Mosquito Vista

Utah 2025 #6

2025-06-13

We’ve just left Kodachrome State Park in southern Utah. We wander down a two lane highway through little Mormon towns and settlements. This is beautiful country where green pastures and creeks pass through colorful hills, buttes and mountains.

Each farm has an old homestead house. These are the remnants of standardized homes provided for pioneers by the church community, when they would settle an area. These early shelters are still there for memory and identity.

This valley has the meandering Pariah River running through it. It is currently only a small creek maybe six or eight feet across. We’re heading to the mountains instead of more slot canyons. It is too hot for DF and maybe me, the diehard. A temperature of 83F was nice, but well into the 90F’s with little or no shade is uncomfortable. Perhaps another time, we did get a late start this year. There is another concern, fire. We smell the smoke which is emanating from the west in a towering cloud. There is a fire out west and we’ll head north-ish for cleaner air.

Off of a bend in the main highway that connects the local towns, we find the dirt road that leads up a canyon to higher elevations. Supposedly there are pine trees and cooler temperatures. I’m tired. There is a creek running along this route, which is encouraging. I find a small rough road, a two track jeep trail that is running through tall brush and trees to something, perhaps campsites.

Eventually, it leads to the base of a “North Creek Reservoir’s” dam.

Driving along the bottom of the dam it stops at a fine camping area. We are delighted by the good fortune. We park under the tree’s shade. Through a thicket, there is a creek. The only sound that we hear is its calming trickling waters.

After a sigh and a deep relaxing breath, we get out and walk around. Down a trail at the end of this kind of a road, there is running water out of a concrete shoot from the reservoir. The creek is the excess water from the small lake.

There is a second small dam here and this presents us with a small swimming hole. This coupled with the shallow mountain creek, may cause us to stay a couple of days. We take note of the colorful river rocks under the clear mountain water.

The trail coming in was rough, winding and tight. It would discourage most drivers. We would hear a slow lumbering visitor with plenty of notice. This spot is looking very good.

We are tired and need to eat, for now. I begin to set up the tent. Within minutes we are being swarmed by mosquitoes. They’re big ones! I can’t get the tent set up fast enough. DF has put clothing on as she cooks. I have covered up all but my face with a hoody.

They have chased us into the net tent. We hear them outside, as we sit and uncharacteristically eat inside. It is as though they have us caged. These bugs own this place. It looks so darn pleasant out there, as the sun goes down and the walls of the canyon change their color.

We sleep late, waiting for the nasty miniscule aggressive bitters to go away with the morning sunshine. Because of the shade and moister, they never really leave us. We strip, but then have to get dressed again, after a couple of bites.

We break camp and manage a breakfast as just enough sun arrives. We are not staying here. There must be plenty of better spots in these vast forests.

It is now Saturday the 14th. We decide to drive uphill to look for creek-side campsites. We may find something for now, or even, just maybe, a wonderful glamping site for a future sojourn. The long mountain road takes us for miles, out of the deciduous and into the pine trees. There is a creek, but no luck for campsites. Any potential is too close to the road dust and no privacy to live freely nude.

With gas low, we head toward the town Escalante. On the way, there is a field of domes; it is a resort.

This is designated dark sky territory. Each unit is equipped with a telescope. However, the bar/restaurant is closed. We are off season.

Escalante, pronounced without the “e” is a quiet town today. It supports sportsmen, tourists and the local farmer/rancher communities. There will be no “No Kings” protests here today, like the rest of the country. We are pleased to find an organic store, a grocery and a place with great pizza! We can supply ourselves, dine and then investigate the visitor center (which turns out to be helpful).

We decide to take the Hell’s Backbone route to find a camping site for a few days. From there, we have access to mountain forests and I think that the maps are telling us about a couple of rough roads that lead to solitude.

It is a long winding dirt route with plenty of cliff sides presenting glorious views, often out into the Canyonlands. DF enjoys her vistas, while I have to keep my eyes nailed to the road. Its blind curves, drop offs and slip-sliding washboard surfaces keep me occupied. A moment’s distraction could be fatal.

I find the spot that I know from the map. We have seen very little traffic, less than five vehicles, which have been jeeps and fancy 4×4 camping rigs. We’re deep into wilderness. The windows are down and the scented mountain air flows around our welcoming naked bodies.

There is a route that winds through a kind of peninsula, that I suspect will be fruitful. The plateau is sometimes just a few hundred feet across, often more. It turns out for the greater part, to have just a few pines between cliffs. We take the rough road, looking for a campsites and hiking.

There is little wind break and barely soil to attach a tent to.

At the end of the trail, it just disappears as a grassy meadow. There is a disappointing sign posted at what would be a nice campsite. It warns of poison gas! Someone is pumping out poison gasses way out here, miles from anything civilization. We feel a need to just get away. A tight circle and we begin to retrace our route.

On the way in, there was a campsite and an old overgrown jeep trail leading from it over to a blind horizon. It will be a good place to rest, stretch and take an exploratory walk. We are glad to find it again.

We gather cameras; there is no need for anything else. Around here, we can only walk so far before walking off of a cliff.

There are low growing manzanita bushes eking a living in the shallow bits of accumulated sand laying on top of bedrock, not much for roots.

Here and there, a tall pine grows. There is evidence of a fire years ago. Occasional flowering plants do survive along the way in the sparse environment.

At a point the red SUV disappears behind us and the world opens up into a sense of infinity. We gaze in wonder out across the distant former plains below us. Great canyons meander, carved out by time in colorful arrays. Miles out to the horizon, a few greyish mountains are just bumps.

DF spreads out her arms to embrace and be embraced with the magnitude of it. Big sky air combs across this terrain, it is a treat for a bare body on this warm day.

We both survey and pray our respects to this wondrous place.

Backtracking to the main road, I know of another jeep trail on the other side with the potential for a good campsite.  There, we find a very nice place on a reasonably flat area. I find how to park and set up the tent on the level. Here, we can enjoy ourselves for a few days.

We explore the jeep trail that brought us here. Just past our campsite, after some humps to discourage vehicular traffic, it continues as a walking trail. That way will not be occupied by any others. We’ll have at least two hikes to do here. We find a perch on the side of the trail and look out across the valley and hills that we came from earlier. It’s a beautiful sight. We sit in all of this for a short while, before it is time to settle into camp.

We have curry veggie soup with crackers and then dates stuffed with goat cheese for dessert. We are not bothered by mosquitoes. It is getting colder after sundown and at dusk it is time to lie in bed under a warm blanketing. Beauty, peace and solitude are ours for miles and miles around and as long as we choose….

To be Continued….

If there is any delay for the next post, I’m just having computer issues and will be transitioning to a new one.

I am on the forum of FreeRangeNaturism.com often, if you would like to converse.

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