Friday 10/15
Beautiful morning. When I started Bill this morning i still hadn’t made up my mind which way to turn. Stopped for a few moments at the campground exit and turned left towards Blanding, Ut. and Natural Bridges NM. Fueled, groceried, and got some ice.
Big flashing sign that US95 to Natural Bridges is closed at MM124, wash out….this side or the other side?.How far? Around the barricades Bill and i go to find out. No traffic for 10-15 miles and i see a white sedan coming towards me. Slow down and flag him down. Local guy looking for a co-worker coming off one of the mesa. Shut Bill down in the middle of the highway and we both get out for a chat. Tells me that the washout is just ahead and (gives Bill the once over) I most likely could make it around the next set of barricades and DOWN into the wash, cross a small stream and go thru some soft sand and up the other side. Now this sounds bad BUT he had just come thru in a Chevy Cavalier (front wheel drive)……. or turn right on the county road and go up on the mesa and camp there. There was a time i would of at least looked at the crossing but, turned right and crawled to the top of the mesa and camped out. Fairly steep climb up the mesa on a semi washed out road but Bill just idled up it. Coming down tomorrow will be a different story.
So i can get to Natural Bridges a different way and tomorrow i will do that. Spent the day on the mesa. Wide views and sunny!