Map to Butterfly Bend Rock Art Green River Utah
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Today I headed back into Utah so I could visit Moonshine Launder in the San Rafael Desert which has been on my listing of places to visit for fashion too long, peculiarly since it's not as well far away from dwelling! Moonshine Wash received it's name from the moonshiners who were agile hither during prohibition. While I didn't have a chance to visit the cement tanks almost Moonshine Bound that were used to make the moonshine, I was finally able to visit and photograph the narrow slot that makes up part of this canyon.
It just so happened that there was also a Lunar Eclipse early on this forenoon so I fabricated certain and left home early enough and so that I could finish in Rabbit Valley to photograph the Claret Moon.
A simple photograph of the Blood Moon that I took from Rabbit Valley virtually the state line.
The partially eclipsed moon sets over the desert at the base of the Book Cliffs in Utah near Thompson Springs.
Afterward stopping to fuel up in Green River, I took the Green River Route due south into the San Rafael Desert to begin my adventure. It had been pretty common cold overnight (compared to the recent warmer temperatures nosotros've been having) and when I passed past the Horse Bench Reservoir I noticed that it was covered with a sparse sheet of ice.
I took a short side trip to Fossil Signal.
Layers of the desert to the Book Cliffs from the edge of Horse Bench.
After reaching the trailhead, I hiked downwardly a shallow wash to where information technology dropped down into Moonshine Wash, which I followed to the slot.
I followed the shallow slot which got progressively deeper…
…until I reached this bigger drop that led into the deeper role of the slot canyon. I could have hands climbed downwards this drop, simply I didn't think I would exist able to get back up it past myself if I needed to, and since I wasn't quite sure what was alee, I decided to exist cautious and not become whatsoever farther this mode.
I knew there was a steep exit downward below the narrows somewhere, just I wasn't certain what it was like and didn't want to take the chance that I would be able to go up information technology. I'g not the all-time climber effectually, so I'm unremarkably pretty cautious when I'thousand hiking alone. I decided to retrace my steps so I could find the escape route after the narrows and effort coming back up the slot.
Equally I hiked across the sandy demote above the canyon I came across this old 1911 survey marker.
I took a short detour to visit the Moonshiner Bridge that crosses the narrow slot canyon. I have read that this bridge was used past the sometime bootleggers and then that they could bulldoze their cars from the San Rafael and walk across the bridge to accomplish their operations at Moonshine Spring. I certainly wouldn't trust this span today!
At that place was a lot of sand to hike through on my way beyond the top of the mesa.
Later finding the exit route out of the canyon, I followed information technology down to the wash at the bottom and hiked back upwardly to the narrows. The light inside the exit (entrance for me) of the slot was very nice when I arrived.
Information technology was a fun picayune slot coulee to climb up with prissy light around every bend. There were a few places I had to climb that would have been easier coming downwards, but I managed to get through it OK.
A view of the Moonshiner Span from beneath.
Since I wasn't able to climb dorsum out of the coulee this way, I had to plough effectually render the way I had come in. Earlier exiting the coulee I decided to see if I could go upwardly the Westward Fork to the former cement tanks near Moonshine Bound.
Soon after inbound the Westward Fork, I was stopped by this climb and turned around once again to go out the coulee the way I had originally come down.
Subsequently returning to my Jeep at the trailhead, I decided to have a quick side trip over to the Trin-Alcove Bend of the Green River since it was nearby and I hadn't been in that location in years.
As I hiked to the edge of the Trin-Alcove Curve from the end of the route, I passed this large hand made out of dark-colored rocks on the lighter sandstone.
A view over the Trin-Alcove Bend from the betoken of the confluence with Three Canyon.
As I collection dorsum towards Greenish River I noticed that the ice on the Equus caballus Bench Reservoir had melted off and now there was a muddy reflection.
Before returning to Dark-green River I took one more detour and so I could try and discover a few petroglyphs at Butterfly Bend along the Green River.
Following this wash through the badlands on my way to Butterfly Bend.
I institute a few boulders with petroglyphs on them, but I'grand certain that I missed some since I was getting short on time. This was one of the better panels I found.
This boulder was separate from the rest and closer to the Green River. I was actually standing on summit of the boulder looking downward to have this photograph.
Before leaving the surface area, I spotted what I idea looked similar a small console of Bulwark Coulee Way pictographs on the ledge beneath me, and so I plant a fashion to reach them. Unfortunately, it looks like I was deceived since I'grand pretty sure these are fakes based on the 'DINASAR' written above them in the same pigment.
1 last photo of the Light-green River at Butterfly Bend before I hiked back to my Jeep.
After reaching the trailhead it was a short drive back to Green River where I stopped for the obligatory burger at Ray'due south Tavern before the drive home.
>> Moonshine Wash Photo Gallery
Source: https://adventr.co/2015/04/moonshine-wash/