Uploads from listorama, tagged ut2006oct, with geodata

Jackson's Ladder and a pipeline...20061021_6632

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Thu, 30 May 2013 19:43:55 -0700

listorama posted a photo:

Looking up Jackson's Ladder, a hiking trail that runs from the Amasa Back plateau down to Jackson Hole. The trail descends in zigzag fashion from the plateau notch at left. This is the only pracitcal way for hikers to reach Jackson Hole. Mountain bikers use the trail when doing a loop over Hurrah Pass and down Jackson's Trail (on the plateau above).

A natural gas pipeline descends this ravine above ground. Hikers and bikers (carrying their bikes) have fun stepping over the pipeline, which is about three feet off the ground where it crosses the trail.

20061027_9576...In the park?

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:12:15 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

I'm posting this six and a half tears after I took it, so my memory about some details is weak. Here I was very close to the boundary of Arches National Park. I think I was inside the park, but I can't remember. This indecision about a boundary borders on meaninglessness. The view is to the southwest.

20061027_9738...Bleach and elbow grease work wonders

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:33:42 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

Dirty sandstone depresses, dismays, and disgusts me. During my trips to Moab I have endured all manner of dirty sandstone: red sandstone, orange sandstone, yellow sandstone, purple sandstone, and gray sandstone. Only one word adequately describes that stuff: UGLY.

On one trip to Moab I went prepared to rectify the situation and the result is shown here. Armed with industrial-grade bleach, buckets of elbow grease, and a wire brush, I did some "cleaning." The casual viewer might ask "Why did he start half-way down this outcrop rather than at the top? The answer lies in my adherence to the teachings of my spiritual guru (the Bhagwan Hotair Windbag of Antelope). He preaches that "to advance spiritually, one must begin at the bottom of the spiritual ladder and work one's way up to a more exalted condition."

Thus I started cleaning at the bottom of this sandstone outcrop and worked my up. The casual viewer might also ask "Why did he stop where he did, leaving the job unfinished?" The answer is threefold:
1. My wire brush was worn out
2. I was exhausted physically even though I was pumped up spiritually
3. It dawned on me that leaving a bold line of demarcation would show the effectiveness of my work, thus inspiring others to join me in this worthy endeavor.

Of course, I need to return to complete the job. When I do I'll bring extra brushes. I won't need any more bleach or elbow grease because there was a lot left over and I stashed it nearby (cryptobiotic crust make great camouflage!). I just might change the focus of my trips to Moab from "hiking" to "cleaning." So much dirt, so little time…

Naturally I cannot divulge the exact location because that might lead to theft of my elbow grease ($$$), but I can reveal that this is a short distance outside of Arches National Park, east of the ridge containing Delicate Arch Viewpoint. Geotagging is merely approximate for this reason.

20061027_9537...Drainage

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:28:59 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

Seen during a hike that turned into a circumnavigation of Delicate Arch Viewpoint. Geotagging is approximate.

20061027_9447...Fluid dynamics (water flowed from left to right)

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:48:39 -0700

listorama posted a photo:

Interesting patterns in a wash in Cache Valley in Arches National Park, close to the parking lot of Delicate Arch Viewpoint.

20061020_6047...BLU WGN at a movie filming site

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:57:33 -0700

listorama posted a photo:

The red hill behind my (former) car is the south end of Union Pacific"s Cane Creek Branch.

A 1983 movie ("Spacehunters: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone") was filmed in part there: the machine gun scene.

20061028_0949...Notch Peak

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:12:12 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

On one of my trips to Moab, I returned home via Nevada and California. After driving west from Moab and Green River, I spent the first night looking at the massive west face of Notch Peak. I slept in my car here in the Tule Valley, west of Delta, Utah.

20061021_6575...Spooky

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:09:53 -0700

listorama posted a photo:

The evil shadow of Jackson Butte intrudes into Jackson Hole. Looking southwest from the top of Jackson's Ladder (a trail).

Movie scene: "Spacehunters" (machine gun)

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:57:08 -0700

listorama posted a photo:

Location: end of a railroad spur at a potash mine near Moab, Utah.

The upper photo (a picture of my TV screen) shows a scene from the movie "Spacehunters: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone." In it, someone is aiming a machine gun at a wind-powered railroad car. The machine gun is set up atop a pile of dirt and rocks. In the movie the pile of rocks appeared to be a way to block the railroad track as part of an ambush. A battle ensued.

The lower photo is my re-creation of the movie scene. The perspectives are slightly different because I got lazy when taking the picture. The real purpose of the dirt pile is to keep freight cars from running off the end of the track. The track is the southern end of Union Pacific's Cane Creek Branch, a line running from Brendel (a railroad site at Crescent Junction) to this location. The potash mine served by the line is out of view to the left. Partially visible to the right of the track berm is the road leading to the Potash boat ramp. That is also the road that provides access to the eastern end of the so-called "Shafer Trail," most of which is officiailly known as San Juan County Route 142. Notes on the image identify some features. My vantage point was at the center of this WikiMapia aerial view. When I posted this link (June 2012), the aerial imagery showed two locomotives parked in front of the pile of dirt. They are no longer there.

BACKGROUND:
"Spacehunters: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone" is about the hunt for three cute women being held captive on a weird-looking planet.

My interest in duplicating scenes from the movie developed after I read a book about movies made in Moab. The book mentioned "Spacehunters" and I remembered watching that movie years earlier. At the time of viewing I had no idea where the movie had been filmed, but the weird landscape was fascinating. The movie was no award-winner.

Later I discovered a photo I had taken during a visit to Moab: it depicted a place that looked just like one of the movie’s shooting scenes. This prompted me to watch the movie again to see the place I had photographed. The film was even worse the second time, but I recognized some of the shooting locales from my trips to Moab. As the movie played, I snapped pictures of the television screen. The color cast of the screen shots was so bad that I had to convert the images to black-and-white. Grainy black-and-white print-outs were adequate for helping me find shooting locations.

All of my "Spacehunters" photography took place on the property of Intrepid Potash. I had permission of the manager of the mine to be on the property.

20060921_5260 and 20061020_5949

Movie scene: "Thelma and Louise" (train)

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:25:38 -0700

listorama posted a photo:

Location: on Frontage Road, just east of Crescent Junction and several miles west of Thompson Springs, Utah. The views are to the northeast.

The upper photo is a scene from the movie "Thelma and Louise." It is a (terrible) picture of my television screen. This scene appears just before the two women pass a truck driver who gives them an obscene gesture. I think the shot was taken from a helicopter.

The lower image is a chance photo I took at road level without any knowledge of the movie. I had just left Moab and was headed for Nevada. When I reached Crescent Junction, I turned east onto Frontage Road to photograph a train that was approaching. This shot was taken after the train went by. I didn't discover this movie co-incidence until much later.

The vantage point for my photo is at the center of this WikiMapia aerial view.

20061028_0424 and 20070128_6740

20061010_0244...The Wall

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:10:46 -0700

listorama posted a photo:

This retaining wall separates eastbound I-84 traffic (what I am here) from westbound traffic located higher up. It is a mile or two west of Glenns Ferry, Idaho and acts as a landmark for me when I'm driving in this area.

Because it appears that I, as driver, took a picture while operating a motor vehicle at high speed, I hereby disavow any knowledge of having done so. I would never endanger society in that manner, even though I am able to "multi-task."

The hood belongs to my Subaru station wagon, which here was making its final trip to Utah.

20061023_7788...Arrow of rocks

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:12:15 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

I took this picture in 2006 during my second visit to the plateau of fins and domes east of the trailhead of Negro Bill Canyon. The arrow points to the northwest, which is the alignment of the fins here and the direction I had been traveling. By going a 1100 feet (340 m) in that direction, one reaches an overlook of the Colorado River.

In September 2011, Jim Doss (w9jim) hiked there and shot a photo almost identical to this one.

20061021_6760...The vine that ruined my day

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:37:40 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

This harmless vine, growing in a narrow passageway in Jackson Butte, spoiled my day of exploration. The vine---a form of Clematis---was interwoven with a bush (not visible) that blocked a narrow passageway leading to terrain that interested me. Normally I would push the bush aside and squeeze through, so what's the problem?

A minor detail concerned me: the leaves are arranged in groups of three, so I thought the vine might be poison ivy. Trial and error is a great way to learn things, but in this case the possibility of error rubbed me the wrong way, so to speak. In other words, being rash might have lead to a rash.

I retreated, accepting the fact that additional exploration would have to wait for another time. After returning home, I submitted this photo to plant experts, who identified it as either Clematis ligusticifolia (White virgins-bower) or Clematis columbiana (Rock clematis). That was good enough for me. I was itching for more exploration of Jackson Butte, so on a later trip I boldly pushed the bush and vine aside and explored to my heart's content. Revenge was sweet indeed.

My thanks for plant identification go out to Rebecca Alexander of the Elizabeth C. Miller Library at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens in Seattle, and to Daryl Trotter of the Bureau of Land Management in Moab.

20061026_9169...About to swing at Corona Arch

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Fri, 20 May 2011 15:04:39 -0700

listorama posted a photo:

Two guys hold a third in position as high as possible to give him a good swing on the rope, which is draped over Corona Arch.

20061014_2197...From 1968 to 2006

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:29:09 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

Three things in this October 2006 picture date to August 1968: the green drinking cup, the aluminum pot, and the Optimus 80 stove (at far right). I bought all three at the REI store in Seattle in 1968, just before traveling across the country on freight trains. The stove's first use was to cook freeze-dried beef hash in a bouncing boxcar in western Montana. The cup and pot are components of a Palco "Boy Scout" cooking kit. All three items were still in service in 2010, 42 years after being purchased.

My standard breakfast is Grape Nuts Flakes. On occasion I also have yogurt. After eating this breakfast I scrambled up to the summit of Floating Island. The weather was perfect all day.

Joe Tripod, my photographic assistant in the field, provided his usual rock-steady support of my camera for this photo, taken on the northeast side of Floating Island. He dates back to 2004.

20061013_1971...Summit ridge of Tetzlaff Peak

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 23:52:47 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

The central part of the ridge is too spooky for me; I got as far as the ridge at upper right.

20061030_2137...North Bank Fred shoots Listorama

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 22:25:49 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

North Bank Fred is a former(?) freight-hopper whom I befriended first via e-mail, then by two visits to his Northern California abode. On my way home from Moab in October 2006 I saw him again. We had a Nikon "duel in the sun" at Black Butte Siding, a place where he hangs out now and then. Note that his camera is an F100---he was shooting f*lm rather than pixels.

20061021_6779...Smiling just before disappointment

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:26:03 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

All smiles here---I believed I had found the only "easy" passage into the amphitheater of Jackson Butte. The amphitheater is behind me and a later hike confirmed that this was the only easy route. This was the first time in my desert travels I had passed through such a narrow corridor and it was exciting!

But a few minutes later---after walking toward the background---my smiles turned to frowns and groans because of the vegetation behind me. A thick bush pretty much blocked the far end of this narrow corridor and intertwined with its branches was a vine that gave me pause. I retreated in disgrace, hiking no farther. The link above tells the terrible, troubling tale.

The corridor was about 50 feet long and three feet wide, and was formed by a cliff (left side of image) and a tower.

This corridor self-portrait would not have been possible without the narrowly-focused work of Joe Tripod, my photographic assistant.

20061009_0089..Parking in the sky

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:44:21 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

20061013_2036...WW2 target in the desert

nobody@flickr.com (listorama) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 01:12:46 -0800

listorama posted a photo:

Looking WSW from Tetzlaff Peak's north ridge (geotagged). Clearly visible are several concentric shorelines of ancient Lake Bonneville. Also visible is a circular grid, probably some sort of target left over from training activities of World War Two.

The target---one of two in the same area---is at the center of this WikiMapia aerial view.