Our first significant stop in Colorado was the beautiful  little touristy town of Aspen.

Dumb & Dumber comes to mind when I think of Aspen, check out the video below if you need a recap.

An interesting fact about Aspen is that its recognised as having the most expensive real-estate in the US with the median listing being in the four million dollar range and the occasional estate asking as much as $135,000,000 (2006 Price sought for the thirty-two room mountain top mansion owned by Prince Bandar of the Saudi Royal Family)

Maroon Bells

The town was nice but I couldn’t help but feel I needed a significantly deeper pocket to truly enjoy the place so we headed to the mountains and did a nice walk from Maroon lake.

This area has the famous and very photographed Maroon Bells, two fourteen thousand foot peaks that are very photogenic and enjoy posing for reflection photographs in front of Maroon Lake. Unfortunately on our visit there was a light breeze which rippled the water and stopped me from getting my postcard Maroon Bells shot on this day trip.

Maroon Lake and Maroon Bells Mountain Range

The area surrounding Maroon Lake is all very beautiful and a lush contrast to the terrain we’d just come from in Utah.

Aspen Maroon Bells Area

Renee shot this fun photo (below) of a Marmot hanging out on the roof of the visitors centre – the visitors centre is pretty well disguised as a rock in this photo.

Marmot at Maroon Bells

Here is another photo (below) Renee took which shows another part of the visitors centre (bottom right), partially built into the ground with an organic roof. Its actually pretty similar to a hobbit house less the round door.

Visitors centre in Maroon Bells Area.JPG

There were plenty of Aspen trees on the walk so the area lives up to the name of the town. The weather was overcast but pleasant and from the visitors centre/car park we had a pleasant walk up to another small lake.

Sam on the Maroon Bells Walk

Renee on the Maroon Bells Walk

Independence Pass

 After enjoying the Maroon Bells and having our fill of the touristy town of Aspen we departed via Independence Pass, the twelve thousand foot mountain pass through the Rocky Mountains. Its steep with a 6.5% gradient, windy and very narrow at times which meant I had to be paying attention when passing oncoming traffic in our Chevy camper. We were pretty happy when we reached the  12,095 foot Continental Divide car park, we stopped to stretch our legs and admire the view.

To my amazement we then saw this guy on a unicycle pedal up the pass from the same direction we’d just come, he made a quick lap of the walkway without stopping or getting off his unicycle and then promptly headed over the top and down the other side. What a legendary unicyclist.

Unicyclist at Top of Independence Pass (Continental Divide)

Heading down we gave the unicyclist an approving nod as we passed him. Further down the pass I stopped briefly to capture this shot of the valley before we kept going, next stop – Rocky Mountain National Park.

Valley During Independence Pass Descent

Sometimes the overcast skies can be much more interesting to photograph than the clear blue skies we naturally associate with good photos.

Can you unicycle? I’ve only tried it the once while purchasing my mountain bike in Salt Lake City, in the five minutes I tried I don’t think I managed a single full pedal. It’s not easy.

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This is just a quick post with a few photos I took when we stayed in Rifle, Colorado and visited their annual air show (we went to the night time show).

However I have to mention that the small town of Rifle has an excellent visitors centre with a lovely helpful lady and they unofficially allow camper vans to stay overnight in their carpark and make use of their free WiFi, so hats off to Rifle.

Every Man’s Dream – The Jet Powered School Bus

Now to the air show, the highlight for me was this super awesome jet powered school bus. Paul Stender’s unique creation which on a good run is said to be able to reach an astonishing 361 MPH!

Kick Ass Jet Powered School Bus

For those of you who have been following along since the beginning you may well know that I’d attempted to buy a short-wheel base yellow school bus which had been converted to a camper for this US road trip. Something about a school bus camper tickles me the right way and I was extremely upset when the seller sold it to someone else despite my communicated interest. So when I saw this jet powered beast I was filled with mixed emotions, but mostly I was just thinking “Wow, that is awesome, I gotta get myself one of those!”.

Jet Powered School Bus Burn Out

Jet Powered School Bus Drag Run

More Air Show Highlights

There were plenty of planes to walk around and look at, various air displays to watch and as the evening progressed there was a pyrotechnic air display which was pretty awesome but I failed to catch any decent shots. This guy in this little plane dropped some pretty serious sounding explosives behind him on low runs over the landing strip. Another noteworthy display was the American Paratroopers who glided down after jumping out of planes with fire/smoke trails emitting from their boots (I gotta get myself some fire emitting boots!).

Renee at the Rifle Air Show

Paratrooper

Paratrooper pair

Do you enjoy a good air show?

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For a long time Moab has been synonymous with mountain biking and other outdoor adventure activities. For some it’s nestled in the middle of nowhere. But it’s not, it’s nested between two of North America’s most famous national parks and among Utah’s amazing canyon terrain. A hub for mountain biking tours, Hummer tours, Jeep tours, white water rafting tours, rock climbing tours and more.

If you’re in Moab, make sure you’re there to visit Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park, they’re both great. Plus I would also consider doing a Jeep or Hummer tour and if you’re into rock climbing I hear that’s great too!

If you’re in town and looking for a coffee shop; somewhere to chill out, use the free wi-fi and perhaps grab an ice cream then you should visit Moab Coffee Roasters. The owner buys his own beans, roasts them, mixes them and hand makes the packaging for customers just wanting to buy beans. He’s also a bit of a character. Go say ‘hi’.

IMG_2868.jpg

Roasting Coffee Beans

Searching for Imperfections in the Coffee

All Bag Design Done by Hand

Hand Made Coffee Bags Waiting to be Filled

Finished Coffee Bags for Sale

The Off-Road Adventure

We were in Moab for America’s Fourth of July celebrations. We’d never been in America for Independence Day before so were rather looking forward to seeing how crazy it could get. We ended up having a great time with laid back couchsurfers who loved all the adventure opportunities Moab offered without being ‘in your face’ patriotic or in any way naive (The two qualities certain American’s possess which drives me the most mental). With our couchsurfing hosts and their friends we piled into an ex army ‘Blazer’, and with a Moab Hummer tour driver at the wheel we set off into the back country.

View of Blazer and Over Moab Valley

I’d never really imagined 4WD adventures to be particularly my kind of thing but I was pleasantly thrilled by the stuff we did. We drove up a hill and reached a car park where our driver jumped out to lock the wheels into 4WD mode, after which we could literally climb up walls! We would approach something and I’d just be thinking “no way”, but slowly the front wheels would climb up and then the back wheels would connect and we’d be slowly making our way up a rock face I’d never have thought possible.

During our backcountry four-wheel drive adventure we also saw some of the stupidly dangerous routes some individuals try for plus some scratch marks and broken trees evidencing some of the failures. Our Blazer didn’t have that high ground clearance so we’d often scrape a little on angle transitions but we had a skilled driver who often put the drivers of ‘trailer queen’ jeeps to shame. A ‘trailer queen’ being a vehicle owned purely for off-road use (not road licensed), characterised by huge wheels and massive ground clearance – they are driven on trailers to the start of trails. A rich man’s toy. While in the old Blazer we just drove to the start, locked the wheels into four-wheel-drive and were off. For some cool photos of someone else’s four-wheel-drive adventure check out this page from the Mid-Sussex Land Rover Club.

Trailer Queen Jeep Example

If you’re visiting Moab and want a real adventure you could consider camping for free nearby, options explained in my Camping for Free in Utah post here.

As an aside I did do a couple of mountain biking trails in Moab including the famous Moab Slick Rock trail which was utterly exhausting, so much so that I failed to take a single photograph, sorry.

Have you ever been off-road four-wheel-driving?

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]]> http://samsplayground.com/moab-for-adventure/feed/ 4 http://samsplayground.com/camping-for-free-in-utah/ http://samsplayground.com/camping-for-free-in-utah/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:59:52 +0000 Sam http://samsplayground.com/?p=2626 For Love of the Land

One of the aspects of driving through Utah we really enjoyed was the ease in which we found unique and free camp-sites. On my guest post/interview on Captain and Clark’s website I named Utah one of my highlights from all the time I’ve spent travelling for this very reason. I’ve also mentioned our camping experience in passing on these posts:
Gooseberry Mesa Mountain Biking
Red Canyon Mountain Biking
Glen Canyon NRA

I like adventure and when adventure can be hard to find I like some uncertainty, uniqueness and potential for amazement. RV parks don’t offer adventure or amazement; they offer showers, internet access, electricity, cable TV and holes for dumping your sewage into.  RV parks and organised camp sites are useful at times but Utah has something else to offer; something free, and amazing and beautiful.

It should be noted that the states of Colorado (in part) and certainly Nevada are said to have the same free camping opportunities as Utah, we’re just more experienced with Utah.

If you’ve read this far, thank-you. You also should have gathered that I love camping for free in Utah. The open use land and the camp-site opportunities are one of the reasons which make Utah my favourite US state!

What follows is intended as purely practical information for anyone wanting to camp for free in Utah (Or Nevada/Colorado). If you’re not about to do so you can safely skim to the bottom and comment on your favourite camping experience – I’d love to hear them.

The Land

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) looks after land which is not privately owned and not managed by the National Park Service or the National Forest Service. The parks (National parks, state parks and national monuments) only allow camping in their designated sites and require fees. However national forests and BLM lands give you the choice of either staying in a ‘fee’ site, or finding a primitive camp-site to setup camp for free. Del of Del’s Journey (check out his website for more details), an ex BLM ranger for Colorado and extensive camper/traveller notes that in Utah’s rural areas it is normally safe to assume that land is BLM land unless it is specifically marked ‘no trespassing’ to indicate it as private.

Once you’ve found a piece of BLM land you should follow a few basic guidelines to ensure the land remains pure and enjoyable for ever.

• Camp in areas which have been previously used for camping (previously disturbed) – often indicated by a fire ring
• Leave no trace that you were ever there

BLM also have some rules:

• Camping at any one site is limited to 14 days per visit
• Pack out what you pack in
• Avoid camping within 200 ft. of any water source
• Do not leave campfires unattended

Note that some areas have specific rules (Particularly regarding fires, sometimes solid human waste can be buried otherwise chemical toilets are required, some areas are off-limits). To be on the safe side you should contact the local BLM office before camping.

Where We Camped

Below are a few of the places we camped at which we could remember and provide directions to. These are places to camp which are not designated or only very loosely designated. They are awesome by being free and how they offer up a little adventure, a certain amount of uncertainty, beauty and potentially even a sense of freedom and peace. They’re not an alternative to an RV park and should not be approached as such; I list the directions but can give no guarantees as to what you will find. Excited?

• Zion National Park – free camp-site nearby:
  We stayed about a 15 minute drive away from the entrance to Zion National Park, at the junction of Grafton Road and the start of the Smithsonian Butte Scenic Byway.
  Directions:
  From Rockville heading away from the main Zion National Park entrance turn left off Main Street onto Bridge Road (keep your eyes peeled for this turn, both the road and the sign are small and we missed it the first few times!). There is a bridge over the river and then you turn right onto Grafton Road. Drive along Grafton Road and you will come to a T intersection, right will take you to the ghost town of Grafton, and left will take you along the Smithsonian Butte Scenic Byway (up crybaby hill). Turn left down the Smithsonian Butte Scenic Byway and immediately on your left is a small pull-out with space for a few campers. Further along the Smithsonian Butte Scenic Byway you will find additional sites on your right but we tended to stay here as it was closer to Zion.

Zion Campsite Location (Zoomed Out)

Zion Campsite Location (Zoomed In)

Zion Camp-site Terrain and View

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area – free camp-site:
  We stayed in the White Canyon area just off the main highway 95 in a pull-out with nice views of the Canyon. This was a useful camp-site for us as a place to stop on our way to Mesa Verde National Park, however in itself it didn’t have much to offer and if you’re looking to enjoy Glen Canyon NRA there are probably better spots further west.
  Directions:
  From Hanksville take highway 95 for about 40 minutes and you will enter into the White Canyon region of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Just as you begin to see glimpses of the Dirty Devil River you will see a pull-out on the right hand side of the road. This is the spot we camped at.

Glen Canyon Campground Location (Zoomed Out)

Glen Canyon campground location (Zoomed In)

Glen Canyon Camp-site Terrain & View

• Islands in the Sky (Canyonlands National Park) – free camp-site:
  We stayed at a free camp-site 10 minutes drive from the entrance to the Islands in the Sky region of Canyonlands National Park.
  Directions:
  From highway 191 turn onto highway 313 heading towards the Islands in the Sky region of Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. Drive about 15 minutes and then turn right onto Mineral Canyon Road. Not far along this road we found a sandy road/driveway on the left that had previously disturbed land within a few hundred yards of Mineral Canyon Road where people before us had camped and we camped also.

Canyonlands Camp Location (Zoomed Out)

Canyonlands Camp Location (Zoomed In)

How do you enjoy your remote camp-sites?

• Needles (Canyonlands National Park) – free camp-site:
  We stayed at a camp-site pretty close to the Needles entrance to Canyonlands National Park.
  Directions:
  Heading towards the Needles entrance of Canyonlands National Park there is a dirt road on the right called Lockhart Basin Road. Along this road there is a turn-off on your right which has primitive camp-sites. Note that we found it took us slightly longer than we expected from the map to reach the camping area, however we were driving in the dark…

Needles Indian Creek Camp-site (BLM Land on Right)

• Arches National Park – free camp-site:
  We stayed at a camp-site about a 15 minute drive from the entrance of Arches National Park.
  Directions:
  Take highway 191 north from Moab and drive past the right turn-off to Arches National Park. You will also pass the highway 313 road on the left. Further along you will see a mine in the cliff on the left and then there will be a road on the right called Willow Springs Trail. Take the next right which is unnamed. Drive along this unsealed road until you come to a gate, pass through the gate and further along you will see previously disturbed land on the left sheltered from one direction by a rocky hill/mound – this is where we camped.

Arches Camp-site Location (Zoomed Out)

Arches Camp-site Location (Zoomed In)

Arches Camp-site Terrain & Location

Where have you camped? Where do you love camping?

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This photo taken by Dan Ballard is just one of many awesome photos you can easily find on the internet; do you really need more inspiration for visiting Arches National Park?

Park Avenue - Arches National Park

At dusk I took this photo of Park Avenue, the first stop on the scenic drive after the visitors centre. Arches aren’t the only interesting rock structures, these vertical rock walls are really spectacular.

Park Details

• Located just five miles north of the town of Moab.
• Home to more than 2000 documented arches ranging from 3 feet (minimum size to be classified an arch) to 306 feet.
• One campground (52 sites + 2 group sites)
• Open year round; expect crowds between March and October.
  “parking lots at Devils Garden, Delicate Arch/Wolfe Ranch or The Windows may be full anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. During these peak hours, expect travel times to be longer than expected along the scenic drive.”  – National Park Service
• Close to Canyonlands National Park & Dead Horse Point State Park
• Unlike Canyonlands, Arches National Park is pretty vehicle friendly with scenic drives taking you within a five minute walk of most arch viewpoints; however for those a little more adventurous there are plenty of hikes and better views to be found. The trails range from as short as 100 yards to 4.2 miles (6.8km) round trip.
• The popular walk to Delicate Arch is a 3 miles (4.8 km) round trip. During the peak months of March to October it is not uncommon to have hundreds of people visiting the arch at sunset.
• The park was first protected as a National Monument in 1929, later upgraded to National Park status in 1971.

What Made the Arches?

In short extreme temperature changes, water and ice, and underground salt movements are responsible for the arches we see today. As I understand it the park lies on top of layers of salt which over time have buckled under the pressure of the sedimentary rock above creating domes. Time and harsh weather conditions have then worked away at these domes, eroding the inside and leaving arches. Of course it is an ever continuing process with the landscape changing every year; mostly changes are unnoticed but occasionally large slabs of rock have fallen off the arches. Wikipedia has more to say on the geological process which formed these impressive arches if you’re interested. Note that rivers are not responsible which makes this park quite different to Natural Bridges National Monument.

Our Itinerary

From the visitors centre we drove the main scenic drives stopping at Park Avenue pictured above and The Organ  (Courthouse Towers section).

We took the road to the Windows Section where we did the short easy walks to the Cove Arch, the North Window and South Window Arches and Turret Arch.

Sam Waving - South Window of North & South Window Arch in Back Right - Arches National Park

Turret Arch - Arches National Park

Renee infront of Cove Arch - Arches National Park

We then did the 4.8km trail to Delicate Arch for sunset, where we waited patiently for the clouds to clear and allow the sun so shine on the arch. It never did.

Delicate Arch - Arches National Park

After sunset we walked back and I captured this photo of the historic Wolfe Ranch.

Wolfe Ranch Sunset - Arches National Park

During the day we stopped at most parking spots and pull-outs along the scenic drives, if only for a few minutes to get out and admire whatever arch was in sight. Occasionally we would see something without a pull-out for easy stopping, but often there was room on the side of the road to stop briefly and have  a look.

Rock Cluster - Arches National Park

The National Park Service has a surprisingly good section for planning a visit to Arches, explaining what options there are depending on how many hours you want to walk/spend in the park.

Have you been to Arches National Park? Would you like to?

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Dead Horse Point State Park is located near the Island in the Sky entrance to Canyonlands National Park. This park has a dramatic overlook that in my opinion provides the best perspective of the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands. The park name is based on the historic use of the land by cowboys. They used to corral wild horses using the cliff faces as natural barriers at which point they could choose which ones they wanted. For an unknown reason, the horses at one time were left fenced off, abandoned for a prolonged length of time they all tragically died of thirst. You may recognize the images of this area because it was featured in the final scene of the popular movie Thelma and Louise, 1991.

After buying an Annual National Parks pass for the both of us we weren’t particularly happy to have to pay for State Parks separately. Although Dead Horse State Park is a must if you are in this area, they overcharge in our opinion. It is $10 per vehicle for the day, but you could literally just drive to the overlook, snap a few photos and then drive back out. We decided instead to bike around the park since there were mountain bike trails, and only pay $2 each. Note to anyone planning to do this: wear copious amounts of bug spray, we were again surrounded by swarms of biting flies. The bike trail we took was called the Great Pyramid Loop Trail, it was 6.8km long. It was mostly a sandy track and pretty easy-going.

For more information on Dead Horse Point including maps check out the state park website here.

Photos from Dead Horse Point State Park

Canyon country from Dead Horse Point

Renee on Dead Horse Point lookout

Sam on Dead Horse Point lookout

View from Dead Horse Point

Riding along the rim at Dead Horse Point

Colorado River from Dead Horse Point

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As mentioned in my previous post, Canyonlands is made up of 3 very different regions: Island in the Sky to the north, the Maze on the west, and the Needles on the east. We previously visited the Needles section and now we’re showing you the Islands in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park. The Islands in the Sky is a broad mesa wedged between the Green and the Colorado rivers, and provides a spectacular viewpoint into the canyons.
Click here for an Islands in the Sky Section map with trail descriptions.
Alternatively click here for a detailed PDF map of Canyonlands National Park.
Both maps provided by the National Park Service

Murphy’s Point

After talking to the ranger in the Visitor’s Centre we decided to go on the 5.8km round trip walk to Murphy’s Point, which oddly is not shown on the Visitor’s Map. The parking area for this trail is 4km south of the Upheaval Road junction. The Murphy Trail starts off as a sandy path that appeared to be infrequently used and had various broken branches scattered around – we wondered if there had been a storm/flooding in the area. We were being feasted on by invisible biting flies again and I started running back and forth to try to lose them while Sam became occupied taking photos of lizards [Sam added: who can blame me? Lizards are awesome].

Lizards on the Trail

Canyonlands Lizard One

Canyonlands Lizard Two

Canyonlands Lizard Three

Canyonlands Lizard Four Peeking

After getting off the sandy path and escaping the biting flies the walk started to become more enjoyable. There were incredible views as we started walking over the slickrock. We frequently lost the rock cairns which were guiding us on the path but it didn’t seem to matter. Everywhere on the slickrock became a great vantage point to look off the edge of the plateau. We had a picnic while enjoying the view and surprisingly we didn’t see anyone else on this walk. A refreshing change from the crowds that we had encountered at the other parks in Utah.

Canyon Views from Murphy’s Point Trail

Looking Down From the Island

Renee on Another Rocky Outcrop

Sam In Front of the Canyons

How do you take your photos?

Sometimes the easiest way to get that shot of the interesting looking tree growing out of the slickrock is to wedge yourself in the rock crevice.

Sam Taking a photo

Which led to…

The photo Sam took

More Photos

There’s a lot to see and do in Canyonlands. There is a lot of back country. We only touched the surface but if you come properly prepared and give yourself a week or two (or even a month) – we’re sure you’ll love the place. Whether mountain biking, hiking or four-wheel drive adventuring the land is just waiting for you to explore it.

A Road Below

Renee on the Slickrock

Renee on a Rocky Outcrop

Do you like my lizard photos? They were quick little buggers so I found it pretty difficult getting the few photos I’ve shown which are reasonably in focus.

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From the visitors centre at the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park I rode the 7 mile one way trail to the Colorado River Overlook.

Click to open a full PDF map of the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park from the National Park Service.

This track is open to high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles; some of the step up’s and drop off’s are pretty significant so be sure to have a serious vehicle and know how to handle it if you decide not to mountain bike.

Much of the track is over slick rock marked by intermittent spray painted arrows and dots on the rock surface, a number of times I couldn’t find a marker and found myself wondering in which direction I was supposed to be heading. If you keep a bearing on the direction you came from and look around you’ll eventually come across another marker or a continuation of the dirt track.

The view at the end is well worth the sometimes tiring mountain bike ride. You can look down into the steep canyon forged by the Colorado River and see it snaking its way off to the left and the right.

If you visit Canyonlands National Park and have a mountain bike with you I highly recommend you take a couple hours to ride the Colorado River Overlook Trail.

The following photos were all taken on my mobile phone, for which I apologise.

My Bike Against the DANGER Sign

My Bike Propped in a Crack in the Rock on the Edge of the Overlook

Yet Another Picture of my Bike & the Colorado River Canyon

Can you spot my bike?

Portrait of my Bike

Panorama of the Colorado River Canyon, and of course - my bike...

Last Panorama of the Colorado River Overlook

Would you rather mountain bike or four-wheel-drive to this lookout?

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When you haven’t got a regular job because you travel a lot people often ask how you manage to fund your travel, and if they don’t ask they’re often wondering. Besides the standard being careful with your money and working hard while you can and saving I’ve also found I’ve been able to make some tax free money through participating in science and medical research studies.

When you mention to someone that you’ve been earning money through volunteering in medical research studies expect a sharp intake of breath and shocked questions. “You let scientists experiment on you? Oh my God, what do they do to you!“

‘Medical Research’ – it immediately conjures up images of Frankenstein, Nazi Doctors’ Trials, or perhaps the 2006 human clinical trial of TGN1412. In this trial 6 previously healthy males within minutes of receiving a tiny fraction of the TGN1412 drug which had been safely used on animals complained of pain. Within hours they were in intensive care suffering from multiple organ failure. So yes, participating as a guinea pig in research studies can be dangerous but this example is an isolated case, and not all research is drug research.

Risky & Non-Risky Research Studies for Money

For me there are two types of research study. Firstly there are those studies that have potential risk, like drug trials, and then there are studies that don’t have risk (like a language study). Of course there is always a risk/reward ratio and the risk-free work will pay accordingly.

Healthy v Specific Medical Condition Volunteers

There are also two other categories of science & medical research studies; those looking for healthy volunteers and those looking for volunteers which a specific medical condition. PaidClinicalTrials.org is one such website I came across which seems to specialise in finding subjects for trials who have an existing medical condition. Unfortunately I don’t have any existing medical conditions as yet so they’re currently useless but if I ever develop something I’ll give them a second look.

Easy Money – Participate in an Extended Drug Trial

If you want to make an easy five grand in a month Johnny from OneStep4Ward.com has a positive account of how he did just that. He spent thirty days in a private hospital and with the money paid off his debt and started his  life of perpetual travel. I haven’t done anything this dramatic; I don’t even like taking drugs which have been FDA approved and in operation for years let alone testing new ones – I guess I’m paranoid about losing control of my body.

Check out this article for an interesting look at the lives of several people who make their full time living as professional drug testing guinea pigs. Earning up to $80,000 per year participating in a number of drug studies. You may think that if there is risk when participating in only one study that there is compounded risk of something bad happening if you make a profession of it. I tend to agree and have no intention of becoming a professional guinea pig. However there is a reasonable argument that doing science and medical research studies is actually pretty safe – you’re always medically monitored and if anything goes wrong you’ll be given immediate treatment. Having immediate professional help on hand potentially makes drug trials safer than many workplaces and comparable to crossing a road, flying in a plane or eating a large steak (choking hazard).

Research Studies I’ve Participated In For Money

Unlike Johnny I haven’t done an extended study, just a few hours here and there:

• Pain Testing ($50 for about two hours)
  This initially sounded like it could be painful. I imagined being tested by some secret arm of the military for determining more effective torture methods. But it was just a university study. Using a heat pad on my arm to determine my pain threshold and skin sensitivity – no burns, not even a red mark.

• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) & Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) ($100 for about two hours)
  This was kind of cool. First they did an MRI scan of my brain and I memorised a simple tapping order with four of my fingers. Then there was the TMS part where they electromagnetically stimulated a certain part of my brain using this handheld box gun thing to hyperpolarize or depolarize (I never asked which) certain neurons in my brain. After I was suitably polarised I was rushed back into the MRI scanner where they took an fMRI scan of my brain while I repeated the tapping order with my fingers.

• Language, Reading & Eye Tracking ($25 for less than two hours)
  I turned up for this study and they couldn’t get the computer to work, so I left 10 minutes later with $20 for the inconvenience. On another day I went back after they’d sorted the problem (the screen had gone to sleep and they just needed to move the mouse – scientists, sometimes you really have to wonder…) and did the study (additional $25 in my pocket). I rested my head into a chin and forehead rest so that I didn’t move. I was in front of a computer monitor with an eye tracking camera tracking my eye movements. They had software which would only show me objects or words when I moved my eyes to look at certain parts of the screen. It was pretty cool, I couldn’t help but imagine how the technology could be implemented into video games.
• Memory Testing pilot study ($30 for about 90 minutes)
  This was where it all stated, a few psychological questions and some memory tasks on a computer and I received $30, couldn’t help but think it was easy money.

Unlike the extended trials which I’ve heard can pay up to $10,000 USD these odd research studies only provide a little pocket money. But a little money is better than none, plus most of the studies have been interesting and they’ve managed to fit into my schedule.

Where to Find Science & Medical Research Studies

I’ve had most of my luck on one of the local universities online classified listings, but it really depends where you are. My main tip would be to search for key words like “participants“, “study“, “clinical trial“, “medical research“, “clinical research“, then add the URL to your RSS reader (eg. Google Reader) and just keep an eye on any listings which pop up.

The following websites may also be useful, particularly for larger more lucrative science and medical research studies. However the search process is harder and since they are not location specific you may find yourself needing to do a lot of travelling just to participate. Certainly check your local classifieds first.
http://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/ (United States based)
http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/ (World Health Organisation – useful for various countries)
http://www.controlled-trials.com/mrct/ (UK & international controlled trial database)

Questions to Ask the Researcher

- What are the possible risks?
- Are my medical expenses covered in the event of any side effects?
- What is the procedure?
- How long will this take?
- How much will I be paid?
- What happens if I pull out part way through the trial?
Everything should be clearly written down in a contract so that there is no doubt about their responsibilities and yours.

Questions to Ask Yourself

- Is the money worth the risk?
- What are my alternatives?

Have you ever participated in paid research studies? 

Inspirational Story

My only knowledge of the Canyonlands area in Utah was what I had seen in the movie 127 Hours about the experienced mountain climber who nearly lost his life there. On that Saturday in 2003, 27 year old Aron Ralston parked his car at the Horseshoe Canyon trailhead in Canyonlands National Park and rode south on his mountain bike to the Bluejohn Canyon trailhead just outside of the park. He left his bike there and began to canyoneer down Bluejohn Canyon with the intention of hiking back to Horseshoe Canyon and then retrieving his bike. The Bluejohn Canyon is famous for being part of the Robbers Roost area of Utah, an area that served as a hideout for many outlaws for over 30 years. While he was maneuvering through the Bluejohn Canyon a 360 kg boulder fell and trapped his right arm. He was hiking alone and had not told anyone of his plans to go there that day. The route he had taken was not common, and it was unlikely that anyone would find him there. On Thursday, after spending days trapped with his arm under that boulder he bravely broke his arm and then amputated it using only the small knife on his multi-tool. He then hiked 5 miles back to Horseshoe Canyon before encountering some hikers who arranged his rescue. A very inspiring survival story and it makes you think about how dangerous it can be to hike through this desolate area! [Sam added: Want to know more? We watched the movie 127 Hours which we highly recommend. While I haven't read the book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" I've been told its better than the movie (books almost always are) and certainly more accurate. If you buy it from the following Amazon link I'll earn a few cents Between a Rock and a Hard Place]

Canyonlands is very much wild America. The park doesn’t draw the same crowds as Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park – perhaps because the park is still mostly untouched without the “scenic drives” going through the canyons. Canyonlands National Park is made up of 3 very different regions: Island in the Sky to the north, the Maze to the west, and the Needles to the east. We started our visit at the Needles Section of Canyonlands National Park.

Petroglyphs

On the drive to the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park you pass Newspaper Rock Recreation Site, home to Petroglyphs showing 2000 years of early man inhabiting this area. It is believed that prehistoric people from the Archaic, Basketmaker, Fremont and Pueblo cultures etched on the rock from B.C. time to A.D. 1300.  Unfortunately people of more modern times felt the need to also make their mark on the rock, leaving their names and the dates they visited. Honestly please don’t graffiti over ancient art work! [Sam added: When I visited the Eastside Gallery of the Berlin Wall similar ignorant people had scribbled their names & dates on partially clear sections between artwork or even on the artwork. I saw a woman un-lid a pen to add her mark but was promptly told off by another passerby before she could cause any real damage. Just because someone else before you has done it, doesn't make it acceptable. Don't be a sheep, it's really annoying.]

Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs Detail

Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs Detail

Pyramid Rock Formations

Entering the park we could already see some interesting rock formations in the shape of pyramids. It was a hot clear day and for some reason both Sam and I had decided to wear black t-shirts – not recommend. There aren’t many opportunities to escape the harsh sun in this park.

Pyramid Rock Formations Taken from the Road

Hikes to do in the Needles section

We went on 2 hikes in the Needles area of the park, The Cave Spring walk and the Slickrock Foot trail. If you are looking for more information on walks and the Needles area here is a PDF map of the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park provided by the National Parks Service.

Cave Spring Walk

The Cave Spring walk is only 1km long and a very easy walk, taking about half an hour depending on how many photos you take.

Firstly you walk alongside a giant rock and see the remains of an old cowboy camp that was established in the early 1900s. Then you climb a ladder and walk above the flat rock before descending again. The walk wasn’t overly interesting but had pleasant views from walking along the rock. We saw some colourful handprints that had been made by the first peoples before the arrival of the cowboy camp. This would be a good walk for families with small children.

First Peoples Handprint

Renee Found Shade During Walk

Sam on the slickrock

Rock Formations

Slickrock Foot Trail

The Slickrock Foot Trail is a 4km loop trail. Slickrock is a general term for any bare rock surface, slickrock dominates most of Canyonlands National Park. I would recommend this gentle walk to familiarize yourself with the Needles section Canyonlands National Park. This section is named The Needles after rock pinnacles banded in red and white, you can see them during this walk in the distance. You will also see glimpses of canyons and buttes, conspicuous isolated hills with steep sides and a small flat top, smaller than mesas. Unfortunately we didn’t spot any wildlife but bighorn sheep are known to be living in this area.

Needles Closeup

Needles Zoomed Out

Sam on slickrock

Renee Relaxing on Canyon Edge

Sam Going for a Jump

Have you watched 127 Hours? Have you ever been in a life threatening situation?

Want to see more of our Great North American Road Trip?

- The Plan
- Map showing Posts by Location

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