The road into the southern part on Canyonlands National Park (the Needles section) is very photogenic and not nearly as busy as the more heavily frequented northern part. Wooly likes taking pictures of these seemingly deserted roads
Scenic road into the Needles.
One of the stops on this road is Newspaper Rock which I wrote about previously. Along the way we started getting hints of what the Needles section was all about.
The Needles Hint
Springtime is a great time to visit our National Parks. The late spring bloom was very evident at the entrances of Canyonlands.
Canyonlands Wildflowers
This was the most colorful park entrance we encountered on this trip. One of the reasons I love desert climates is because it only takes a little rain to make the ground come alive with color.
When they fly they seem as though they are having fun. With one of the largest brains of all birds they are known to work out problems. They are noisy, mischievous, can recognize and remember faces, and above all are opportunists.
They are loyal and mate for life. They protect their territory and young vigorously. When used to humans they are somewhat fearless. While you may see their cousins (crows and grackles) in the city, ravens prefer the wide open spaces.
In different cultures, superstitions, and mythologies, ravens have known as a trickster (one I can believe), a bad omen, or a god. Wooly just thinks they are opportunists.
When Wooly and Raeski arrived at a trailhead in Canyonlands National Park we were greeted by a Raven. He? was bold and vocal. As Wooly pulled out the camera Mr. Raven took a liking to Miss Mini and flew onto her. Now Wooly knew enough to make sure there wasn’t anything handy for Mr. Raven to make off with. Raeski on the other hand was more concerned with Mr. Raven scratching Miss Mini’s sensitive paint. And this wasn’t Miss Mini’s first encounter with ravens. Apparently her shiny chrome is irresistible!
However Wooly happens to enjoy the decidedly uncommon Common Raven of the Southwest. When I spoke to this one I got a very vocal CAW CAW back. My guess is he was telling me, “I know you have food and shiny bobbles in this car, now hand them over!”
While on our way to the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park we stopped at a small roadside attraction called Newspaper Rock. The Navajos call it “Tse Hone” which means “rock that tells a story”. It’s a site where ancient petroglyphs were first carved about 2,000 years ago. I have never seen this many petroglyphs in one place before in my life. It is simply amazing.
The rock itself is sandstone whose iron and manganese content has oxidized through the ages. There is also a specific bacterial element also involved in the process. Thousands of years are required for sandstone to turn black.
There are over 600 figures carved into the ‘desert varnish’ by Native Americans dating back to both prehistoric and historic times at Newspaper Rock. The oldest figures are fading by the same process that turned the sandstone black in the first place. Nobody really knows why this site has so many figures and why it was used throughout the ages.
Currently this site is open to the public and access is not restricted. Sadly the site is also plagued by vandals who have no respect for antiquities and preservation of a remarkable site. What concerns me is the ‘what if’. What if vandals destroy an undiscovered ancient Anasazi equivalent to the Rosetta Stone? So much could be lost and possible many mysteries would remain unsolved forever.
More is unknown about the ancient Anasazi that inhabited the Southwest than what is known. They built cities, cultivated the land and had an evolved societal structure for close to a thousand years. Yet they completely disappeared sometime around the 13th century and nobody knows why. How tragic would it be to lose the answer due to a despicable act of vandalism?
Now I know my readers would never commit such an act. But come on people, show a little respect.
The timing was perfect. We planned the visit to coincide with one of the driest months of the year and the new moon. The plan was for Wooly to photograph the Milky Way in some of the darkest skies in the continental U.S. But there was one thing we had no control over. If you guessed Mother Nature you are right. Mother Nature can be a real ‘Mother’ sometimes which may be part of the reason for the term.
In the Southwest U.S. there is a summer phenomenon called the ‘monsoon’ season. By definition a monsoon is characterized by a southerly flow of moist air marking a change in season. In late June through early September weather patterns change and moist air is pumped up from Mexico into Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and sometimes reaching to Southern California and Nevada.
As luck would have it, the monsoonal flow started the day we arrived at Natural Bridges National Monument. While it was not enough to rain, it was enough for clouds to gather over the tops of mesas which of course Natural Bridges is on. With our plans in danger of being washed out we made the best of it and hiked down to one of the bridges just after sunset in the hopes that the clouds would clear after sunset.
As the bats started coming out we thought we would be treated to a nice show of the bats flying after bugs in the air. However there was one bat who was more interested in us than bugs. After several persistent dives at us we figured it may be prudent to leave just in case there was something wrong (rabies?) with the bat. So much for planning… again…
So Wooly and Raeski huffed and puffed their way back to Miss Mini after being evicted by the bat and cautiously drove back to the hotel keeping a watch out for cows on the road.
After a stop at Utah’s Goosenecks State Park, Raeski and I continued driving up route UT-261 to reach Natural Bridges National Monument. I didn’t know if we would be able to go this route because of an obstacle called the Moki Dugway. This is a portion of the highway that goes from pavement to dirt and our topless Miss Mini Cooper much prefers the nice paved roads she was built to drive on instead of rough dirt roads.
Warning Signs
As you approach the dugway the first road sign the state of Utah deems to warn the casual driver of is impending doom and destruction if you are in something they consider oversize or overweight. I guess they are leaving it up to you to decide if you fall in that category. In the photo you can see the next sign warns you about 5mph switchbacks and 10% grades which means you’re in for a steep road that gains 10 feet in elevation for every 100 feet you travel.
Moki Dugway
Upon reaching the dusty dirt portion of the road we find it is in very good condition and not rough at all but with some rain it could be a very different story. Wooly loves roads that are like spaghetti. The switchbacks reminded us of our trip between Santiago Chile and Mendoza Argentina. However the Moki doesn’t have 29 switchbacks like that road. As you climb the views are impressive and fortunately there are wide spots in the road where you can stop and sneak in a photo or two.
Moki Dugway
There is one vista where you can pull completely off the road and are greeted with a view of the road below and some of the switchbacks and the plateau below. It was a bit of fortune that I was able to shoot a photo of a truck pulling a horse trailer up the road that gives size perspective. This seems to be a popular stopping point because if you look online you will find many photos taken from this spot and now I’m adding mine to the mix.
While it’s not Mt. Everest, when you get to the top the views makes it
Moki Dugway Vista
seem like you are on top of the world. Looking east you see a portion of Monument Valley and to the south you see the twisted canyon of the San Juan River. To the north you enter a forest of Juniper trees, open range, and cattle standing in the middle of the road. Yes, we literally had to make our way around a cow standing in the middle of the road.
Okay, so how in the world did ‘they’ (the ever present unidentified corporate they) come up with the name Moki Dugway?
In deference to our Spanish speaking friends, it should really be spelled Moqui which was
Moki Dugway Vista
a term the Spanish explorers used to describe the Pueblo Indians they met in the area. Of course Americans being Americans have to change the word to something more pronounceable to their tongue instead of learning the rules of Spanish pronunciation. So you get the new name of Moki. But wouldn’t Mokee have served that purpose better? Maybe they were just lazy and didn’t want to use an extra vowel.
Moki Dugway Views
And a dugway is a road or path excavated from a high land form for means of transport. From this you get the name Moki Dugway as the road cuts through roughly 1,100 feet of the sheer walls of Cedar Mesa.
At 7:30am, Wooly and Raeski left Phoenix and started their journey through the state and national parks in Southern Utah with a couple of national monuments tossed into the mix. Getting up early and beating the heat allowed us to start our trip topless. With the occasional pit stop along the way and a few photos of Monument Valley, the trip to Goosenecks State Park, Utah took almost 7 hours.
Twisted and folded earth
The Goosenecks are an out of the way, I mean you really have to go out of your way to find it, state park without much to offer except a single exceptional viewpoint. After turning off the main road and then turning off to an even narrower road and driving a few miles you reach the end of the road and the park. You can keep going if your names are Thelma and Louise and care to go ‘car diving’.
Goosenecks State Park, UT
While on this drive you are treated to views of earth that has been uplifted and twisted. Wooly thinks this is cool because there is a bit of a geology bug in him. At the end of the road you reach the park and find a couple of picnic tables, an outhouse and nary a tree. And yes, it’s a hot 100 degrees or about 38C.
Goosenecks State Park, UT
However what you do find is a spectacular view of the San Juan River meandering and cutting its way through 1,000 feet of sandstone. We were even able to watch a couple of rafters running the river. Capturing them gives a sense of perspective of what Wooly saw while teetering on the edge of the cliff.
Goosenecks State Park, UT
We hope you enjoy the photos. But I have one question. Can a goose really bend its neck that much and live to see another day?
Raeski found this seat removal kit for Minis online and ordered it. Wow, what a difference it makes. After installing it the choice was simple. There’s an amazing amount of room in that little car once the back seats are gone.
Tomorrow we take off for a three week adventure. The first day will be a long one as we will be driving over 500 miles. I’m looking forward to it because we are escaping the heat. Today it reached 109F or for those living in most of the world, 43C.
Our first side trip tomorrow will be a side trip to Goosenecks State Park to catch an outstanding view of the San Juan River a few miles upstream before it flows into the Colorado River. It’s 10 miles of dirt road that’s going to really mess up a clean car. I’m curious to see if we get much dirt in the car while driving with the top down. My guess is we might end up having to put the top up. In the past when on dirt roads the back of the car got quite dusty.
After the Goosenecks we head to the Moki Dugway which has a couple of great viewpoints overlooking the Valley of the Gods. From what I have seen and read the valley is like a miniature Monument Valley. After that we head to Blanding to check into our hotel.
But we’re not done yet. Tomorrow night we are going to Natural Bridges National Monument. Why at night? Because they have some of the darkest skies in the lower 48 and Wooly wants to try to photograph the Milky Way.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Mark Twain
woolyandraeski 