The Summer of the Bronco (07-01-26)

 The spring of 2026 was filled with  our usual events and a lot of working on the new house. And, of course, making plans for the summer. Paul and I both have doctor appointments in early July in Phoenix, which affects our summer plans, since we can’t go as far as we usually do. Taking the camper and Bronco instead of the 5th wheel makes travel more flexible, and Paul really wanted to revisit some 4x4 trails in Colorado that we did with the Jeep.

The summer was divided in two sections essentially. Pre July 4 and post July 4. 

When we bought our Bronco, we did a full day “off-roadeo” training session, learning about the capabilities of the vehicle. That was done in Nevada but Paul wanted to take the class that they teach in Moab as well. It’s a different class, a half day class called Extreme Offroading. 

 

We left Havasu in early June, with a goal to get out of the heat. We headed to nearby Prescott, which is only a 3 hour drive, but sits at a higher elevation, so is cooler. We have been here before but didn’t have much chance to hike, so we rectified that this time.

Our first adventure was a trail that goes part way around Willow Lake. Everyone raves about this trail and I can see why.

The sky was incredibly blue that day…

Our second hike was also around a lake- this one was the Flume Trail at Watson lake, and it was just as pretty.

While plotting our course to Moab, we realized that Dolores, Colorado is not too far out of our way- so that was one of our stops on the way to Moab. Why? Because our friends Liz and Randy are there.

In addition to just hanging out, we went to an evening of music in town, and took some scenic drives.

Arriving in Moab a few days before our class, we had time to do some exploring. We wanted to do some trails with the Bronco so that we (he) would have the vehicle’s capabilities fresh in his mind.

The first trail we drove is called Chicken Corners. It’s only 48 miles long but took us 6 hours.

Like a lot of these drives, the roads are what they call shelf roads, which usually means there is quite a drop off on one side.

I am kind of a fair weather Trail passenger and there was one spot where Paul just kept saying “breathe”.  We made it through ok but I was not a fan. To me it looked like the tires were going off the edge. This is and out and back trail,  so we had to come this way again. Since I figured we would live through it, I video taped it the second time through.

The following day was the Bronco ride, which started after lunch, about 1:15. Once we were all gathered, we drove into the desert to the trail we were going to do.

Being an Extreme Off-roading class, it was more technical than the original class we took. It was all about how to handle obstacles, and where to place your tires.

I didn’t get much footage of our Bronco because I was either in it or directing Paul as to how to get over an obstacle.

Unfortunately the Bronco in front of us got extremely stuck trying to make it up over some boulders. It took 45 minutes, lots of rock moving, and a winch, to get him out of there. By then it was time to go back. So although we learned a few things, it wasn’t as good as it could have been. What it did do is give both Paul and I a little more confidence, because we had no issues figuring out how we wanted to tackle the obstacles.

The other trail we did in Moab is Onion Creek trail. This trail had all the beauty of Chicken Corners Trail, but none of the hair raising drop offs.

Unfortunately  this picture, in addition to showing the gorgeous countryside, also shows one of the things we have had to dodge this summer. Wildfires. This is the beginning of the Snyder Fire, which ultimately burned 28,000 acres. We have changed plans several times this summer due to the Colorado wildfires.

Our final day in Utah was really hot. We had planned on repeating a hike we have enjoyed before, but realized a) it’s too hot and b) we have never been to nearby (ish) Goblin Valley State Park.

We drove out there, not having a specific plan, other than to check it out.

As hot as it was, we still managed to hike the 3 mile trail to Goblin’s Lair. Luckily, there was a little bit (not much though) of shade along the way.

We stayed off the trail that was completely in the sun…

On the way back we elected to take the scenic route (ie gravel road).

Although the views were great…

…The rocks were apparently sharp, because the Bronco got a flat tire. Luckily Paul carries no less than 3 options for taking care of that type of problem. 

The Wave (12/18/24)

 Paul and I pretty much got home from St. Lucia right before Thanksgiving, and were greeted by our friends Liz and Randy who were already staying in our yard in their RV.  It was a quiet Thanksgiving, just the 4 of us, which worked out, because all 4 of us were sick- and all with something different- someone had Covid, someone had a cold, someone had a respiratory infection, and someone had a stomach bug. Several trips were made to urgent care. We did have Thanksgiving dinner, but not very enthusiastically, and pretty much at 6 feet apart from everyone.

At this point Paul and I also knew we were on the clock, training for a big hike.  Last year, Paul’s friend Robin (who he has known since Boy Scouts in high school) asked if we were interested in hiking “The Wave” if we could get permits, and we were, so the 4 of us have been applying, trying for whatever months we thought we could get there. Well, Rob won the lottery for December 11,  and we made plans to meet he and Kim in the Page area of AZ, for 4 days of hiking.

The afternoon we arrived,  we met up with them at the trailhead for the Toadstools, a short hike, at 1.4 miles, but with interesting rock formations.

One of the cautions on the federal website for hiking the Wave is that if it has rained recently, the road to get to the trailhead can be impassable, and the weather in December is very iffy, with the potential for rain or even snow.   With that in mind, we all decided to stay at Stateline Campground, a primitive federal campground down the road from the trailhead. Paul and I were in our truck camper, figuring we would provide meals, because Rob and Kim were going to car camp.

We were  planning to get the firepit going and sit outside,  but it was too cold. After hanging out for a while after dinner we said goodnight. Paul told them when they hear the generator in the morning, the coffee will be ready.

Paul and I noticed that it was cold that night, and when we looked at the thermometer in the early AM, we were shocked to see it was actually 13 degrees!. When Rob came in for coffee, he mentioned that Kim was mumbling about taking a bus home. Can’t blame her! I don’t think she signed up for that kind of cold, lol. Anyway, decision was made that since the roads were fine, we could move to an RV park/motel in town for the duration.

We spent the first full day at White Pocket. We have been here before, as has Rob. It’s a beautiful area for hiking, and hard to reach because the “road” requires 4WD, and experience driving in deep sand. It wasn’t difficult for the Bronco and the views here never get old. (some of the pictures I am using belong to Robin and are labeled as such- Thanks Rob!)

                                       

And then it was time for the Wave!

This is a very protected area- only 64 people a day are allowed to hike this trail.  There are two ways that you can apply for the lottery- four months in advance- they allow you to choose 3 days in a given month- you pay $9 and if you “win” the lottery you get to hike it that day.  The other way to do it is to wait until two days before you want to hike it- but then you have to be in that geographical area (location services has to be activated on your mobile device) , apply for the permit, show up for orientation the following day, if you win, and then hike it the third day.  There are actually volunteers at the trailhead that check everyone’s bright pink  permit, which has to be visible at all times.

The trail itself isn’t difficult-it’s 6 miles or so round trip if you don’t wander off to look at other things.

The hardest part is that most of the hike is on rock so it requires a fair amount of map referencing. We were tracking ourselves on two devices and 3 apps. There are no trail markers to speak of.

Once we arrived at the Wave itself, I think we all dropped our backpacks and immediately started taking pictures. Even with all the hype, this place is spectacular.

“The Wave” is actually a small part of the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. In the monument are several spectacular areas for hiking. The Wave is part of the Coyote Buttes North area.

We also visited White Pocket, and Coyote Buttes South, and Peekaboo Canyon.

Permits for Coyote Buttes North, The Wave, are difficult to get, but another area that also requires permits, is a much easier. Coyote Buttes South. It has the same lottery process, which was actually annoying on this trip.  It’s very easy to win permits but we had to apply the day we got to the area, because if we won, we had to be in their office at 9 am the next day for orientation. We couldn’t have done that on the 11th, the day we hiked the Wave, so we applied on the 11th, went to orientation on the 12th, and hiked it on the 13th.

Kim took a pass on this hike and elected to explore the town of Kanab on her own.

Obviously different from Coyote Buttes North but we all enjoyed our day at Coyote Buttes South.

This last one is called Witches Hat, and it’s not hard to see why….

Our last day in the area was spent exploring Peekaboo (Red) Canyon. There are actually two Peekaboo Canyons.

This is the one north of Kanab.

Like White Pocket, it requires 4WD. 

The Bronco had no problems, and Paul got to use “sand mode’ on the Bronco.

I think this “road” was a little worse than White Pocket, but I kept thinking that all 4 of us know how to push a vehicle.

Once we walked into the slot canyon, we realized how cold it was.

It was still worth the views, and the fun hiking...

And once we finished this hike, it was time to head home for Christmas- but we love this area and would go back in a heartbeat.