Highline Lake State Park

 

On Wednesday morning I left Steinaker State Park and headed for Colorado and my destination, Highline Lake State Park.

Taking US 40 East, you reach the town of Dinosaur, Colorado just over the Utah border. Then it was CO 64 and CO 139 south to the campground. This stretch of highways is known as Dinosaur Diamond, a Scenic Byway.

The landscape through which this byway passes once shook under the footfalls of giants. Dinosaurs were abundant in this area and have since left their mark on the land in the form of fossils and footprints. CO 139 crests at Douglas Pass, almost 8300 feet high. The second photo below shows the view looking North from the pass, and the third is looking South:

 

I arrived and set up camp, then about 2 hours later a thunderstorm hit. I noticed one of my neighbors was in danger of having their tent blown away, so I hurried over with extra stakes and guy lines to help secure it for them. They repaid me with fresh ribs for dinner. The pictures below show my campsite, inside my car as the storm rages, and the sun shining on the lake as the storm breaks:

 

Highline Lake State Park is the center for watersports in the Grand Valley. It is about 10 miles from Fruita and 30 from Grand Junction. It’s warm water provides a comfortable setting for waterskiing, swimming, fishing and picnicking. Little Mack Lake, just to the North, is for non-motorized boats only. There is also a 4 mile trail around the lake, so that I was I walked on Thursday.

The first 3 photos are from the trail, the 4th is Mack Lake, and the last is the beach area at the campground:

 

I will be leaving on Friday for the short drive (30 miles) to the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Grand Junction. I’m looking forward to a dip in the river. No snappy comments to end this post. I am still mourning the loss of my eReader. Till we meet again…

Regards,

Greg

Starvation, Steinaker, and Red Fleet State Parks

 

I left Rockport State Park Monday morning for the 160 mile drive to Steinaker State Park. I first stopped at Starvation State Park to take campsite photos.

Located 4 miles northwest of Duchesne on Utah 40, Starvation was established in 1972. While the park’s name is accredited to cattlemen whose tacos on the hoof often froze during the harsh winter months, it’s name hardly seems fitting given it’s scenic coves, remote beaches and unusually blue water. Starvation is a favorite spot for boating enthusiasts and hosts several walleye fishing tournaments. Below are some photos of the sign and the beach:

 

I finally arrived at Steinaker State Park. Located in the heart of Dinosaurland, Steinaker is well known to geologists, historians and collectors for it’s fossilized oysters, clams and other shellfish that lived in the ancient seas that once existed here. Steinaker also enjoys a reputation as a first class water sports destination. After the skeeters at Rockport, it was very nice to be bug free. Below are some photos of my campsite, #6, and a view of the day use swim area:

 

Tuesday morning I drove over to Red Fleet State Park. It got it’s name from the immense red sandstone rock formations that loom above the water resembling a fleet of ships moving through the sea. The lake offers 750 acres of idyllic fishing and boating – the lake teems with rainbow trout, largemouth bass and brown trout – as well as waterskiing and swimming.

Two significant paleontological sites preserve the imprint of three-toed creatures that lived here millions of years ago. One group of three-toed (tridactyl) tracks, 200 or more in number, dates back to the Jurassic period, 200 million years ago. At least that is what I remember from school. Here are some photos:

 

On a sad note, my Sony eReader headed to that great library in the sky on Monday. It has served me faithfully for over a year and a half, but when I turned it on when I arrived at Steinaker, this is what it looked like:

I am an avid reader and used to bring boxes of books with me on long camping trips. These little eReaders can hold hundreds of books and a charge lasts for weeks. I was in heaven. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to my account at PayPal: wgwood@cox.net. Any amount would help, as I still have over 4 weeks to go with nothing to read. I am on a very tight budget, and if I pick up a new eReader for around $140, my food budget disappears. Luckily, all my books are on my computer, so I can transfer them to the new device.

This was my last group of campgrounds in Utah. Wednesday I am off to journey through Colorado for a month. My first stop will be at Highline Lake State Park, about 110 miles away. Talk at ya later.

Regards,

Greg

Rockport State Park

 

This is the third State Park in this area east of Salt Lake City, the other two being Deer Creek and Wasatch. Rockport Lake is 3 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. I asked a Ranger why they call it a reservoir instead of a lake. He said that man made bodies of water are called reservoirs and natural ones are called lakes. So I asked him if he had heard of Powell Reservoir. He didn’t, and I told him it was more commonly known as Lake Powell. I gave him a wink and walked away. I like the word “lake” better. It is shorter and easier to spell.

Rockport Lake is about 45 minutes from Salt Lake City. It is home to first rate fishing, waterskiing, swimming, sailing, as well as ice fishing in the winter. The State Park has 5 developed campgrounds here. Cottonwood is on the river just above the lake. Crandall Coves, Twin Coves, and Juniper are on the lakeshore. Riverside is below the dam. Juniper is the only campground to offer hookups, flush toilets, and showers. The rest have vault toilets.

I stayed in Cottonwood 16, a large campsite with plenty of shade and privacy:

 

Saturday I drove to take photos at the three campgrounds on the lake. Below are some photos of a beach area, the boat ramp, and the marina store.

 

Sunday morning was overcast with scattered showers, so I did what any smart camper would do. I made tacos!

 

After the rain went away, I drove around the lake to Riverside Campground. Below is a photo taken from the dam looking across at the 3 lake campgrounds. The last one is of people fishing just below the spillway. I spoke to a few anglers and they said the fishing was excellent, with limits of 16” to 20” Rainbow Trout.

 

My next stop will be at Steinaker State Park, stopping along the way at Starvation State Park to take photos. It’s 170 miles away near the town of Vernal. They have some kind of dinosaur thing going on there, so I will check it out.

Finally, a word of warning. My campsite in Cottonwood was near the river. Due to the large amount of snowfall this year, the river was still running high. This resulted in swampy spots remaining near me. Which means mosquitos. I always carry repellent, which I applied to my arms and legs. Now, when guys are out camping, sometimes they like to piss on a nearby tree or bush, especially if they have had a beer or two and don’t want to walk all the way to the bathroom. So you whip it out, exposing your johnson to the mosquitos who immediately start their assault. Being smarter than a mosquito, you just hold your pride and joy in one hand while waving away the bloodsuckers with the other. Everything is going fine and then your mind starts drifting and suddenly your waving hand cuts through your stream. While you are shaking your hand dry, the mother of all mosquitos swoops in and tags you. Yeah. So be careful out there.

Regards,

Greg

Wasatch Mountain State Park

 

I left Deer Creek State Park on Tuesday. Since Wasatch Mountain is only 15 miles away, I drove an extra 20 minutes to visit Park City. This is a neat historic town. Famous for it’s powder skiing in the winter, there is still a lot to do there in the summer. I saw many people with mountain bikes and Main Street was packed with shoppers and folks enjoying a meal outside.

 

When you enter Wasatch Mountain State Park, the first thing you see is the golf course. This very popular 36 hole course has held many USGA events.

 

The Park consists of 22,000 acres in Heber Valley backing up to the Wasatch Range. The nearby towns of Midway (3 miles away), and Heber City (7 miles away) have all the supplies and dining options you need. There are 3 campgrounds here. Oak Hollow has no hookups and is for tents only. Mahogany and Cottonwood have hookups and don’t allow tents.

I stayed at Oak Hollow #6, a nice shady site next to the creek:

 

This is an “Old School” State Park. It was built when the concern for camper’s privacy was more important than cramming in as many sites as possible. You do not see your neighbors. There is a 20 - 30 foot buffer of trees and shrubs separating the sites. Below is a view from the entrance of my campsite looking down at Deer Creek Lake. You can see the driveways branching off the main road:

 

Some of the nice things about going camping are getting away from traffic, televisions, and telephones. But you also get away from laundromats. That made Thursday laundry day!

 

After hanging the clothes, I elected to go on a short hike. There is a trail leaving my campground that follows the creek. It is about 3 miles round-trip with only a few hundred feet of elevation gain. Below are some photos:

 

It was cool and shady along the trail. I noticed some interesting flowers so I stopped to take some pictures. The key to taking close-ups like these is to open up your camera’s aperture to it’s widest setting (the smallest number). This creates a narrow depth of field and lets the background become blurry. Below are some examples:

 

I enjoyed my stay here. I will be heading to Rockport State Park, about 40 miles away, for the next 3 nights.

Why do flies think that they can land anywhere they want? Eyebrows, ears, nose and toes are all fair game for them. Friggin buzzy rat bastards.

So I keep a small microfiber towel handy. When a buzzy lands on me, I snap at it with the towel. Musta offed 15 or so today. Then the clean up crew arrives. Ants love to collect rat bastard buzzy bodies and haul them off. Hah! Looks like that last buzzy was only stunned. He’s fighting the ant all the way back to the hole…to be eaten alive. Sweet dreams, buzzy.

Regards,

Greg

Utah Lake and Deer Creek State Parks

 

I left Scofield State Park high up on the Wasatch Plateau and headed down to Provo and Utah Lake State Park.

Utah Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the west, yet receives only 15 inches of rain per year. At this popular fishing hole, anglers can cast for channel catfish, walleye, white bass, black bass and several species of panfish. The lake is big, over 96,000 acres, and is extremely popular for boating, sailing, canoeing, and kayaking.

Here are photos of the lake and the marina:

 

Leaving Provo, I headed up UT 189 towards Deer Creek State Park. The drive winds through Provo Canyon and you pass by scenic Bridal Veil Falls. Yeah. I wonder if they stole the name from Yosemite or vice versa.

The campground is set in the southwest corner of Heber Valley on the lake, which is 6 miles long and has 18 miles of shoreline. It also offers some of the best fishing in the State of Utah. It is one half hour from Provo and one hour from Salt Lake City, so it is very popular. A concession on the lake offers a restaurant, boat rentals, gasoline, and supplies.

Here are some photos of the lake:

 

The pictures above were taken on Monday, the one below was taken Sunday when the sun was shining. You can see all the people out on their boats:

I camped at site 6 in the Great Horned Owl campground. Very nice spot with shade and a great view. See for yourself:

I will be traveling on Tuesday to Wasatch Mountain State Park. This is Utah’s most developed State Park, and yes, it has a golf course! I will be staying there for 3 nights in order to check out all it has to offer. That’s it for now.

Regards,

Greg

Scofield State Park

 

The drive from Huntington State Park to Scofield State Park was only about 60 miles. I passed through the old towns of Price and Helper and the turned south on UT 96. This road actually joins UT 264 which takes back up the mountains to UT 31. They call this the “Energy Loop” as it passes high through the mountains and features several still functioning coal mines. It is kind of bizarre to turn a corner on a high mountain road and see a huge coal mine.

Scofield State Park consists of 2 campgrounds, Madsen Bay and Mountain View at 7600’ of elevation. The former offers no hookups or showers while the latter is fully developed. Both offer launch ramps and Mountain View offers slip rentals as well. There is a small store 5 miles away in Scofield that carries supplies and gas.

The Lake itself is good sized, and there were plenty of people out on the water. Fishing is very popular, with some good sized Brown trout being caught. Here are 2 photos I took from my campsite:

 

Both campgrounds are on the water, but only Mountain View has any shade. Below are lake views from Madsen Bay and Mountain View respectively:

 

Scofield is a very small town, but they do have some bargains if you are looking for some vacation property. This home below is only $2K, but is does need some work:

 

Finally, a brief word on nutrition. As you all know, Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Tacos are the best meal. So I think it was appropriate to have some tacos for breakfast this Saturday Morning:

I did get the attention of a local who smelled it heating up, so I had to share some:

Who could resist a face like that! He did not like the dollop of homemade habanero salsa I dropped for him. After giving me a scathing look, he scampered away. That is what I was trying to accomplish. You should never feed the wildlife, no matter how cute they are. Moving up the food chain, hundreds of bears have had to be killed due to careless campers not storing their supplies properly. They start associating humans with food, and that is not a good thing.

I am heading out Sunday July 24, stopping by Utah Lake State Park, and the camping at Deer Creek State Park. Till next time.

Regards,

Greg