Racing east at speeds that'd rival those we'd hit on the highway, Monte @Blackdawg and I left Capitol Reef in our rear-view mirrors as we set our sights on the San Rafael Swell. We were pretty sure that by now - nearly an hour after we'd heard that Ben @m3bassman had a flat on the van - there wouldn't be any need for our help, but we kept our eyes peeled for the big silver beast as we covered the wide-open ground.
Cedar Mountain filled our view as we wound our way through the badlands.
Climbing out of a wash, the GMRS radio came to life. "Looks like this is where Ben fixed his tire!" Monte exclaimed, a reasonably flat, wide section of the road covered with footprints and signs of a struggle. Turns out - on describing the spot to Ben once we got to camp - we'd read the terrain correctly, and the good news was that Ben was easily on his way without waiting for us!
As we chatted back and forth, we finally got close enough to Mike @Digiratus and Zane @Speedytech7 - already at the designated camp site - that Mike was able to let us know they were "heading over the edge," to "a great spot on a shelf," and "we won't have line of sight, so we may not be able to communicate from here on out."
"Roger that," we replied, also confirming the track we should follow and the name of the overlook where we'd find our buddies sipping their first - or second - beverages of the evening.
Knowing everything was fine - both with Ben and regrouping at camp - took a bit of pressure off of our speedy push to catch up, and soon we were back to our usual pace, stopping here and there for photos, wondering over the radio about various things we noticed along the way.
Winding around in a narrow wash, the mineralization of the walls was like nothing we'd seen before.
(Well, except for the last time I was here. 
)
Band of green.
At this point - having driven some of these edge-of-the-Swell roads when @mrs.turbodb and I had attempted to reach the Hondu Arch from the west - I knew we were getting close. Sure enough, in just under ten minutes we were pulling our trucks to the edge of the plateau at ▮▮▮▮▮▮ Point, the entirety of the San Rafael Swell rising and falling in front of our eyes.
What a view.
At the edge.
A rising Swell.
This seemed like a pretty decent spot to camp, so we assumed that the spot the guys had found below us was even better! Not that it mattered - the tents were already deployed and relaxation was in full swing; that is the spot we were camping this evening, and it was glorious!
Hey down there!
A few minutes later, we were pulled into the positions that'd been designated for us as the rest of the crew had taken their own. As the two guys who like to be "on the edge," that's exactly where we ended up!
Camp on the point.
Shady side.
Adding our chairs to those already positioned under Ben's awning, we related stories of the day, needled Ben about being a Maria's hero when he changed the tire, and savored the final few hours of daylight on a trip that'd we'd all enjoyed immensely. At some point, Mike gathered up the last avocado and the final bit of salsa - which I should note, is not something we've ever run out of before, and I hope to never run out of again - and whipped up the final bowl of guacamole.
It lasted about 2 minutes, licked clean, as usual.
Gazing out over the Swell, we pointed to landmarks we'd driven around, hiked to, or hoped to visit on some future adventure.
"Remember when we were right over there?"
The distant La Sals through the dust.
With the sun below the horizon, we were treated to a spectacular display of the Belt of Venus (wikipedia).
This being the last night, we proceeded to set up around the campfire and with no need to save wood, we chatted late - well, late for us - into the evening. There was almost no wind - a blessing given that we were perched out on the edge - making for a pleasantly warm evening to cap off our adventure. We'd all be heading home in the morning - each at our own pace given distances that would take between 8 hours and 2 days of driving - but all leaving right around sunrise.
Eventually - when that was only a few hours away - we called it a night. It wasn't yet time to say goodbye.
The following morning...
We'd all set our alarms for 6:30am - about an hour before sunrise - but as is often the case, my internal clock fired a few minutes early. It was 6:27am.
My first order of business was to go admire the light just starting on the horizon.
Being as quiet as I could, I set about putting things away in the truck before turning my attention to the tent. By that time, Monte and Zane were up to the same thing, with Ben and Maria savoring the last few minutes of sleep, their pack-up routine significantly easier than those of us with manually-stowed sleeping arrangements.
I'd setup my camera to take a timelapse as the sun spilled over the Swell while we got ready to go.
Mike's impeccable timing was on display as he climbed down the tent just as Monte, Zane, and I were saying goodbye to Ben and Maria. He wouldn't be far behind us - in fact, he'd pass me, twice, as we headed north - but given that he'd allotted two days for the 20-hour trek to the Pacific Northwest, he wasn't in any rush to be off at sunrise.
So, in the end - and as it should be - it was hugs all around!
And then there were three.
Dust trails.
The mesa at Mussentuchit was looking fantastic in the morning light.
We reached pavement - where we'd air up and part ways - at 8:00am sharp. As always, we drug out the process of putting air in our tires, joking that the process would go so much more quickly if we were just to fill the bottom halves where they were bulging.
End of trip ritual.
With that, it was more hugs and desires to do it again soon, and we were off!
The Whole Story
Wonderful photos as usual and the time lapse was a nice touch. Reminded me of our trip to Bryce Cyn a few years ago when I was up very early and recorded the sunrise which is pretty special there. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
A great finale to your trip. That _____ Point has awesome views. Your drone work really captures the feel of it. Have not been to it yet, but have covered much of the same ground in the Swell, always more to see. That network of veins in the wash was pretty cool. We were travelling sections of your track about a week before, great places.