ATV Adventures: High adventure at the Fourth Annual Watermelon Crawl
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- Squeezing among the rocks on the Behind the Reef Trail at the Green River Watermelon Crawl.
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- Surrounded by some of the amazing rock formations in the San Rafael Swell at the Green River Watermelon Crawl.
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- Riding the San Rafael Swell Trails at the Green River Watermelon Crawl.
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- Lynn Blamires
Having never been to a Watermelon Crawl, I wanted to know more. I learned that it is not a dance like the Bristol Stomp or the Hully Gully. Well, that just dated me.
The Watermelon Crawl is an OHV jamboree held in Green River. Different jamborees have similarities, but each one has some unique differences. This one was sponsored by the city of Green River with the UTV Utah OHV Club providing the guides.
There was no gathering for an opening ceremony, no singing “Kumbaya” or people standing around saying, “My UTV is the best and only one.” We just met at the trailhead and followed the leader. UTV Utah had this well organized and they were prepared for those who needed a little hand holding.
The three in my group rode the Lost Creek Trail — a new trail for me. We found the trail head 12 miles north on Highway 6 and lined up behind Reese, our guide for this ride.
By the end of March, the weather is supposed to be just about perfect for riding. The trails were dry alright, but we were bundled up against the temperatures of this day.
Our first ride headed west on a trail that followed an old creek bed. We weren’t moving very fast because we were negotiating some pretty gnarly benches. We did make a stop before we came to the Chimney Rock Road to view an old wagon bridge that crossed a ravine — a piece of backcountry history.
After joining Chimney Rock Road, we came to the Cottonwood Wash Road where we made a stop for lunch. We had started the day with a 30% chance of a storm. As we finished eating, a huge black cloud was rolling toward us. That 30% was trying to become a reality.
We packed up and left with the purpose of outrunning our fate. Our attempt was futile and the storm descended on us with a vengeance.
I was riding with Bob Brady in his 2017 Can Am Commander Max 1000. It has a half windshield, so as you can guess — we got pelted with only half the blizzard.
We continued on the Cottonwood Wash Road and came out of the storm at about the time we came to the Smith Cabin at a place called Lost Creek. We stopped here for another piece of interesting history.
The Smith Family eked out a living in this small house for a number of years. Just inside the door on the concrete floor is the hand print of little 8-year-old Ana Smith. Ana was the oldest resident of Green River until she died eight years ago at the age of 98.
On the way back, we stopped at an old pump 3.5 miles from the cabin. It was the only source of water for the Smith family. This ride was 41.5 miles.
The next day dawned in the mid 20s. By the time we reached our drop point near Goblin Valley, it had broken 30 degrees. This was not the plan; March is supposed to be warmer.
We were being led by Reese again on the Behind the Reef Trail. Starting the ride on the Temple Mountain Road, we turned left on the Chute Canyon Trail into the splendor of the San Rafael Swell. No part of my face was exposed to the elements — it was cold, but beautiful.
These amazing trails squeeze between towering rocks and around boulders for which the Swell is famous. This trail helped me understand why the jamboree has the word “Crawl” in the name.
We continued to crawl through the Swell until we came to an old mining shack a little way off the trail where we stopped for lunch. The stop gave us time to view the Swell’s rock formations.
We continued our crawl through the Swell until we were about halfway through the ride. The trail smoothed out and we were able to pick up the pace. That was good and bad. We were riding fast, but at 7,000 feet we were in snow, mud and cold.
We crossed McKay Flat on County Road 1012 and soon joined Temple Mountain Road on our way back to the trucks. We finished a ride of just over 50 miles.
With all the mud, snow, sleet and cold weather, we all agreed that it was the best ride ever. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and find warmer days to ride.
Contact Lynn R. Blamires at quadmanone@gmail.com.