Fall 2020 Utah Part 3 – Natural Bridges NM – Valley of the Gods – Mexican Hat & Monument Valley NM
10/2/2020: Bluff UT
The drive from MOAB to Bluff down 191 is beautiful. We do pass a recreation area with a beautiful lake right near or in Blanding that would be great for boondocking for future reference. It is called “Recapture Recreation Area” and had a road leading behind the lake. There were a few campers on the banks – but alas, we already had a campsite reserved in Bluff! As we pull in to the campground the owner is right at the entryway helping another camper and asks what site we were assigned and it is right across from where he was standing. A pull through with full hook ups. Though the sites are narrow, we will probably rarely be there much as our plans here are to do day drives down near Mexican Hat and then through Monument Valley.
Bluff, Utah – Established 650 AD – Wow!!!
Arriving early enough in the day we decide to take a drive in the Mini to “Natural Bridges National Monument”... (a recommendation from our son.) -Utah’s first National Monument! The drive is about 120 miles roundtrip so we didn’t have much time for any extended hiking though we did get to drive the rim trail that is a one way road through the park, and we also stopped at each look-out to get pictures of the bridges. Definitely worth a future visit allowing more time to do the numerous hikes here…
Natural Bridges National Monument
The drive back from Natural Bridges NM…
Sunset from put campsite in Bluff, UT…
10/3/2020:
The plan today is a drive in the Mini through Valley of the Gods, Mexican Hat, and the impressive Monument Valley area… While Moument Valley National Monument is closed because of Covid and the the challenges it had created with the Navajo Nation, we still enjoyed the drive in our Mini convertible through this breath-taking area of rock formations… There is smoke from Colorado fires in the air, though it is still a beautiful drive and day! We would have loved to have done the museum but closed. The drive takes all day and we get back to relax a bit before knowing we will pack up to leave the following day.
Mexican Hat, UT…
Monument Valley Entrance … Closed
This area of Utah has some of the most dramatic landscapes in America. Driving through Monument Valley is without question an iconic moment on this ongoing Revolutionary Journey… Getting to capture the flag picture with the two of us on this spectacular stretch of road in Utah is a moment we will never forget….
