Starling Travel

I am DISGUSTED at this video of boy scout leaders toppling a rock formation in Goblin Valley State Park.

The guy filming the video is David Hall. He’s the one who sings, “wiggle it just a little bit.” He’s also the guy who laughs, saying, “We have modified Goblin Valley!” Here is his Facebook Page:

• Facebook – David Hall

The man who actually pushed over the rock is Glenn Taylor. Here is his Facebook Page:

• Facebook – Glenn Taylor

He’s the owner of NoBounds IT.

Here is the Wikipedia definition of a goblin:

• Goblin Valley State Park

The unusual stone shapes in Goblin Valley result from the weathering of Entrada Sandstone. They consist of debris eroded from former highlands and redeposited on a former tidal flat of alternating layers of sandstone, siltstone and shale. The rocks show evidence of being near an ancient sea with the ebb and flow of tides, tidal channels that directed currents back to the sea and coastal sand dunes.

Joint or fracture patterns within the Entrada’s sandstone beds created initial zones of weakness. The unweathered joints intersected to form sharp edges and corners with greater surface-area-to-volume ratios than the faces. As a result, the edges weathered more quickly, producing the spherical-shaped ‘goblins’.

The rock formations are estimated to be around 170 million years old.

Those “leaders” destroyed 170 MILLION YEARS of history. The Emery County Attorney, David Blackwell, is deciding whether to press charges against them. I’ve written an email to the David Blackwell:

Dear Mr. Blackwell,

I just saw the video of the Goblin Valley vandalism performed by Glenn Taylor and the two other boy scout participants. Over the years, I’ve seen MANY hooligans like this destroy our national parks and monuments. PLEASE make an example of these guys. If you have any ability to press charges against them, please do so. I am so sick of people like this destroying our public lands.

You can email him as well: bwell@co.emery.ut.us

Here is a video of them trying to justify this behavior:

Don’t let these guys get away with this sort of behavior. It’s not their place to decide if a rock is going to topple. It’s NATURE’S place to decide (and the state park employees in charge of that park). When vandalism like this is allowed in our public lands, then what are we saving them for?

Update 12-15-13: Goblin topplers may spur new law against wilderness vandalism | The Salt Lake Tribune

Via: Fox 13 News – Man who toppled rock formation at Goblin Valley says formation was dangerous

Mello Mike went to Southern Utah in his truck camper and had a great time. You can read the introduction here:

• Mello Mike’s RV & Off-Road Adventures: Wow! What a trip!

My favorite photo is of his boondocking spot in the Valley of the Gods:

Check out his website and enjoy the beautiful photography!

Update 12-14-14

I finally fixed this awning and made it much more sturdy and easy to put up. You can see it here:

• Starling Travel – A Better Homemade Awning

A couple of weeks ago, we went camping down at Sand Hollow State Park in Southern Utah. It was the first time I got to test my homemade awning. It looked GREAT!

Unfortunately, it didn’t hold up well in the wind. Just a short burst of wind sent it toppling down. There are two points of weakness in my design: the connections at the top and the connections at the trailer. On the trailer, the poles (stolen from my Springbar tent) just slide onto this PVC connector.

They worked great in the garage, but there was no wind there. Even the smallest of wind gusts can pop the pole off this connector, so I need to drill a hole in both the pole and the PVC pipe, and add a pin to keep the poles in place.

At the top of the awning, it is held on with a pin, but the pin just kept popping out of place, so I need a different connection there as well. I did a pretty good job sewing the awning, so I’m proud of that. All I need to work on is the hardware and this puppy with look good AND stay in place.

We took the Sea Eagle kayak out on Sand Hollow Reservoir in Southern Utah last weekend and it was a peaceful trip.

We watched the people jump off the huge cliffs. It was pretty nervous making.

Then, we made our way to the island.

There, we found a lovely little hollow where we could snorkel and watch the fish. They had NO fear and let us swim right up to them.

The only problem that we had was with the kayak. The fuss and burden of pumping up the kayak before we went out was bad enough, but once we got out on the water, our SE 370 kept going in circles. We believe the heat (it was 102 degrees), made it so floppy that it just couldn’t track well.

Stacey and Dan did much better with their fancy boats, but our poor little inflatable just couldn’t take the Southern Utah desert heat. It was a wonderful kayaking adventure, but next time, Mike and I might need something a little more substantial.

Mike and I have loved how convenient our teardrop trailer has been, but we’ve actually found a site that makes having one inconvenient.

We were at Quail Creek Reservoir and the campsites have a bit of a hike from the picnic table and shade to the trailer. In fact, we can’t use our little galley at all, so we just set up our camp kitchen under the shade.

I tried something different with the water in an effort to make a nice water faucet for the sink. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked well enough to wash our hands and rinse dishes.

You can’t beat the view from my bed, though.

Despite the inconvenient campsite, we had a lovely weekend at Quail Creek and can’t wait to go back!

We filmed a tour of our Teardrop American Outbacker at the beautiful Oquirrh Lake. Take a look at it here:

Remember, camping isn’t allowed at Oquirrh Lake. We just filmed our trailer there because it’s so pretty. You’re welcome to stay the day there, fishing and enjoying the sunshine, however.

• Oquirrh Lake on Google Maps
• Daybreak website
• Teardrops and Tiny Trailers on Starling Travel

I love to travel and see parts of the world that are different than mine, but the photography collection of Charles W. Cushman allows me to travel not only all around the world, but through the past as well.

• Indiana University’s Digital Library Program: Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection

Charles Weever Cushman, amateur photographer and Indiana University alumnus, bequeathed approximately 14,500 Kodachrome color slides to his alma mater. The photographs in this collection bridge a thirty-two year span from 1938 to 1969, during which time he extensively documented the United States as well as other countries.

It was so lovely to look at all the old photographs! Here are some of my favorites. (Continue Reading…)

After weeks of restoring the Teardrop American Outbacker, Mike and I took her on her first camping trip. We are still a little worried about the windows leaking, so we camped VERY near home at Utah Lake State Park. She looked lovely at the campsite.

It was a sunny weekend, but the wind was bitterly cold and relentless. Fortunately, the trailer kept us warm throughout the night. Mike said that he had never slept as good camping as he did in our new little trailer.

When he said that, all the work that I had done to perfect the trailer suddenly felt worth it. Every layer of paint I sanded off, every turn of a bolt or screw, and every time I had to cut a cam shorter with a hack saw felt like time well-spent. All that I had hoped for in a trailer came true this weekend. It made camping easier, but it didn’t ruin it by turning it into just a home on wheels. It still felt like camping, but the two of us were able to sleep the night through despite the ragingly cold wind outside.

The camping fees at Utah Lake State Park were $20 a night, which included electricity and water at the site. There was a dump station for RV’s, but no sewer at each site (not that it mattered to us). They allow dogs on the campground, but not the beaches or in the water. There were clean and up-to-date bathrooms and showers onsite as well. Each site had asphalt for campers and plenty of room for pitching your tent on nice, soft grass. There were also shade pavilions at each site, but it was so cold that we didn’t want to be in the shade. We had to stay in the sun to keep warm.

The lake itself was a dark and scary mass of water with waves caused by the wind last weekend, so Mike and I didn’t go kayaking on it. There were many people there on speed boats and along the shore fishing. I was so surprised at how big the fish were and how many people caught some. We passed this man at the end of Saturday and he looked so happy at his catch.

Despite the cold, we had a lovely time camping at Utah Lake. It was just one of many trips camping in the teardrop that we’ll have. I’m so excited for the adventures to come!

This week’s postcard was sent to Mrs. Natalie Donovan in Cleveland, Ohio on October 23, 1943.

The postcard reads:

Looking down Logan Canyon, near Ogden and Logan, Utah

Only a few minutes from the business center of Ogden, this canyon is one of the main scenic attractions of Utah. Fully paved, it affords a beautiful route to Snow Basin and Monte Christo parks in the recreational area.

Pub. by Ogden News Co., Ogden, Utah
Natural color post card made in U.S.A. by E. C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, Wis. – (EAL)

The letter to Mrs. Natalie Donovan reads:

Hello Natalie,

Passing thru Utah now. Mountain scenery is gorgeous. Wish you were along with me.

Will write later, and tell you all about everything.

Love, Evelyn

Logan Canyon is still a pretty mountain drive, even today. You can read more about it here:

• Logan Canyon – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Where: Logan Canyon, Utah

View Larger Map

Here is the announcement of the formation of Zion’s National Park in the New York Tribune back in 1907.

It reads:

Wonderful natural bridges and other wild scenery to be included in two new national parks.

It’s nice to see how people viewed our national parks one hundred years ago. Instead of complaining that the government is “stealing” our land, the press was excited to share the beauty of the areas that the parks protected. Because of that foresight, we can see these sites even now.