My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....amazing place.....

tgil.....yea, I miss Yukon so much.....


At this point in our travels we needed to make a decision as to where we would travel next.....north to Hanksville, Utah or south towards Arizona and the Navajo Nation. The temporary highway sign was flashing something like "Ferry Closed" so north to Hanksville, Utah was not an option as there was no way to cross the Colorado River.....we drove south.....



Now there are an inordinate number of signs along this highway warning about the forthcoming steep grade. There are signs stating oversize vehicles prohibited, RVs not recommended, and on and on. And I mean there were so many warnings that I actually pulled over and gave thought to turning back. But in the end I said what the hell and off we went.....



Almost immediately the highway bends to the left and takes a nose dive.....an 11 % grade.....



And then the highway narrows.....and you descend through multiple switchbacks.....



This "dangerous" stretch of highway is three miles in length and drops approximately 1,200' from the cedar filled mesa to a vast wide open desert floor below.....



In a country such as Bolivia or Nepal, this section of roadway would be considered normal highway....



We had no issues with the descent and I struggled to understand all the hype.....





At the base of the steep grade we encountered the signpost for the entrance to the Valley of the Gods.....



We took the turn to the left and this truly magnificent wonderland would become our home for the next eight days and seven nights.....

 

[Ace Brown]

Valley of the Gods is one of my favorite hangouts and dog friendly too. I often overnight there if passing through.


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[ROKTAXI]

You've probably already been there and gone, but it can be a bit greasy in some spots if there's been rain recently.

 

[longhorn1]

We drove this in the opposite direction, Arches, Canyonlands, Gooseneck State Park, Valley of the God's, Moki Dugway, Natural Bridge, Bears Ears, Grand Staircase Escalate, Glen Canyon camped on the reservoir, Burr Trail switchbacks, Capitol Reef. For $10 we got to camp right on the canyon rim above the San Juan River at Gooseneck SP. Parked the truck about 10' from the edge and watched an amazing sunset.

 

[Ace Brown]

We drove this in the opposite direction, Arches, Canyonlands, Gooseneck State Park, Valley of the God's, Moki Dugway, Natural Bridge, Bears Ears, Grand Staircase Escalate, Glen Canyon camped on the reservoir, Burr Trail switchbacks, Capitol Reef. For $10 we got to camp right on the canyon rim above the San Juan River at Gooseneck SP. Parked the truck about 10' from the edge and watched an amazing sunset.

Me too. Every bit of that and multiple times for most of those spots.


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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ROKTAXI.....funny that you mentioned that.....I don't think that it rains much there but there was welcomed rain that very night.....we had no issues.....

JD / Alan.....amazing place to hang out.....




VALLEY OF THE GODS.....

DAY ONE.....

So we headed down that gravel road with no idea what was ahead.....it really was amazing.....



The cliffs to our north seemed to be never ending.....



We passed by the Valley of the Gods Bed & Breakfast and I'd guess maybe 3 miles down the road we snagged the first good spot that we saw.....maybe a quarter mile off the main road.....then it was time to explore.....



We had been walking on the Valley of the Gods Road for maybe 10 minutes when this guy pulls up, leans his head out the window, and he says with a Texas drawl in his voice (Texas plates as well). He says "are you walking the entire road ?" (he seemed astonished with the idea) and I said "I am". Not sure why I said it but it seemed like a good plan.....



So on DAY ONE we walked from our campsite out to the stop sign at the main highway.....maybe 3 miles in total.....



We also hiked up in the hills a bit.....how could you not.....







At the beginning of our stay we saw almost no one.....most vehicles seemed to be doing the drive yet not staying for the night.....



Day One was perfect.....and we loved it here.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

VALLEY OF THE GODS.....

DAY TWO.....

Up early the following morning having my mugs of coffee and I start thinking about that 3 mile stretch of steep highway that we had driven down the day before.....and I thought that I need to walk it as well.....unhooked the Jeep and headed to the "trailhead".....







You just see so much more while on foot.....it took less than 10 minutes to drive it.....about an hour up it by boot.....and another hour to get back down.....







It was fairly silent on the highway that morning.....and that of course added to the splendor of the magnificent views.....







Couldn't have thought of a better way to start my day.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Just a few more pictures going up that road.....







Now I had a new plan which was to camp at a different spot each night.....Valley of the Gods Road is 17 miles long so there are tons of options.....





We explored quite a bit on that second day here.....I logged 19 miles that day so you see we spent quite a bit of time exploring along those canyon walls.....



We got back out on the road and walked a few more miles walking from the west to the east.....





And then another day came to its end.....

 

[longhorn1]

Now that is an amazing idea to walk up Moki Dugway. How right you are about seeing everything when you walk. I'm the driver, so I know I miss a lot. My wife gets to see it all. I enjoyed that drive.

 

[blanketslayer]

It's dreary and rainy here in Wisconsin so these beautiful travels out west are sorely needed. Adding Valley of the Gods and the surrounding areas to my list for sure.

 

[tgil]

Jerry, I've been meaning to ask what you use to track your miles? Don't figure you for the new fandangled smart watch type? GPS? Old school pedometer? Same phone you take all of your pics with?

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[flyboyaviator]

Just a few more pictures going up that road.....

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Now I had a new plan which was to camp at a different spot each night.....Valley of the Gods Road is 17 miles long so there are tons of options.....

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We explored quite a bit on that second day here.....I logged 19 miles that day so you see we spent quite a bit of time exploring along those canyon walls.....

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We got back out on the road and walked a few more miles walking from the west to the east.....

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And then another day came to its end.....

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Beautiful pictures, Happy Thanksgiving Jerry and Tanner.

 

[Ace Brown]

Most of the unusual rock formations along the drive have fanciful names like the Seven Sailors, the Sitting Hen and many more. The names may be on detailed maps and some GPS maps. There used to brochures at the east end that named them all but I have not seen any in a long time. But my hunch is that Jerry will prefer to conjure up his own names.

Alan


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[tgil]

Happy Thanksgiving Jerry and Tanner!

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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....I liked the walk so much that I came back nearly 2 weeks later to do that walk once again.....

blanketslayer.....it's definitely an experience that you'll want to have at least once in your lifetime.....

Alan.....regarding names of the monoliths and buttes, I'd prefer the ancient names although I admit that I have no idea what they are. Much like Denali for Mount McKinley or the Tibetan name Chomolungma for Mount Everest.....

tgil.....I use a Fitbit and I'll tell you.....I'm pretty obsessive with the thing. It's not accurate when you're out climbing stuff, but it's good enough for me. It does great on flat land.....

flyboyaviator.....thank you.....I hope you have a healthy day.....



VALLEY OF THE GODS.....

DAY THREE.....

It's difficult to imagine a better place in America to pull up a lawn chair and simply gaze.....at the beauty of those wonderful cliffs, buttes and monoliths that make up the Valley of the Gods.....





I saw quite a bit of that lawn chair behavior here during my walks along the road. But for me that never works.....I'm a man in perpetual motion.....





At night after the sun had set, I stayed up late reading as many online articles as I could with regard to this area and became fascinated with the history and the beliefs of the ancient ones that dwelled here.....





I read about the spirits that lived within these natural monuments.....Tanner & I hiked 3 miles that third day into a canyon.....not a slot canyon like you might experience in Zion, but a broad canyon, maybe a half mile in width. When we came to the end of the canyon.....when we looked straight up at those 1,500' tall cliffs, Tanners ears perked up and he began to growl.....I'd like to think it was the spirits as we saw nothing nearby.....that's just who I am. I felt that maybe we had tresspassed that afternoon.....who knows.....we returned to the Valley of the Gods Road.....



We moved our camp further east.....and continued to walk the road. Late that evening I heard voices outside the camper.....I thought geez someone has set up camp so close.....this massive rock formation was nearby our camp.....



I couldn't see another rig within our eyesight and it wasn't until I looked up on top of that massive rock formation did I know where the voices came from.....



On the top were 2 climbers.....how I wished I was there.....