We got up early to drive south to the Needles District of Canyonlands.  We were ahead of schedule since we used the hot part of the previous day to do the Island in the Sky District - this worked out really well for us.  Having seen the Island in the Sky mesa looking down, we wanted to experience getting below it to look up.  So off we went down Hwy 191 to Hwy 211 to enter the park on the east side.  Along Indian Creek we stopped at Newspaper Rock which has an impressive display of petroglyphs.  Hwy 211 was much better than I thought it would be based on map coding.  It was not long before we realized that we were in 4-wheel drive country - we were in good shape with our Hummer H3.  At the visitor center we found out that we could drive close to the confluence of the Green and Colorado down a 4-wheeler road but not without risk.  They said that in case we stuck the Hummer, the tow trucks would come out of Moab (and loved to get a call) where they charged by the hour from the time they left Moab.  So if you needed their services, you needed 4 or 5 hundred dollars cash or a credit card with lots of room.  We decided to skip on that drive adding it to my growing bucket list.  I really, really, really wanted to hike the 11-mile round trip trail to the Confluence Overlook.  The rangers said we should start really, really early in the morning for that hike.  We settled on going to the Big Spring Canyon Overlook, the first overlook at the Slick Rock Overlook and the Cave Spring Trail.  There was also a Colorado River Overlook in the same class as the Confluence Overlook. I did not add it to my bucket list. I should note that we could see the narrow mesa where we were at the Grand View Point Overlook the previous day.  This is not a drive-through park cause you cannot do it! Otherwise it is.  I should note that Cataract Canyon, the big whitewater place is just below the Confluence Overlook.  Do not know much about it but would love to whitewater raft on the Colorado.

We skipped the third and last Maze District based on time and inaccessibility.  This is where the Moab hiker had his arm pinned for 5 days by a 1/2 ton boulder that fell on him.  It is so remote, that no one ever passed by to help him.  After running out of water and just before he expired, he used his knife to amputate his arm, treated the wound then walked out (2003).  We will never be a part of that group of hikers/campers!

It was now time to return on Hwy 211 to Hwy 191 for the trip to Monticello, then Blanding then Arizona.  Part way back our GPS showed a road through the Manti-La Sal National Forest to Monticello.  So on a rare spur of the moment we turned down that road where we immediately saw a pronghorn antelope.  We climbed higher and higher on switchbacks until we saw - guess what?  Aspens!!  We wondered where they had all been lately.  After Monticello we passed Devils Canyon - you can guess what I wanted.  As we left Blanding we were doing so well on our schedule that Marilyn said let's go down Hwy 95 to Natural Bridges National Monument.  I had seen it on a map previously but didn't think our schedule would allow it. Natural Bridges had three bridges (as opposed to arches carved out by water erosion - no river) carved out by a running river.  We drove in a circle to visit each.  It was nice but not earth-shattering.

Now we were poised and ready to cross the Utah border to 'invade' Arizona.  We expected the Dept of Injustice to have agents ready to block all of us that come in from Utah.  But based on tens of thousands crossing the U.S./Mexican border each day we thought: How hard could it be to cross the Utah border?  The federal gov't can't do anything right so we were confident that we could make Page, AZ before dark.  But then at Natural Bridges we were told by an international student from Belgium by way of New Mexico that she had braved the Moki Dugway coming from Arizona to Utah.  On the map we could see it depicted as a 'Z'.  When you see a 'Z' on a map where a road is supposed to be it can not be good.  She said that her rented car slid from side to side as she drove up the Moki Dugway.  We thought: Our Hummer can take the Moki.  The ranger told us that we should be careful there since it had more than 2 miles of gravel with narrow switchbacks and 10% grades.  He said to make sure that no 18-wheelers were acting stupidly before heading up or down it.  So, maybe crossing into AZ might not be so easy.  Federal agents could easily check us at such a place where we had to drive so slow.  So, papers in hand we drove down Hwy 261 to tempt our fate at the Moki Dugway.  We went from the top of the mesa to the valley below sliding part of the way.  Folks, you haven't lived till you try this one - as good as some theme park rides.  We continued through Mexican Hat then crossed into AZ with only one incident.  As we drove through Monument Valley we saw busses and busses of federal agents dressed as Japanese tourists parked on the side of the road.  Apparently they had caught so many state border crossers that they didn't have time to pull us over.  What a close call!!  We were afraid to stop at any ice cream stand in any part of AZ for the rest of the trip.  We had to wait till we got back to Utah for any dessert.

For those who do not know me well, the above is my satire on the federal government acting stupidly!!!  In this I describe how the federal government acts to protect citizens of Arizona by going to the wrong border to stop grandma and grandpa tea party sympathizers from Utah.  This obviously makes those in AZ much safer.  Right!

Just when we think we have clear sailing, we see strange looking clouds to the east of Kayenta, AZ.  Soon we realize that it is a dust/rain storm covering most of the eastern sky heading to Kayenta.  We speed up to get to Kayenta first so we can turn on Hwy 160 for a west heading getaway.  We skipped all visitor centers in the Navajo lands.  We get to Page on Hwy 98 thanking our stars that the federal government is so inept.

We are down to our last day of sightseeing.  I wanted to spend just a few minutes the next morning to see the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.  Marilyn wanted to do more so we decided to check it out more thoroughly the next day.  As we counted our blessings, we continued to roll Moki Dugway off our lips.  It has now been forever ingrained in our minds, sort of like you cannot forget Macarena (or seniors have you)?


 

Hmmm, Bill I think I just decided not to follow in your footsteps, the Moki Dugway, doesn't sound like it would be a good idea pulling a travel trailer.  :)

A 10% grade, well, let's see that would require downshifting from 10th to probably 1st.   Nah, I just don't think the average semi, loaded nor empty, would pull that.

You've commented several times about "bucket lists", I think I need to add a page so that classmates can enter their bucket lists.  It would be interesting to see what each of us would really like to do, even tho a lot of items would probably never come to pass for us.

Bill-

Do not have any pictures of the Moki Dugway because Marilyn had her eyes closed and head almost in lap which is not the posture for taking pictures and I was focused on the road and I mean focused on the road.

The photo is the last natural bridge in the loop - Owachomo.

Bill-

Stay on Hwy 191 to avoid the Moki.

The photo is the Wilson Arch which we passed on the way to Needles District.

We think such formations gave rise to the name of the district.

Well, Bill, taking your suggestion I looked up Moki Dugway on www.bing.com, watched the video of a truck traversing it, read of a 32' travel trailer making it, with the driver's knuckles some shade of white, and the suggestion that one carry a clean pair of shorts to change into after driving this 33 mile dirt road.  Our trailer is only 27' so we may have to drive this thing one day.  :)  Polly is with Marilyn and says it would be better to stay off of it.  :)  I'm going to try to post a pic of it on here, I may have to holler at John Gongre to figure out how to do it.  :)

BILLY,

I KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE KNUCKLE DRIVES.  I WAS STOPPED AT THE BOTTOM OF A MOUNTAIN BEFORE THE SWITCH BACK STARTED.  A MAN AND HIS WIFE, BOTH ABOUT 70+ PASSED ME IN A PICKUP PULLING A FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER.  I FIGURED THAT THEY COULD DRIVE THE SWITCH BACK PULLING A TRAILER AT THIER AGE, I COULD DRIVE A CAR UP TO INDEPENDENCE PASS. SO I DROVE IT. HOWEVER, ON THE WAY UP MARGIE STARTED TELLING ME HOW CLOSE THE EDGE WAS. I TOLD HER TO KEEP QUIET.  MY KNUCKLES HURT THE REST OF THE DAY.  AS YOU MAY KNOW THIS IS JUST SOUTH OF LEADVILLE , CO. THIS WAS IN 2003.

BY THE WAY, WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU USE?

JOHNNY

Hmmm, I think you're giving me credit for taking that photo of the Moki Dugway with the switchbacks.  I wish I had, but I didn't, I copied it off one of the websites describing the Moki.  We just have a snapshot type digital, a Canon Power Shot A590, tho I do have a Hasselblad medium format film camera but don't use it anymore.  Would like to upgrade it to digital but takes too many dollars to do so.

Just for the record-

And did you notice on that sign between the "E" and the "D" of Mokee Dugway, that beautiful round emblem bearing the "Eagle, Globe and Anchor" of the United States Marine Corps?  :)

Semper Fi, y'all!