Four Corners and (almost) Monument Valley! June 1, 2015

Glitches!  One thing you can count on in this type of travel is glitches!  And you're the one to figure them out.  NOt a big one, just time consuming.  While at Mesa Verde, I noticed that the bike rack seemed to be tilted back more than normal.  Not a lot, just enough to notice.  I thought that maybe the weight of 4 bikes might have caused some flexing.  Upon further inspection, it's not the

We left Cortez and headed for Monument Valley with plans (but no reservation) to stay at a campground Donna and I stayed at 14 years ago, right in the valley.  But first a stop at Four Corners -the place where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico all meet.  It was closed the last time we were here and I didn't want to miss this time!  Fortunately, it was opened extended hours for the summer season!

 Each member of the gang got to stand in their own state for this one!

 Lizzie  being Lizzie!

Cowgirl Emi!

Abi said, "Do I have to?"

Even the old man got into the fun-in his own way!

There was a constant "breeze" of about 20-25 mph while we were there!

After some souvenir shopping, we're off to Monument Valley!

A glitch with the bike rack and trailer hitch on the Honda caused a delay in our departure and while on the road we decided to call the campground where we stayed 14 years ago.  I'm glad we called ahead!  They wanted $72 for ONE NIGHT!  If I wanted to pay that much, I'd stay at a motel!  Unfortunately, this is a trend in campgrounds, especially around popular sites.  They add a "per person" fee for more than two people. In this case, it was $8 a night!
So, we pull up our app (thank goodness we had a little signal) and find a campground close to where we are and call it a day early and stop short of the valley in Bluff, Utah.  That's how we roll!  To top it all off - the amazing Noni had a 15 bean soup and ham bone going in the crockpot while we were driving and when the girls and I got back from exploring some local stuff, we had an delicious dinner!

Here's the local stuff that I'm glad we stopped for!

What?  In the middle of nowhere!  Yep, they're working on the guardrail and this is their "flagman".

 These pictures are from the "Valley of the Gods".  It's in the middle of some Forest Service land in the middle of nowhere - about 20 miles from Bluff, Utah.  Pictures courtesy of my three young travel partners.

From Valley of the Gods we drove to Goosenecks State Park - a beautiful but somewhat desolate place.  Definitely somewhere to go to be alone.  The campsites are just a parking spot at the top of the bluff overlooking the river.

Gooseneck 1

Gooseneck 2

Gooseneck 3

Gooseneck 4

Yes, there really are four of the the goosenecks - hence the name of the park!  It's two horseshoes in the river.

Here's a panoramic I took with my phone - it still doesn't do it justice!

 It's hard to adequately describe the beauty of the colors and shapes seen here.

Back at the camp and ready for some dinner!

Tomorrow we've decided to drive through Monument Valley and go on to the Grand Canyon area a day early - hope we can get a campsite!

Blessed to be on this journey and see this through the eyes of the girls!