I’m back at work today … but fortunately, my work-from-home extends to my home-on-wheels, given the Starlink internet connection!

So while we’re stuck in the campsite (can’t get too far away from the router to avoid losing signal), we’re still on the road – leaving options for further trip exploration right outside the (trailer) door.

Day 20 (Wednesday, October 25, 2023)

Day 2 of working (it’s going to be a short 3-day week, but still) …

After the work day is over – Kirk has started to pack up while I’m in meetings all afternoon – we leave Great Basin NP and head north, to the next destination for the night: Ely, NV.

Our gas tank regulator is broken as Kirk found out today, but even the various stores here in town don’t have a replacement part, so we’ll be staying chill the next couple of days … but hey, it’s an adventure – right?!

Good thing we’re parking at the KOA campground in Ely, where FHU means we can run the fridge without gas and can still get a hot shower!

Day 21 (Thursday, October 26, 2023)

Last day of work before a long weekend starts …

We’ve been getting itchy to get home, back to the cats & into a more spacey home, so we’re off to a couple more hours of driving tonight, to cut down on the rest of the trip home, which will be tackled all tomorrow, Friday!

Tonopah, NV is in the middle of nowhere, along Hwy 6 across Nevada, and offers a very nice Rest Area just outside of town, where we stop for the night. It gets cold out here … 33 degrees in the trailer by 7am, vs. 32 degrees outside!

Day 22 (Tuesday, October 24, 2023)

Having made better progress than expected, we have “only” 7 hours left for our drive home today – crossing the remainder of Nevada, we enter California near Benton, CA as we close our 3-week loop to return to Hwy 120 to take us home.

A quick late breakfast stop at Nicely’s in Lee Vining, CA and off we go over the Tioga Pass (9,945 ft) and through Yosemite National Park once again, as we head west. Nothing says Welcome Back to Civilization as watching the Friday afternoon traffic build up on I-205 in Tracey, CA while we climb one last hill (Altamont Pass at 1,009 ft) before descending into Livermore and park at home!

How has it been 2 weeks already!? Well, the good news is, that the vacation isn’t over yet. But it is time to pack up and leave Goblin Valley, and after a pit stop in Green River, UT (Hello I-70!) to get the truck & trailer washed and groceries restocked, we are heading back out into the wilderness, to explore the northern part of the San Rafael Swell (north of I-70).

While the destination (Wedge Overlook) is in the middle of nowhere, the Utah DOT (or BLM) has actually put “improved roads” through the various wilderness areas north of the freeway, so we’re not stuck dragging the Airstream dozens of miles through “off-road conditions” as we crisscross through the San Rafael Swell area, but only over graded gravel roads.

A beautiful drive through the Mexican Mountain Wilderness Study Area takes us to the San Rafael River, where we stop to walk across the Swinging Bridge (glad to find out that there is actually an improved bridge right next to it, over which vehicles cross!) … from there, we pass by the Buckhorn Wash Pictograph panels, before shorty thereafter spotting a few open campsites (hard to come by on a beautiful fall Friday afternoon – we’re not the only ones out and about, and camp sites are very limited out here!).

After scoping out the feasibility of the steep and sandy approach to site #21, Kirk gives it a try – and gets the truck & trailer up the hill and settles in the site. But unfortunately, not without ripping a nice gauge into one of the trailer tires from a major rock that was in the path uphill. Guess we’ll be visiting a tire shop next week once we leave the wilderness! Until then, our eyes will be kept on the tire pressure monitor…

Day 16 (Saturday, October 21, 2023)

Today is all about exploring the San Rafael Swell area we’re in, so after sleeping in, we hop in the truck an go exploring the wilderness. Sights along our drive include the Buckhorn Wash Pictographs, checking out various spots along the Little Grand Canyon Overlook, a drive to the Wedge Overlook, before stopping at the Buckhorn Dino Track on our way back to camp. The Tacoma is loving it (and so is Kirk)!

After getting all shook up, we spend the rest of the day with what we’re here for, too: relaxing!

Day 17 (Sunday, October 22, 2023)

We really do not want to leave here … but knowing that we’ll need to get new tires ASAP and tire shops are open first thing Monday morning, we want to get to civilization (aka a town that has well-stocked tire shops) by Sunday night to get this taken care of!

So after a very lazy start into the day, slowly packing up our campsite, we finally make our way out of the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area via the north-west exit towards Huntington, UT and from there cruise south to I-70 and then west all the way to Richfield, UT.

Here we check in at the Venture RV Park (brand new, 100% geared towards OHV campers) to tackle the tasks at hand in the morning.

Day 18 (Monday, October 23, 2023)

Tire shops open at 8am and it’s not much after that when we roll in at the local Big O – only to find out that they have one (1!) trailer tire on hand. Well, that won’t work, so off we go to Les Schwab down the street – and get lucky here. About 45 minutes later, the Bambi has a set of brand new tires to roll on, and we can get the trip continuation going!

We’re heading west today – and after a few hours leave Utah behind, entering Nevada – and the tiny town of Baker, NV. A left turn here leads to the Great Basin National Park. One of the most remote National Parks in the Continental United States, there is almost no one else here besides us. Being here at the end of the season, visitors have mostly blown out and we have our pick from almost all the sites in the park’s Baker Creek Campground (FCFS) – and set up in site #26, which provides great privacy and sun exposure (critical when it’s as chilly/cold as it is here – at 7,500 ft elevation!).

With the trailer detached, we’re taking the truck to explore the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, gaining anther 3K ft in elevation to the peak (parking lot) at just about 10K ft above sea level. It’s too cold and getting dark too soon to go on any of the hikes today, so we’ll have to come back to the park another trip!

Today’s plan includes a drive west, not all the way to Capitol Reef NP, but into the 4-wheel drive area around the Bentonite Hills. Having seen a vlog post online just shortly before our tip, we knew we had to add these to our sights.

The trek north of Hwy 24 starts out like many other off-road trips, but about a mile in we face – a river. Or maybe only a creek – but definitely steadily flowing water, about 20 ft wide! Kirk backtracks to the last turn and tries another path in the right direction – where we hit the same water, but now we’re behind a Forerunner. We let that truck try its luck in the water crossing first, and after they’ve made it successfully, we follow suit. Phew!

From here on out, it’s a dry drive up into the hills, until after one turn, we find the Bentonite Hills. A landscape as if from a different world (or as the passenger form the other Toyota said: from Star Wars), this area is a must-see if you’re on your way to or from Capitol Reef!

Day 12 (Tuesday, October 17, 2023)

Truck, trailer & travelers are all ready to get back out there – into the wilderness – after 2 nights in Hanksville, UT. We’re not going too far today but explore a new destination: the Goblin Valley State Park.

The park’s campground was all booked up already, but in the park’s expanded areas are plenty of Dispersed Campsites to pick from. And while the one we had been aiming for (dubbed “the patio” by another Vlogger), we actually find an even better one just around the corner – it comes with its own private mini-slot canyon and goblins!

Once all set up, we take the truck to the park’s visitor center and then explore the main sights of the park: the valley of the goblins! Unlike so many other parks or sights, visitors (including dogs) are allowed to walk through/between the goblins, even climb on an dover them! It adds a special connection to the visit – another “plus” in making this one of our new favorite destinations in Utah!

Day 13 (Wednesday, October 18, 2023)

Today we just relax. After all, that’s what we’re here for!

Day 14 (Thursday, October 19, 2023)

After a fairly lazy morning part of the day (well at least for Kirk, while I have to get in a half day worth of work) we decide to go explore some of the off-road paths off the paved road in this western extension of the Goblin Valley State Park.

Checking out the range east of ours, we find a lot of beautiful sites – many taken, some still open – and several campers (including large fifth-wheel oy haulers and bumper pull travel trailers) getting dragged over the very bumpy roads in search of their perfect spot. We head well south, past the park boundary and into the Big and Middle Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness Area. The way back out towards the road leads us through the wash (a mostly dry river bed) that I get to drive, while Kirk flies his drone to follow along.

When it gets dark out here, it is DARK! Even more fun to see two of our “neighbors” (their site is around the next bend) produce a light saber fight on the hill between our sites. Kirk spots them – and starts playing the Star Wars theme to support their efforts!

Taking a walk down memory lane to get to today’s program:

Back in 2019, I had planned a trailer/RV trip with my parents – in May 2020, we were going to travel through Utah & more for about 2 weeks, exploring National Park, Monuments & more.

By late March 2020, I had to cancel it all, as we were all in lockdown globally due to the COVID pandemic. Always the optimist, I rescheduled for October, and was able to get some of the great campsites and tours re-booked for 5 months later than originally planned.

Well, by mid-summer, I knew that international travel wasn’t going to be allowed yet come October 2020, and my parents were not going to be able to join Kirk & I on this trip.

But ready for a serious break after having worked all through the height of the pandemic, not having had a moment off as we were both doing our jobs and covering for our team members on furlough or not able to return to the office, we left Livermore to get away for 2 weeks that fall.

Page, AZ with its Slot Canyon Tours and the Horseshoe Bend was on our itinerary for this trip back then – but all Navajo Nation sites were still closed due to COVID. Even when we drove through the area again during our first (and long) Getting Away in May 2021, we had to skip these attractions as they had remained closed well beyond a year after the start of the pandemic. But now, in the fall of 2023, we finally got to do the tour we had originally planned to do 3½ years earlier – the Secret Canyon & Horseshoe Bend tour. Check them out here: https://horseshoebendtours.com/

I booked the Sunset tour, which starts just after 3pm, and goes through sunset – providing great light for the slot canyon (which is part of the Antelope Canyon) and a spectacular sunset atmosphere while at a private overlook of the Horseshoe Bend. With a group of only 12 people (plus our guide Geri), it was as if we had the canyon and the overlook just to ourselves! After getting some amazing photos inside the slot canyon – while learning more about the Navajo culture and some of their challenges during the pandemic – we enjoyed sunset over the Colorado River. Even Kirk was impressed!

While we enjoyed our tour, J.T. had been spending the afternoon with a doggie-sitter (Rover), as we had not wanted to leave her alone in the trailer at the campground. Needless to say, she missed us fiercely, but all was forgiven once we picked her back up before heading to dinner (with a dog-friendly patio).

Day 6 (Wednesday, October 11, 2023)

Leaving Page. AZ the following morning, we headed east on a familiar route – crossing into Utah about 2 hours later. But rather than continuing straight on, we decided to detour to the Monument Valley Navajo Park, where both Kirk and I had not been in decades. Wanting to get to Valley of the Gods in the afternoon, only visited the overlook points and gift shop, before traveling on – with the knowledge that we’d return in the next days to do the scenic drive.

Less than an hour later, we arrived in Mexican Hat, UT, our gateway to the Valley of the Gods (BLM). We quickly found that there were more – a lot more – campers out here today than at any of the 3 previous times we had been here! Now we all know times have changed, more people travel in their RVs, and have discovered this off-road gem – but once main factor adding to the draw this week: the upcoming Annular Eclipse on Saturday, with Valley of the Gods right in the center path of the eclipse! We were surrounded by (mostly) eclipse fans, eagerly awaiting the coming spectacle!

Well, we were here for that, too – but purely by coincidence or luck cosmic guidance maybe (?) – as we hadn’t planned this trip around the eclipse – the eclipse happened to fall into our travel plans/route!

So after finding our previous spot (from May ’21) no longer an eligible site (closed for restoration) and many other great spots already taken, we ended up in one roadside spot just a bit further west from where we had camped back in Oct ’20. We ended up having a great set up – and no other campers squeezing into our spot next to us, only a couple that drove their car not the Valley day-of for the eclipse joining us in our large turnout spot. (but ‘m getting ahead of schedule here…)

Day 7 (Thursday, October 12, 2023)

After almost a week on the road and finally all settled in for a 4-day stint in the Valley, today was all about relaxing!

Well, in the afternoon, we did take the truck out for a drive up the Moki Dugway, to explore off road trails on the mesa, but that was all the action we were up for that day.

Day 8 (Friday, October 13, 2023)

Taking I slow again today, we decided the only thing on our agenda should be a drive back to Monument Valley, to complete the Scenic Loop Drive. Spectacular views of the various buttes, mesas & more as we explore Navajo lands.

Day 9 (Saturday, October 14, 2023)

The day of the Annular Eclipse is here! Kirk had the GoPro set up for time lapse video and his big camera for zoomed in photos every few seconds to capture all stages of the eclipse. It was phenomenal to watch – especially as it approached the “Ring of Fire” around 10:30am MT.

It most definitely got a lot colder as the sun disappeared behind the new moon, and temperatures took a while to recover. But since there are (almost) no animal noises to be heard during the day in Valley of the Gods, it didn’t go all quiet during the peak (unlike what we experienced back in 2018 at the total eclipse in Oregon).

Once it was all over, it was time to relax again. After all, this was going to be our last day n the Valley!

Day 10 (Sunday, October 15, 2023)

After a well-deserved break at Valley of the Gods, it is time to pack up again and move towards our next destination. Just like many other remaining stragglers left over from yesterday’s eclipse, we’re heading out of the valley and onto more improved ways. But no better way to get a last look over the whole valley than by climbing up the Moki Dugway, this time with the trailer in tow. From here, we head north to my all-time-favorite National Monument: Natural Bridges. We’re only doing a quick drive through along the loop drive today as we still have the scenic drive through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area ahead of us, which will then drop us into Hanksville, UT.

The drive along Hwy 95 is beautiful, especially in the fall, and – just like last tine – we vow to spend more time here (between the Colorado River and the Henry Mountains) on one of our next trips to the area!

Once we arrive in Hanksville, we check into Duke’s Slickrock Campground (site #16), for a 2-night FHU stay to get all cleaned up and refueled.

It’s Friday midday and the trailer is packed, truck ready to go, cat & house sitters on their way to take over Pixl & Nova duty – and we are off! After almost 2 ½ years of no “real” vacation away from any stress and just Kirk and I (plus J.T.), we are finally ready to hit the road again to Get Away for 3 weeks!

We’re returning to Utah, where we’ve gotten lost (or better: away) back in 2021 already and had crossed through on prior trips, but managed to add a few possible destinations we haven’t been to. Possible because other than the first few nights, nothing is planned in detail and definitely not scheduled! This is about getting away from schedules, stress and everything related!

But for today, we have a destination in mind: and as with so many of our trips, the trip itself is (a large part of) the destination! “Der Weg ist das Ziel.”

So where are we headed? Yosemite National Park – and ore specifically: Tioga Pass road (Hwy 120), going all the way across the park & pass, over to the Eastern Sierra side. Given the late winter (the pass didn’t open until late July this year) and damage from the heavy snow, there are no services available over the pass, and the campground is closed. So we have our sights set on a little FCFS (first come first serve) campground outside the park, just before Lee Vining, CA.

After a beautiful drive through Yosemite, over the pass, sunshine views of the Yosemite Valley & El Capitan from the East, we descend into the Eastern Sierra and find ourselves a spot in site #5 at the Lower Lee Vining Campground. Nice setting, even if it gets dark right as we’re getting set up – the days are definitely shorter in October!

Day 2 (Saturday, October 7, 2023)

Today is all about driving … but of course even so we’ll have some highlights to cover! After leaving our campground behind, we head east and then south, as we cross from California into Nevada, briefly back into California before the road turns east once more to take us right back into Nevada, from where on out we head mostly south, towards Las Vegas, NV.

While we would have preferred to route our drive through Death Valley National Park, all roads in the park are still closed, as crews continue to work clearing roads from debris and damages following catastrophic flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm (previously Hurricane) Hilary in mid-August.

In Las Vegas, NV, we have a couple of pit stops to make, to pick up computer and photography items Kirk forgot to pack for the trip and pre-ordered for pick up. Despite the detour costing us about an hour+ or so, we get rewarded with a glimpse of the new Sphere in LV, as we pass by on the freeway (the emoji eyes are looking at us!)

Then it’s onto Arizona (through the Virgin River Gorge) before finally arriving in Utah, our destination state for the weekend. It is dark (make that: pitch black) outside by the time we reach Springdale, UT and the entrance to Zion National Park just beyond. Good thing the Watchman Campground is right inside the park, just beyond the park’s visitor center. And while again – it’s very dark – we ca find & set up in our reserved spot # C19… even if it is a very tight fit!

Day 3 (Sunday, October 8, 2023)

We’re taking it slow today, as this trip is supposed to be relaxing! But by midday I can’t take it anymore and decide to go check out the visitor center and the shuttle service that takes visitors into the canyon (where most of the hikes start from). The line for the shittles however reminds me too much of those at Disneyland – and so I quickly change my plans and instead hike the Watchman Trail, which starts beyond the visitor center and rewards me with great views of the area, including a look down over the campgrounds (trying to spot our Airstream, but it’s hidden behind trees).

Later in the afternoon, Kirk, J.T. I take a walk along the Pa’rus Trail, which meanders along the Virgin River and is the only trail in the park that dogs are allowed on. I’m getting J.T. her B.A.R.K. Ranger badge tomorrow, as she knows – and follows – the rules of the National Parks!

Day 4 (Monday, October 9, 2023)

We might be leaving Zion NP today, but not without me having checked out more trails via the shuttle drive!

Getting up early and joining the line of eager hikers well before 7am, I’m on the 2^nd shuttle for the park’s Canyon Scenic Drive. Pretty much a hop on, hop off system, I ride the shuttle all the way to the end: the Temple of Sinawava stop, where I explore a bit of the River Trail (but not all the way to the start of the Narrows, where most people are hiking towards). Soon after I’m boarding the shuttle back to my first hike: Weeping Rock. Shirt but steep, this trail takes me to an overhang where water seeps out of the mountain, creatin a crying/weeping look (and slippery slopes). From here, I board the shuttle again for just 1 stop and get ff at: the Grotto. A trail leads along (but not directly next to) the road down towards the next stop: the Zion Lodge. Time to hop on the bus again and ride another stop: to the Court of the Patriarchs. A couple of observation points provide a great view. Soon enough it is time to board the shuttle one last time and return to the Visitor center. Campground check out time is approaching quickly and I still need to help Kirk & J.T. with getting the trailer ready, truck re-packed and hitched, so we can leave promptly at 11am.

We make our way up the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, including through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel (one-way traffic – stopped every 5 minutes to allow even the bigger trailers/motorhomes to travel through safely). On the east side of the park, we pass by a group of mule deer that seems to have adopted (or at least gathered around) a big horn sheep, before checking out Checkerboard Mesa and departing the park soon after, as we continue on towards our next stop: Page, AZ.

While the views from the road are spectacular – regardless of the cliffs from Staircase-Escalante NM or Vermillion Cliffs NM or Glen Canyon NRA – the final view before arriving in Page, AZ is a disappointing one: the low water levels of Lake Powell, behind the Glen canyon Dam. Despite looking better than the prior year after a wet winter, once can easily see where the waterline used to be vs. where it is now.

Just before dinner time we pull into our campsite for the next 2 nights: returning to Page Lake Powell Campground, where we had stayed back in October 2020 already, but this time in a FHU (full hook up) site (#77).