#originally written sans wifi on October 12, 2021 near Temple Mountain, Utah
That title may be a bit hyperbolic, but true none-the-less. I’m currently nestled in wool, down and alpaca listening to the light sprinkles of tiny sleet balls falling on the top of the teardrop. Tea was served in the trailer this morning – our first time using the jet boil inside – worked like a charm. We did leave the trailer when the sleet/snow stopped briefly to cook breakfast, but for the rest of the day we’re opting for a cozy day of reading, drawing, writing and maybe a movie or two on the laptop.
Yesterday, we left Moab and drove up to the Goblin Valley area to find camping. We snagged a sweet little spot in a canyon down the road and then went down to check out a couple slot canyons – Ding and Dang. It was a cute little trail and the slots were impressive; beautiful blond, Navajo sandstone diving down into smooth, tight slots. Yikes! It is difficult to write about canyoneering without double entendres. The water stopped us on both trails – too cold for wading – but we may come back here another time when less water is present or we have a chance of drying wet shoes and clothes.
This would be a good time to talk about a few major differences we’ve noticed in camping and road tripping the US that will help us make our future trips a bit more comfortable and efficient. As can be expected, the prices are much higher for camping in traditional campgrounds – I would say about double from the last time we were on the road for a long period of time. Also, there are WAY MORE PEOPLE everywhere doing the same thing. Trails, parks, pull-outs, campgrounds, highways are all exponentially more crowded than we remember, but there are a lot more options if you are willing to go primitive.
For example, the first time we came out to Goblin Valley – maybe mid 90’s? – we’re pretty sure there was no sign from the highway, we had just found it on the map and drove down a long dirt road to check it out. The camping was very primitive with just a pit toilet and no water and there was no-one out there, except us. This time, the camping was $35 per night and full until late Tuesday. There were so many people that we decided to go check out the surrounding area instead of running around the valley full of mushroom-like hoo-doos. Everywhere surrounding, more people were milling around and camping wherever they could find a slice of BLM land and a relatively flat spot. And it has been like that everywhere. In this new era of more humans getting out to enjoy nature, I’m happy to have our 4×4 rig that can take us down remote dirt roads and potentially away from the crowds.
We’re starting to wind down our trip and while it hasn’t played out quite like I expected, I’m feeling pretty content in my little pod shelter in this canyon. I’m honestly still craving the desert camping, but getting back home to some warmer temperatures and the comforts of home would be nice too. For now, I’m going to dive back into that new book and periodically look out the window at the local wildlife. #happyplace
