Moving Base Camp
We decided last night that we would leave Monument Valley and move our base camp to Blanding, Utah. This morning, Carol walked down to the Goulding's Campground office to tell them they didn't need to try to find us a campsite for tonight. To her surprise, the lady told her they had a cancellation, and we could stay the two extra days we originally requested. Carol thanked her profusely, but we had already made reservations in Blanding and changed our planned destinations.
Blue Mountain RV is mostly a graveled parking lot with hookups. The original sites have grassed areas, but are pretty small. They have expanded down the hill to include another terrace of sites, but they're pretty stark. They have to be some of the narrowest sites we've seen. But the good news is the campground is central to the places we want to hike in the coming days.
Natural Bridges
After we got set up, we ate lunch and then drove to Natural Bridges National Monument. I thought the late-afternoon light would provide some good opportunities, but the lighting always seemed to be wrong to shoot the natural bridges. There are three HUGE natural bridges in the White and Armstrong Canyons: Sipapu, Kachina, and Owachomo. Late afternoon is generally good for photography, but the natural bridges are in deep canyons, so most were at least partially shaded by the time we got there. Horse Collar ruins were totally shaded.
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| Sipapu | Sipapu | Kachina |
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| Horse Collar Ruins | Horse Collar Ruins |
The roads and facilities have gotten a major upgrade since I was there last. The loop road has been completely re-surfaced, the parking areas were expanded to accommodate longer vehicles, and the picnic area was redone. Additional turnouts have been added, and I think they have new signage. They really did a great job.
We got back to camp just about sunset. I looked out the door about 20 minutes later and saw the crescent moon and Venus in the western sky. I missed the best light while I tried to get my camera gear set up, but I think it was still my favorite image of the day.
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