We left the switchback section and continued down the Boulder-Bullfrog Scenic Road toward Lake Powell where we caught the ferry across the lake. We shared the 30 minute ferry ride with a couple of other cars, an adventure motorcyclist and a group of school aged kids that ride the ferry twice each day with their school bus.
We drove from Lake Powell up to Natural Bridges National Monument. I had been here before on a motorcycle trip but my wife hadn’t. This time, instead of just driving from lookout point to lookout point, we hiked down some of the trails to look at the bridges from a different perspective. I highly recommend this as the bridges are somewhat camouflaged when viewed from above.
After a little lunch in the rig, we drove down UT 261 and turned off at Muley Point Road (CR-241). The road was a little corrugated but once we got to the end, it was well worth it. The views off the cliff of the San Juan River canyon, Johns Canyon Road and to the south with Monument Valley in the distance are nothing short of spectacular.
After returning to the UT 261, we drove down the Mokey Dugway, an unpaved road that is like the Burr Trail, easily doable by any two wheel drive vehicle with dry condition and in good weather. Once you drop down what seems like thousands of vertical and look back from the valley below, you can’t believe someone actually built a road up the cliff. It is pretty cool.
Welcome to Valley of the gods (VOG).
We rolled into VOG from the west just before sunset. This is an awesome place that needs to be cared for. We located an existing campsite that was above and away from the road. We had dinner outside watching the glow of the sun on the red rocks give way to a full sky of stars.
The next morning, after breakfast and coffee, we rode the mountain bikes for an hour or so in the cool morning air. After we got back to camp and showering, we saw a Sportsmobile pull onto the trail that leads up to our camp. It turns out that we passed each other at the So Cal Meet & Greet. They recognized our rig from as one that was leaving the M&G as they were arriving. It was fun to meet them and talk about our respective rigs, trips and families. How cool it is to see a young family out using their rig. We chatted for a while and then they were off to Telluride CO. I totally spaced and didn’t find out what name they use on the SMB Forum.
After VOG, we drove down to Monument Valley and drove the “loop” in the park. It is pretty spectacular but is quite touristy. We grabbed some lunch over at Goulding’s, just across from MV.
We drove south toward Flagstaff AZ and watched some serious thunderstorm action to the southeast. We stopped in Wupatki National Monument to take some pics as the sun was going down.
The balance of the trip included Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale and Kingman AZ. After our last night in Kingman AZ, we drove through Laughlin NV and were heading up the NV 163 to the US 95. We saw a sign for Christmas Tree Pass. It looked to be dirt and so we took it. The road got more challenging as we got toward the summit but it was not a problem for the SMB.
This is a shot as we were leaving (with full stomachs) Matt's Big Breakfast in Phoenix AZ. It is not that the portions are huge, they are ample, it is just that the food is so darn good and the owner's are great. Check it out.