Have Media Will Travel

A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.

monument valley

Goosenecks and “Otherworldly” Vistas

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We departed Four Corners and headed toward southeastern Utah. Our next destination was a place called Goosenecks State Park.

Not again. How many more miles?
Not again. How many more miles?

I had seen images of the area while researching content for the new sites we’re developing that promote Zion National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park. It wasn’t far out of the way and would link Four Corners and Monument Valley for us before we’d head toward our main destination, the Grand Canyon.

After winding through some desolate but interesting country, we came to the end of the road, where an overlook was situated along with a couple of picnic tables and some short railings.

We parked and headed to see why the road ended so abruptly. The sight was stunning. There in front of us the San Juan River carves its way around two big interesting “knobs”. It is a striking sight because it’s so unusual and it’s all natural. We enjoyed it all to ourselves as we had a picnic at the table overlooking it.

Here are a couple of video clips. The first is the typical roadtrip video… kids bored in back seat, driver chewing sunflower seeds, good music and “open road” in all directions. The second shows the spectacular Goosenecks formation.

Next up was Monument Valley. We wanted to see what all the fuss is about. Monument Valley has been described as one of the most unique scenic drives in all of America. It’s often referred to as “otherworldly.”
Monument Valley has been described as "otherworldly."

It was recommended we drive it southbound to see the iconic, famous view of the scenic drive en route to Kayenta, UT. This made sense for us given we were coming from Goosenecks State Park and headed to the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon or Bust: 6 states in 7 days

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We are getting ready for quite a spring break adventure.
On April 4, our family will set out in our car, with tent and camping supplies in tow, to travel through parts of 6 states in 7 days.
It’s Grand Canyon or Bust. Or, perhaps The Wyoming Griswolds’ 6-State Roadtrip.

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Sure, Grand Canyon is our “destination”, but no question, the journey will be the trip.

We’re traveling south from our hometown of Lander, WY, to Baggs, WY, to Craig, Grand Junction and Montrose, CO, ending Day 1 in a yurt at Ridgway State Park in southwestern Colorado. Lovers of national parks, we’ll make a quick side trip to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Day 2 will be the Million Dollar Highway to Durango. For the record we were going to bring our camper, but after my husband, Jerry, researched the Million Dollar Highway, our plan to camp in comfort was swiftly tossed out. (The scenic byway better be worth it!) He had what we think was an anxiety attack when we traveled Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park last fall. Despite his experience at climbing to top of 13,000-foot-high mountain peaks, driving above treeline makes him uncomfortable.

Day 2 will be exploring the ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park. We’ll spend our second night in another yurt at Mancos State Park.

Day 3 will mark Jerry’s birthday, so as a present, we’ll find a shower hopefully in Cortez, NM, before we head to “Four Corners”, where we have to travel for purposes of standing where the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado connect.

Then, we’ll point our vehicle to Utah’s Goosenecks State Park, Monument Valley and to the South Rim of Grand Canyon where our true “camping” adventure starts.

We’ll meet up with my parents on our third evening, who are renting an RV for the first time.

On April 7, “mommom and poppop” will head to Flagstaff, etc., to explore and be tourists with our three sons while Jerry and I do the monster hike… down South Kaibab Trail starting at 6am, stop in at Phantom Ranch for brief Snickers indulgence, then return via Bright Angel Trail. Should be a 10- to 12-hour hike for us and we can’t wait. We did it once before in 1999 but that was before we had kids and I had all my media capture gadgets and a blog to post them to. This will be part of what we are calling our We Can Still Do This Tour.
funnycar
Day 5 will be a blast. We’ll go to Williams, AZ, and watch an Old West gun fight reenactment before boarding the Grand Canyon Railway to the South Rim. Living history, interpretation and great scenery are promised during the adventure. After 2 hours, we’ll be dropped off at the South Rim to spend 3 hours on our own touring and taking shuttles to all the “grand” overlooks before riding the train back “in higher style.”

On Day 6 we’ll head West with our sights on the Historic Route 66 and Hoover Dam, before surprising our young sons with a night at Trump Tower, complete with huge swimming pool and near the circus circus festivities. (This is where we change the name of the trip to “From Rock Towers to a Trump Tower”, or from many stars to (just) five stars.)

Day 7 we’ll head to Salt Lake City, one of our favorite cities in search of another great campsite, before heading home just in time for the traditional Easter Egg hunt at my parents.