Saturday morning Adam and I got up early so that we could be on our way by 7:30 am. From OGD, we flew over to UT83, Thunder Ridge Airpark. A few months ago they announced that they would be having some fly-in breakfasts this summer and it sounded like something fun to hit. There were a few dark clouds and showers hanging around the Wasatch, but it was still a smooth and pretty flight. I love this time of year when the mountains are turning green with a little snow still on top.
Upon arriving at Thunder Ridge, we saw that Allen and Stan had already arrived and were the first plane on the ground. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Tracy and Bob, two of the guys that are selling the lots and overseeing the building. They had a nice covered area for tables and fed us a great breakfast. Soon more planes arrived and I think by the time it was all said and done, there were eight that flew in. Before we left, we walked through one of the cabins that they are building. Pretty cool place and a nice cabin. They also did a raffle with some good prizes. For the adults, they gave away one cow elk permit to hunt on their 1,000 acres and a half hour ride in a Stearman in Heber. For the kids, they had a water balloon launcher and water balloons. Unfortunately, none of us won. Adam was especially bummed. At first he was the only kid there. Then to his despair, more showed up. Next time!
With full bellies, we took off and headed south for Eagle City. I had talked to Matt about the strip and we took our time making several passes to pick out our touchdown spots. Allen headed in first and I followed to catch it on video. Once he was down and gave me a report on the surface, I came around and landed. The strip is in good shape, but there are rocks and you definitely want to land on the second 2/3s or half. While we were there, we added to Matt and Gary's work by clearing more rocks off the runway. What a beautiful place with a great view of the red rock country!
On the ground, we got camp set up and had lunch before heading off to hike the slot canyon that runs next to the strip. We decided to hike to the west and follow the slot down hill to see if it was passable. We walked a little more than needed (took the wrong road) to find the canyon, but that was ok because we got to see another small slot further up. There was a fair bit of bush whacking and stream jumping, but overall it wasn't bad. There were some really pretty spots in the canyon.
Our progress down canyon came to an abrupt halt when we came upon a 60-70' drop. It looked like at one time the slot had been dammed. There were notches carved into the sandstone and there was a concrete base with logs stacked underneath. We later found rods with insulators on them that had been driven into the walls further downstream. We are guessing they must have dammed it to generate power. There was an anchor point, but with no climbing gear, we were forced to turn back. We would love to go back with some gear and repel down!
Luckily, we didn't have to backtrack too far to find a viable place to exit. It was still steep with lots of loose rocks, but with the help of a rope to help Adam up, it worked. I was a proud daddy this trip. Adam was a real trooper. He was pushed out of his comfort zone several times. Some of the places we went up were intimidating, but he did a great job!
Once back on top, we stopped by camp to take a short break and then decided to drop back into the slot east of the strip. There was more bush whacking to do and couple of places to negotiate getting up, but we were able to make it in a pretty good distance before the waning daylight told us it was time to head back to camp. We again found an earlier spot to exit and came out right across from camp, just in time to see a spectacular sunset over the Henry's behind our planes and the strip. This was my first slot experience and I loved it!
Back in camp, we decided to hurry and do some shooting before it got dark, then enjoyed dinner around the campfire. What a great day!
The next morning we were up early. I was glad that the wind had finally stopped blowing in the early morning hours. We broke camp and had breakfast before taking off. The scenery heading to my fuel stop at DTA was spectacular. On my way home, I also swung by a new place RezDog told me about on the south end of the Salt Lake. I dragged a wheel, but it was black as spades, so we motored on home.
What a great weekend of camping with good friends and my son. It's weekends like this that really drive home how blessed I/we are. To be able to access these amazing places and share them with those we love. Allen, Noreen would have loved it and I sure she was happy to see you exploring it for the both of you. Thanks for a great trip!
I'll post this on Shortfield, but here is a pirep on the strip:
Overall the strip is in great shape. There are rocks but the west 2/3s of the strip has been fairly well cleared. There are definitely more on the eastern third and I'd not recommend landing on it. Really no need to with as much slope as the strip has. There is a juniper on the south side of the strip with a big rectangular piece of ply board next to it (easily visible from the air). The strip is good a from a few hundred feet east of it to the western end. In the same area as that tree, there is a shallow rut north of centerline with a good sized rock that could be a problem. Landing west, just stay a little left of centerline and you'll be fine. There are some big rocks on the shoulders, so if you don't have a bunch of prop clearance, take the time to walk it before you taxi. Otherwise, what a great place! Everything was green and the wild flowers were out. This place has great views of the valley to the east. Bring your firewood as there isn't much around to scavenge. With all the varying terrain, the winds can be funky. We had a pretty good south wind and there were several sinkers on final. There is a small, and pretty much useless windsock on the west end. On the east end, there is a nice windsock frame with the tattered remains of a sock. It was actually our better wind indicator. We will have to see about getting a new sock down there. With Verizon I had cell service, although you needed to stay put once you found a good spot.
Here are some pics from the weekend.
Thunder Ridge Airpark Fly-in breakfast
Eagle City and Crescent Creek slot
When we got to Eagle City, Allen found Adam a horny toad. He thought it was pretty cool.
Eagle City
Allen was ready to tackle the slot.
So was Adam!
Crescent Slot
Thanks to Stan and Allen for catching some great shots of me and my little buddy.
Exploring the slot.
Uh oh! End of the road!
Extricating ourselves from the slot. We pushed Adam out of his comfort zone and he did a great job!
East windsock. I think a new one is in order!
The licorice walrus gang taking five.
What camping trip would be complete without a little shooting?
Breakfast before departure.
Cool formations west of Hanksville.
On our way home after a great weekend!
