When I was in town last month, my friends and I made plans to meet up for their family Spring Break.
We’d get together in the Valley of The Gods, camp together, explore the area, and I’d be part of their collective road trip to Mancos State Park in Colorado where would all celebrate a Seder dinner. After that? They would head home to Colorado’s Front Range, and I’d continue to explore the Four Corners area.
I ended up going to the Valley of The Gods a day earlier than my friends. The thought of making a three-day base camp was appealing.
I found a suitable place for camping nestled between two small mounds. There are lots of obvious dispersed sites in this BLM land. However, not all of them were as protected from the wind or as secluded from nearby traffic.
The rock formations are purported to be a bit reminiscent of nearby Monument Valley in Arizona.
The following day I went to Comb Ridge and explored a few of the many Pueblo sites along the main road.
In particular, I wanted to see the well-known Procession Panel. I saw a recreation of the panel in The Edge of the Cedars Museum earlier this past year. But seeing the panel up close was another experience altogether.
The panel is thought to be an origin story of the Pueblo people by some.
The people come forth from the rock and emerge into the world.
And with Passover later in the week, a holy man with a staff among his people seemed appropriate.
The Edge of the Cedars Museum has an actual staff in its collection.
The amount of detail is fantastic.
I took a hike further up the ridge and enjoyed the view. The land around me in view was once part of the Bears Ears Monument not long ago.
I took some other hikes along the road of various lengths. I wanted to be back in time for my friends. So I did a short walk to the Wolfman Petroglyph and a small dwelling across the wash.
I found the other, lesser known, petroglyphs to be more impressive, however.
I made my way back to camp for the second night.
Sunset soon came, and my friends were not to be found. With the wind quite fierce, I suspected weather in the mountains to the north were causing issues. With no internet, I only had an educated guess at best.
Not knowing what was happening with my friends, I stayed close by all day.
I poked around Goosenecks State Park, scoped out the museum in Bluff, and drove to the top of the Moki Dugway.
D-low and I were able to exchange text messages throughout the day. Sure enough, he, Wendy, and our other friends Dave and Malia were all delayed in Summit County due to storms. We all met up at the Wolfman Petroglyph Panel and made our way to the campsite I’ve called home for the past two days.
I was quite happy to see my friends. And a different phase of my road trip has started.