"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime"-MARK TWAIN

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Goosenecks and the Moki dugway

 

We had a leisurely breakfast this morning, then decided to go for a ride.  Had always wanted the see the Goosenecks of the San Juan River, and climb the Moki Dugway.  As we headed South we could see parts of Monument Valley in the distance.

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You can feel really small in areas such as this.

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The San Juan River which looks so meek and mild here at the campground has carved a channel something like a thousand feet deep only twenty or so miles away.

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So large I could not get them in one picture.  The river enters from the left on the top picture and exits in the bottom one.  A miniature Grand Canyon.  There is open camping all along the rim.  Not recommended for sleepwalkers. Can’t believe I didn’t get pictures of that.

From there it was on to the Moki Dugway.  Utah highway 261 is a nice paved road from near Mexican Hat to near Natural Bridges National Monument. 

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But to get there it has to climb this mesa.

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It does it in about a two mile stretch of gravel switchbacks.

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Very narrow, with few pullouts.

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Looking back on the road we were on earlier from about halfway up.

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Some of the switchbacks.

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Some didn’t make it.

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Looking back the way came, down toward Monument Valley.

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Next up,  Natural Bridges……..jc

6 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures but the Moki is NOT for me!

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  2. Great photos !! Love those windy roads .. but .. don't think our truck would ..

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  3. Beautiful area, but Switchbacks with no guard rails + Acrophobia = not on my bucket list. I'll have to travel vicariously through you.

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  4. Thanks for the nice coverage of the area. I think it is time for me to roll.

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  5. I have been looking at maps for a June trip. Monument Valley keeps popping into my head. It has been 6 or more years since last there. Reading your blog has just pushed it to top of the list. Chaco Canyon in on the list but not with the Casita. Loving to follow you on the trail. Sally looks like she is enjoying, too.

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  6. Loved the vista pictures and the shots of the Goosenecks. Providing me with inspiration to keep on plugging away toward freedom.

    Can't look at the San Juan River without remembering our only western river trip...Awesome place!

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Thanks for looking, and comments are welcome.