September 19, 2019 Valley Of The Gods

Mileage: 67,848

Valley of the Gods BLM Dispersed Camping Blanding, Utah

We drove a short distance today and returned to the Valley of the Gods.  While we were riding around yesterday, we saw there was dispersed camping here with amazing views…

Valley of the Gods.

Once we were settled, we packed the cooler and headed out for today’s adventure.  We had met a woman who told us that 261, Trail of the Ancients, was a gravel road on the edge of a mesa and so of course we wanted to go and see for ourselves.

Most people would have researched the route.  They might have known ahead of time where they were going and they definitely might have had reservations for overnight.  This is NOT how we travel.  Most of the time it works just fine.  We met a couple the other day who live in their RV fulltime.  They always have reservations 5 months out.  They couldn’t understand our free form decision making.  We believe that it allows us to enjoy the ride and see where it takes us…other people would be very anxious traveling this way!

Unfortunately, the gravel road was only 3 miles long and then we were on smooth, brand new, paved road.  We went to Natural Bridges National Monument.  There is a difference between arches and bridges and it has to do with the way they are formed.  Bridges are formed by erosive damage by flowing water.  Arches are formed by seeping water, frost, and other eroding forces.   

The first bridge overlook was at Sipapu Bridge.  Sipapu means “place of emergence.”  This is one of the largest natural bridges in the world.

Horse Collar Ruin was a pueblo cliff dwelling from about AD 1050 to 1300.  There is evidence that people have lived here on this mesa and in the canyon below from 9,000 to 700 years ago.  There was a short and pleasant hike to the overlook.

Good advice…

Hidey hole for some clever creature.  Look how the entrance is blocked by the cactus.

Erosive forces at work.

The canyon and the ruins beneath the arches far below.

The second bridge was Kachina Bridge.

The third bridge, Owachomo, is the thinnest and oldest.  It could crack and fall tomorrow, or last for many more years.

We met Joe and his wife from Nashville, Tennessee as we were exploring the park.  We had fun sharing travel stories with them.  They were headed to Route 261.  He was excited about it, his wife not so much!  We hope that they enjoyed their adventure today!

We could see Bears Ears as we left the park.

Route 95 from Natural Bridges to Blanding is a scenic route.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

On our way back, we passed a young couple on bicycles working hard to get up a steep hill and fighting a stiff headwind.  The wind was strong enough that it was battering the sides of the Jeep.  Tim decided to turn around and offer the two cyclists some cold water.  The woman gratefully accepted.  The young man had just filled his water.  The couple planned to camp in Valley of the Gods.  Tim told them where to find us.

Later this afternoon, I heard voices behind the RV.  Linda and Dominik found us!  We enjoyed an evening of trading travel stories.  This couple left Switzerland a year ago.  They had been saving money to take a bike tour.  They gave up their apartment and their jobs.  They biked to Belgium then Poland. At one point in their journey, Dominic was injured in a car accident and the couple returned to Switzerland while he recovered.  Then they took a container ship to Nova Scotia.  They arrived in Canada last September.  They came to the U.S. and biked most of the east coast of the United States all the way to Key West.  Their visas are only good for 3 months at a time here in the States.  They spent several months in South America touring Ecuador, Guatemala, and Columbia.  They also went to the Galapagos.  They are now biking in the western states…such courage, such an inspiration.  We cooked them dinner and they used our shower.  We all watched the heavens erupt with stars…so many stars that it was difficult to find the constellations we know well.  We could see the Milky Way so clearly and I even saw a shooting star.  Linda and Dominic went to bed in their tent, full, clean, and happy.  It was such a pleasure to share time with them, it makes our lives so much richer as we meet people along our path.