Migrating To the “Garden Of The World” -> Memaloose State Park, OR

Our new backyard at Memaloose State Park, OR

Believe it or not we’ve made it all the way to the Columbia River Gorge, the very tip of northern Oregon, and the banks of the massive estuary that divides Oregon from Washington. During our trip north we’ve followed I-84 and the footsteps of emigrants who bravely forged their way west along this very trail in the mid-1800′s. Pretty cool stuff!

The 1843 Oregon Trail Map

For those not in the know, the ~2,000-mile (3,200 km) Oregon trail was a historic migration trail that started in Missouri and led west to the “Garden Of the World” (or so it was rumored). The first big migration happened in 1843 and by 1869 over 400,000 settlers, ranchers, farmers, miners and their families had made the trip, most of them walking all the way next to their oxen-driven carts. Now, that’s what I call a hike! This year we picked up our first taste of the trail at Three Island Crossing State Park, ID and have followed it ever since (one day I’d love to follow the whole thing).

It’s a tad easier to drive the thing in an RV, I tell ‘ya

The East end of the Columbia River Gorge

And getting towards the middle…prettier and prettier

Our tire delay in Boise put us few days behind schedule. Originally I’d planned several additional stops on I-84, including some boondocking at John Day Dam (a fabulous boondocking spot, by the way), but we decided to shorten our stops and get to the middle of the Gorge as soon as we could so we could stay on-track for our June bookings on the coast. We did a quick lay-over in Emigrant Springs State Park (review coming) and then hightailed it up the road to Memaloose State Park where we are currently nestled in an awesome waterfront site. The forecast calls for a mixed bag of grey, rain & sunny weather over the next few days (pretty typical for this time of year), but we can watch the boats on the river from our window when it drizzles and lounge on the lawn with our cocktails when the sun comes out. Not too shabby!

I’ll be getting more of this ALL summer!

And you know what…we’re in OREGON!! Can’t tell you how darn excited we are to be back here. It’s actually funny to recollect that Oregon was never one of the states we planned on visiting in the RV when we started this fulltime journey. Can’t exactly say why, but it just didn’t make “the list”. The only reason we ended up here was because of our slide troubles in 2011 which started a mad 1,000 mile dash to Eugene. In a way, it was the start of our own migration to the “Garden of  The World” and the whole state turned out to be a totally unexpected, totally wonderful surprise that’s kept us coming back ever since.  With the heat creeping up down south and fire-season starting elsewhere, we’re gonna be looking forward to yet another cool, relaxing summer in wonderful Oregon. Let the adventures begin….

Gorgeous spring buds

And pine…wonderful pine!

Boondocking Site Review – Comb Wash BLM, Trail Of The Ancients, Blanding, UT

View of our site at Comb Wash in afternoon sun

A protected boondocking site amongst cottonwood trees ~18 miles west of Blanding in SE Utah, right next to excellent Anasazi Ruins.

Location: Comb Wash Road, around 14 miles west of US 191, on UT 95.
Coordinates: Approx. 37.509590, -109.654022. Link to map location HERE Cost: FREE (14-day stay limit)
How We Found It: We had heard about Comb Wash from other RV bloggers who stayed in the area and also found the site on freecampsites.net.
Nearest Dump/Water: On-site pit toilets, but no water or dump at Comb Wash. Nearest dumps at Blanding, UT.

1. Access – 3.5/5
   Very easy access here for any-sized rig with just a few dings. Comb Wash is a large dirt road ~14 miles West of US 191 on UT 95. Driving West you will see the area on your left after you crest Comb Ridge and drop to the very bottom. Comb Wash is a flat, dirt road in a cottonwood tree grove which is easy to drive, but can be very dusty and does look like it becomes muddy during rain. Campsites are located on either side of the dirt road within the first mile or so of UT95 and are basically just cleared-out dirt areas with home-made fire-pits. Biggest ding is the road/sites become rather soft as you drive further in so big/heavy rigs are probably best camping near the entrance, whereas smaller rigs can find more secluded sites further back. Also be aware of weather in this area since the road (and some of the sites) can become impassable when wet.
2. Nature – 5/5
   Lovely nature around here typical of SE Utah. The camp area is set in a grove of cottonwood trees with lovely sweeping views of Comb Ridge Mesa on the left and Lower Mule Canyon on the right. Lots of dirt roads to explore on-site (OHV, biking) plus you area right in the midst of the Trail Of The Ancients so there is easy access to TONS of hiking and fabulous Ancestral Puebloan ruins in the surrounding area.
3. Isolation – 2/5
   Medium-poor isolation here depending on when you come. This is a rather well-known boondocking spot plus it’s also an OHV location so it can get rather crowded (and noisy) during the week-ends. During the week however it can be very relaxed, mostly empty and quite lovely. During our 3-day mid-week stay in the area we saw 4-5 rigs, but otherwise had our (very large) campsite to ourselves.
4. Pet Friendliness – 5/5
   Another great location for the paws. Lots of open space around camp plus miles of dirt roads on-site to hike and explore with doggie. Nearby ruins are on BLM land and also dog-friendly. Surrounding area is brush desert and has the bonus of lots of interesting rabbits. This is red dust heaven though, so be prepared for some dusty paws!

Overall Rating = 3.9
BONUS ALERT = Park in a protected cottonwood grove only a few miles from some of the best Anasazi ruins in Utah!

Summary: We chose this spot as a base to explore some of the amazing Anasazi Ruins in this area and for that purpose it was absolutely perfect. This is a super-easy boondocking site, accessed directly off UT95 ~14 miles west of US191. Sites are basic, cleared dirt with lovely views of cottonwood trees and surrounding mesas. Since you’re in a valley/wash you’re relatively protected from winds, but that also means the area can become wet/muddy during rain so you need to be aware of the weather. Big rigs are best camping near the entrance whereas smaller/lighter rigs could tackle the softer dirt areas further back. Only other negative is that this is a fairly well-known OHV site so during week-ends you may well get company and noise. During the week however it can be a delightful and very relaxed spot in an excellent location to explore the area. Lots and lots of dirt roads, interesting canyons, hikes and ruins all around. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and if coming through mid-week again we’d definitely stay again.

Extra Info: ZERO Verizon signal (even with antenna/amp), but you can grab a usable signal by driving a few miles up to the top of the Mesa on either side of Comb Wash. On-site pit toilet, but no other facilities (no garbage, no dump, no water).

Extra, Extra Info – OTHER BOONDOCKING: Although Comb Wash is the largest (most spacious) boondocking spot in this area there are actually tons of other BLM roads which allow camping all-around. We saw big rigs camping in the paved parking lots at the trailheads of Butler Wash & Mule Wash and spotted several other smaller campsites along lesser-used BLM roads in those areas. All I can say is explore and you will find!

Entry of Comb Wash Road from UT95. Don’t worry..that tree on the left isn’t as dangerous as it looks.

Front view of our site. We were parked fairly close to UT95 (very lightly used road)

Back view of our site

View of an empty site near entrance

View of 2 rigs in cleared space further in

View of smaller rigs camped in some of the softer spots further in

View of on-site pit toilet

“Aerial” view of our site taken from the hill behind us. You can just see UT95 snaking on the right.

“Aerial” view of other boondockers from road climbing up Comb Ridge

Approx. map of Comb Wash BLM boondocking area

Boondocking Site Review – Goosenecks State Park, UT

The gorgeous curves at Goosenecks State Park

A dramatically scenic boondocking location at the top of a 1000-foot rim by a bend in the San Juan River in SE Utah

Location: Goosenecks State Park  about 25 miles west of the town of Bluff, UT
Coordinates: Camping area starts at the end of UT 316 Coordinates approx. 37.173449,-109.927139. Link to map location HERE
Cost: FREE (unknown stay limit)
How We Found It: We had heard about Goosenecks from other RV bloggers who stayed in the area, and found out more by searching online.
Nearest Dump/Water: No water or dump at Goosenecks, but there is onsite pit toilet and garbage. Nearest known dump is at the RV parks in Bluff, UT. The Tribal Park in Mexican Hat *may* allow dumping (don’t know).

1. Access – 4/5
   Very easy access here, although it can take a little extra to get the more secluded spots. The drive to Goosenecks is along a good, paved road (UT 316) suitable for any-sized RV. Once you reach the end of the paved road there is a very large open, gravel parking area and you can simply stop and camp there. To get to more secluded sites take the dirt road to the left which will follow the rim for another ~1 mile and has several cleared-out sites along the way, including a few sites set further back from the rim. This road is very rocky with many embedded and  rather sharp rocks which makes for a careful, bumpy ride (getting worse as you approach the end) but if you make the effort you’re almost guaranteed to be by yourself. Big rigs are best suited to the front sites, but smaller rigs will be able to make it further back.
2. Nature – 5/5
   Spectacular nature and views here. You are parked on a rim 1000 feet above the meandering base of the San Juan River leading to 360-degree views all around. You are also a short drive from the amazing Valley Of the Gods with rock formations and even more views. There is undeveloped hiking along the rim-road by the boondocking site and several longer hikes in the surrounding area including the Honaker Trail which drops from the rim all the way to the river-bed.
3. Isolation – 3.5/5
   Medium-good isolation here depending on time of year. During high season (Spring, Fall) this is a reasonably well-visited park and since it’s on the Trail Of the Ancients it’s a typical stop. There are not a lot of people who stay, but you’ll get a steady trickle of cars driving in to park at the end viewpoint and take pics before moving on. Also, it’s a fairly well-known boondocking spot so there will typically be 3-4 rigs in the area any given night (although most move on after a day). Most of the “activity” stays around the front entrance so if you take the time to drive further back along the rocky road, you’ll be able to get some isolation, plus some days you’ll just get lucky and have the entire place to yourself.
4. Pet Friendliness – 5/5
   A great location for the paws. Lots of open space around camp, easy dirt roads (no cactus) and access to hiking around the rim-area. Only one warning -> there are no guard-rails so DO need to be careful of doggie getting close to the rim. If you’re not completely sure about the paws choose one of the sites further back from the rim.

Overall Rating =  4.4
BONUS ALERT = Park on the edge of a 1000-foot rim with sweeping views of the valley and the curves in the San Juan River!

Summary: This is a very remote area of SE Utah. Not much around here except the massive San Juan River and miles (and miles and miles) of open red-rock desert, but it’s exactly this remoteness that makes it so very attractive. Goosenecks State Park is easily accessed from paved UT 316 and you can boondock anywhere on the dramatic rim with 360-degree views overlooking the river. The easiest boondocking sites are directly off the paved road, but you’ll get more seclusion if you follow the rocky road to the left and chose a site further back (do be careful though, it gets much rockier and more narrow the further you get from the entrance…best suited for smaller rigs). There are a few picnic tables near the entrance as well as pit toilets and a covered pavilion, but otherwise no facilities. The location has plenty of undeveloping hiking, a few “official” trails and is very close to the spectacular Valley of the Gods (a “must see”!). It’s a relatively well-known stop in the area so you’ll undoubtedly see some day-time tourist traffic, and probably several other boondockers depending on time of year, but you may also get lucky and get the spot all to yourself (we were alone for one night out of the 4 we spent there). Keep an eye on the weather forecast (winds can get crazy on the rim) and stock-up before you come (there is literally nothing for miles around here), but otherwise just sit back and enjoy the remote and gorgeous location. A fabulous stop and we would definitely come again!

Extra Info: Veeery, veeery poor Verizon signal (we got a trickle of 1X using our external antenna/amp). On-site pit toilet and garbage, but no other facilities (no dump, no water).

Side view of our site. We stayed fairly close to the entrance

View of our site from further down the rim

Distant view of our site taken from the hill behind the rim

View of an empty site set back from the rim

Another empty site further down the rocky road

View of another rig (an airstream) tucked into a more secluded site further back

Picnic table near the entrance

Covered pavilion near the entrance. You can boondock next to this too.

Close-up map of the Goosenecks State Park area.

Crazy Utah Weather & Cliff Dwellings On The Trail Of the Ancients

Our front window view…clouds a-coming!

Weather makes for colorful sunsets out our RV window in the cottonwood trees

We’ve made it back to “civilization” and once again have an internet signal….yeah! The past few days we’ve been boondocking deep in the Utah boonies and it may well have been the most weather crazy streak we’ve done to date. Wind, sandstorm, thunder, rain, snow(!), fog AND sun all in the space of a few days?? Oh yeah, it’s just a typical Utah spring -> a fickle, fickle time that can give near-perfect temps, wipe you out with wind or strand you in surprise winter storms. We knew this coming in and were keeping tight track of the weather forecast through our phone (the awesome WeatherBug App) and the Satellite TV (you’ve gotta stay ontop of these things in the boonies), but Mother Earth Utah managed to surprise us even then.

Wind whips up the clouds behind “the beast”

Late Sunday, after several days of T-shirt weather at the rim we were warned of big winds and decided to leave our exposed site at Goosenecks State Park for a much more protected spot around 60 miles north. We found a new boondocking site tucked behind a massive ridge in a cottonwood tree wash . The next few days were going to give us a show and we were nestled in the perfect spot to watch it without getting too badly hit. No phone or internet here, but we were prepared for the onslaught…mentally anyway.

This fine red dust will go everywhere…!

Warm sunset, but chilly temps!

The winds started almost as soon as we set down our jacks in our new site, whipping up a famous Utah red dust sandstorm from our previous location. We saw the dust-clouds rise like giant billows in the south and blanket the sky with a deep red. The super-fine dust is a notorious phenomenon in the SE of Utah. When it rises it does so suddenly and completely blackens out the sky, filtering through the cracks in your rig and into your pores. It’s worst in the open plains and may only last a few hours, but it will obscure everything and get into every single open slot (I tell you, you’ll have red dust coming out your a** by the time it’s over). Our previous boondocking spot would have been wiped out, but we passed the storm in relative protection in the valley, shook out as much dust as we could when it was over and enjoyed almost a full day of T-shirt warm sun and flowing clouds before the next act.

The day AFTER the snowstorm

An afternoon clearing at our boondocking site

The weather started again with drizzle in the night and a few claps of thunder, all pretty mild stuff until temps dropped and the rain transformed into snow! By the time we got up in the morning our view was covered in light, flying tufts of snowflakes blanketing the valley. WOW! Temperatures had dropped to near-freezing and the sky was grey and thick. The morning continued grey, but several hours and many cloud-bursts later it suddenly cleared up again. Sunny, cold but completely open blue sky. The dark clouds had moved north and were dumping snow on the higher roads so we decided to wait out one more day for the weather to stabilize before moving on.

Could we have seen more weather in a few days? Thank goodness for the flexibility of boondocking!

The fabulous “House On Fire”

Butler Wash details

Despite the fickle spring craziness we managed to explore. This area of Utah, bounded by the corners of Comb Ridge, Grand Gultch, Grand Flat and Cedar Mesa is called the Trail of the Ancients and has one of the largest concentrations of ancient pueblo dwellings in the US. Some are developed and have accessible trails, but many are hidden in the canyons and only discovered by back-country exploring. Even more lie completely undiscovered, hidden gems yet to meet the human eye. These dwellings date from the very first settlers, the Basketweavers (200-700AD) who lived mostly on the mesa tops to the Anasazi or Ancestral Puebloans (1060-1270) who built elaborate structures in the mesa cliffs. There are literally hundreds of these scattering throughout the area, and what’s even better is that they’re almost all on BLM land so you can camp and bring doggie along for the trek. What a gift!

Butler Wash ruins

Paul poses by a ruin in Mule Canyon

Polly does a pretty pose

We started our exploring with Butler Wash Ruins, a short ½ mile marked hike from Hwy 95. The overlook is accessed via slick-rock (looks slick, but it’s got a lot of grip) and a total of ~20 cliff rooms can be viewed. Cool little visit. Our next stop was House On Fire. This fabulous ruin can be accessed via a ~1 mile hike along South Mule Canyon, just past mile-marker 102 no Hwy 95. It can take a little to find it, but once you do you’re rewarded with an up-close and personal masterpiece dramatically framed by ridged rocks in “flames”. At just the right time of day (around noontime) the light bounces off the inner canyon and lights up the dwelling. Gorgeous! There are plenty of other ruins in this canyon if you can find them too. We ended the trip, right before the next round of weather hit with a short visit to the “Mule Canyon” ruins, a developed set of ruins just north of House On Fire. Totally worth the drives!

Map of Ruins in the Trail Of the Ancients. Every dot is a spot!

We may not have seen quite as much as we’d like, thanks to the crazy UT weather, but it’s been a fine drive and will keep us coming back for more. A wild, but totally fun coupla days. We’re already settled at our new site in Moab and will be catching up on the blogs with 2 boondocking site reviews…and the long-awaited “eeeeek” story.…Oh my!

Taggart stays warm

Snow??? Seriously?!

Utah stone sculptures

Cat on the move…

More Mule Canyon Ruins

Mom, what ya doing up there?

Hiking Mule Canyon

Biking at our boondocking site

Boondocking With Curves & Gods – Goosenecks State Park, UT

It’s a postcard moment

Parked gloriously by the rim

The past 3 nights we’ve been camping on the edge of a meandering chasm, 1000 feet above the San Juan River with 300 million year old rocks below us. The view outside our window stretches to infinity and the river snakes its way in bulging and dramatic curves deep into the valley below us. Best of all this entire area is free…completely gratis…a grand old payment of absolute zero to stay here. The combo makes you feel magnificently privileged and completely insignificant at the same time. We’ve made it to GoosenecksState Park, deep in the heart of SE Utah. We’re only ~30 miles from our last stop at MonumentValley yet it feels like a completely different world.

Self-panorama of the fabulous curves at Goosenecks State Park

It’s a different world here

Utah is something else. When I’m in this State I feel more remote than almost anywhere else I’ve been. So much of this place is so very barren and so little of it is inhabited. It looks like a giant Martian landscape with massive buttes stretching to the sky and large swathes of desert valley floor sweeping far into the horizon. There’s almost no-one on the roads and the complementary colors of deep red rock and bright blue sky ever-changing with the days’ light make it a photographer’s dream. It’s such an odd place, yet it feels spiritual and relaxing at the same time. Weird, huh?

Polly poses for YET another shot by the rim…patient girl that she is

Wild views in the Valley of the Gods

The CRV is dwarfed by the buttes

This jumble of emotions applies perfectly to the Valley Of The Gods, the “mini-MonumentValley” of SE Utah which just happens to be right next to us. It’s a short drive from our boondocking spot to the start of the 17-mile dirt road (San Juan County Road #242 -> in very good condition I might add) that takes you through a slew of interesting formations. The sandstone buttes in this area stand up to 1200 foot deep and date back to the Permian age 250 million years ago. Water, wind and ice have sculpted the shapes that the Navajo believe are living spirits -> warriors frozen in stone and guardians of the earth. In modern terms the buttes have less creative names like “Lady In a Tub”, “Sitting Hen” and “Seven Sailors”, but that doesn’t detract from their splendor. It’s a mega-cool drive and if you’re a small rig or truck camper there are some spec-tac-cu-lar boondocking sites along this stretch (no way we could get ”the beast“ in there unfortunately).

“The beast” parked on the ridge. Can you see us?

Backlight afternoon light on “the beast”

A rare shot of BOTH of us!

Red views in the Valley of the Gods

We’ve really not done much since we’ve been here except gawk at the view, photograph panorama’s and enjoy the spectacular drive through the Valley. Given that we have almost zero internet (we’re talking a trickle of measly 1X) that’s only added to our outdoor time and limited our blogging. BUT there has been ONE incident….well, TWO if you look at everything in totality, but one in particular that’s caused an “eeeeek” moment and had us scrambling to take almost everything apart in the RV. It’s a helluva story and it’s not done yet but that, my friends, is best left for better internet and a later blog post. For now, just assume all is well in RV-land and the wild soothing view is the only thing on our minds. ‘Tis a pleasant fantasy and I hope you will linger a while J

P.S. Our new, new boondocking spot has even less than zero internet so it may be a while before you hear from me again unless I feel motivated to drive into town That’ll put me a tad behind on blog posts, but it’ll be worth the wait…I promise..

Ring sculptures by the rim

Pretty weeds

Fiery red flowers

And pretty purple ones

A gorgeous sunset

Our afternoon cocktail spot