Dead-tree sunset at Mesa Verde National Park. Photograph by Lizzie. Today finds us in Blanding, Utah where we splurged on a hotel for the night. Not out of any desire for comfort, but rather out of a desire just for basic safety. More explanation on that later.
On Sunday, we explored both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks near Moab, Utah. Canyonlands is pretty much exactly what it sounds like - a wild maze of canyons forged by the Colorado and Green Rivers. The land here is so rugged it gives one the sense of being on Mars. There is no civilization here, just Mother Nature. Spooky stuff.
Arches was one of the highlights of the trip for me so far. The park is named for the large rock arches that are prevalent throughout the park. The rock formations in Arches are other-worldly. The rocks are a dusty red in color, and look like aliens shaped them. A totally different world than the green tree-filled woods of New Hampshire.
Monday morning we left Canyonlands and, after stopping in Moab for showers and laundry, made it to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. We got into the park near nightfall, and so did not have a lot of time to explore. Although, we did make it to the Visitor Center where we met ranger Byron Parker, one of the coolest mofos around. We also caught the sunset through a forest of dead trees (dead from a series of forest fires that ravaged the park)...it was incredible.
Tuesday we took tours of two of the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde. The cliff dwellings of the ancient Ancestral Puebloans that inhabited the area until approximately 1300 AD are the main attraction of Mesa Verde. To access them, one must take a ranger-guided tour down the cliff face. On some of the tours, this involves climbing a 32 foot ladder, squeezing through a tunnel barely bigger than your body, walking up narrow steps cut into the cliff face with nothing but the abyss behind you......it's terrifying/exhilarating. Mesa Verde = great park. Strongly recommended for anyone looking for a little adventure.
And then.....there's last night. We left Mesa Verde, and began driving towards Capitol Reef National Park in central Utah. We noticed on the map that Gooseneck State Park was approximately halfway between Mesa Verde and Capitol Reef. We arrive in town, which is a sparsely populated Navajo reservation town, and take the side-road for Gooseneck. The road twists and winds for 7 miles through the desert, until, almost without warning, you arrive at the park.
The only indication that we had arrived was a lonely, decrepit sign that says "Welcome to Goosneck"...and THATS IT. There is a gravel circle, and nothing. No ranger station. No information booth. No camping area. No park. Just a lonely bathroom and this abandoned set of picnic tables and swing sets. I shone my lights around the circle, looking for signs of a proper park, and we saw only empty abyss. Emptiness everywhere. I say, "Man, what should we do?" and Lizzie yelled "WE GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!"
We hopped back in the car and sped away towards town. We were so creeped out that we couldn't even stay in town, so we drove 50 miles north to the next town, which is how we ended up in Blanding, Utah.
But we're alive. And that is a welcome relief.
More later,
Tom
P.S. - Here's the link to all the pictures from the last week. Enjoy!
