I was still bothered by my problems with the electrical system, and I was anxious to get back to the “mainland” with real paved roads and such. But, I also had a mission to capture some additional images of “the tree” at Dance Rock Hall (DHR).
Needless to say, but I woke early with a myriad of thoughts swirling around in my head: How am I going to fix the solar charging system? Do I need to call the owner, and will I need to head back to Salt Lake City? How long will it take me to get back to the main road? Where should I go next for photos? What should I have for breakfast?
Looking out the window, I saw that the moon was still up. Okay, that might make for some cool photos of the tree at DHR, I thought. I quick hopped out of bed, got dressed, and headed out. I drove extra, extra slow to prevent the batteries from shifting again. The van headlights actually helped illuminate the contours in the road so I could pick the path of least “turbulence”. I was literally chasing the moon as it was going to set pretty soon, but I didn’t want to drive too fast.
I arrived at DHR and got my gear ready. It was rather chilly, and there was a modest breeze, so I grabbed a knit hat and gloves in addition to my headlamp and flashlight. Thank goodness I had recorded the hike since it’s unlikely I would have found it. Even in the bright moonlight, all the rocks looked alike! I quickly found the spot and fired off some shots. The moon soon set, and I took a bunch more with my Lume Cube. Wow! This is not the shot I envisioned, but it may be even better! Thank you photography gods!
 |
| “The Tree” |
The sun was now starting to rise. I debated whether to hang around, but I was cold and anxious to split. I hiked back to van and started the arduous drive back to Escalante. As before, I was going extra, extra slow. If I was lucky I got up to 11-12 mph, but if the road was really band, it was 7 or 8 mph. Do the math: how long would it take for me to go 36 miles at that rate? The trip was agonizing, and I absolutely couldn’t wait for it to end. Finally it did, and I literally cheered. The answer: over 3-1/2 hours!
 |
| They have these things all over the place. Utah is largely free range for cattle, but they won’t walk across these, generally confining them to one large area. |
I pulled into a Do It Center hardware that I had previously noticed in Escalante. If they had alligator clips in the right size, I’d replace the ones for the solar panel charging controller. They didn’t, but an idea had occurred to me in my fitful sleep: c-clamps! I bought a couple small ones and a roll of electrical tape just in case. It took a little finagling, but I managed to clamp the clip onto the battery terminal post. I looked at the controller panel, and it no longer had an error message. It said 12V, meaning it was charging!! You go, MacGyver! (By the way, the next day it was showing a full battery, so it was definitely back in business.)
 |
| Gaffer’s tape & multi-tool |
 |
| C-clamp on bent alligator clip (red arrow) |
Now that I had successfully recovered from my problem, what next? Traveling down & back Hole-in-the-Rock Road (aka, the road from hell) had cost me AT LEAST a half-day. I originally planned to visit Wahweap Hoodoos next, but this was a long drive and involved about 4-hour hike out and back, plus shooting time, so that was out. Darn it! Well, I had to travel west anyway for my Sunday planned shoot, which would take right by Bryce Canyon National Park (or BCNP). Why not? I had a few “third tier” locations on my list, so might as well. And boy am I glad I did! It was late in the day, and sun literally made the hoodoos in the amphitheater glow. Wow!
 |
| A couple ginormous solar panels at the visitor center |
 |
| Some hoodoos as you approach the park |
I found a very nice dispersed campsite just outside of BCNP (in the Dixie National Forest again). It didn’t know yet what I was doing the next day, but this redirection was actually part of the adventure.
 |
| The sun setting at the campsite. Every day so far has been cloud-free! |
 |
| This came up my phone. Utah, especially the Salt LakeCity area, is a COVID-19 hot spot. Idont think it’ll affect my travel back, but one never knows. Fingers crossed. |
By the way, if you click on an image, you will see a bigger, higher resolution image!
No comments:
Post a Comment