Todays post is about living on the edge.
Of the canyon that is.
From Monument Valley we traveled north about 40 miles to Goosenecks
State Park in Utah.
The park is so named because here the San Juan River cuts a back and forth
pattern (Goosenecks) dozens of times as it carves its way westward to its meeting with the
Colorado River at lake Powell.
In the park the river travels over 6 miles while it only makes 1.5 miles westward progress.
We camped right on the edge of the canyon.
You can see one of the Goosenecks behind us in the photo below.
Saturday Morning we took a drive up the nearby Moki Dugway.
The dugway is an unpaved old mine road that ascends about 1,200 feet in
3 miles of tight switchbacks to Muley Point.
While the road is safe - it is certainly not for those afraid of heights.
You can see the road on the valley floor to the left as it approaches the Dugway.
You can see the road on the valley floor to the left as it approaches the Dugway.
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| Moki Dugway |
Once at the top, a drive down the well graded dirt road (Muley Point Road)
brings you to Muley Point and a million dollar view of the Goosenecks, The Valley of
the Gods, and the Monument Valley 40 miles to the south.
There are numerous side roads and boondocking sites.
I did not explore all of them but what I saw was not suitable for a
very large rig.
There are numerous side roads and boondocking sites.
I did not explore all of them but what I saw was not suitable for a
very large rig.
Monument Valley in the far distance.
Back at camp we had steaks over the wood fire and a beautiful starlit night in the
dark Utah skies. A perfect end to a fantastic day.
The next morning a firey red sunrise painted the canyon walls.
You can see our rigs on the canyon edge.
A closer view - we had 2 neighbors.
Marcel is far left and I'm far right.
Headed to our next stop at Grand Canyon, we backtracked thru the
Monument Valley and stopped to take this iconic photo of US 163 and Monument Valley.
It was this scene that was shown in Forest Gump as he walked about the country.
Our rigs on the side of the road.
Our first night in Grand Canyon Francesca cooked us all dinner.
Chicken with Asparagus, and Risotto with cheese.
It was a delicious meal that took her several hours to prepare.
Isabella made the desert - artistically sliced watermelon.
In the afternoon we hiked several miles along the South Rim Trail.
Around every turn a new vista awaited our cameras.
Its hard to believe it but the photos below were taken with my iPhone.
We had a beautiful clear day and the colors were vibrant.
It was a great day - one that we will all remember forever.
After 3 days we said goodbye to Grand Canyon and turned our sights Southward,
but that is the subject for another day.
Till then.
Ahhh... The memories! Reading your post and seeing your photos brought back a ton of memories of our own time visiting those places and taking the same drives. Beautiful country for sure!!! As is often the case, as great as the photos are they just don't do justice to seeing these places in person. The view of the Goosenecks was impossible to get in a single shot and it was magnificent to see. I think I even tried a panoramic shot without success. Oh well. I can see everyone is having a fabulous time. Looking forward to seeing where your next stop is.
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