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RonFNSwanson
| Favorite team: | Los Angeles Dodgers  |
| Location: | 1739 mi from the University of LSU |
| Biography: | |
| Interests: | |
| Occupation: | |
| Number of Posts: | 24253 |
| Registered on: | 3/29/2012 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
Recent Posts
Message
re: Central Utah Trip Review - Capitol Reef and Escalante
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/30/26 at 3:04 pm to cgrand
Well said. I would add that Arches has a lot of great drives, so you don't need to hike much. But there are some short, easy hikes.
The hike to Delicate Arch is a little over 2 miles and has a steep section, but nothing crazy. It's a big open rock bed (kinda like the pics in this thread from the Cosmic Ashtray hike). So you could turn it into a zig zag if you wanted. But it's well worth the effort. Such an incredible view when you get to the top.
The hike to Delicate Arch is a little over 2 miles and has a steep section, but nothing crazy. It's a big open rock bed (kinda like the pics in this thread from the Cosmic Ashtray hike). So you could turn it into a zig zag if you wanted. But it's well worth the effort. Such an incredible view when you get to the top.
0
re: AJ Haulcy’s Uncle: Rick Ross
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/29/26 at 2:34 pm to MasterAbe1
Didn't Rick Ross wear an old school LSU jacket in a video? I think I remember that being talked about here.
re: 34 Years ago today, 1992 Los Angeles Riots
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/29/26 at 10:08 am to Shexter
April 26th 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you
re: Tuktoyaktuk: has anyone gone?
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/29/26 at 7:46 am to X123F45
quote:
Nah son. 10k miles of driving
Hope they can hook you up with an oil change at the Tuktoyaktuk Tire Shop
re: Why do gas stations still use fractions in gas prices in 2026?
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/29/26 at 7:44 am to Gravitiger
quote:
If they charged 4.00, most consumers would realize the reality.
And then what? Not get gas?
re: Central Utah Trip Review - Capitol Reef and Escalante
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/29/26 at 7:43 am to X123F45
quote:
Did y'all see... I think it's luna mesa?
Hard to find much about that online, but from what I can tell it seems to be in that moonscape overlook area. So, not directly... but maybe :lol:
re: FBD dog day at the ballpark
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/28/26 at 9:43 pm to Chucktown_Badger
FBD-
re: Central Utah Trip Review - Capitol Reef and Escalante
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/28/26 at 1:31 pm to RonFNSwanson
DAY 3
By morning, snow had reached Capitol Reef. We woke up to two inches on the ground. I had been wanting to see snow covered red rocks for a long time, and I feel incredibly luck to have it time perfectly on our last day. The winds were calm, so I was able to get the drone up to take a few shots and videos.
It snowed until 10 am, so we enjoyed the views while packing up slowly. After the previous day, we were definitely wanting more chill vibes before heading home. We found them on the Capitol Reef Scenic Drive and Grand Wash Road. The wash is a dirt road, but it was easy, even with it slightly muddy. The park is a lot lower elevation than where we were staying, so a lot of the snow was melting and falling as rain when we got in. But moisture and cloudy skies were really making all the colors pop.
Scenes from Grand Wash
We had one more hike planned, a nice river stroll on the Sulphur Falls Trail. It’s a fun, easy hike less than 2 miles, but you do have to cross the river close to 20 times. I could easily see spending the day here, there were so many great spots to stop and have a picnic. The waterfall itself isn’t super impressive, but it has a big open area to hang out. And my boys loved running through the pool. My oldest got his pants wet and did the hike back in his underwear :lol:.
The falls. You can climb on the rocks to the right if you want and get a view of more of it. I think it had 3 different water levels that you can see when you get over there.
After the hike, we hit the road back home, only stopping for the original Curry Pizza location. Indian flavors on thin crust pizza, delightful.
By morning, snow had reached Capitol Reef. We woke up to two inches on the ground. I had been wanting to see snow covered red rocks for a long time, and I feel incredibly luck to have it time perfectly on our last day. The winds were calm, so I was able to get the drone up to take a few shots and videos.
It snowed until 10 am, so we enjoyed the views while packing up slowly. After the previous day, we were definitely wanting more chill vibes before heading home. We found them on the Capitol Reef Scenic Drive and Grand Wash Road. The wash is a dirt road, but it was easy, even with it slightly muddy. The park is a lot lower elevation than where we were staying, so a lot of the snow was melting and falling as rain when we got in. But moisture and cloudy skies were really making all the colors pop.
Scenes from Grand Wash
We had one more hike planned, a nice river stroll on the Sulphur Falls Trail. It’s a fun, easy hike less than 2 miles, but you do have to cross the river close to 20 times. I could easily see spending the day here, there were so many great spots to stop and have a picnic. The waterfall itself isn’t super impressive, but it has a big open area to hang out. And my boys loved running through the pool. My oldest got his pants wet and did the hike back in his underwear :lol:.
The falls. You can climb on the rocks to the right if you want and get a view of more of it. I think it had 3 different water levels that you can see when you get over there.
After the hike, we hit the road back home, only stopping for the original Curry Pizza location. Indian flavors on thin crust pizza, delightful.
re: Central Utah Trip Review - Capitol Reef and Escalante
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/28/26 at 1:30 pm to RonFNSwanson
DAY 2
Our second day, we headed south to Escalante for some adventure. UT12 is the main road you take to get there. If you’ve never driven it, it’s one of Utah’s most famous roads, and is a must-do if you’re in the area. Leaving Capitol Reef, you quickly get to Dixie National Forest, a high elevation pine forest that seems quite out of place among all the red rocks.
Once you get through the forest, the views really come alive. The road goes up, down, left, and right winding through canyons. At one point you are at the top of a mountain driving on the ridge line, with steep drops on either side.
I wish I had more footage, but sometimes you just gotta drive and admire. We made it to Escalante (well, right before) and turned on Hole in the Rock Road. It’s a 50 mile dirt road that connects to tons of amazing sights. It is as straight as a desert dirt road can be, but it is horribly washboarded. Our first turn off was on Harris Wash road to hike the Cosmic Ashtray. Harris Wash was the toughest road we went on, lots of tight turns, big holes, and a few deep sand spots. This one tested my wife’s patience for sure, but I think the payoff was worth it.
We survived the road (and the yelling) and started the hike. This is not really popular and there isn’t much of a trail, so Alltrails with a downloaded map is pretty much a requirement. I think if it was easier to get to, it would be up there with delicate arch as one of the faces of Southern Utah.
After walking on a sandy trail for 5 minutes you get to an open rock section. This is the “trail”.
Things like this were all over. It was so beautiful.
And here we have it. Pictures can’t really show the scale of this massive hole. The sand is so smooth it looks like an orange lake. In the first picture, you can see some footprints. If you have the equipment and skills (I don’t) you can climb in and out of it. I was really upset about my lack of drone flights for the whole trip, but this is probably the biggest bummer of it all. Ah well, I’ll get ‘em next time.
Back down the mountain, the dirt road, and on to the other dirt road. For about 30 more miles. The we arrived at our next stop, Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyons. This is a long trail (Alltrails has it at 4.8 miles, but it is actually almost 7), but was so worth it. There is about 2 miles of desert hiking before you get to Peekaboo, so I carried my youngest in the hiking carrier. But he was on his own after that. There is a post at the beginning of a trailhead to make sure you can fit through, and in my opinion, it should be smaller. There are parts that are tight that stretch for 20 yards, so you better not be claustrophobic.
The desert path was lovely and had some great blooms. It can be hard to follow, but people have set up rock cairns to mark the way. Alltrails is a must though. We passed a group of Asian tourists who were lost and asked if they could follow us. We obliged.
After a while you will come to a small canyon (it had some narrow spots, but I wouldn’t call it a slot), that is super cool to walk though. The best part is it is before the slot canyon loop, so you get to walk it twice.
We made it to Peekaboo. The first part is by far the hardest, you have to climb up about 10 feet to get inside. There was an easy spot to get to about halfway, then you have to use footholds for the rest. It was no problem for my wife and I, but I’m not sure if we would have gotten the kids up without the help of a rope supplied by our Asian friends. I helped one of them up, but the rest said “hell no” and we parted ways. There were no vehicles left in the parking lot when we were done, so I assume they made it back safely.
We popped up for a second, but that was not the end… Back in we went.
Little birds’ nest toward the end.
Once you get out, there is about a mile of desert hiking between the two slots.
On to Spooky. This one starts out easy, but quickly turns gnarly. At one point you are walking fine, then you get to a section of boulders that are just hanging in the canyon. You have to navigate through them, about a 12-15 foot drop in total. It was a little dicey for me, but once I was down, the biggest challenge was getting the kids down without getting hurt. Bum shuffling to me until I could reach them and pull them down was the best way. After that it was “easy”, with 1-3 foot drops and tight turns every so often. Then you get to the big finish. An extremely narrow section with very little breaks. You have to carry your bags in your hand and just crab walk. This was easy for the kids, so they were running way ahead. Didn’t get many pictures in spooky, these were my last two. The second pic is about twice as wide as the narrow sections at the end.
We emerged from the slot, happy to see daylight again, and head back through the rest of the trail. Was it fun? Yes. Was it stressful? Yes. Was it scary for the kids? Only at the beginning climb and the boulder drop. Was it worth it? I’m still not sure. The further removed we are, the more I remember it fondly, so maybe so.
40 miles of dirt to get back to Hwy 12 and head home for the night. We made it back just in time for 30 mins of hot tub and beers. Much needed. Oh yeah… and it was snowing in the mountains on the way back.
Our second day, we headed south to Escalante for some adventure. UT12 is the main road you take to get there. If you’ve never driven it, it’s one of Utah’s most famous roads, and is a must-do if you’re in the area. Leaving Capitol Reef, you quickly get to Dixie National Forest, a high elevation pine forest that seems quite out of place among all the red rocks.
Once you get through the forest, the views really come alive. The road goes up, down, left, and right winding through canyons. At one point you are at the top of a mountain driving on the ridge line, with steep drops on either side.
I wish I had more footage, but sometimes you just gotta drive and admire. We made it to Escalante (well, right before) and turned on Hole in the Rock Road. It’s a 50 mile dirt road that connects to tons of amazing sights. It is as straight as a desert dirt road can be, but it is horribly washboarded. Our first turn off was on Harris Wash road to hike the Cosmic Ashtray. Harris Wash was the toughest road we went on, lots of tight turns, big holes, and a few deep sand spots. This one tested my wife’s patience for sure, but I think the payoff was worth it.
We survived the road (and the yelling) and started the hike. This is not really popular and there isn’t much of a trail, so Alltrails with a downloaded map is pretty much a requirement. I think if it was easier to get to, it would be up there with delicate arch as one of the faces of Southern Utah.
After walking on a sandy trail for 5 minutes you get to an open rock section. This is the “trail”.
Things like this were all over. It was so beautiful.
And here we have it. Pictures can’t really show the scale of this massive hole. The sand is so smooth it looks like an orange lake. In the first picture, you can see some footprints. If you have the equipment and skills (I don’t) you can climb in and out of it. I was really upset about my lack of drone flights for the whole trip, but this is probably the biggest bummer of it all. Ah well, I’ll get ‘em next time.
Back down the mountain, the dirt road, and on to the other dirt road. For about 30 more miles. The we arrived at our next stop, Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyons. This is a long trail (Alltrails has it at 4.8 miles, but it is actually almost 7), but was so worth it. There is about 2 miles of desert hiking before you get to Peekaboo, so I carried my youngest in the hiking carrier. But he was on his own after that. There is a post at the beginning of a trailhead to make sure you can fit through, and in my opinion, it should be smaller. There are parts that are tight that stretch for 20 yards, so you better not be claustrophobic.
The desert path was lovely and had some great blooms. It can be hard to follow, but people have set up rock cairns to mark the way. Alltrails is a must though. We passed a group of Asian tourists who were lost and asked if they could follow us. We obliged.
After a while you will come to a small canyon (it had some narrow spots, but I wouldn’t call it a slot), that is super cool to walk though. The best part is it is before the slot canyon loop, so you get to walk it twice.
We made it to Peekaboo. The first part is by far the hardest, you have to climb up about 10 feet to get inside. There was an easy spot to get to about halfway, then you have to use footholds for the rest. It was no problem for my wife and I, but I’m not sure if we would have gotten the kids up without the help of a rope supplied by our Asian friends. I helped one of them up, but the rest said “hell no” and we parted ways. There were no vehicles left in the parking lot when we were done, so I assume they made it back safely.
We popped up for a second, but that was not the end… Back in we went.
Little birds’ nest toward the end.
Once you get out, there is about a mile of desert hiking between the two slots.
On to Spooky. This one starts out easy, but quickly turns gnarly. At one point you are walking fine, then you get to a section of boulders that are just hanging in the canyon. You have to navigate through them, about a 12-15 foot drop in total. It was a little dicey for me, but once I was down, the biggest challenge was getting the kids down without getting hurt. Bum shuffling to me until I could reach them and pull them down was the best way. After that it was “easy”, with 1-3 foot drops and tight turns every so often. Then you get to the big finish. An extremely narrow section with very little breaks. You have to carry your bags in your hand and just crab walk. This was easy for the kids, so they were running way ahead. Didn’t get many pictures in spooky, these were my last two. The second pic is about twice as wide as the narrow sections at the end.
We emerged from the slot, happy to see daylight again, and head back through the rest of the trail. Was it fun? Yes. Was it stressful? Yes. Was it scary for the kids? Only at the beginning climb and the boulder drop. Was it worth it? I’m still not sure. The further removed we are, the more I remember it fondly, so maybe so.
40 miles of dirt to get back to Hwy 12 and head home for the night. We made it back just in time for 30 mins of hot tub and beers. Much needed. Oh yeah… and it was snowing in the mountains on the way back.
Central Utah Trip Review - Capitol Reef and Escalante
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/28/26 at 1:29 pm
Sharing some photos from our action packed 3 days in Southern Utah, focusing around the Capitol Reef area. This park gets little love, because it is overshadowed by Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches. Because of this, the crowds are low, which is great if that’s your thing. We had a fantastic time, the weather was cool and dry (for the most part). I had just gotten a drone around Christmas last year and was excited to fly it in the desert. Unfortunately the storm moving in brought crazy winds for the first two days, so there was very little of that. With that being my only complaint, I’d say we did alright.
We stayed at Capitol Reef Resort. It had incredible views, hot tub, Conestoga wagons, and teepees if you so chose. We opted for a regular-arse room with a cliff view. The first night, we got there just in time to hit the hot tub and go to bed.
DAY 1
The hotel was about 10 minutes from the park. He headed out in the morning and went to our first stop, Hickman Bridge Trail. Nice easy trail with some cool views. This was my youngest son’s (3 y/o) first full hike outside the carrier and he did great.
This is the bridge, pictures don’t really do it justice. It was huge, and probably 100 feet tall.
Found an antelope squirrel hanging out under the bridge. Besides deer and elk on one evening drive, this was the only wildlife we saw the whole trip.
Lots of cacti in bloom everywhere we went.
Next, we kept cruising down the main park road (UT 24) until we got to our first dirt road of the trip. Coal Mine Road has access to a few interesting sights, and is a flat, easy drive. You can see Factory Butte the whole way down the road. Our first stop was not too far after turning on. It doesn’t have a name and isn’t a marked location or trail, but this was high on the list of the coolest things we did. The fact that few people know about it certainly adds to the allure. It’s a usually dry wash, but there were a few little pools of water. When you first climb down, it doesn’t look like much, but quickly becomes surreal.
You can go a bit further, but this pool was deep enough that we didn’t want to get wet, so it was our turn around point. Because the wash blocked the wind, I was able to fly my drone for a minute.
After walking back, we drove to the Moonscape Overlook. It’s another dirt road off of Coal Mine. The turn is pretty much right across from the middle of Factory Butte.
This place is insane! Before you get close to the edge, you feel like you are just on regular flat ground. But then you realize you are on a 1,000 foot cliff.
After exploring the edges for a few minutes, we drove back down towards Factory Butte, then went on the road that leads to it to get a closer look.
Went back to home base, got some lunch, then headed out again about few hours before sunset to the next stop: Bentonite Hills. It’s accessed by a dirt road, Hartnett Road, which was our favorite of all the dirt we rode on. Right in the beginning, there is a short but fun water crossing. Here is a video from when we headed back for the night. In addition to that, there are beautiful views every stretch of the way.
There is a small sign for the hills and a few spots to pull over and park. We got out and went exploring. The best time to be there is when the light is low, sunrise or sunset. We were a little early for sunset, but because it is lower than the road, some of it was already in the shadows. You can see the difference in the colors. In the shadows, you get more blues/greens/purples to come out. Beautiful either way.
This might look like animal poop, but it’s actually black boulders that are about 10 feet wide.
We walked around for 20ish minutes, then got started back on the drive home. One thing I love about out-and-back trails is that you get a chance to see things you missed in the opposite direction. Like this… One of my favorite photos from the trip.
We stayed at Capitol Reef Resort. It had incredible views, hot tub, Conestoga wagons, and teepees if you so chose. We opted for a regular-arse room with a cliff view. The first night, we got there just in time to hit the hot tub and go to bed.
DAY 1
The hotel was about 10 minutes from the park. He headed out in the morning and went to our first stop, Hickman Bridge Trail. Nice easy trail with some cool views. This was my youngest son’s (3 y/o) first full hike outside the carrier and he did great.
This is the bridge, pictures don’t really do it justice. It was huge, and probably 100 feet tall.
Found an antelope squirrel hanging out under the bridge. Besides deer and elk on one evening drive, this was the only wildlife we saw the whole trip.
Lots of cacti in bloom everywhere we went.
Next, we kept cruising down the main park road (UT 24) until we got to our first dirt road of the trip. Coal Mine Road has access to a few interesting sights, and is a flat, easy drive. You can see Factory Butte the whole way down the road. Our first stop was not too far after turning on. It doesn’t have a name and isn’t a marked location or trail, but this was high on the list of the coolest things we did. The fact that few people know about it certainly adds to the allure. It’s a usually dry wash, but there were a few little pools of water. When you first climb down, it doesn’t look like much, but quickly becomes surreal.
You can go a bit further, but this pool was deep enough that we didn’t want to get wet, so it was our turn around point. Because the wash blocked the wind, I was able to fly my drone for a minute.
After walking back, we drove to the Moonscape Overlook. It’s another dirt road off of Coal Mine. The turn is pretty much right across from the middle of Factory Butte.
This place is insane! Before you get close to the edge, you feel like you are just on regular flat ground. But then you realize you are on a 1,000 foot cliff.
After exploring the edges for a few minutes, we drove back down towards Factory Butte, then went on the road that leads to it to get a closer look.
Went back to home base, got some lunch, then headed out again about few hours before sunset to the next stop: Bentonite Hills. It’s accessed by a dirt road, Hartnett Road, which was our favorite of all the dirt we rode on. Right in the beginning, there is a short but fun water crossing. Here is a video from when we headed back for the night. In addition to that, there are beautiful views every stretch of the way.
There is a small sign for the hills and a few spots to pull over and park. We got out and went exploring. The best time to be there is when the light is low, sunrise or sunset. We were a little early for sunset, but because it is lower than the road, some of it was already in the shadows. You can see the difference in the colors. In the shadows, you get more blues/greens/purples to come out. Beautiful either way.
This might look like animal poop, but it’s actually black boulders that are about 10 feet wide.
We walked around for 20ish minutes, then got started back on the drive home. One thing I love about out-and-back trails is that you get a chance to see things you missed in the opposite direction. Like this… One of my favorite photos from the trip.
re: Tuktoyaktuk: has anyone gone?
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/28/26 at 9:50 am to X123F45
I bet you know more about it than anyone here :lol:
How do you get there? I see there is one road. Is it paved? Where do you fly into? What would you be doing? I have a million questions...
How do you get there? I see there is one road. Is it paved? Where do you fly into? What would you be doing? I have a million questions...
re: TD Merch Giveaway for the Food and Drinkers...
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/28/26 at 9:16 am to CallmeSteveo
Sixth & Barone is my favorite poster
re: Do you live in your favorite state in the US?
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/26/26 at 5:17 pm to Redstickbaw
The more I explore Utah, the easier it gets to say YES to your question.
re: 5 States have the Northern Mockingbird as their State Bird
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/26/26 at 12:59 pm to FAT SEXY
quote:
Northern Mockingbird
quote:
Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas
re: What is something you do that is unconventional but you won't ever do different?
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/21/26 at 4:45 pm to Turnblad85
I smoke meat with real wood instead of dumping pellets into a box and pushing a button.
re: Dalton Hilliard on the move agains Florida State
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/21/26 at 3:17 pm to blueridgeTiger
Cool photo. Was that really FL St colors back then or did it not get them right?
re: We're #2! (10 worst states to call home in 2026)
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/18/26 at 10:32 pm to PetermanFanClub
quote:
US census data shows Louisiana is "most likely to keep its homegrown residents."
Because most of the residents are too stupid to leave
re: FBD Saturday at the RBC
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/18/26 at 9:42 pm to EastCoastCajun
FBD-
re: Ford F150 or GMC Sierra 1500?
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/18/26 at 2:25 pm to RanchoLaPuerto
I've had a Sierra 1500 with 3L diesel for about 2 years now. I love it. No issues so far. It gets up to 32 mpg going 78 mph on my commutes.
re: Pittsburgh Food Recommendations - Preferably Old School Italian Close to Downtown
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/17/26 at 12:27 pm to Dunder Mifflin
The Italian place we ate at was excellent. Talia
Close enough to walk to the stadium from there.
If you like Japanese (not exactly sushi, but they do have a roll or two), Otaru was our favorite place we ate. It's in the hillside across from the stadium, so you can take an incline to get there. Cool experience.
Close enough to walk to the stadium from there.
If you like Japanese (not exactly sushi, but they do have a roll or two), Otaru was our favorite place we ate. It's in the hillside across from the stadium, so you can take an incline to get there. Cool experience.
re: FBD - Post Tax Day
Posted by RonFNSwanson on 4/16/26 at 11:02 pm to RonFNSwanson
SBD- indoor fire
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