Goblin Valley

The past weekend posed an opportunity that I knew I would not see for at least another 9 weeks or so due to school, work, and clinical hours; camping! I packed the Rover up and with the usual crowd (Gabe, Brittany, Lindsay and me AKA the Zettlers) headed to Goblin Valley, Utah.

"Secluded Goblin Valley was first discovered by cowboys searching for cattle. Then, in the late 1920's, Arthur Chaffin, owner/operator of the Hite Ferry on the Colorado River, and two companions were searching for an alternate route between Green River and Cainsville. They came to a vantage point about a mile west of Goblin Valley and were awed by what they saw - five buttes and a valley of strange-shaped rock formations surrounded by a wall of eroded cliffs." (http://www.utah.com/stateparks/goblin_valley.htm)

A four hundred mile round trip excursion had me a little worried especially since the roads would be warmer and rough on my tires, so I headed into the shop and bought a spare as my old spare did not match my set of four. Then, on a somewhat of an impulse buy I replaced my battery with a new Optima long-life one that set me back $178 bones! Ouch! Oh well, piece of mind is worth it.
Enough food to feed us for 5 days packed, camping gear stowed, and the Rover ready and fueled we headed out on Friday around lunch time. We hooked up with Gabe and his friend and his green dog on the way down. Yeah I said green... apparently Gabe's bro got a hold of the dog and dyed his hair green! Freaky Caleb. We were taking a little goblin back to his home!

Heading southwest on highway 6, we stopped in Price for gas and a little culture and then headed south towards Hanksville, Utah to Goblin Valley. We had separated while driving as Gabe was in a hurry until Gabe and his little gremlin had to make a pitstop just outside of Goblin Valley. The little Chihuahua did his business and we all jumped back in our vehicles to get on our way. Gabe and Britt drove off in their Jeep just as I turned the ignition on my Rover; it wouldn't start! What the....!? We were out of cell phone range so I couldn't call Gabe. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere! I popped the hood and quickly found the issue; a loose ground wire on the new battery... I'll have to call the shop and let them know I appreciate their handy work. Lindsay and I practiced NCLEX-RN flashcards while driving the rest of the way.

Goblin Valley campground was, as luck would have it, full! But we had it on good advice that the better campgrounds were just past the State Park in the surrounding canyons. We found a nice camp spot in no time at all... NOT! Didn't I mention that we stopped in Price for gas? Well Gabe didn't! I can recall his words now... "Dude, I think we're in trouble here!" We were driving around in a river bed looking for a spot and he had no gas!

Back at the State Park the ranger told us that it was 30 miles to Hanksville; Gabe's new Jeep gets 24-25 miles to the gallon according to him and he had about a gallon left. Deciding against taking a free gallon of gas from the ranger station, we chanced the drive into Hanksville. 10 miles into the drive Gabe's gas light flickered on! #$%@! Now what?

A long story short, we made it to the gas station; Gabe had to use the bathroom right away when we arrived! The station by the by, was a novelty in its own right. Built into the rock the little store/gas station was a converted cave that probably went back 60 feet into the mountain. Just a cool little gimmick... haha coooool... Gabe now knows the limits of his Jeep and his bowels!

Back at camp we made work of setting up the kitchen, the tents the fire-pit and of course the horseshoe arena! We play horseshoes religiously when camping, and this time we made it interesting by putting $2 a game on the line. I still owe Gabe $6! That night we grilled pre-made burritos and hit the hay! It got cold! Below freezing even.

Coffee and omelettes gave new life in the morning and we all loaded into the Rover to go see the goblins. The park was awesome and we spent the day hiking through the odd shaped rocks. We took some good photos and climbed up a few cliffs... all work that created a great thirst! A thirst that only Corona can quench! Off to the horseshoe pit we went. It wasn't until later that we all noticed that our skin was as red as the rock surrounding us! Oh well... gotta get that first bit of sun for the summer, right?

In the valley there is a dry river bed that I can only guess is full of water in the flash flood season of August to October. Gabe and I ran the river in the Rover and Jeep creating a giddiness of little school boys in a candy shop! So...much...fun.... Gabe even caught 3 feet of air in his new car throwing the little dog that Britt was holding into the air... flying Goblin! The new Jeep has a few battle wounds from that little stunt.

After a great ride it was time for horseshoes again. Coals burned down for a good cooking fire and we sat and drank a great wine as the chicken with artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes baked. The aroma filled the canyon as game 4 of the Jazz vs. Rockets blared on our satellite radios (They won of course! Go Jazz!). After dinner and a refreshing glass of St. Chappelle Reisling we were off to bed. Dreams of off-roading in the river bed brought me a restless night...

The morning greeted us with a blazing sun. Our little water-proof Wetzel tent became an instant oven forcing us to get up. Packing up was something the Zettler's always hate to do. It means that we are returning to civilization and the stressors of life in the city. A tired drive home in our mud-covered SUV's with the short-lived memories of the weekend is something we never look forward to. All in all it was a great trip and a great short break from the business of life. School, work, and all the other stuff that seems to shore up the holes of time is unfortunately the way life is.

Home again means cleanup and a small yearning for the next trip to be sooner than later. I think I will take the kids back there as soon as I can. Another river run is soon to come! Watch out river bed... the Zettler's will return!



P.S. I know there are those that will read this and say, "What of the environment? How can you just drive around and not think of what you are doing to the natural ecosystem?" Well, I say to those people, that this is a designated area for off-road driving specifically set up by the State Parks. There are trails that are mapped and maintained for ATV and off-road use. The trails and river bed we drove were well-marked and where off-road driving is prohibited it is well marked as well. I understand the impact of over use from ATV's and don't condone the abuse of such areas (Factory Butte). The river bed is renewed every year by natural rain and run off. So be at peace all you who point fingers in shame... even in Rovering we can be one with nature!