We
had not heard of, nor seen a Gooseneck, nor the awesome cliffs and mesas of Valley of the Gods, nor Bluff,
UT for that matter,
until now. All firsts….as the other
stops on this itinerary have been visited a couple of times, most recently 2007.
From
Moab we headed south on UT-191, with a stop in Blanding to check out the
Visitor’s Center, and do some shopping at Clarke’s Market; then on to Bluff per
Happy
Trails, a testament
to their great photos and narrative.
We
headed through town, past the RV parks, and on to Sand Island BLM campground, about 5 miles west of
Bluff, where we found the perfect, most beautiful site right on the San Juan
River. There were no crowds, very few
people actually, just the daily rafting groups gathering to launch for the 30
mile, 3 day, float trip to Mexican Hat.
We breathe a sigh of relief...ahhh….we can actually breathe fresh, clean
air; put out the chairs and just sit for the rest of the day enjoying the
sounds of the river, and beautiful scenery.
This is our kind of place!
Sand
Island also has a very impressive wall of Petroglyphs that can be reached by vehicle or a
short walk, maybe ½ mile. They are
well-marked and easily accessible along a cliff face that stretches for a
hundred feet or so. Signs date the
glyphs at 300 to 3000 years old (the website says different). I love seeing the original Kokopelli in rock art!
There
was a full day exploring Valley of the Gods along 17 miles of BLM backroads,
stopping frequently for photos and admiring the formations and remnants of this ancient landscape, similar to Monument Valley, but smaller and no crowds. The road brought us out on UT-261, the Moki Dugway;
a driving experience in itself.
We
turned south for Goosenecks State Park, not prepared for what awaited us at
road’s end. The San Juan River, the longest entrenched river meander in North America, twists and turns, covering more than 6 miles while advancing less than 2 miles toward Lake Powell, carving a deep canyon
1500’ below our viewpoint…and formations of geologic layers that do look like goosenecks!
We were so close we had to continue on to Mexican Hat...
Had
it not been for the “schedule”, we could have stayed here the entire 15 days
allowable by the Bureau of Land Management.
If boondocking is your thing, or kayaking, with beautiful scenery, and
maybe a first experience, or two thrown in…then be sure and include this in
your trip planning!
