Monday, May 20, 2024
Today was the day that we finally confronted the Moki Dugway. Jane has been warning of this encounter since she realized this route would cut more than an hour off our drive and her alerts had been coming more frequently in the past few days. Moki Dugway is a three-mile stretch along UT-261 of narrow unpaved road with sharp switchbacks and no guard rails. The Dugway is carved into the cliff face of Cedar Mesa and makes a 1,200 foot elevation ascent with grades up to 11%. The U.S. BLM and state of Utah recommend that only vehicles less than 28 feet in length and 10,000 pounds (our RV is slightly over this weight) attempt to negotiate this dugway. BTW, Moki (or Mokey or Moqui) is the name the early Spanish explorers used for Puebloan people and dugway describes a roadway carved into a hillside.
So, today, we departed our Monument Valley campground in separate vehicles; Jane led in the toad. We travelled a circuitous but extremely scenic 200-mile route north to Torrey, UT. First, we continued north on 261 in front of the campground and had morning views of some of the Monument Valley monuments. Shortly, we were climbing “Forest Gump Hill” where one of the movie’s running scenes was filmed. Lots of tourists were at the pullover re-creating the run down the middle of the road, but we passed on by not wanting to get caught up in the fray. About 20 minutes later, we travelled through the small town of Mexican Hat and soon saw the rock formation with this moniker that indeed resembled a small head wearing a huge sombrero.
Departing Monument Valley
Mexican Hat Rock
Soon, we were nearing Moki Dugway and Jane pulled over into a turnout. I followed, gave her a “thumbs-up”, and we slowly proceeded along the much anticipated climb. The road was bumpy with a lot of wash boarding and I couldn’t afford to enjoy the nice views as we wound our way up the guardrail-free escarpment. It was helpful to have Jane’s car scout out the blind turns ahead. Driving the ascent actually turned out more fun than nerve-wracking. We only encountered four vehicles coming down the cliff face and fortunately, they all passed in wide sections of the road. Near the top, we stopped for photos before rounding the top of Cedar Mesa.
————— Moki Dugway —————
We continued driving separate vehicles for awhile along Cedar Mesa until we could find a turnout to hitch-up the car. The drive was scenic with few cars, no signs or buildings, and open-range cattle alongside the road. As we passed a rock formation called Jacob’s Chair, we pulled over for a view and decided to eat lunch (sandwiches) there. After lunch, I relaxed while Jane took a short hike to a nearby gulch observing several unusual plants along the way.
Cheese Box Butte
Jacob’s Chair
Gulch near our Lunch Site
We continued northward mesmerized by the ever-changing beautiful landscapes surrounding us. Eventually, we entered the Glen Canyon Recreation Area. This was the northern end of the same rec area where we had camped near Page two days ago. We wound our way downward and crossed the Colorado River before winding our way back up along a cliff-side and taking a spur road to Hite Overlook.
Hite is a remote ranger station at the end of (full-capacity) Lake Powell near the confluence of the Colorado and Dirty Devil Rivers. Currently, all of its services are closed because the lake has receded from the area. At the overlook, we had a panoramic view of the area and spotted the Colorado River bridge that we had just traversed. Rocks bleached by the vanished Lake Powell waters stretched before us with new vegetation becoming established. We could see abandoned boat ramps and roads that once were at the water’s edge. The whole view was at once beautiful and saddening. We tried to imagine the view firstly, before humankind’s intervention, and secondly, when the man-made Lake Powell filled the area below us.
— Glen Canyon & Hite Overlook —
After Hite Overlook, we continued north to Torrey on UT-95 and UT-12 in wonderment at the unusual (to us) landscapes we were driving through.
—— Hite to Torrey ——
We arrived in Torrey under overcast skies with light spits of cold rain. We checked-in and set up in Site 35 at WonderLand RV Park. We have a secluded back-in site with water and electricity. There is not a sewer hook-up so we’ll be using the nice nearby showerhouse to conserve gray tank storage while here. There is a nice view of a livestock pasture and mountains through our dinette window.
———WonderLand RV Park ———
We drove to a nearby Mexican restaurant for dinner then made a quick scouting pass through Torrey before returning to our motorhome. The cold rain continued and intensified as we hunkered-down in the RV and prepared for bed.
—— La Cueva Mexican Restaurant ——
I love the travel blog John and Jane, and I love the country you’ve been traveling through.
I also love your blog. You write a very entertaining and informative story. The pictures are great, but they can’t do justice to the real thing.
Gordon & Stephanie,
Thanks for your comments. It’s nice to know you’re following our trip and enjoy the blog. We love the vastness and beauty of this area, too. You’re right, Steph, pictures can’t convey the wonder of the actual experience.