Wyoming Boondocking - Day 26: T-Dubing around the Haystack Buttes

 Monday, Sep 21

Today I rode to the nearby rock formations called Haystack Buttes.  The formations are on BLM land and the area is accessible via wire gates, with access trails leading off WY 530, so easy to spot.

I started with the gate closest to the entrance to Brinegar Crossing where I'm boondocking.  At first, I wasn't very close to the buttes so I just pootled along the trail which forms a big loop to the west of the rock formations and eventually dumps you back on WY 530.

Along the way, there were some technical portions mainly due to steep embankments caused by creeks.  I would just slow way down, nudge up to the rising bank and then gun Yagi's engine and we'd ride right up, no problem!

One can apparently go pretty far into the area surrounding the wilderness which is centered on the mountain below.  This is where I turned around and started heading back to the highway.

Perhaps two miles from the highway, I spied what looked like a side by side ATV but I didn't see any people in it or nearby.  Once I got close I saw why:

It was a Utah-plated rig and I guess they'd been a bit too enthusiastic hitting the steeper embankments perhaps?

I didn't find their corpses as I continued riding towards the highway so I figure they made it to the road and flagged down a ride to get help.  The repairs on that axle look pricy!

Soon I was near enough to the rock formations for pictures, the below comprise several locations.  I must have gone through 4 or 5 wire gates to get the shots, using the highway as the way to switch gates.

In between the second and third gates, I crossed over the highway onto FR 159 to check out its water access.  Found a possible campsite candidate and got a look at Anvil Draw Crossing's boat ramp:

Returning across the highway once again, it was time to check out more rock formations that looked like haystacks:

This formation is darker as it was backlit by the sun

Note the wire gate one negotiates to enter/leave the BLM area

The following picture was taken from a perfect spot to pose Yagi on top of a small mesa....unfortunately I couldn't get Yagi up there.  I walked up the final 200 feet or so to this view:

The reason I couldn't get Yagi up there is this particular portion of the road going up to the mesa.  Very narrow, dropoffs and very very loose sand on the upper portion after one negotiates the narrow bits....so I turned her around and walked up

A different set of rock formation just a bit further along the same trail:

I got back to the campsite around 2 PM, ate a late lunch and basically just rested in the shade of the URRV's awning in the warm afternoon.  Pretty great day in terms of weather.  It would hit a high of 77°F (25°C).  Tomorrow is supposed to be much cooler again, along with a chance for rain.

As you might see in the sunset pics below, the motorcycles are loaded up on their respective mounts and we're headed south back to Colorado tomorrow.

I really liked this Flaming Gorge Reservoir area, and I'm sure I'll be back again.  Great opportunities and sites for solitary boondocking and hopefully next time I'll not pick a site that's large enough for two rigs or more!