The 2-foot-tall rock shelf cambered toward the pool of water, leaning Brian's Wrangler Rubicon toward the edge. The front suspension unloaded, and 80 percent of the vehicle's weight shifted to the passenger rear tire, perched on a small pile of crumbling rock. To this point, the Pyeatt Draw trail had been a moderate route, challenging the group of 10 high-clearance trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs with a series of 3.0-rated sandstone and rock obstacles.

Pyeatt Draw was formed by heavy spring watershed from the Mogollon Rim, the alluvial confluence of Lewis Creek and Ellison Creek collecting at the Draw's high point just west of Tonto Village. Just east of the confluence, the water cascades off of the trail's final (and optional) obstacle. This 4.0-rated exit is a cambered and narrow waterfall with a series of ledges just inside the wheelbase of most vehicles, adding to the challenge.

The trail gets more approachable after Thompson Road climbs above Diamond Rim and turns east, crossing Pyeatt Draw. Our group, led by John Shotts in his "Trail Limo" Land Cruiser began the process of airing down, disconnecting sway bars, and shifting into low range. We were fortunate to have a diverse group of vehicles in attendance, including an FJ40, three Tacomas, the big 100-series, two FZJ80 Land Cruisers, a Land Rover Discovery II, a solid-axle Toyota Truck, and a pair of Jeep TJs. I always prefer having several makes and models on the trail, as it is much more interesting than watching the same trucks drive the obstacles in nearly the same way. With wheelbases measuring between 93 and 127 inches, there was certainly variety in approach and degree of success.

We were also fortunate to have two entertaining drivers willing to push their rigs on the more challenging lines. Ben was driving an FZJ80 Land Cruiser with 35-inch Maxxis Creepy Crawlers, and Brian was piloting an '03 Jeep Rubicon with 33-inch MT/Rs and a hybrid long-travel suspension. Both drivers used finesse to clear the big ledges and rocks of the optional lines and were impressive to watch.

Pyeatt Draw slowly builds in difficulty as the wash narrows, creating larger steps and a greater concentration of loose boulders. The pace began to slow, and more spotting was required to help the less-modified machines. One particular obstacle brought the group to a standstill, and all occupants worked their way to the front with various digital and video cameras. The trail chokes down into a narrow "S" turn in the sandstone, forcing the drivers to weave their way through Jeep-size turns, rubbing their rock sliders and pivoting around the corners. Then the trail exits to a taller slab up a cambered shelf with a large rock on the right followed by a deep hole and ledge on the left. This made the obstacle a real challenge for the vehicles with open differentials or traction control, with several trucks getting some new dings and scrapes. The most impressive success on that challenge was by Jared Albert in his open-diff and near-stock four-cylinder TJ. With only a 2-inch TeraFlex suspension and sway-bar disconnects, Jared flexed his Jeep through the notch without any wheelspin, resulting in a "Hooray!" from the group.

With all 10 vehicles through the notch, it was time for lunch and to enjoy the great view down the Draw and the cool breeze coming from the Rim's edge. At nearly 6,000 feet, the Tonto National Forest is a retreat from the intense heat of Phoenix and other valley cities. This makes Pyeatt Draw a popular trail for Arizona 4WD clubs, and despite its remote location, it is not uncommon to find several groups running the route over a summer weekend. However, I was pleased to find very little trail damage and no trash on the trail during our visit, showing that the commitment of time and expense to drive to the trailhead is keeping "wildcat" or less-responsible 'wheelers away.

After lunch, we drove a short distance to the first "exit" option from the trail, where an improved two-track crosses the wash and then begins to parallel the Draw from the south. This is the end of the 3.0-rated section and the beginning of the 4.0-rated trail end. The last section is only a few hundred yards long but begins climbing in elevation quickly, and the sandstone surface is fractured into a series of 2- to 3-foot ledges clogged with large boulders.

The final obstacle is a true 4.5-rated challenge, and only one vehicle in our group attempted it. With some gentle prodding, Brian climbed into his Rubicon and engaged first gear. Running 10 psi in the MT/Rs, the sidewalls deformed against the first ledge and pulled the Jeep up and to the right, lining the vehicle up for the final waterfall. Just the obstacle alone was impressive, but combined with a 15-foot cliff into a pool of cold water on the passenger side increased the intimidation factor considerably. We knew it would be difficult for the Jeep to climb the obstacle unassisted, so we had prepared the winch recovery kit at the top of the waterfall and plugged in the winch controller. The passenger-side tire began to climb the ledge, and slowly, the Jeep crested its lip, and the driver-side tire began to grip on the 3-foot-tall sandstone face. In a moment, the rear passenger tire kicked out a large rock, tilting the Jeep toward the edge and putting the front driver's tire a foot in the air. I asked Brian if it was time to hook up the winch, to which he responded, "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea." The Jeep finished the climb with the assistance of the 9,000-pound T-Max and a big pine tree.

The Pyeatt Draw trail is maintained in partnership with the Forest Service and the Rim Country 4 Wheelers. When visiting the trail, please remove all trash and stay on the route, only exiting at the Jeep trail that crosses at the end of the 3.0 section or the trail exit at the top of the final waterfall. Spectacular trails like Pyeatt Draw only remain open because of the efforts of clubs like Rim Country 4 Wheelers and responsible OHV enthusiasts. Pyeatt Draw really is an "Outstanding Trail" set in a spectacular region of Arizona. When it is 110 degrees F in Phoenix, there is some great adventure up by the Rim just a few hours away.

BFGOODRICH OUTSTANDING TRAILS

Pyeatt Draw was chosen as one of five Outstanding Trails in the country in 2006 by BFGoodrich, Tread Lightly, and the United Four Wheel Drive Association (UFWDA). Through a careful selection process, including terrain type, enthusiast following, and uniqueness, these trails were showcased as the top "Outstanding Trails" for 2006:

Pyeatt Draw - Payson, Arizona
Black Bear Pass - Telluride, Colorado
Hell's Revenge - Moab, Utah
Historic Naches Pass - Naches, Washington
Upper Tellico OHV Area - Nantahala National Forest

Each year, BFGoodrich chooses a new group of outstanding trails. For more information, visit www.bfgoodrichtires.com/outstandingtrails.

Each February, the interstate highways crossing New Mexico see a sudden influx of serious-looking vehicles. Huge tires, tubed frames, and many of them somewhat scarred from encounters of the mineral kind. They are an unusual sight as they fly down the road on trailers. Perceptive fellow travelers probably wonder, Where are they all going? We know exactly where the parade is headed. A large cross section of the nation's rockcrawlers is headed to Las Cruces, New Mexico, for the annual Chile Challenge.

The Chile Challenge isn't the biggest annual rock-centered event. That crown is most certainly reserved for a certain spring ritual in Moab. And the trails around Las Cruces aren't the most difficult in the country. There are certainly more difficult trails in various locales. But nowhere else has such an event grown up so quickly around its extreme trails. Lest reader mail deluges us, we will be clear that the Chile Challenge is more than just extreme rockcrawling. There are great trails for all levels of experience and vehicle modifications, including truly scenic rides for the new stockers. The local hosting club, the Las Cruces Four Wheel Drive Club (LCFWDC), does an outstanding job of organizing the event and making everyone feel welcome. The event serves as the winter quarterly meeting for the Southwest Four Wheel Drive Association (SWFWDA), so the vehicle count from the big regional association's six states is always high. The Chile Challenge is also home to all the typical accoutrements of a big event including vendor displays, some great evening meals, and one of the biggest raffles of the year.

Even so, it is the trails that draw return visits year after year. So many people come back, in fact, that the registration for 2008 was limited to 350 vehicles to keep from overwhelming the local trail system. And the four extreme trails are the centerpieces of the trails that keep people coming back.

This magazine wasn't the only 4WD-enthusiast publication there to capture a slice of the excitement for its readers. But we were the only ones who spent all four days behind the wheel of a vehicle out in the rocks on the extreme trails. We have only missed this event one year since its inception in 1991 and have run the hardest Las Cruces has to offer dozens of times. But these four trails, run under early spring skies, are so good; that we keep coming back each and every year. We love them, and you will also. So here, in the order we ran them in 2008, are the Big Four of the Chile Challenge.

Rocotillo Rapids
We first walked the trail now known as Rocotillo Rapids many years ago when the LCFWDC was still frantically working to get the first vehicles through the steep, narrow canyon. There is just no way, we remember thinking. The club had started groups from both the top and the bottom of the canyon. After several weekends of work, the two groups had still been unable to meet in the middle. They feared that the rapidly approaching Chile Challenge would leave the new trail still unfinished. Knowing that we would undoubtedly be driving it, we sort of hoped they were correct and wouldn't get it finished. But finish it they did, and we drove it that first year. Well, drove most of it. Back when the "big dogs" of the sport were running 35-inch tires, only one vehicle made it all the way through the canyon without assistance by a winch that first year.

The canyon is considered quite a bit "easier" now with lots of traffic in the intervening years and 40-plus-inch tires becoming commonplace. Still, Rocotillo Rapids offers more than enough challenge to leave scars and fully earn its "Extreme" rating. Narrower and more twisted than the other trails in the system, its walls close in tight enough to take bites of fenders and rear corners. Its three signature obstacles are all still there, although they continue to evolve from the passage of time, water, and tires. The initial challenge is a rough ledge running diagonally under an undercut wall. The left side offers an easier passage that allows one to dance through if the tires hit all the appropriate high points. Most of the hard-core types choose to take the more difficult center route. The undercut ledge and tire-swallowing holes often necessitate multiple attempts, and that is where the undercut wall comes into play. Get too far right, and you will certainly lose paint.

The second signature obstacle is a pair of side-by-side ledges. The original route runs to the right, but the passage of numerous vehicles has taken some of the teeth out of its former bite. The "impassable" left side gets driven fairly regularly, but on the Wednesday run this year, less than half of the vehicles were able to scale it. The third and final significant challenge is a steep climb up a large outcropping of solid rock in the canyon. Hit the right line, and one can idle up. Miss it, and things can still get ugly. Only one vehicle showed its dirty side to the sky on our recent trip, but it served as reminder that Rocotillo Rapids still provides more than enough challenge for rockcrawling extremists.

Tabasco Twister
Tabasco Twister is our personal favorite of the Big Four. Longer than the other routes and somewhat physically separated from the main trail system, Tabasco offers both high challenge and an uncommonly beautiful canyon. Due to its relative remoteness, it is a somewhat longer bounce through several canyons on rough dirt roads to get to the start of the fun. The stiffer challenges start with a nice warmup in an extensive rock garden. Multiple paths provide different levels of challenge to suit the driver's desire and ability.

Immediately following the rock garden is the first serious ledge. A wall of rock sits diagonally across the watercourse with a right angle in the middle of the canyon. The difficulty differs with the level of the gravel base at the bottom of the "falls," and a deep hole means high challenge. Thesharp breakover angle adds additional difficulty, but a solid winch anchor is available for the almost inevitable winch pulls.

Next up is The Abyss. Aptly named, the signature test piece of Tabasco Twister is a huge ledge stretching all the way across the canyon. The verticality experienced by drivers when their front tires reach the top of the ledge is intimidating. The propensity for the rear tires to drop into the holes at the base of the wall often has the drivers staring into the yawning voids at the bottom of the ledge. Again, a handy winch point may see a lot of use if the holes at the base are at full depth.

After The Abyss, the rest of Tabasco Twister is a pleasant drive for rock-loving drivers. There is enough optional challenge to keep things very interesting. One optional climb through a slender slot has been the scene of particularly abundant driveline carnage. The narrowing walls in the slot tend to trap the rear of the vehicles in a tight mineral grasp. The resulting load on the front end has driven many a component past its breaking point.

Tabasco Twister is also about scenery, which, at least in our opinion, is fine enough to want to drive the canyon even if it were paved. Over the many years and numerous traverses that we have made of these trails, Tabasco remains our personal favorite of the Chile Challenge Big Four.

Habanero Falls
Short and sweet. Yes, that sums up our Friday route. Of course, one has to appreciate a high degree of challenge to attach the adjective of "sweet" to Habanero Falls. Tucked into a side canyon and reached via one of several of the easier Chile Canyon routes, Habanero was originally called the Magnificent Seven due to the seven separate and distinct waterfalls in the canyon back when tire first met rock. The original name was dumped in favor of the chile theme, but memorable challenges remain.

First up is a deceptively difficult leap straight up 4 feet of vertical limestone face. The rock has been polished so smooth, and the lip so abrupt, that many vehicles find themselves buffing the face with their rear tires while skewered by the skidplate. The secret is to find a spot on the ledge where the edge offers a bit more breakover relief and then let the rear wheels hit the ledge with a little more mojo. A lucky bounce will have you up and checking out the next phase of the route.

Across a front-end-swallowing hole, around a corner and, whoa! Eyes fixed on the enormous ledge looming ahead and WHAM! You might just be distracted enough to find yourself trying to push solid rock with your bumper or pumpkin as you attempt to mount the tricky little ledge in front of the monster that has riveted your attention. A little repositioning, a bit of momentum, and now one is free to contemplate the final, and by far most challenging, difficulty on Habanero.

No name on this one, just a chance to point your hood at the sky and carefully, oh so gingerly, feel for some traction. We won't lie, there is an established "magic" line that works for most vehicles, but a mere inch or two literally means the difference between crawling and floundering. It always feels good to get to the top, acknowledge that the "line" is still there where you remembered it, and realize that there is a cold one with your name on it back at camp.

Patzcuaro's Revenge
Ah, Patzcuaro's ... or "pet squirrels" as some irreverently call it. Although Tabasco might be our personal favorite, nothing compares to running Patzcuaro's Revenge on the Saturday of the Chile Challenge. Home to the most difficult obstacles around Las Cruces, and center stage for a huge audience of gawking onlookers, Patzcuaro's is almost universally regarded as the toughest task of the Chile Challenge. The start of the trail is near a large dirt lot that is already filled with onlookers by the time the first tire hits the first rock on the trail. Patzcuaro's starts in a dark (and in the early morning of February, cold), narrow canyon where the vehicles quickly confront the first obstacle - Nemesis I. A steep climb to the left or a crack crawl on the right are the choices, and neither of them are easy, even for the drivers of the Chile Challenge. Our group on Saturday is typical for the event, with 42-inch tires plentiful and lots of tubing in evidence. Believe me, very few of them "cruised" Nemesis I.

As soon as the first couple of vehicles are through, the trail leader heads for one of the primo obstacles of the Challenge - Nemesis II. Situated in a large rock bowl at the bottom of the canyon, the site is crowded with onlookers eager to watch man and machine challenge both rock and gravity. Nemesis II is actually two parallel routes: the original route to the right and the "bypass" to the left. To the uninitiated public, both look supremely ridiculous. The bypass is so dug out from years of vehicular assaults, that it is almost as difficult as the original route. The original route is so vertical, that vehicles seriously assaulting it this year hooked a safety cable to the winch point beyond. As the original route necessitated a winch in 2008, we tried the left side and eventually succeeded in mounting the nasty climb intact and with winch unspooled.

Whew! Always a little pucker on that one. With Nemesis II behind us, we motored on to the rest of Patzcuaro's challenges. The most difficult climb has yet to come, about halfway through the 2-mile-long canyon route. This narrow cleft in the rocks, about one vehicle length in height, can be climbed, but it yields to very few. Only two vehicles in our string of 20 made the climb that day: a buggy whose rear-steer capability allowed it that little extra bit of traction, and a Toyota whose wheelbase shortened the ledge considerably. We were stymied in our attempts, in spite of having climbed it numerous times in previous years. One of the joys of the Chile Canyon trail systems is that Ma Nature rearranges the trails each year, and success one year doesn't mean an easier time the next.

And that is the Big Four from a driver's point of view. These four trails have been adding the spicy heat to the Chile Challenge for many years and are the major trail factors that keep the event one of the premiere rockcrawling stops of the year. We hope to see at least 350 of you there when we attend again next year.

"Extreme washouts ahead. Enter at your own risk," the sign warned. Someone had even scrawled a skull and crossbones next to the hand-painted message. We were still on graded dirt, just a few miles into the famous Hole-in-the-Rock road. The route is one of our favorites, and we know it well. Why would someone (a local?) go to the trouble of planting a homemade sign with such a dire warning way out here? Extreme washouts? The southeastern Utah desert gets hammered regularly by flash floods from violent summer thunderstorms. Washouts are normal and expected, so we shrugged off the warning. The six vehicles in our party were all well-equipped for this classic red-desert adventure. We figured we could deal with any washouts. And deal with it we did when we found the reason for the ominous notice.

Hole-in-the-Rock is more than a road. It is one of the most amazing stories in Utah history. In 1879, a band of LDS (more properly, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormon) pioneers heeded their church's call to colonize a portion of southeast Utah. Heading east from the area of Escalante, Utah, their goal was to establish new settlements along the San Juan River in the area of current-day Bluff. Pull out your Utah maps and consider their route. In addition to almost 200 miles of some of the roughest desert in the United States, the route crossed the Colorado River deep in the canyon now occupied by Lake Powell. It is hard to believe now, but the planned "direct" route was considered to be most efficient at the time.

In October 1879, around 250 men, women, and children left Escalante with loaded wagons and nearly 1,000 head of livestock on the journey to their new homes. A scouting party had identified a general route and estimated the trip would take six weeks. The actual expedition took over six months, lasting all through an unusually bitter winter, and included some of the most astounding road-building feats ever completed in the American West. The caravan built its own road the entire way. The terrain the caravan traversed is almost unbelievably difficult. The single, most amazing feat involved reaching the Colorado River through a narrow cleft in the towering wall on the west side of the canyon. This "hole-in-the-rock" gave its name to the route and the brave party that created it. A detailed account of this incredible trek is the subject of an outstanding book by David E. Miller.

We encountered absolutely no one else on the entire journey.

The desert can still be difficult and unforgiving, but much of the original pioneer route is still driveable by 4WD. The particular section of the historic trail we were tracing runs east from Lake Powell. It is an "out and back" proposition covering 60 miles through big, empty country. We encountered absolutely no one else on the entire journey. Make sure you are completely self-supporting and capable of extracting yourself from whatever misadventures you find.

Our journey started at the Cal Black Memorial Airport on Highway 276. This made our direction of travel opposite that of the original pioneers. The airport is about 10 miles east of Lake Powell on the highway that branches off of Highway 95 to make the run down to Hall's Crossing on the lake. A dirt road skirts the west side of the airport and heads south into the desert. This first section of road does not follow the original alignment of the pioneer's route. It first crosses the settler's tracks about 2-1/2 miles south of the pavement.

The road turns right at a three-way intersection, and the character of the route quickly changes. The graded dirt road ends on the rim overlooking a shallow, tree-filled drainage known as the Cottonwood Branch of Lake Canyon. The route drops into the canyon, crosses the seasonal stream in the bottom, and then crawls out the other side on the trail's first extended stretch of slickrock. Slickrock is the term for the vast expanses of solid Navajo sandstone common to the Utah desert, and slick it isn't. When dry, the surface is similar to 60-grit sandpaper and offers phenomenal traction. The road here follows a route blasted and bulldozed into the canyons in the 1950s as prospectors probed for oil, gas, and uranium deposits. The road soon approaches the brink of the main branch of Lake Canyon. The descent into the canyon is seat-puckering steep for those new to slickrock. With a bit of experience, one learns to trust the traction.

Once in the bottom of the canyon, the terrain radically changes again. Lake Canyon once held a real lake - Lake Pagahrit - its waters held back by a natural dam of accumulated sand. The Mormon settlers crossed Lake Canyon on this dam and enjoyed the incongruity of the large body of water in the midst of the desert. The dam gave way in 1915 during a deluge. The lake drained, leaving behind its rich load of sediment. Now the canyon bottom is a shady oasis of cottonwood trees, bulrushes, and verdant foliage. We passed under towering, overhanging walls as we headed north down the canyon toward the gentle ramp out of the canyon. We rounded the corner and ... STOP!

We had definitely found the "extreme washout." If anything, "washout" was an understatement. The road was completely gone, terminating in a high embankment of exposed tree roots and a dangerously crumbling edge. We can easily reconstruct what happened. In the years since the dam washed out, the waters rushing periodically down the canyon have slowly eroded a gully back southward through the bottom of the former lake. Evidently, a recent rainfall of truly epic proportions greatly accelerated this slow, natural process. There used to be a sign next to the exit point of the canyon, marking and explaining the site of the former lake. Now the sign posts perch on a sheer bank hanging 100 feet above the canyon bottom. We can only imagine the surprise of the first traveler that came upon this shocking remodeling job by Mother Nature. The warning on the homemade sign was entirely justified, as the original road is no more.

The improvised exit route is much more challenging than the route it replaces. A sharp left turn is followed by a short but extremely steep climb on a sandstone fin. The new edge of the canyon is uncomfortably close to this turn and climb, especially considering the obviously unstable edge just off the passenger side. With her usual sense of humor, Mother Nature also made this climb a bit off-camber and covered the fin with a film of loose grit to compromise the traction. We eased each vehicle through the hazard with rapt attention paid to the spotters. A tumble off the rock would carry one all the way to the bottom of the canyon.

With her usual sense of humor, Mother Nature also made this climb a bit off-camber...

We sniffed out the connection back to the established route through the hills of sandstone and continued on our way. Once past Lake Canyon, the mineral-exploration road joins up with the pioneer's original road and follows it very closely for much of the remaining route. This is wild and rough country! Even with the modern joys of Low gears, fuel-injected engines, and ergonomic seats, the terrain physically beats you up. Imagine traveling on steel-rimmed wagon wheels.

We camped in Iceberg Canyon at the base of Grey Mesa. Sheltered on three sides by mounds of sandstone, the campsite is a sandy parking lot tastefully landscaped with clumps of juniper. The surrounding rock offers some protection from the frequent winds, and the wide expanse provided flat camping sites and privacy for all of us. Just a few-minute walking distance from camp is the Hole-in-the-Rock party's mind-boggling route down from Grey Mesa.

The pioneer's original hand-picked and blasted route off Grey Mesa is far too narrow and steep for our Jeeps. Calling this amazing path a "road" is a bit of a stretch. It is barely wider than a hiking trail and so steep that the pioneers were forced to hack steps into the rock for the horses to gain purchase. The descent zigzags back and forth in a desperate attempt to keep the grade merely perilous. The first-time visitors in our party frequently stopped, shook their heads, and wondered aloud how anyone could have brought wagons down through such terrain. At the top of the original route, if one knows just where to look, is an amazing artifact. The wreckage of a wagon lies slowly melting into the mesa. Since the last wagon rolled on this road in 1881, the remains have been lying undisturbed for nearly 130 years.

The next day, our slow journey resumed. We had to diverge once more from the pioneer's path and utilize the 1950s-era road scaling Grey Mesa. Prospectors dynamited and bulldozed a very primitive road up the north side of the mesa in a series of ruggedly steep dugways. Dugway is the unique Utah term for a shelf road hacked and chopped through the solid rock of the region.

The route continues past the dugways to the top of Grey Mesa, across the broad, table-flat terrain to the far side, then down the heart-pounding slickrock of The Chute. The Chute is the oft-photographed sandstone trough that the settlers used to gain the top of Grey Mesa on their slow climb up from the Colorado River. The solid-rock route today is exactly the same as it was in 1879. The technique for success is still to keep the vehicle centered in the drainage and creep right down.

Soon we were parked at the (current-day) end of the road high above Cottonwood Canyon and overlooking Lake Powell. Down the canyon and across the lake, we could just make out the narrow black slot of the actual Hole-in-the-Rock. It is a vertical gash in the cliffs on the west side of Lake Powell. The size of this country dwarfs us, and its rugged terrain still challenges a modern vehicle. Take a minute or two to think about the travelers of 1879. It would take us only a day and a half to get back to the pavement. When the Mormons reached this point, they still had three months of arduous journey ahead of them.

Driving Hole-in-the-Rock fills one with respect and admiration for the devout and tenacious pioneers who were willing to even attempt such an implausible journey. The Hole-in-the-Rock road is also a modern-day adventure for those with a yen for desert solitude, a love for the fascinating history of the route, and vehicles stout enough to brave a rough and empty desert.

Before it was phat, it was swell. Before it was boss, it was swell. Before it was cool, it was swell! What is it? Coined in the 1940s and popularized in the 1950s, swell is anything and everything that makes you feel good: A wide-open, tire-sucking sand wash; a narrow, crooked canyon to nowhere; a warm campfire; an ice-cold beverage at the end of a hard, hot, dusty trail; an ancient, intriguing rock painting; or a beautiful red, blue, and white sunrise. Well, I'm here to tell you that the San Rafael Swell area is swell! And it can give you all that I've listed above in abundance, time after time.

Located 18 to 38 miles west of Green River, Utah (Interstate 70 exit numbers 111 to 149), the slot canyons - slits in the earth that are tall, narrow, and crooked - spread out along both sides of I-70 for about 20 miles. From above, the slot spread roughly resembles the splayed fingers of two hands making flying bird silhouettes on a screen. Created by centuries of erosion from wind and rain rather than year-round streams and rivers, the slots can be easily seen from passersby on I-70.

Last year, after almost 40 years of visiting Moab without taking the time to investigate those fascinating fingers along the raised roadbed of I-70, my wife Saraine and I took our dogs, our Trailblazer tent trailer (with an emphasis on "trail"), and our JK Rubicon Unlimited to the San Rafael Swell area for a week of exploring and camping. We were not disappointed.

Those of us who travel to Moab from the West have long been intrigued by these curious crevasses. On each of my trips to Moab from California - which began in 1968 - I stopped at the scenic overlooks along I-70 to stretch and to wonder at the magical and mysterious mountainsides that fell away from the highway to the north and the south. Riotous ribbons of roads, trails, and tire tracks can be seen from the overlooks. It would seem that every canyon had some type of track in it that just begged me to explore it to its end.

Never having talked with anyone who'd spent any time on the Rafael roads, we started our trip with a visit to the John Wesley Powell River History Museum in Green River, Utah. Actually, it was our first stop, but our second contact. I had already called the local office of the Bureau of Land Management in Price, Utah, and ordered the BLM's San Rafael Motorized Route Designations map (August 2006 edition), which proved to be invaluable in both preplanning and making our trip. The museum is well worth the time taken to tour its many exhibits honoring Powell's trip through the area in 1869 as leader of the first American expedition exploring the length of the Colorado River, including the Grand Canyon. Examples of the boats used for the expedition are on display as are many Indian artifacts from the area. You can also pick up self-guided driving-tour booklets and maps of the area in the gift shop. (If you need a motel room and restaurants during your San Rafael Swell stay, plan on using Green River as your headquarters - it's also the closest place to refuel.)

Stoke up, fuel up, and head up the hills to the west of Green River. The altitudes of the trails in the Swell range from about 4,500 feet to above 6,600 feet, so be sure to dress in layers during the summer. You'll be cold at night with a campfire being very welcome and probably running either the A/C or the heater during the day. It is a year-round playground, but for wheelers and quads, it is best traveled from late spring to early fall. Don't forget the bug spray. Some of the camping areas can be pretty irritating with gnats and no-see-ums.

On I-70 west, just a few short miles west of Exit 149, you'll find a gate in the interstate's fence line (N 38, 55'/W 110, 25'). Watch for it carefully because there's no offramp, just a gate in the fence. If you come up to the rest area (restrooms, picnic benches, etc.), you've gone too far. Why the powers-that-be didn't put the gate at the rest area is beyond me. Anyway, if you missed the gate, you'll have to continue west until Exit 131. There is a gate on both sides of the highway, with an access culvert beneath the highway to let you go north or south from either lane. Just be sure to close the gate after you drive through.

South of the gate, take some time to study the BLM map. You need to know how the BLM marks the roads/trails on the map, so that you can plan your routes. Each trail is marked by mileage boxes between each intersection, and the box colors tell you the amount of difficulty you can expect on the trail. Just remember that any bad weather can throw these indicators out the window! Green mileage boxes indicate the easiest trails, meaning you probably won't need four-wheel drive but should have a high-clearance vehicle. Blue means more difficult trails and stock 4WD is required. Black tells you that it's the most difficult, which mostly comes in short sections of the trail, and Low range and a lift are highly recommended. Red indicates extreme and that Low gears, Low range, traction enhancements, and tall tires are recommended, and you shouldn't come alone. I didn't see any red trails, since I was not only traveling alone but towing a trailer too, but I did try some black trails. The stock '07 JK Rubicon Unlimited managed them with some care and scratched underpinnings, but I wouldn't recommend them to most stock SUVs or solo travelers. The blue tracks proved to be fun, interesting, and nontechnical enough, so that I could enjoy the scenery.

By following the indicated road (EM1028) south of the highway, you drive through an area called The Squeeze and immediately lose sight of I-70. EM1028 parallels the front face of the Swell as a road and then turns east while another blue trail continues on along the base of the ridge. Approximately 16 miles from I-70, you'll hit a paved road (SR24) after about a mile or so of deep, tire-sucking sand wash (N 3846'/W 11026'). Watch out for this wash, and make sure you're either aired down or traveling fast enough to stay on top of the sand. We very nearly didn't make it through this section with highway pressure in the tires, and I didn't want to stop and let it down. The scenery along EM1028 is as colorful as you'll find in Utah's high desert, plus it's a fun four-wheeling trail.

If you continue south on SR24, you can follow the signs to Goblin Valley State Park (N 3835'/W 11040') where you'll find some really far out rock formations and an unimproved campground with pit toilets, picnic tables beneath cabanas, and fresh water. This state park is worth the trip.

Back to I-70's Exit 131. This time double back east on EM332, parallel with I-70, for a purely scenic trip. According to the map, two blue trails head almost due north from very near the offramp's access road, but I couldn't find them on the ground. About 4 miles east of the offramp, signage will point you toward The Sinkhole (N 3856'/W 11036'). The Sinkhole, a natural vertical shaft in the middle of a meadow, is surrounded by a split-log fence to keep the wild horses and burros that populate this area from falling in.

Continue northwest on EM332 and then more northerly past Bottleneck Peak to the junction with EM320 where you'll find another unimproved campground. EM332 turns slightly northwest, travels through a very scenic canyon down into Buckhorn Wash where you'll find a huge pictograph panel. For maybe 300 feet along the road on a towering vertical cliff face, hundreds of generations of Indians have drawn pictures and left messages for those who follow after. You'll want to spend an hour or two attempting to decipher the messages on the wall.

These two trips are just the tip of the iceberg of what's available for you to explore in the swell San Rafael Swell. You could probably spend an entire month here, exploring a trail or two a day, and still never see all that the Swell offers. You may even discover some cliff dwellings if you're lucky!

One of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the American Southwest involves the tribes known as the Anasazi. The fact is simply that archaeologists and historians agree to disagree on just about everything involving them. Even the translation of their name is highly debated. The most commonly used English version is "Ancient Ones," however many others insist it should be "Ancient Enemy."

The biggest mystery is, "Where did they go and why did they vanish?"

Archaeologists mostly agree the Anasazi occupied the Southwest between the years of 200 AD and 1300 AD. They gave up their nomadic lifestyle for one with roots. Corn, beans, and squash were among favorite foods grown on small farms. They were very good at making baskets and pottery. As they progressed, the idea of painting the pottery became popular. To get through the long winter months, they stored grain and other foods. The Anasazi had many talents.

With the passing of time came more elaborate homes with rooms for more members. Eventually, they developed huge cities which are now protected as national parks such as Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. The construction was so well-designed that many of the structures they built are still standing after more than 1,000 years in a hostile environment.

Aerial photographs first taken in the 1970s revealed a network of roads branching out from the major cities in all directions. Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of canals and dams used to manage water. The engineering accomplishments of the Anasazi during the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries were far above anything that followed in the centuries after they vanished.

With all of their talents, there may have been a dark side to the Anasazi. Recent discoveries have revealed evidence that the Anasazi may have practiced cannibalism. Bones and skeletons have been uncovered with telltale signs of having been cooked and scraped clean of flesh. Some archaeologists believe that proves cannibalism was practiced. Others claim the damage to the bones was done during burial practices. Some believe they may have performed rituals to dismember and desecrate the bodies of enemies they had captured or killed in battle. Once again, everyone simply agrees to disagree.

So why were the Anasazi cities abandoned in the 12th and 13th centuries? What happened to the engineers who designed the cities? It's just not human nature for creative people to stop creating, yet there was no natural progression of new cities with better designs to follow those that were abandoned. When settlers from the East began moving into the area a few hundred years later, they found the Anasazi cities unoccupied and decaying. Local tribes considered the ruins to be haunted and avoided going anywhere near them. Nothing existed to indicate any of the crafts and talents exhibited by those who built the Anasazi cities had been passed down to other tribes.

Lone Writer (Larry E. Heck) does not claim to be any kind of expert on the Anasazi or on Indian tribes, but he wonders if the answer may be in the definition, "Ancient Enemy." Although most historians believe the Anasazi left the cities and blended in with other tribes, does it make sense that those tribes would welcome people into their midst who were considered enemies? Maybe it's more logical to assume an all-out war broke out, and the Anasazi were killed off. They simply took their engineering talents with them to the grave.

When thinking about the Anasazi, Lone Writer rarely visits the national parks where everything is so structured and crowded. He prefers remote locations such as Beef Basin far away from modern civilization. The roads into the area are not frequently maintained, but the county occasionally runs a grader over them. Primitive campsites are plentiful, and the environment is paradise for anyone in search of isolation and star-filled clear skies.

During a recent visit to Blanding, Utah, Lone Writer ran into some friends who belong to an Internet group. They spend the long winter months sharing a lot of e-mails discussing places they would like to visit in the spring. The last several days had been spent exploring trails near Lake Powell. When Lone Writer informed them he was headed for Beef Basin, they decided to tag along. The drivers of the vehicles were Happy Jack, Sundance, Boss, and Dragline. Of course those are nicknames used on the Internet and as CB radio handles.

There are two ways to go in or come out of Beef Basin in a 4x4. Actually, one of those ways could be done in a high-clearance 4x2 if Mother Nature was in a good mood. On the other hand, if she was having a bad day and started throwing rain or snow at everyone in sight, the roads could become impassable for anything on rubber tires. Any form of moisture turns the clay surface into gumbo mud. For those who are not familiar with gumbo, it's like driving in freezing rain. Gravity becomes the controlling factor taking everything in whatever direction is downhill.

The 4x4 road in or out of Beef Basin enters through the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. It follows a path of low elevations and is open most of the year. Lone Writer prefers to use that route to exit Beef Basin. The other route climbs through the Manti-La Sal Mountains along narrow-ledge roads that are covered in snow during the winter months. When the snow melts, moisture accumulates, and gumbo takes over. In most years, the hot Utah sun has dried everything out by the time Memorial Day weekend arrives.

There are numerous routes from several different directions that connect to the mountain entrance. The one Lone Writer prefers begins west of Blanding near Comb Ridge. It makes a gradual climb through beautiful forest that serves as home to an abundance of wildlife. Eagles, hawks, deer, elk, and many others can be spotted by those with a sharp eye and patience.

Other springtime surprises often involve physical labor. The most common is the removal of trees that have fallen across the road. Winter snows and high winds test the strength of everything in the mountains. That applies to the wildlife as well as the vegetation where they live. A towstrap tied to Sundance's Blazer was all it took to remove the tree blocking their path.

Campsites are plentiful in the forest. One of them even has a pit toilet, but most are primitive. It's not uncommon to have visitors during the night. Most of them have four legs such as elk and deer, but some have wings as in owls and bats. The group spent the first night camped near a creek. They enjoyed a star-filled night, but the wind was too strong for a campfire.

The 20-mile drive from Comb Ridge to the pass in the Manti-La Sal Mountains where Beef Basin Road connects is a continuous scenic view. Little Notch and Big Notch are points where two mountains are connected by narrow passages that drop off a thousand feet on both sides. The natural tendency is to snap lots of pictures, but it's one of those places that just can't be taken home. Snapshots just don't do it justice.

From the pass, only one narrow-ledge road provides access into Beef Basin. It makes a rapid descent from the pass to the basin below. The surface is rocky and rough with washouts and drop-offs on one side or the other. From high vantage points, the views across Beef Basin take in the Colorado River Canyons and unique formations on both sides of the river.

Once the road reaches the valley floor, side roads begin branching off. Most all of them lead to cliff dwellings and campsites. The first major intersection is diamond-shaped with a registration box in the center. Whether or not anyone official ever checks that box was debated for a while within the group. The book inside was badly tattered and was mostly used for individual attempts at humor.

There are hundreds or maybe even thousands of cliff dwellings in Beef Basin. The ones accessible by car are only a small fraction of the entire inventory. Lone Writer has a favorite that is always the first one he visits. He calls it "Showcase Ruin" located in Beef Basin Wash. He gets there by turning left at the registration box and then turning left again after the water troughs. A narrow two-track path follows the canyon floor and crosses the wash a couple times. At the end of the path is a campsite located at the base of the steep canyon wall. Judging by the condition of the path, it is mostly used by ATVs.

After parking at the edge of the campsite, Lone Writer started up the canyon wall through a thick forest of trees and brush. There were numerous footpaths created from people trying to find the easiest access. No matter which path is taken, the climb is steep and difficult to follow. The ruin is not visible during most of the climb, and some paths drift off in the wrong direction from those who became disoriented in their search.

One by one, Lone Writer's followers gave up and headed back. The climb was just too strenuous. After about a half-hour which included several stops to rest and get the heart rate slowed, Lone Writer reached the dwelling. It consists of many rooms and probably housed an entire family or families. It can be viewed and photographed from across a deep ravine. Getting into the ruin is risky and involves skimming the side of a rocky wall with nothing to prevent a fall into the ravine. Anyone choosing to attempt entering the ruin should consider the distance to the nearest medical center if a fall should occur.

By the time Lone Writer returned to the vehicles, the group had finished lunch and was anxious to move on in search of ruins with easier access. There is an abundance of roads in Beef Basin, and several days could be spent exploring them all.

The group made a few stops at small ruins before reaching Ruin Park. According to a historic marker, it was the site of a large farming community during the 1100s. Corn, squash, and possibly beans were planted in the center of the valley with homes lining both sides.

Ruin Park is the end of the road for most visitors. The road beyond can be serious rockcrawling depending on how the last heavy rain left it. Simply return to the registration box and follow the signs back to Dugout Ranch.

Those who continue on will soon arrive at Bobby's Hill. Signs warn travelers to turn back. The road down Bobby's Hill connects the higher plain to a lower one called Bobby's Hole. It is the most difficult section prior to reaching the Canyonlands Park boundary. Once in the park, the road takes on an attitude of its own. These roads should be left to those who enjoy serious rockcrawling. Silver Stairs and Elephant Hill are two obstacles that demand a permanent place in a traveler's memory. However, the entire route between those two landmarks requires some experience in picking a route if using a stock vehicle.

The group passed the Ranger Station shortly before dark. They stopped at the store long enough to "eat and get gas," then split up. Boss and Dragline had commitments in Moab, so they stayed on pavement. Lone Writer, Sundance, and Happy Jack picked a very pleasant campsite near Indian Creek and settled in to watch the sky fill with stars. "Just ain't right that any man should have it so good," Happy Jack said as he handed Lone Writer a cold Pepsi.

Begin this log in Springfield, Missouri, at Smith's Tavern. This log covers the Missouri route.

From Blanding, Utah, take Highway 95 west. At the 115-mile post, turn right going north.

Trip Meter	Latitude	Longitude	Comments
0.0	37 33.7732	109 35.0175	Turn right at 115-mile post off Highway 95.
7.9			Left on South Elks Road.
19.5	37 40.5694	109 47.8458	Turn right on North Elk Ridge toward Gooseberry.
34.3	37 50.4156	109 46.4464	Left fork on County Road 224.
37.5	37 52.7351	109 47.5098	Right fork. Sign for Beef Basin 14 miles.
39.9	37 54.3545	109 47.4453	Left turn at sign on County Road 104.
49.1	37 58.7898	109 52.4068	Registration box for Beef Basin. Left goes to Showcase Ruin. Reset trip meter.
0.0
1.8	37 57.4457	109 53.0744	Left onto County Road 199.
4.9	37 56.8171	109 50.5551	Right fork.
5.1	37 56.7794	109 50.7211	Park for ruin hike. It is west of the parking area at the top of the cliffs. Numerous hiking trails lead to it. Take a bottle of water.

Return to the registration box.
0.0	37 58.7898	109 52.4068	Registration box for Beef Basin. Reset trip meter.
2.9	38 0.3824	109 53.8534	Left goes to the tower-shaped ruin.
3.9	38 0.6916	109 54.5838	Left to Farm House Ruin.
4.5	38 0.5764	109 55.0635	Farm House parking.
Getting through Canyonlands does not require navigation. Just follow the signs.

A few months back, we described our experiences on the new RDY2ROK Off-Road trails on a private ranch near Roy, New Mexico. At the end of the second day of great rockcrawling, we had to skip "the hardest trail on the ranch" to get back to camp before nightfall. Returning to camp instead of continuing onto the trail called Middle Alamita North Canyon bothered us then, and the missed opportunity continued to gnaw at us in the following weeks. We had done a quick reconnaissance on foot, and it had looked very challenging. Would it really deliver an extreme challenge, or were we just tired and ready for the cold ones back at camp? We had to know. it is unlike the Rat Pack to leave new rocks untested.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, the call came. "Are you free in August? We are going back!" We were and we did! We weren't able to join the group until the second day of the scheduled three-day rock binge. Arriving late Saturday evening, we heard tales of heat. The mercury had breached 100 degrees F the day before ... a very unusual heat wave in northeast New Mexico. Clint from RDY2ROK Off-Road had taken the group out on Saturday but saved the return to Middle Alamita North Canyon for Sunday, so we could join in the fun.

We didn't get a very early start on Sunday. Although the heat was building every hour, we waited for late arrivals ... and waited ... and waited. Finally, our group of adrenaline junkies could stand it no more. We jumped into the rock rigs and ran Chainsaw Draw again. We had run it before and knew what to expect. Knowing how to squeeze through its constrictions this time made it a little faster, but it certainly didn't make Chainsaw any wider! With the vehicles (and us) well warmed up by the action and rising temps, we returned to camp and waited some more.

Finally, the Bailey's Jeep Train arrived, and we were off at the crack of 11 a.m. This typically wouldn't be an issue given the extended hours of light during high summer, but we knew we had to run most of Middle Alamita just to get to the first obstacle on the headliner Middle Alamita North trail. Once again, experience helped. It only took us two hours to bang and scrape over Middle Alamita (it took us twice as long the first time through) and arrive back at the entry obstacle on Middle Alamita North Canyon. We hopped out and checked out the initial challenge at the entrance.

What were we thinking? Why were we so anxious to pit ourselves against this nasty piece of sheetmetal-brutalizing rock? The sight was definitely intimidating. A very steep climb led to an off-camber crack flanked by a high wall of vertical sandstone. The crack had to be straddled to be able to reach the exit "V" with the front wheels. Upward progress could only be made by keeping the sidewalls of the tires firmly pressed into the wall on the right. A slip anywhere along the climb would drop the passenger side of the vehicle into the crack and full length against the unyielding sandstone. Ouch!

We had the right person up front. Harold Off was leading the big-tire parade today. With a few hints from Clint and his colleague Kevin, Harold attacked the new challenge with relish. The tricky part was keeping the right rear tire pressed into the rock wall while carrying the front tire over a gap tall enough to stand in! A few patient tries (OK, there was more than a little throttle involved) and Harold bounced through the top notch unscathed!

"Wow! Did you see that?"Yeah, and now the rest of us had to replicate Harold's complicated vertical-rock ballet. It took awhile, but the group slowly got the hang of it as we worked the rest of us over the gap. A few even tried "alternate" lines to the consternation of their fenders, but to the amusement of their fellow pilots. An active hour later, we had everyone up and into Middle Alamita North Canyon. Yes, an hour just to get ourselves up and into the canyon.

It didn't get any easier from that point. Clint estimated that only about 10 vehicles had ever traversed the route before us. The canyon still had some nasty hair on it! Sure enough, a few minutes later, the call for help came down the line. Pat Gremillion's Great Pumpkin was lying on its side. The narrowed Bronco was quickly righted, but the mishap served as a reminder: Extreme peril lurks in this Upper Alamita North Canyon.

Harold and Walker Evans forged the way up the canyon, spotting for each other and working through the complicated mineral puzzle confronting them. By mid-afternoon, their Jeeps were sitting high on the rim with the canyon behind them. Below, the other six vehicles were still struggling with boulders and holes.

The details get a little fuzzy at this point. The heat, while not as blistering as the day before, was taking its toll on us as the trail was working over the Jeeps. It started with a shattered Dana 60 outer, followed a short time later by a yoke, a driveshaft, and a U-joint. The first of several pedestrian parts runs commenced. Although we were many driving hours from camp, it was a short but steep climb and 15-minute hike to everyone's replacement stockpile back at the RVs. The entire Alamita Canyon system circles the camping area, so we were never far from camp on foot.

Another U-joint gave its life for the cause. By now it was dark enough that the next parts run included a request for all of the flashlights in camp. Another trail fix and we focused our attention on just getting the next two vehicles up to the canyon edge. With the concentrated assistance of the whole crew, we finally succeeded in adding them to the vehicles collecting on the rim, but by now, the headlights were on.

As we walked back down, our discussion quickly turned to the deepening darkness, our depleted energy, and the difficulty of the remaining trail. Common sense being the better part of valor, we decided to leave the other four vehicles in the canyon overnight for an early-morning retrieval. Our little "Sunday drive" was going to stretch straight into Monday morning! It was not an easy decision. In 30 years of wheeling, we had never been forced to leave our vehicle unattended overnight. Some really late nights have occurred, and other vehicles had left behind for lack of parts availability.

Heck, we had even camped in the middle of the trail when night caught us out in the rocks, but we never came home without a mount under us before. This time, safety factors won out (the risks were just too high in the dark, especially given our shagged-out condition). Since the canyon is on private land, and we were the only ones out there, the vehicles would be as secure as if we were sleeping in them. Still, it felt kind of funny to walk back into camp in the dark and go to sleep with no Jeep parked beside the camper.

The retrieval started early the next morning. The faint unease we all felt (separation anxiety?) drove us out of bed and back into the canyon at first light. We fired the first vehicle up and started the arduous climb to the top of the trail. We hadn't gone far when the rocks of Alamita claimed yet another tribute - this one in the form of a broken control arm.

A quick weld job and the line continued forward. By 8 a.m., we had the four remaining vehicles parked on the rim. What would have probably taken the rest of the night if we had continued the evening before had been accomplished in an hour and a half in the fresh light of day.

We cruised back into camp, restocked our water and provisions, and asked Clint what was in store for the day. Since we had finally finished Sunday's trail, now we were ready for Monday! Clint always has the right answer and today was no exception. The destination was Upper Martinez Canyon and, while assuring us that it was no repeat of Middle Alamita North, Clint promised us it would be fun. When Clint says "fun," it means big rocks, tight confines, or a combination of the two.

Clint delivered once again as he took us to the southern reaches of Martinez Canyon and dropped us into a rock-filled slot that was, at least for 2007, also wet and slick. After negotiating the treacherous gap, our route took us on a pleasant rockcrawl up the canyon, departed the depths via a boulder-strewn hillside, and deposited us back near where we had dropped into the canyon.

Our return to Roy and RDY2ROK Off-Road had met all our high expectations. We had finished off the unforgettable Middle Alamita North Canyon and checked off a couple more of the great routes in this private playground. More importantly, we had enjoyed the abundance of fun well-known to a tight-knit group of friends out enjoying each other and what we love best.

ROCKS OF RAY RANCH
RDY2ROK (www.rdy2rokoffroad.com) has worked to open these great trails to small groups on a limited basis. If you are interested in riding the rocks of the Ray Ranch (www.therayranch.com), give Clint a call at (505) 379-6638 or drop him an e-mail at C5668@aol.com.

Since my first visit to Moab in 1993 and the release of the first Moab video, #4 Moab, Utah, I have returned at least once every year. In 1993, AM General had just began to market the Hummer (later called the h1 Hummer) to civilians - nonmilitary buyers. they were confident enough in the H1 to join our trail rides and allow us to videotape the vehicles in an uncontrolled situation. The extra width of the hummer proved to be an asset on the steep, off-camber ledges that make up so much of the terrain in Moab. Who would have thought that 16 years later Jeep would be building a four-door JK that is only 1.5 inches shorter than an H1 Hummer, and that a smaller H2 and H3 hummer would be built?

There have also been some other changes since 1993. The tall fin, known as Lion's Back, is closed to vehicle travel. the Dump Bump was recently closed, and Potato Salad hill will soon join the list of closed areas. all of the easter Jeep Safari trails run in 1993 are still being run in 2008. These trails still vary in difficulty from requiring only a stock 4x4 to definitely needing taller tires and lockers. The toughest trails documented in our first video are still the most difficult today with one exception. Pritchett Canyon has clearly earned the title, "toughest Safari trail in Moab." our objective in Moab was clear: Videotape Pritchett Canyon to document the changes. We also ran Hell's Revenge and the Moab Rim trails which have not changed significantly.

The first step is obtaining a filming permit. have you ever thought about producing a video or publishing a picture of four-wheeling or mountain biking in Moab, Utah? or what about taking a picture for a poster? If you intend to sell a video or a picture photographed on public lands, you most likely will need a permit from the appropriate land manager. this would include federal, state, or county lands. Private-land owners make their own rules. Most of the public lands around Moab are managed by several agencies, and each has its own permitting process and fee schedule.

For example, Canyonlands and arches national Parks charge $50 per hour for a monitor and a $100 application fee. Dead horse Point State Park in eastern Utah charges $40 per hour and a $50 application fee. Utah trust lands charge between $200 and $500 per day plus a $100 application fee. Some agencies require a refundable security bond. In our case, we planned to videotape designated off-road trails which are located on lands managed by the Bureau of land Management (BLM). obtaining a permit for an existing (designated) route is fairly easy, but it's not cheap for the little guy.

A one-man crew will pay the same as a 30-man crew on BLM lands. The cost per day or per location (whichever is greater) is $250. In our case, two cameramen and myself videotaping three trails over a three-day period cost $750 plus a $175 application fee and a certificate of insurance. If you don't already have a liability policy, this can add another $1,200 to $2,500 to your project (annual policy). Before the BLM will issue a permit, they must receive a certificate of insurance naming the Bureau of Land Management as an additional insured on a $1 million liability policy.

Proof of insurance is a standard policy for public-land managers. What is unique to the BLM's Moab Office is adding a daily rental fee for each area you videotape inside the same Moab BLM area. that would be like doubling the one-day arches national Park fee because a picture was taken during sunrise at one arch and at a different arch during sunset. Go figure.

We picked up our signed permit from the local BLM office upon arrival in Moab. By obtaining an application and checklist from the BLM website, faxing the completed application back to the Moab BLM office, and phoning in credit card information for payment, the whole process took less than 30 days. armed with a valid permit and a tank of gas, our crew of three was ready to go wheeling in Moab.

Our first stop was Pritchett Canyon. the best perspective of an off-road trail can be shown by combining video from several camera angles. on our Moab trip, there were two cameramen walking the trail, and I occasionally pulled out a camera. the Pritchett Canyon trailhead starts just south of town from kane Creek Road. the private-property owner who owns the campground at the trailhead charges $2 to cross his property. the campground wasn't there in 1993, and now the ledge you encounter immediately after leaving the campground area is gone. too many people were rolling off the roadbed and ending up in the wash below. the wash is in a Wilderness Study area and between having vehicles fall off the trail and backing up into the private campground, it was not a good situation, so the ledge was removed.

The Rocker Knocker, Rock Pile, and yellow hill have always been formidable obstacles in Pritchett Canyon, but now they have been joined in the "Obstacles Hall of Fame" by several new ones just waiting to be named. areas that we drove over in 1993 have turned into off-camber sections and ledges that challenge anything except a rock buggy. In our group, two well-equipped, experienced drivers rolled over on these new obstacles. Fortunately everyone was wearing a seatbelt, and no one was hurt.

What used to be the best way to get over the Rocker Knocker obstacle is now the only way (there is a bypass, but it's pretty rough). Drive straight up to the double ledge, and when the front tires reach the second ledge, turn left toward the large rock that gave this obstacle its name. Sounds easy ... it's not. the rear wheels are against the first ledge, and when the vehicle turns to the left, it leans to the left.

Begin throttling the vehicle until the tires begin to spin. as they do, the vehicle begins to slide sideways across the ledge, the right rear tire will climb onto the first ledge increasing the vehicle tilt. the vehicle continues to slide sideways until it reaches the large rock at the end of the ledges. at that point, if done correctly, the tires will get traction, and the vehicle will twist and pop right up. What an awesome feeling!

At the once-famed Rock Pile obstacle, the rocks are gone. this is where a lot of rocks were piled up in front of a 7-foot ledge to help the vehicle climb up without rolling over. a winch point has been installed for those who still wish to climb over the wall. But not all is lost, the bypass is not easy, and you may still need to move rocks. our group took the notso- easy bypass, but we did watch a few in the group behind us winch and pull each other up the rock face.

At the once-famed Rock Pile obstacle, the rocks are gone. this is where a lot of rocks were piled up in front of a 7-foot ledge to help the vehicle climb up without rolling over. a winch point has been installed for those who still wish to climb over the wall. But not all is lost, the bypass is not easy, and you may still need to move rocks. our group took the not-so-easy bypass, but we did watch a few in the group behind us winch and pull each other up the rock face.

Yellow Hill is still at the end of Pritchett Canyon. the only route in 1993 from the bottom of the canyon to the mesa and county road above is still in place. however, between the weather and the vehicle traffic, the holes are deeper, and the edge to straddle is narrower. now there is an alternate route from the bottom of the canyon. It climbs up a steep rock face alongside the original route. today's tires find traction easily, and the vehicle climbs to the top. at this point, everyone took a breath and prepared for the long drive back to town.

Over the next two days, we drove and videotaped the Moab Rim and Hell's Revenge trails. other than spur routes being closed, neither of these two trails have changed significantly over the past 16 years. however, the vehicles and tire sizes have changed, and we captured the action on tape.

By the time we videotaped the Moab Rim, Pritchett Canyon, and hell's Revenge trails, we had collected nearly 12 hours of raw footage. That was the fun part. then it was time to edit. the new video footage is combined with the original 70 minutes to make a new Rick Russell's off highway adventure #4 Moab, Utah Video. After 75 hours of editing, this video will be released at the 2008 easter Jeep Safari in March.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In addition to writing stories, Rick Russell publishes Sidekick off Road maps and produces the off highway adventure video series. the videos feature a variety of trails across the United States. Both the maps and videos can be purchased at off-road accessory stores and on the Internet. For a list of videos and dealers, visit www.sidekickoffroad.com or call (877) 628-7227.

If the proof is in the pudding after an afternoon in the kitchen, then the proof is in the driving after spending time building a vehicle. This Smurf-blue FJ Cruiser has been accessorized using simple bolt-on items that add to its off-pavement worthiness. All-Pro suspension, rock sliders, and bumpers provide a smooth ride and protect the sheetmetal. All-Pro-installed 4.56 differential gears compensate for the 33-inch Nitto Dune Grappler tires mounted to Walker Evans Beadlock wheels. A Warn 9.5 XP winch spooled with a Master-Pull line makes self-recovery simple and safe, if needed. Except for the differential gears and alignment (after installing the suspension), all of these upgrades can be installed at home in a driveway.

It was time to get out of town. This same 'Cruiser had already survived the 2007 Moab Easter Jeep Safari in fine style, including runs on Hell's Revenge and Fins 'n' Things. While pointing the grille at another series of pucker-inducing trails was tempting, the call for a road trip screamed louder. Instead of sticking strictly to one theme or the other, we combined the two into a dual-sport experience. Pavement and dirt combined with scenery added up to a great adventure.

Prior to September 1858 there had never been an overland mail route from St. Louis, Missouri, or Memphis, Tennessee, to anywhere in California. Mail going in either direction had to do so by steamship all the way around Cape Horn at the very tip of South America. That journey took about six weeks.

Gold strikes in California during 1848 and 1849 had created the California gold Rush, and the West coast was booming. Lack of communication between the East and the West was a problem that had to be fixed.

A transcontinental mail and passenger route was authorized by an act of congress in 1857. On September 16 of that same year, John Butterfield and his associates signed a 6-year contract with the postmaster general. It provided for semiweekly mail service in both directions between St. Louis/Memphis and San Francisco. According to the contract, the first mail sacks had to leave the three cities within one year, then continue doing so twice each week. Opponents claimed it could not be done.

John Butterfield was president of American Express. His business partners were Henry Wells and William Fargo. They owned Wells Fargo which at that time was primarily involved in the banking business and financed Butterfield's overland mail venture.

John Butterfield put it all together. At 8 a.m. on September 16, 1858, exactly one year to the day from the signing of the contract, he personally picked up the first mailbag in St. Louis, took it to Tipton, Missouri, using the Pacific Railroad, then rode as a passenger on the stage from Tipton to Fort Smith, Arkansas, with his son in the driver's box.

The mail from Memphis was placed onboard a steamship to Little Rock, Arkansas, then placed on another stage that would meet the Tipton stage in Fort Smith. The Memphis mail was loaded onto the Tipton stage, and the journey resumed. For the next two and a half years, mail and westbound passengers left St. Louis and Memphis on Mondays and Thursdays.

In San Francisco, another stage left on the 15th of September bound for the end of track in Tipton. That routine would also be repeated on Mondays and Thursdays every week for two and a half years.

The stages ran day and night at an average speed of approximately 5 mph. Teams were changed at relay stations that were placed an average of 16 miles apart. Per the contract, they had to complete the 2,700-mile journey in less than 25 days. The first stage that originated in Tipton arrived in San Francisco within 24 days.

By the time it arrived in San Francisco, the Tipton stage had passed six eastbound stages with mail for St. Louis and Memphis. In turn, each of those eastbound stages passed six westbound stages by the time they reached Tipton. As required by contract, Butterfield was delivering mail twice each week in both directions.

John Butterfield was the man in charge of American Express, but he had borrowed heavily from Wells Fargo. For example, it cost $1 million just to get the route ready. The contract paid $600,000 each year. After two years of pumping money into American Express, Wells Fargo booted Butterfield out and formed the Wells Fargo Stage company. Wells Fargo eventually became the largest and most successful stagecoach company in the country. It held that distinction until the completion of continental railroads replaced stagecoach routes. Once that happened, stagecoaches were only used between outlying communities and rail stations.

The first stage with the first transcontinental mailbag left Tipton with only one passenger that would complete the journey to San Francisco. He was Waterman Ormsby, a reporter for the New York Herald. Thanks to his series of stories, that historic journey was documented. His travel logs about that first trip are the most commonly referenced when studying the overland mail route.

Ormsby logged the first stage leaving Tipton at shortly past 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 16. A record of the miles covered was kept using a viameter attached to one of the wheels of the coach. The coach ran all night long and arrived in Springfield, Missouri, at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. It had traveled 128 miles in less than 24 hours.

One hundred and forty nine years after the arrival of that first stage, Lone Writer and Happy Jack stood at the point where Springfield mail had been loaded. They read the message on the historic marker mounted into the wall of a building at 222 n. Central Park ave. at that time, the stage stop was Smith's Tavern on Boonville Road. The original building is long gone.

The coach used by Butterfield to reach Springfield was built by concord and looked very much like the ones used in modern western movies. For some reason, he did not believe it could handle the treacherous roads beyond Springfield. The concord was left behind, and a more rugged coach was hitched to the team. It had a canvas top with a body mounted with straps rather than springs. That design provided a smoother ride as the body swayed back and forth. The inside had three rows of seats. The middle row folded down in both directions forming a bed all the way across. Depending on the size of the passengers, up to 10 people could sleep side by side and end to end.

Lone Writer would make the journey a lot more comfortably. Jeep had provided a diesel-powered Grand Cherokee with all the comforts of home. With a fuel range of up to 500 miles per tank, very little time was spent thinking about the next gas station. The Cherokee was also equipped with a navigation system that came in handy during the paved portions of the journey.

The stagecoach also had very few restrictions to its route. It simply took the path of least resistance between two points. For that reason, it is not possible to follow the exact route at all times. Some sections travel through private property. Some sections have completely overgrown in trees and brush and cannot even be positively identified as the original route. But most of the trail can be followed within visual distance of the original route. The majority of the route is traveled on paved backcountry roads, some of which are only one lane wide. It is the perfect road for anyone who enjoys cross-country travel and historic trails that were used to settle our country during its adolescent years.

Lone Writer and Happy Jack left Springfield on roads that had been paved over the top of the original Butterfield Route. Some of those roads carry the Butterfield name and others carry the Wire Road name. Butterfield had used much of the existing Wire Road to establish his route across Missouri and Arkansas.

Ted Roller has spent many years tracing the Butterfield Route. He is closely involved with the Barry County Museum in Cassville, Missouri, (www.barrycomuseum.org) and has numerous artifacts on display. Ted is hoping to get more people involved in getting the Butterfield Route a national designation and would love to hear from those who would like to join the effort. Ted took the shotgun seat in the Grand Cherokee and shared many dozens of stories about the Butterfield route while pointing the way from one landmark to another.

Ashmore Station, 17.4 miles from Springfield: The first relay station after Springfield was called Ashmore. A historic marker designates its location, but nothing else remains. The stage only stopped long enough to hitch a fresh team to the coach.

The historic marker for Couch Station, 16.4 miles from Smith Station, is in the trees on the right side of the road. The station was in the valley behind the trees, but nothing is left of it. Once again, the stage only stopped long enough to hitch a fresh team. According to Ormsby, it took them seven hours to reach this point from Springfield.

The stage reached Cassville, 5.8 miles from Couch Station, but stopped only long enough to pick up mail. A historic marker on the courthouse square points out that it was the last town in Missouri before crossing into Arkansas. The Barry County Museum is located at the edge of town on Highway 76.

There is no historic marker for Harbin's Relay Station, 10.2 miles from Cassville, because its location has not been positively identified. This intersection is used as a reference point for the general location. Harbin's was the last relay station before crossing into Arkansas.

The stage crossed into Arkansas, 5.9 miles from the reference point for Harbin's Station. Maps for the entire Butterfield Route in Arkansas are available from Heritage Trail Partners (www.heritagetrailpartners.com). This organization has traced and documented the route across northwestern Arkansas. For the past four years, they have sponsored a stagecoach ride through portions of the original trail on the anniversary of the original trip. September 2008 will be the 150th anniversary for Butterfield stage, and a special celebration is planned by several towns along the route. They are also working with Ted Roller to combine a stagecoach trip covering parts of both states. Check the aforementioned website for the latest information.

Pea Ridge Military National Park, 12.6 miles from the reference point for Harbin's Station, is in the path of the original Butterfield Route. The stage traveled through this National Park and passed Elkhorn Tavern during the night. Some of the original trail is grown over, but other parts have been restored. Elkhorn Tavern was not a relay station but was a popular stop for other travelers. A replica of the original building has been built and is open to visitors.

Callahan's Station in Rogers, 9.9 miles from Pea Ride Park, was the first major stop within Arkansas. The exact location of that station is still being debated. A historic marker can be found near the corner of Walnut and 1st. The first stage arrived about 7 a.m. on September 18.

Fitzgerald's Station 9.3 miles from Callahan's Station, was not mentioned in Ormsby's travel log but was mentioned in documents from other travelers. The original barn still stands on private property beside the road. A historic marker has been placed at the edge of the property.

The stage arrived in Fayetteville, Arkansas, 11.2 miles from Fitzgerald's Station, before noon on September 18. A short time was spent to pick up mail and change teams before moving out of town. A historic marker has been placed beside the Washington county courthouse on the northeast corner of center and college.

The Parks Station, 13.3 miles from Fayetteville, was located near the present-day town of Hogeye. It was briefly mentioned by Ormsby as a point where the team of horses was replaced by a team of mules to get the wagons over the mountains ahead. Lone Writer did not find the exact location of the station.

The Brodie Station, 18.6 miles from Parks Station, was located just south of Lee creek. Happy Jack found a re-ally nice campsite and the foundations of some old buildings beside the creek that may have been the station. As funds become available, the Heritage Trail Partners will no doubt pinpoint the exact location with historic markers. Ormsby describes the ride from Parks to Brodie as the roughest ride since leaving Tipton. The team of mules was replaced by a team of horses at Brodie.

A Historic marker in Van Buren, 21.9 miles from Brodie, marks the location where the stage was placed on a ferry and floated across the Arkansas River. The marker is at the intersection of Main and 3rd.

The Fort Smith National Historic Site, 8.1 miles from van Buren, is the location where the stage was put on a ferry and taken across the river and into Oklahoma.

Nightfall had surrounded Lone Writer and Happy Jack by the time they arrived at Fort Smith. It was time to find a motel with rooms to spare. The continued journey along the Butterfield Overland Trail to San, Francisco would have to wait for another day. But that's another story.

Larry E. Heck has been writing backcountry adventure stories since 1985. Some of the newer e-book products in the Campfire Tales series can be found at www.lone-writer.com. The site also contains Campfire Tales written decades ago. If you have an idea for a historic backcountry trail that you think Larry should consider, write to larry@lone-writer.com or call (303) 349-9937.

During the month of November each year, the Vegas Valley 4-Wheelers host their annual Hump N Bump Trail Ride to benefit the Southern Nevada Trail Fund. The event takes place at the Logandale Trails System in Logandale, Nevada, which is about 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas and situated near Lake Mead National recreation Area and Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. "What's a Hump N Bump?" You may ask. With the events' proximity to Las Vegas, some tend to get the wrong idea, but the VV4W's Hump N Bump truly is a family-fun event. The name comes from the loping "Hump and Bump" effort a short-wheelbase 4x4 exerts as it traverses a rocky, whooped desert trail.

The Logandale Trails System offers gorgeous red rock formations, sandstone cliffs, and multiple sand dunes and desert washes. It's a public trail system that's open to all motorized and nonmotorized outdoor enthusiast and activities, including ATVs, dirt bikes, hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrian. The Trail System, which borders the Valley of Fire State Park and the towns of Logandale and Overton, Nevada, was established by the BLM in a cooperative effort coordinated by the Nevada Trails Coalition, with support from organized recreational groups and county, state, federal, and local agencies.

The main entrance to the trails is in Logandale at Liston Avenue off NV-169/North Moapa Valley Boulevard. Liston leads to North Pioneer Road and then turns into Logandale Trails Road. This continues as a gravel/dirt road into the trail system and designated camping areas. Native American petroglyphs can be seen on many rock faces, and the area is rich with plant life, including creosote brush, blackbrush scrub, barrel cactus, and Teddy bear cholla. Red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, ospreys, and turkey vultures can often be sighted in the sky, and greater roadrunners can be spotted dashing across the open plains. The desert tortoise, Gila monster, chuckwalla lizard, and sidewinder rattlesnake are also native to the area, and desert big-horn sheep are often seen moving about the rocks and desert floor.

During our visit to the area for 27th annual Hump N Bump, we tackled the Bowl Trail, a 3-plus rated trial with a handful of challenging obstacles mixed in. The S-turn and the tristepped waterfalls toward the end of the trail are by far the most challenging obstacles, though bypass trail are available for those wanting to avoid body damage or other trail carnage. Aside from these obstacles, the Bowl Trail was mostly was mostly scenic in nature with many possible side hikes to reach higher ground and extend the view. One section of the Bowl Trail also leads to another popular trail called the Matterhorn. When the wind blew just right, we could hear engines revving high as they'd power up steep rock faces in the distance.

For those looking to attend the next Hump N Bump event, information can be found at the Vegas Valley 4-Wheeler website (www.vv4w.org). Additionally, the Logandale Trails System is open year-round for those up to exploring on their own, but make sure you bring plenty of water, pack out your trash, and notify someone about your plans of travel. Many of the trails are guided with markers along the route, with GPS locations printed on the backside of the markers, so navigating around can be made easier using a GPS unit. Maps of the area and additional information are available through the BLM's Las Vegas Field Office (4701 N. Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89130, (702) 515-5000).

During the 15th century, the Spanish Empire laid claim to most of North America calling it the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Explorations of the new territories were funded, and missions were established. A myth materialized by word of mouth about the existence of "The Seven golden cities of cbola."

The myth is based on an event from a time in the 11th century when Muslims conquered the city of Mrida in Spain. Supposedly, seven priests fled the city taking sacred religious relics to a faraway land and established the cities of cbola and Quivira. For centuries, the location of those cities was unknown.

In 1539, a man named Fray Marcos de Niza crossed into Arizona and became the first European to explore the territory west of the rockies. A monument can be found at the border- crossing town of Lochiel, Arizona, recording April 12 as that day in history.

De Niza discovered the Zuni people living in seven cities throughout territories now in the states of Arizona and New Mexico. The Zuni are believed to be descendants of the Anasazi cliff dwellers. Whether or not they lived a peaceful life prior to de Niza's visit, there would be nothing but trouble to follow.

De Niza was not allowed into the cities. He observed them from a distance and imagined they were hiding many treasures. His claims developed into rumors that the Seven cities of cbola had been found and were filled with riches beyond anything ever known. Other explorers, eager to claim the treasures, ventured into The territory. Some never returned, and others who did return embellished the stories that great wealth was there to conquer.

Those stories evolved into the myth of the Seven golden cities of cbola.

In anticipation of claiming the treasures protected by the Seven cities, another explorer named Coronado assembled an army. He conquered the Zunis and was soon in control of the Seven cities but found no treasures. The myth was dispelled and de Niza was dishonored for his false claims.

The Spanish Empire retained control of territories in North America until the 18th century when its dominance began to crumble. Mexico declared its independence in 1821, and the United States took the rest of the Empire's claims in North America in 1898 as a result of the Spanish-American War.

The crossing used by de Niza to enter Arizona continued to be a popular trail. During the 1880s, a community consisting of a few hundred people sprung up at the crossing to support mines being worked in the nearby hills. Smelters, boarding houses, saloons, and numerous stores made up the community that eventually became Lochiel, Arizona.

Even the famous outlaw, Pancho Villa, used the crossing. His banditos would cross into Arizona, steal as many cattle as possible, then run back through Lochiel into Mexico. His visits were a tense time for the citizens of Lochiel. Although he might spend money during his visit, he might take back more than he would spend.

Modern-day Lochiel is a ghost town. The area around it is best known for drug smuggling. If you visit the area, mind your own business and do not stop to visit with anyone except those in border-patrol vehicles.

Lone Writer and Happy Jack left Tucson early one Sunday morning to visit the country where Spanish explorers and Pancho Villa spent so much time. Their first stop was the town of Patagonia.

Patagonia is a quiet ranching town. It was founded during the 1880s to serve ranches and mines in the outlying mountains and grasslands. It was the supply point for those who defended what little they had from roaming banditos.

A hitching post still spans the front of the Stage Stop Inn, which is a complex including a motel and restaurant. A boardwalk shadowed by a porch covering the full length of the building could have come right off the pages of a Wild West novel.

After enjoying breakfast at the Home Plate restaurant in the Stage Stop Inn, Lone Writer and Happy Jack used the Harshaw road to leave Patagonia. They stayed on backroads to the border town of Lochiel. When de Niza crossed at this point in 1539, there was probably nothing more than a watering hole to mark the location. When Pancho Villa frequented the crossing during the 1800s, Lochiel was a bustling town with hundreds of residents and lots of saloons where his banditos could party. Another century passed before customs established a border-crossing station. A few decades later, the abandoned buildings became home to ghosts and the beginning of what some call the ghost Trail to Nogales.

Arizona has more than one trail with a theme from those who have passed on. The Devil's Highway is probably the most famous. Immigration across the border from Mexico is nothing new, even though it gets a lot more attention in this century. For the most part, the ghost theme for such roads in Arizona is recognition for those who died in search of a better life in the United States. In the early days, such treks were done on foot across many miles of waterless desert where temperatures can swell far above 120 degrees F. Those who had wagons sometimes died when mechanical failure put them at the mercy of the environment. Others simply could not find the isolated watering holes.

It is likely the ghost Trail became known for those same reasons. On the other hand, there were others who died from gold fever. Mining was a hazardous occupation. If claim jumpers didn't get them, and they survived any number of mining disasters, they were likely to die with a lung disease from working in the dusty tunnels. The land was ruled by survival of the fittest.

Lone Writer and Happy Jack stopped at the customs house in Lochiel and studied its locked gates. It seemed strange to have such an elaborate gate when a few miles in either direction, the border could be crossed with no effort at all. There were several buildings standing in Lochiel, but nothing looked inhabited. The best choice seemed to be staying in the car and not staring too long in any one place.

At the edge of town, the monument for de Niza stood in a state of decay. Obviously, no one really cared about it, and only curious travelers even look its way. De Niza's monument claims the first European west of the rockies arrived on April 12, 1539. Being the skeptic as usual, Lone Writer wondered if records in those years were really accurate enough to be that certain.

With the windows down on a cool January morning, Lone Writer turned the rental SUV away from the monument and started the journey along the ghost Trail. The first stop was the ghost town of Duquesne. The entire mining camp is posted as private, but much of it can be viewed from the road. There are numerous mining claims in the area including the Washington camp. The two towns were so close together that miners teased, "If you step on the tail of one, the other will bark." During the 1880s, more than 1,000 residents lived in or around Duquesne. Those Who did not work in the mines supported others who did.

Lone Writer and Happy Jack left Duquesne on the Duquesne road. It took them up a steep grade to the pass overlooking Nogales and the valley below. The scenery was beautiful. They spent some time admiring the many views from the pass before continuing down the pass.

The ghost Trail may be used by ghosts of those still wandering the hills in search of gold, but Lone Writer and Happy Jack did not find them. There is no doubt that many people died in battles between miners and Apaches, battles between miners and claim jumpers, and just individual confrontations among the hard cases who lived and died in the Santa rita Mountains.

Lone Writer and Happy Jack spent the night visiting rusty, a friend who is part-owner of the Abrego Self Storage in green Valley. He has explored just about every backroad within a hundred miles of Tucson and recommended they visit Bull Springs road to see ghosts of a different kind. Rusty would not be able to join them due to other obligations, but he drew out a route for them on some very tattered maps.

Early the next morning, Lone Writer and Happy Jack took the exit off Interstate 19 for Elephant Head road. They had Happy Jack's Explorer with them for this trip since rusty had pointed out that Lone Writer's rental SUV might not have enough clearance. They headed toward the Santa rita Mountains and left the pavement with a turn onto Bull Springs road. At first, the road surface was not too demanding, but some of the dry creek crossings required careful negotiation in the rental. The road was lined with prickly pear cactus, desert ironwood trees, and a variety of other desert plants.

Lone Writer's rental car was pushing its limits long before they reached the sign stating "4WD recommended." The rental car was left parked at the sign. Lone Writer took the shotgun seat in the Explorer, and the trip continued. As it turned out, the most difficult obstacle along the route was the one where the rental car was parked. There were several steep descents and climbs through dry washes, but nothing that challenged the Explorer.

The "ghosts of a different kind" were everywhere. All makes and models, all colors, and in every state of disassembly. The route was a graveyard of abandoned vehicles. Stories tell of thieves driving the vehicles into the mountains and stripping them to the metal. Other stories say the thieves were trying to get the vehicles across the border but abandoned them when the Border Patrol closed in. Regardless of why the vehicles were driven into an impossible terrain, they became a part of the landscape and will likely remain there for many years.

In one place, Happy Jack pointed out a group of people in the distance. They seemed to be in no hurry as they crossed the road about 1/2 mile ahead. They all wore backpacks and faded clothing that blended in with vegetation and landscape. As quickly as they appeared, they were gone.

Another ghost appeared beside the road ahead. Alto is a Spanish word meaning "high" and was the last identity used for the town where only one building remains. Spanish Jesuits began mining the area where the town of Alto was established as early as 1690. The post offi ce operated from 1907 to 1933. Prior to being called Alto, it went by the name of El Plomo taken from the Spanish word for "lead."

A short distance past Alto, the road surface changed from rough and rocky to graded. It is a county road passing private lands that are posted and locked behind gates. The next 8 miles went by quickly. After a creek crossing, the road connected to Highway 82.

A few minutes later, they parked the Explorer facing the hitching rail at the front of the Stage Stop Inn.

On the following day, Lone Writer dropped the rental SUV at the airport in Tucson and boarded a plane to Indiana. A motorhome that needed to be delivered to a dealer in Los Angeles as waiting at the factory. Other rails in Arizona would have to wait for another day.

Larry E. Heck has been writing backcountry adventure stories since 1985. Some of the newer e-book products in the camp- fire Tales series can be found at his website (www.lone-writer.com). The site also contains campfire Tales written decades ago. If you have an idea for a historic backcountry trail that you think Larry should consider, write to larry@lone-writer.com or call (303) 349-9937.

NAVIGATION
Bull Springs Road from Tucson to Petagonia
Trip Meter	Latitude	Longitude	Comments
0.0	31 47.3636	111 1.2473	Take Exit 56 off I-19 and go to the stop sign on the
			east access road stop sign. Turn right (south).
3.1	31 44.9324	111 2.6445	Turn left (east) on Elephant Head Road.
4.7
0.0	31 44.2493	111 1.3491	Right on Mt. Hopkins Road.
4.7	31 41.3670	110 58.4566	Right on Bull Springs Road (dirt).
6.8	31 40.2181	110 57.9275	Right fork.
7.8	31 39.6082	110 58.1083	Left fork.

8.4	31 39.5346	110 57.5443	Entering National Forest on Road 143. Stay on
			143 until next note.
9.8	31 39.3472	110 56.4174	Exit National Forest.
10.5	31 39.2295	110 55.8017	Right fork.
10.9	31 39.1045	110 55.6456	Begin 4x4 recommended.
11.7/0.0	31 39.0279	110 54.9404	Right fork.
2.5	31.38.2316	110 53.4854	Right fork.
3.4	31 38.3122	110 52.9644	Right fork. This ends 4x4 recommended.
4.1	31 37.8984	110 52.7822	Left fork.
5.2	31 37.2270	110 52.5418	Alto town site.
5.8	31 36.6993	110 52.5649	Entering private lands. Stay on road.
7.3	31 35.6453	110 53.1611	Stay left on main road.
16.0	31 31.0597	110 47.7014	Right fork to highway.
16.4	31 30.9333	110 47.3649	Highway 82. Left is Patagonia.

This route begins at the Stage Stop Inn in Patagonia and through Lochiel to Nogales.
Trip Meter	Latitude	Longitude	Comments
0.0	31 32.4203	110 45.1954	Stage Stop Motel. Go north.
			Connects to Harshaw Road.
6.0	31 29.3274	110 41.5525	Straight onto dirt road.
10.3
0.0	31 27.2980	110 39.0785	Straight toward Lochiel.
3.6	31 27.1019	110 35.4800	Right turn.
9.4
0.0	31 22.7250	110 34.1812	Right toward Lochiel.
1.8	31 21.2977	110 34.7626	Right toward Lochiel.
5.5	31 29.9885	110 37.3258	Lochiel border crossing.
6.1
0.0	31 20.3554	110 37.6422	Historic marker for the first European
			west of the Rockies.
3.2	31 22.0669	110 40.1713	Left on Duquesne 128.
4.2	31 22.1902	110 41.1046	Duquesne town site. Right fork.
5.0	31 22.7545	110 41.2223	Left on Duquesne Road.
5.7	31 23.1982	110 41.5148	Left toward Nogales.
7.3	31 23.1779	110 42.8622	Pass. Cross over the top and
			follow the signs to Nogales.
24.9			Nogales.

Why it's called Lake Como Road is beyond me." "A few years ago, I backpacked the road from the flats with my wife and kids. We started at the bottom at the same time as a group of extreme four-wheelers, and wound up arriving at the lake at the same time they did." "I think going up that road is pretty stupid." "After seeing what it was, I believe my Jeep would have been injured or killed by the attempt (maybe me too)." "There are few things in life that I hate as much as I hate the Lake Como Road." "I've hiked this road and have seen some guys from New Mexico who come up every year to drive it with modified vehicles." "My God, that road is horrendous."

All hese quotes are taken from recent forum postings on a website (www.14ers.com) dedicated to climbing Colorado's collection of 14,000-foot peaks. It is always interesting to hear another recreational group's view of our own very special places; especially since the climbers, just like us four-wheelers, engage in an activity that is probably considered extreme by the general public. We certainly had to chuckle as we read the posts. Our amusement was twofold: First, our local four-wheel-drive club is the "guys from New Mexico," and second, we love our annual trip up that "horrendous" road.

The Lake Como Road is the official route name for the road up Blanca Peak in southern Colorado, and it is a true Colorado classic. Blanca Peak is in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range and is situated just southwest of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument.

Is Lake Como Road the hardest road in Colorado? Maybe... depending on the definition of "road" one chooses to use. The route scaling the slopes of Blanca Peak is officially an Alamosa County road (County Road 975). The County Commission asserted its RS 2477 right to the road back in the mid '90s when the Forest Service was rattling its road-closing sabers. Is the road up Blanca the hardest 4WD route in Colorado? Not by a long shot, but it is still a very interesting and challenging route. It is also as beautiful a drive as Colorado has to offer, although one may be a bit too preoccupied by the road to admire the scenery!

The New Mexico 4-Wheelers have made a 4WD pilgrimage up the mountain and out to the end of Lake Como Road most years since the early 1990s. The trip is usually the second weekend of September and often includes an overnight campout on the edge of beautiful Lake Como. The lake, on the upper flanks of Blanca Peak, is one of the more spectacular settings available for an overnight 4WD outing. The campsites are nestled amongst the pines just below the tree line with the towering, jagged summits of Ellingwood Point, Blanca Peak, and Little Bear Peak surrounding the lake on three sides.

These three nearby "fourteeners" attract a high d