Williams, Gooseneck, Arches

 

Arches National Monument

06282026 - 07012026 After spending 12 days recovering from the Colorado Crud, missing a visit to San Diego and an Old Time music camp, it was time for me to hit the road again. During the 12 days, I took care of some van maintenance items; New Tires, repaired a broken gray tank valve and raised the 12V refrigerator. I decided to start with an overnight closer to home in Williams AZ, just in case I had lingering symptoms  and to shake down the changes I made.

Williams, AZ

I found a nice spot at Garland Prairie Road Dispersed Camping near the south rim of the Grand Canyon. When I left Sun City about noon it was well over 100°F. 2 1/2 hours later I was setting up camp in 75° and sunshine.  There was still plenty of time left to go get some caches and enjoy a nice hike through the 6852' park. I found 3 caches that included a nice ammo box traditional that was in honor of a grave stone. 

Completely satisfied with my refrigerator reinstallation, I set off early in the morning west to Flagstaff then north through the Navajo reservation. 

When I first planned this trip, I automatically scheduled to stay at Sunset View campground at the Navajo National Monument, but it is barely 3 hours away and I wanted to get a little more miles in, so I continued north into Southern Utah 

Gooseneck - San Juan River

Just across the state line I stopped and logged a virtual cache called Harry and Mike's Place near the Goulding Lodge. I drove through Monument Valley on the highway that is in the movie Forest Gump, the scene where he stops running. 

I was not sure what to expect when I arrived at the Gooseneck State Park campground  hoping that there was an open campsite. There were probably 8 designated sites and I was only the second camper there. There was a steady stream of visitors throughout the day because the view of the Gooseneck canyon was breathtaking and I was camped right on the edge of the canyon. The San Juan River twists and turns through sinuous 'goosenecks' as it flows toward Lake Powell traveling over 6 miles while it advances to the west only 1 mile.  Well worth going off the beaten path to see the 1,000 feet between the overlook and the river, 300 million years of geology is revealed in the layers exposed by erosion. (GC5H9T9)

I got set up and took a long walk to get the two regular caches near the canyon. There was also a EarthCache and a Virtual cache at the visitor's overlook. So 4 smileys and a $10 campsite, throw in a beautiful sunset and a more exciting moon rise. Life is good. 

I stayed up late watching the sky, using some of the things I learned at RMSS, and tried to capture a photo of the red moon rising.  In the morning, I wanted to get an early start, but it was hard to stop staring at the views. I was able to get everything ready before 10am, but the van would not start!  I mean it was like the battery was dead. Fortunately, I have a VIKING 1000 Peak Amp Multifunction Jump Starter and Power Pack with 150 PSI Air Compressor.  I had to google how to jump start the van, because the battery is under the driver floorboard. After several minutes of purposely keeping calm, I was able to jump start. I got my multimeter out and verified it was charging and let it run for about 30 minutes. It started right up after that. I must have left something on that drained the power overnight, I don't know. I'll keep an eye on it. I set my GPS to Arches National Monument, 2 1/2 hours away and headed out of the Gooseneck. 

South Window - Arches National Monument

After a quick stop at the visitors center, I decided on the Windows arch hike. I spent about 3 1/2 hours at the park and barely scratched the surface of all there is to see. The hike was pleasant but the air quality was bad due to fires to the west.  Still there was plenty of activity on the trails and viewing areas.  The parking lots were crowded but not full which made for a very fun and quick visit. Centrally located in Utah, I'm sure I will have the opportunity to return during my future trips.  I pulled into Green River State Campground just before 1700, where I can dump my gray tank and get in a shower. I monitored my startup battery all day and it started fine the next morning. I thought about getting it tested, but it seems to be working normally.  Next stop Spirit Lake for the 4th of July weekend. 

Here is my Photo Stream thanks for visiting.