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I had dropped my friend off at the Moab airport and was now traveling with just my two dogs.

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Sadie and Rocket ready to travel in the back seat of the truck.

Next I moved to the Valley of the Gods.  Although the site is about 20 miles from Muley Point, I did not drive the Moki Dugway to get there.  The Moki Dugway scares me.  I drove about 100 miles via Blanding and Bluff, getting both my water tank and propane tanks filled in Blanding.

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Valley of the Gods from my camp site

— Valley of the Gods.  Click to enlarge.

Oh-my, the Moki Dugway.  I’m scared of heights.   Watching cars drive up it I now know that I will never drive or ride the Moki Dugway unless I’m too drunk to understand where I am.

— The Moki Dugway on Highway 261 by the west end of the Valley of the Gods Road.  Enlarge and look for a car to the left of the grader.

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The Goosenecks of the San Juan River

The Monarch Ruins are on Comb Ridge and were an enjoyable mile walk from the parking lot.

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Monarch Ruins

Facts:

  • Blanding has a nice visitor center complete with clean restrooms, free wifi, and free water to fill tanks.  Ask at the desk for the water faucet handle if you need water.
  • Don’t look for hidden places to camp in the Valley of the Gods.  The only place I saw not in view of the road was about a half mile west of the east entrance.  Embrace the open country and camp at a pull-off next to the road.
  • All Utah schools close for a four day weekend (Thursday through Sunday) in October the opening of hunting season.  I had been told that all campgrounds would be full and to not try to look for a campsite that weekend.  Perhaps the warning was a bit over exaggerated, but it is best to be aware of the weekend.
  • The parking lot for Monarch Ruins is located 7.2 miles north of the gate on county road 262.