Rest stop south of Moab just past a tourist trap called Hole in the Rock. Air conditioned bathrooms and big shady trees. Plus two chatty guys that run the place.

Joe took Greg on a little ride to let him choose between two spots.

Site 45, before all the rental RVs start to show up every evening.

The views from our site were great as long as no one was in site 44.

“They have ’em stacked in like cord wood here,” said Greg repeatedly as the campground filled up every evening.

Have microwave will travel. Classic retired couple from Boron, CA traveling in a Tab.

From our first trip to Moab with Birch and Mudd. I was actually between the white lines. We surmised all about the person that wrote the note and called each other fucker whenever we were parking.

Just follow the white dashes.

Finally I got ahead of Greg to get an action shot! #whitecottontshirt

This is our favorite kind of terrain.

We took this picture from a dirt road that traveled along the rim, was really high up, close to the edge, and beyond scary for me.

Tourists.

Incredible views.

Mesa Arch

We were treated to a spectacular sunset on our last night.

Queen of Moab KOA.

On our way to San Diego to replace my bike we spent the night at Stateline with a bunch of truckers and a few diesel pushers. Once upon a time I took Greg on that roller coaster and it scared the shit out of him.

Phil’s World. The reason we backtracked to Cortez. Boy was it worth it, what a great ride.

Sweet memories of my youth. We spent many a night at KOA’s back in the 70’s.

Uphill stretch at Phil’s World. We love this kind of scenery, terrain, and wide open space.

So cool, one of the intersections at Phil’s.

Rib Cage at Phil’s. Better than an amusement park ride. If you are a mountain biker you really need to go here.

Another beautiful ride.

Very interesting riding your bike past an ancient dwelling.

Amelia going down a drop.

A long rock uphill at the Ancients.

So we are driving through multiple states with our recyclables, looking for a convenient place to deposit them, I’m threatening Amelia with just tossing them in the garbage. But I said “I do” back in 2001, so we are driving through an industrial park in Cortez looking for the city recycling station, low and behold we see the Osprey sign. It’s their distribution center. Amelia has been needing a new bite valve for her hydration pack for weeks. We walk in, talk to them, and they give her one for free!

Mesa Verde National Park wasn’t on anyone’s agenda. We are really glad we went. It’s the fifth oldest national park. This is Cliff Palace. It almost looked like a miniature movie set until you were up close.

Amelia walking down to Cliff Palace. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the stairs in the 30’s.

Up close at Cliff Palace. They estimate the Ancestral Pueblo people lived here from 1200-1290.

Balcony House, the second tour we took. This one involved descending a ton of stairs, then ascending a 35 foot ladder to access the cliff dwelling. To leave we had to crawl through a short tunnel and climb two more ladders. Amelia really enjoyed our guide’s enthusiasm and knowledge.

The Grandest View at Park Point Overlook in MVNP, 8,572ft. Crazy 360 degree views of the southwest.

Like clockwork, at about noon everyday the cotton ball clouds appear. This shot was heading down the hill from MVNP into Montezuma Valley where Cortez is located.

We’ve decided our girl is definitely older than the 2-3 years the animal shelter told us.

Maverick’s Trail in the Boggy Draw area above Delores. When it’s too warm to ride in Cortez this is the go to place.

Yellow Salsify, very similar looking to a Blazing Star.

June 1st is when the San Juan National Forest allows grazing in the Boggy Draw area. It’s pretty exciting to be ripping around a blind corner and have a big ol’ cow standing in the trail.

When in Cortez, eat at the Burger Boy. The tater tots are excellent!

Camping in the trees at Lower Hermosa Creek. Yes, this is a back in site! We didn’t have a problem…now leveling, that’s another story. We used all the leveling blocks and were still uneven. It felt like being on a fishing boat.

Serendipity! We were in Durango the same time as our friend Joy. She used to live in SD, now she’s in Park City, but in Durango on a business trip. This shot is from Ska Brewery.

A couple of fine beverages from Ska. 2 for $5. What a deal.

Oh yeah, did I mention Joy is a professional mountain biker? She guided us on the Colorado Trail. Many a guy has hurt himself trying to keep up with her on the downhills. It’s absolute poetry in motion watching her handle her bike.

Amelia and Joy, Gudy’s Rest on the Colorado Trail.

Queen of Lower Hermosa Creek Campground.

A field of lupine on the Hermosa Creek Trail.

Telegraph trail. We got of there just in time.

Highway 191 runs straight through Bluff, Utah. As you can see there’s not a lot of traffic on a Tuesday evening.

The iconic Monument Valley shot looking north.

The same shot looking south.

Monument Valley was everything we hoped it would be.

My girls. That building in the back is an elementary school. I wonder if they are hiring?

Beautiful scenery.

Everywhere you looked it was amazing.

The place we stayed in Bluff. It was one of those deals where the internet pictures were a lot better than reality. There’s definitely no fishing going on any more, the pond is really low. I’d say the place is one step from bankruptcy.

It was a small place with only 14 sites. You can see our Tundra, but only the nose of the Airstream. The 30 amp hook up was probably not quite 30 amps. The AC would run, but not at the same time the water heater was on electric. It was a real downer for a couple of hours until we figured out the problem. Then we were back on top of the world.

Interesting way of handling the interference of the telephone line. Just cut out the middle. The cottonwoods are hardy trees!

What the hell? Slide shows?

The morning sun casting long RV shadows at the Cadillac Ranch.

The dirt road into Valley of the Gods. What a great BLM area.

Can’t wait to come back in cooler weather and boon dock.

We couldn’t believe there were still some Prince’s Plumes.

Toyota Tundra commercial.

Goosenecks State Park.

Very strange place. That’s the San Juan River working it’s way around the Goosenecks.

Mexican Hat, Utah. Now that’s a different name. I wanted to get a picture in front of the Welcome to Mexican Hat sign, but there wasn’t one.

There are huge expanses of slick rock everywhere and no one riding it. Amelia couldn’t hold back any longer. Here she is cruising my bike in flip flops and a straw hat.

Here’s the first dud of the trip, Four Corners. What a rip off. It’s on Navajo land, so they charge $5 per person to enter. Basically you are paying to enter a Navajo flea market. All around the circumference were tables and little shops selling jewelry and junk. Pit toilets, a beat up dirt parking lot. The biggest bummer, which wasn’t stated until you were in the “park,” no dogs at the Four Corners monument. What a bullshit stop.

Bluff sunset.

Windmill Trailhead, Gooseberry Mesa.

WillowWind RV Park. After the stark beauty of the Virgin River Gorge, this place felt like being in a city park. The shade really helped.

Amelia is a magnet for the old folks, and like any RV Park, there were a lot of them. I don’t think we were even unhooked yet and this lady was chatting her up. RV Parks are also a mecca for little dogs. Every evening it was like a parade watching all the little dogs walking their owners.

The rock of Gooseberry Mesa.

#whitecottontshirt

Gander trail, which is actually part of Gooseberry Mesa. Amelia is getting ready to go up and over the rock.

A Gander view

What a great sign!

Bear Claw Poppy Trail. Wide open rolling single track.

Where are all the people, houses, and roads?

His sign.

Obviously his rent is close to nothing, but I still can’t get over how little he’s charging for his pizza. It’s really high quality and delicious. We suggest The Sicilian or Italian Cowboy.

These are the two girls that take the order and and prep the pie before it goes into the oven.

The owner cooks all the pies while holding court and chatting everyone up. They had a 20 minute wait. There’s one picnic table that’s really for while you are waiting. All pies are to go.

He’s using pecan wood. A wood fired pizza oven on wheels! Who would’ve thought?

Monday, closed.