WRITING ON WALLS? CINNAMON COLORED DUST STORM, AND GOBLINS!

Following a couple days of rest, we were, once again, on the road.  We drove highway 191, found Potash Road along the Colorado river in search of petroglyphs.  We found more than we imagined we would! 

Someone named this one “Paper Dolls,” do you see them? 


Some of the petroglyphs were very light and a bit difficult to find.  We persevered.


Big Horn Sheep, Lizards and human form.  Now, that was easy!

This is a puzzler.  Do you have any ideas?

Warriors?


A lonely hand.  Is it old as the other petroglyphs?


What do you think?




We returned to our site as the sun was dropping toward the western horizon.  These clouds captured my attention because they were filled with dust from ATV and motorbike riders.  The lighter portions of the clouds is the dust. 

Little did we know what the night was to bring.  The evening was accented with a refreshing, cool breeze.  We left our windows open as we went to bed. 

What followed during the peaceful evening was anything but peaceful.  Lying in bed sound asleep, I much too slowly became aware that the wind was blowing and the motorhome was rocking and rolling.

Then, the gale force winds of approximately fifty miles per hour struck.  We jumped up and pulled in the slides.  First the bedroom. Then as the large slide was retracting one massive gust hit us and we felt that the slide toppers were being ripped off.  The noise of the winds actually made me cover my face in fear.  

With the slides retracted, we closed the windows…..way too late.  The damage had been done, but we did not see the piles of “cinnamon” covering the interior until morning. 

The next two days were spent with the vacuum and a shop vac we carry in the basement.  We vacuumed and used the nozzles to suck that darned “cinnamon” from window tracks, counters, tables…..every flat surface.  We used attachments to clean the valences, curtains and blinds. 

Finally, we felt that we had sucked up every grain and that we could move to the Valley of the Goblins State Park. 

Guess what we found upon our arrival.  The movement of the motorhome released another dose of “cinnamon.”  I told John that I didn’t think I could bear to use cinnamon again.  That lasted until our next meal and cinnamon was part of the recipe.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we left the windows down on the night of the sand storm.  John vacuumed as much as he could and now we are waiting until we can put the top down and let the wind blow the rest out of the car.

The campground at the Valley of the Goblins was both full and the sites were too small for our forty foot Allegro Bus and the sixteen foot trailer loaded with the Miata.  Thank goodness we enjoy boondocking.

If you have a rig that is over twenty four feet in length, forget the campgrounds.  The view is much better in the desert, anyway. 

That evening, we heard the sound of a para-sailor.  This is our view of him flying past us and toward the mountain range.  Fascinated, we watched him maneuver closer and closer to the mountain.  He began to gain altitude, but at the last moment, turned and retreated. We think he was trying to go over the mountain and knew he would never make it. He turned in retreat and headed back to the campground.   I wonder what color his shorts was when he touched down. 



Walking the desert floor, John was on the hunt for pretty rocks.  I was on the hunt for a great hike.  We both were happy.  I took this photo with him looking at the ground, as usual.  I was climbing up from a ravine.  I think it makes an interesting photo.








This was my view on my walk.  I tried to find a way down into the wash.  It was late in the afternoon and I was concerned about getting back to the coach before all light was lost.










How do I describe the The Valley of the Goblins?  What can I say to do them justice?

Photos do not do justice to the Majesty of this area.  Make sure that you do not miss it as you travel Utah. 












A Platypus?  A turtle sticking out his tongue?   It is fun trying to describe some of these rock formations that do not look like goblins.  








As I walked through the valley, I began to see a mountain that looked blue!  I wanted to see more.

What appears to look close is not as close as it appears.  But I kept walking.


The more I walked, the more I was intrigued.  Why that color in the midst of all the red and brown tints of the goblins and surrounding mountains. 



Another twenty minutes or so, I am able to see more of the detail.
But there is one problem.  I know that I have been gone way too long, leaving John sitting on a rock in the sun.  I must turn back. 




But…..which way do I go?  I do not recognize much as I try to retreat, knowing that I am not following the path by which I came.


Uh, oh….I know I’m in the dog house!  But there he is!  He is walking back to the trailhead, I think.  Oops, his water bottle is empty.  Not good.


Thank goodness he still loves me, though he’s a bit irritated, hot and thirsty.  

Keep in mind here that we both purchased Camelback hydrating backpacks, but did not bring them with us.  Can anyone spell stuuupiddd? 








The next day is rest day and late in the afternoon, we leave our campsite and are on the road, once more.  This is the lovely campsite we had for our wonderful nights sleep.  Nothing like a running stream to sing you to sleep.
Looking left…..

Looking right…..












And a beautiful sunset….

When we have beautiful days like today, I can’t begin to imagine what God has in store for us in Heaven!  I pray that you will be there with us.

Thanks so much for joining us on this journey. 

And thanks you so much for shopping Amazon through our blog. 

God bless you all!