

(09/11/15) After much debate regarding where to go this fall, Mrs. Sagebrush (aka The Bride) and I finally settled on taking the CDory to Lake Powell for the annual CBrat Get Together, known as a CBGT.

We got the boat ready,  loaded up the truck and found that our new truck required a different height hitch from the one we used with our older truck.   Luckily I had one, so a quick change and the boat, formally known as Constant Craving (as I always want another boat) was ready to go.   I think we should rename it to "The Arc, less animals".   Once again we have over packed, and Salty our Wire-haired Pointer was relegated to the Hound-dog Hilton.

We literally had no idea of which route we wanted to take until pulling out of the driveway, hitting the road, and being forced to choose.   Through Burns, or through Twin Falls??   The boss of me said "Twin Falls", so off we went.   Once on I-205, heading for I-84 east, we immediately hit stop and go traffic.   Typical for Portland these days.

Once heading east, and away from the city, travel was smoother.   We decided on a first night at Baker City.   There were a couple of really nice full curl bighorn rams along the freeway, but no place to pull over and watch or take photos.    Such magnificent animals.

We pulled into Baker City and stopped at an RV park.   With the Engel freezer going in the back of the truck, it was easier to pick places with power, and not have to run the generator to charge our extra battery.   I took a photo of the boat, and a text to the kids.   Daughter Kate immediately replied, "Where are you?  I am in Baker City, too!".   She was there with a group of Triumph motorcycle riders that she and her husband travel with.  What a surprise!   I still can't imagine that my petite little girl rides a motorcycle.

(09/12/15)  On Saturday morning, we were up early and heading for Ely, Nevada.   It was a bit longer drive than I wanted, but we planned on getting to Lake Powell by Sunday, then spending a couple of days in the Wahweap campground getting the boat ready to launch.   Last year, we tried to launch the same day we arrived, and in 100º heat, it was just too much.    I also discovered that the wire antenna whip from my backup VHV had parted company with the boat.   Lesson learned, remove the wire whip before traveling!

The KOA in Ely is a familiar stopping place for us, whether with the CDory, or a dirt boat.   We got the freezer plugged in, then proceeded to relax after a long day on the road.  On our desert trip last year, we stopped here and discovered a pair of great horned owls working the trees.   This year was the same.

(09/13/15)  Again out early and on the road to Wahweap.   We stayed on the two lanes the entire trip. Down to Cedar City there was virtually no traffic.   One surprise was an XP camper heading in the opposite direction, the first one I have seen.   Out of Cedar City, it was white knuckle driving, dodging all the weekend campers coming back from Zion and Bryce.   The road is also quite steep (8%) and winding.   We'll pick another route home.

Through Kanab, and heading south on hwy 89, I hear an explosion behind me.   In the mirror was a Ford F150, with rubber going everywhere, and heading for the gravel.   He blew a left front tire.  I am thankful he wasn't passing us when it let go.  

We also went by a place that I have often wondered how it got its name...

We made it to Wahweap, got a campsite, and started a couple of slow days getting the boat ready to launch.  It's just too hot to move fast!!   A little last minute shopping in Page, AZ.   Since I lost my VHF antenna, I bought a new handheld radio to serve as my backup.   We are experiencing a little rain and thunderstorm activity.   Nice to have things a little cooler!!!

Looking across Wahweep Bay at the Castle...   We had three thunderstorms that afternoon.