Well, the early start did not happen today. We ended up sleeping until 7:20. We started our morning with hot tea and a breakfast of pancakes and bacon with maple syrup. We are fanatics about real maple syrup and purchase it by the gallon from an organic farm in Virginia. The morning started with clear skies and warm sunshine.

We were able break camp and get on the road by 9:20. Just a short (1/2 mile) jaunt down the road brought us to our first stop at Starr Ranch.

“In the 1880’s, Al Starr selected this site as the headquarters for his horse and mining operations.

Shortly after operations began, a stonemason was employed to build a house and a cellar.

The cellar remains show the unique craftsmanship of the builder. The buildings were never completed and the ranch was abandoned when drought and loco weed killed most of the horses.

Al Starrs’s mine was located on Mt. Hillers, northwest of here. No commercial ore was produced.” (From the BLM Sign at the ranch)

The ranch is a good example of how people tried to make a living out of the harsh lands in this area and failed.

The next stop was Bull Frog on Lake Powell to top off the water jugs and fuel before heading up Waterpocket Fold and the Burr Trail. At Bull Frog the beached house boats were an interesting sight.

Once we left Bull Frog we finally were on dirt roads with the start of the Burr Trail. I run my tires at 44 psi on the highway. This pressure makes the washboard all that much harsher so it was time to air down. I dropped the pressure to 25 PSI which helped smooth the bumps out.

I found a side track off the Burr Trail that I decided to take.  

The maps indicated that the track would take us closer to the cliffs on the west side of the trail. It was a good call and took us to the Halls Creek overlook. From the over look there is a Bridge visible across the valley as well as a view up and down Waterpocket Fold.

 Continue Day 2