as a born and raised desert rat i've lived in this landscape so long it looks almost pedestrian to me, i have to remind myself periodically how otherworldly this must appear to most folks. 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

brought my zip and didn't ride a single inch, driving my overloaded beast was a full time job and a full on blast 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

candlestick, check out our green river folder for a river level view 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

dawn, and the beginning of a marathon day 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

day three and my trusty ranger is still sitting heavy on the rear springs 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

down on the white rim 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

looking up the shafer trail 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

looking west towards the green river 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

my trusty ranger loaded for bear. actually heavily overloaded... 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

north escarpment of murphey's hogback 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

our only glimpse of the colorado river 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

road barely visible at far left of picture 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

scale is deceiving, this canyon is considerably deeper than it looks in this picture. 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

someone has her stoke on! 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

sunset at airport tower campsite 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

the fun begins, dropping into schafer canyon 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

the la sal mountains in the distance 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

the shafer trail switchbacks viewed from the canyon rim 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

the speck on the road at the far left of the picture is diane 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

this stretch of road is actually steeper than it looks here 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

view from the north side of murphey's hogback looking west. the green river is barely visible in the top of this picture. 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

view from the south side of murphey's hogback, you can make out the road in the left third of the picture 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

view south towards the confluence 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011

you can barely make out the road down off of the hogback, it transects upper left to lower right. it's actually quite a bit steeper than it appears here. 

Taken: Oct 1, 2011