Back in Bluff… Utah

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

For the first time in months I feel tired! The winds have put me on edge and this morning it was time to vacate "The Valley of the Gods" after spending 8 nights rocking and rolling for most of the time. I am not one to stay at idle too long but I think these coming days we will be in neutral! As we got off the dirt road I almost made a right toward Monument Valley, another wide open space, but remembering the forecast calling for 35mph winds, well, we made a left instead and are back exactly at the same spot we were a while ago, Sand Island Campground (BLM) about 4 miles west of Bluff. I did not even have to find the Lat and Long to set up my Dish, I keep a record of where we have been for this exact scenario. The Dish is down right now, we got here just in time to set it up and take the transmitter off…  on and off… and being in a Canyon things are not quite as bad… there is a certain sense of security. I apologize for not responding to many e mails or comments, transmission has been more down than up!

campsite 1 G

We took a nice walk after sunrise, we have had readers ask us how we camp, where we set up. That little white dot is us… what a view to endure! I found a Blog that I wrote June 21st 2007, that was the time I went to Michigan to pick up my Birthday present… I call it the "Land Yacht"! It is a love/hate relationship still… sometimes a "white elephant" as I am still in the mind set of using a tent and setting up camp wherever suddenly a good spot appears in the evening. And as the weather settles down that is what we will do, leave all in storage and take off a few days at the time in places otherwise not able to camp. However that Dish is what keeps us in touch! Amazing…

Tioga G  

trailer G

The trailer I have to admit has been a big help. An extra 10G of regular fuel, also 10G of super for Old Faithful, about an extra 20G of water, a couple sun showers and the camping gear we always had! We can be self sufficient for two weeks. Tools, and "stuff" I yet have to use since we have left… smile… like a torch to make "creme brulee"!!! That has not happened yet… We are waiting for you!The RV came with a 4KW Onan generator with barely 140 hrs on it which I only run half an hour a month… because they said so! I use a Honda 2KW most of time when power is needed to recharge my batteries or a 600amp power pack that I use a lot.

Last Sunset G

Our sunset last night… and sunrise this morning…

campsite 2 G

Not an easy task to leave, I know that we will return soon, I am being told that the fall is the best time to be there. We did manage to go up Moky Dugway one more time and create a traffic jam on this gravel road with a 10% grade… I just don’t know anymore, there has to be a future for Spirit, maybe some commercials or a movie or something! I had the presence of mind to also quickly take a few pictures… cars where parked everywhere coming to a stop while going up and down. One of those uncomfortable moments when Spirit himself looks at me wondering what is going on… if we are being attacked!

traffic Jam 1 G  

traffic jam 2 G

They all seem pretty happy! Don’t they? Anyhow… Life goes on. We also took a little ride into Johns Canyon, which is where I would love to go and tent camp. It is the dirt road than can be seen from Muley Point as it reminded me of Potash Rd when you look up and see Dead Horse Point.

Johns Canyon 1 G  

Johns Canyon 2 G

An easy road, not a soul, just a bit sandy till we arrived to this narrower part…

Under Moley Point  

Johns Canyon 5 G

So yes, I am playing it safe, and I like it! No sense getting stressed out over the road having never been there with no cell reception or another soul around. I am actually enjoying the rides much more as now a U turn is always lately a better compromise. Beautiful area, the Gooseneck also being near by, many square miles of empty spaces.

Johns Canyon 4 G

I know that Spirit is also tired, I can tell just by looking at this picture as he is totally ignoring me and his back is arched! Will probably get some rest here for a couple days as I am still wanting to spend some time in Monument Valley.

Flowers 4 G

Flowers 1 G  

Flowers 3 G

Spring is here, the flowers blooming are extra welcome stops for us and it won’t be long before we will have to put up with the heat! Well, we have to get cleaned up now, everything we own is red… as in the pictures. I always wonder what is going to happen when we arrive in places where red is no more, it is always as last year kind of a shock to suddenly see browns and greens instead everywhere.

You be well and stay well…   Ara & Spirit

Have you checked the T-shirts? "Throw the Dog a Bone!"… T-shirtsMouse padsPhotography

We are always under deep appreciation toward the readers that have send in a contribution helping this website’s expenditures. For those who have not, continue enjoying the site, pictures, recipes, and if you feel it’s worth $1 a month, the contribution button is above, snail mail is below…

Ara Gureghian   853 Vanderbilt Beach Rd #245   Naples, Fl 34108

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5 Responses to “Back in Bluff… Utah”

  1. Jeff Says:

    Simply amazing Ara, I could not imagine waking up to those surroundings in the morning. Thanks for the unbelievable camp site pictures.

  2. Belinda Salinas Says:

    Thanks for sharing pics of your campground and the link to when you picked up your birthday present last year. I am relatively new to the blog and have not had a chance to read through all the archives yet.

    Regards to you and to Spirit… the future movie star!!!

  3. Tom Warfield Says:

    I didn’t realize you lived in a motor home. I’ve only been periodically stopping by for about a month and since the only vehicle pictures were the bike I thought you were living in a tent. I did wonder about your references to the dish but just thought it was set up back at camp and got strapped to the sidecar when moving camp. For some reason I didn’t even think about what you were using to power the PC & dish. Thanks for clearing that up.

    I wondered if you were going to take that Mokey Dugway road and here you have done it twice. In 2003 we took it going down as we were coming back from Natural Bridges. We then drove thru Valley of the Gods before heading back to camp in Moab. A while back I took a look at that road in Google Earth and it is more radical than I recall from driving down it.

  4. Louise Says:

    I think you are one of the few people who understands how frustrating it can be to answer the same questions over and over. Everyone asks you about Spirit in the sidecar, and everyone asks us about the bus. How many times a week do you hear, “I’ve never seen a set up like yours before!” And they are always so enthusiastic, and they are being friendly, but all you want sometimes is to just be left alone. Maybe THEY’ve never seen it before, but it is YOUR life. Maybe you aren’t in the mood to talk about the dog and hack right now, but they see you and MUST comment. I understand. People who would never dream of inviting themselves into a stranger’s house pull up to us in parking lots and want to come inside our bus! Unfortunately, our lives are lived on the road and there is no privacy.

    Thanks for the photo of the Tioga. It is not scenic photography, but tells part of your story nonetheless.

    If/When we meet in person, I promise we will treat you like you are “normal” but of course it will be the weird “normal” that we live, too 🙂

  5. Jaime Lawrence Says:

    You take amazing pictures! My Aunt met you recently and told me to look at your site. I would love to travel there someday! Your dog is so cute, too. Thanks for the wonderful pictures!

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