Utah

Home with a view!

by Ingrid

We’ve enjoyed the past four days camped at Goosenecks State Park in Utah, but the itch to move on has set in.  adventureWith Moab a mere two hours up Highway 191, hubby and I hit the road but not before taking one final look around camp.  We find ourselves doing a quick recap of our stay at Goosenecks State Park and what made our stay so enjoyable;Goosenecks State Park

Socializing with our RV neighbors, Linda and MikeValley of the Gods

Exploring Valley of the GodsTrail of the Ancients

Touring the Trail of the AncientsMexican Hat

Discovering how the town of Mexican Hat got its nameSan Juan River Utah

Fearlessly enjoying inclement weather and high winds camped on an open, exposed mesaGoosenecks State Park

Enjoying sunrises and sunsets with a view that stretches endlessly.

Adventure and DiscoveryIt was such a positive and fun experience that Al and I feel this may just become a regular stopping point as our travels take us between Colorado and Arizona.  I will add it is very remote country; perhaps some might even use the word desolate to describe it.  Thus, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.  However, it’s hard to dispute the beauty of the landscape.

After an uneventful scenic drive (we like uneventful), we arrived in Moab, Utah.  We originally planned to stay at Ken’s Lake Campground where we stayed last fall, but changed our minds wanting to explore new territory.  However, I would definitely recommend this BLM campground.  There are a bunch of sites that can accommodate almost any size RV and the internet connection was relatively good.

Hum, wherever shall we stay?  We found a large parking lot in Moab to park the RV while hubby and I set out in my truck….the “scout vehicle”…..and scout we did.  We already knew we didn’t want to stay in any of the BLM campgrounds along Highway 128 and thus we didn’t even bother checking them out on this trip.

Hwy 128 meanders along the Colorado River in a canyon and is very scenic.  However, the campgrounds are designed more for tents, pop up trailers, or small RV’s.  Of course, there are always a few sites that might accommodate larger RV’s, but they first need to be available.  Spring and fall are very popular times to visit Moab, Utah, and the BLM campgrounds fill up fast.   Finding an open site isn’t always easy.

Most of the campgrounds along Highway 128 are very tight and almost impossible for us to maneuver our truck pulling a 31 foot 5th wheel around.  That said, we skipped the BLM sites and ventured further north along U.S. 191 toward the Moab airport in search of a boondock spot. I’m looking for a home with a view!   FYI…….. Moab offers a ton of RV Parks with full hook-ups and lovely accommodation’s as well as plenty of hotels.  home with a view

We found a great spot about 15 miles north of town on state land with beautiful views in all directions.  This is popular Jeep and ATV country so one needs to embrace dirt, dust, and the vroom, vroom of engines to fully enjoy.  With amazing views and a nightly fee of nada, we were a couple of happy campers and most of the four-wheelers were rather respectful.  Yep, I found my home with a view and now it’s time to explore………camping in Moab

Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting

Woodall’s RV Owner’s Handbook, 4th Edition

69 thoughts on “Home with a view!”

  2. Your photography and narratives could easily be used by an RV dealership to answer the question, “Why RV?” So many stunning sights.

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  3. Such a beautiful landscape, and a beautiful photo of you at Goosenecks, Ingrid! We also love Moab and have visited numerous times, but always in the fall — we learned that it’s best to go mid-October or later (Eric dubbed our late September visit a couple of years ago “The Epcot Moab Experience”). We’ll need to try a spring visit sometime!

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    1. Hmm, perhaps I need to go check your blog archives for “the Epcot Moab experience”. We were there at the end of Sept. last year and it seemed a lot more crowded than our April visit. But according to the ranger, this past April visitor traffic was unusually low and March was a record high. I guess one never knows the ‘perfect’ time to visit a place; all part of the adventure 🙂

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  4. Your photos, as always, are wonderful Ingrid. Give me desolate any day, particularly after spending so much time on the densely packed east coast. Thanks for some great tips on where to go when we head back out west. 🙂

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    1. Between several of you bloggers exploring the east, I have less and less desire to venture into that territory myself. Also, it’s not as if I have never been, just not in the RV. I sure don’t miss the grey skies, humidity, and inclement weather found east of the Rockies. Desolate works for me too!

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      1. Can’t blame you one bit! Although there is much to see and do here, it is far different than the wide-open spaces of the west, which is where my heart longs to be. 🙂

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  5. What a place to call home for a bit, there’s just something about the Moab area, been there twice already, hope we get back there in the next year or two.

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  6. We have been to Moab only once, years ago and when we had our Airstream! Still working back then and just taking short vacation trips. It is a beautiful area that we would like to visit again. Enjoyed seeing it through your eyes!

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    1. Thanks Sheila. Moab is a place we hope to return to time and again. There’s so many areas to explore and things to do. Welcome home!

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  7. So you are in Moab… one of my most favorite places! I am sure you will enjoy your time there. If you are able… please hike up to Delicate Arch…! All the arches are beautiful but Delicate Arch is breathtaking. Oh, and Ingrid… your photos are once again AMAZING!

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    1. Thanks Nancy. I’m a tad behind on my blog posts and have already moved on to Colorado but plan to make Moab a regular stopping point in our travels. So whatever I missed on this trip, I’ll catch on the next one 🙂

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    1. It was a pretty awesome spot. I’m hoping it’ll be available on our next time through as we think Moab may just become a regular stopping point for us 🙂

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  10. Hopefully you are enjoying warmer weather than here in Wisconsin, What were we thinking? We are not coming back to the midwest this early again. Cold. Wet. Windy. Lost the awning in a windstorm and just found out State Farm won’t cover it because we did have the separate policy for awnings (like $7 a month). Had we been told about it, we would have had it. Oh well…live and learn. What insurance do you guys use? We’re taking a poll of our friends.

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    1. April in WI? Pass! We’re in western CO now and although we had some cold days they have moved on and we’re back to sunny skies and comfortable temps…..loving it 🙂

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  11. Utah is probably going to be one of the first of our longer trips. Can’t wait! You’re posts will be very helpful. Thanks!

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    1. Plan on spending a month meandering around Utah but do pay attention to elevation; temps can vary greatly. It’s an amazing state with jaw dropping scenery 🙂

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  12. Moab was one of our favorite stops last fall and we could have easily stayed longer – enjoy your stay in in the area.

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  13. I really enjoyed the look back, great photos of beautiful scenery!

    With all the wide open spaces out west, it seem strange to hear that there are campsites too small for your fifth wheel.

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    1. Thanks…..If a campground was designed and built with narrow roads, tight turns, and small campsites then there just isn’t room to maneuver around trees, rocks, and other obstacles. Truck and fiver connected I’m 45′ long. And just because there seems to be wide open spaces, there are rules and regulations out west like any place else and I can’t just park anywhere I want. I have to camp in designated areas. 🙂

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    1. Thanks ML. I’m always happy to be located in the west this time of year. That weather back east scares me. Stay safe 🙂

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    1. Thanks Karen. That is one of the fun things about this lifestyle…. socializing with like minded folks amongst stunning scenery!

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    1. Thank you Angelia…..what you could do with your camera out here!!! I thinks it’s hard to take a bad photo with this kind of scenery 🙂

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      1. I would love it. I would want to catch the light at different times of the day for the shadows and the colors. Oh, listen, when we don’t have FOUR dogs at home, I will be traveling more often. 🙂

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        1. Ah, travel versus fur kids…..tough one. After the loss of Bear last year, I still struggle and miss him but the travel is definitely easier. Just another one of life’s dilemmas 🙂

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  18. I’m counting down the days. .. You’re temp home looked so kewl! Another pin in the map for me to visit. Do you have a review for Off The Beaten Path? Do you use any websites to find campgrounds? I like rvparkreviews. They seem to have been pretty spot on for our area.

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    1. I have a page titled “RV Resources” (just over from our “About” page) that lists a bunch of sites we use. I do own “Off the Beaten Path” but my daughter currently has it. It has some great recommendations all over the country and lovely photos.

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    1. The weather has been crazy lately but I think today is the turning point. Yep, we lucked out and found a sweet spot. We’d return in a heart beat 🙂

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    1. You are so right about views from just about anywhere. We’re thinking Moab needs to be a regular stopping point for us 🙂

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        2. I have my eyes on Kodachrome and Capital Reef with return visits to Cedar Breaks NM, Zion, and Bryce. Ah, to be back in the 80’s with fewer crowds, no fees, and big hair….well maybe not the big hair 🙂

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          1. Hubby used to drive the bus for geology field trips for what was Utah Tech back in that day. They mostly went to Canyonlands. Can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve kicked myself for letting housework and other such stuff get in the way of going along!!! In all our travels, that’s one I’ve never been to. 😦

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  27. It looks like you have discovered another great boondocking spot…We have yet to try that, but hopefully we will sometime..Enjoy your great views…Now…lets get a campfire going and open a nice Merlot!

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    1. Boondocking can be addictive. There’s a liberating freedom you don’t get in a campground. You’ll need to give it a go sometime ….perhaps tag along with an ‘experienced’ couple 😉

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    1. After this lone guy passed, the rest of the bunch decided to move across the road as well. Our version of rush hour traffic as we sat waiting for all to mosey across the road at a snails pace 🙂

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