Becky and I viewed our last sunrise from Monument Valley today. Mother Nature did not fail to show up for the event.

We’d decided that along our short drive to Moab, we’d stop at Goosenecks State Park. This little park sits at the end of a highway near Mexican Hat UT. At the end of the short sideroad off Highway 163, we were greeted with the beautiful view of the San Juan River and the gorge it’s carved. (You should really click on the image below, and see the full panoramic shot!)

As we zoomed up the road, we found ourselves at Hole in the Rock, which is a 5000 sq ft home carved out of the rock. While we didn’t take the tour, we did walk around the grounds. There’s plenty to see at this “rubber snake shop”. In fact, they had an artfully crafted Jeep sitting outside that appeared to made out of license plates and spare metal.

When we got to Moab, it was cold. Really cold. Remember that fact.

The first order of business in Moab (after lunch) was laundry. We found a laundromat with wi-fi, and while the whirr of machines filled the air, I started looking at the weather. And it yielded some interesting info… there was a massive snowstorm on the way.

After a good clothes cleaning, we traveled to Red Cliffs Lodge. This beautiful place is waaay off the beaten path, about fifteen miles down a canyon, and would be a great place to star watch… if the skies weren’t so cloudy. After watching the news for a while, we decided that if we stuck around, we’d likely not make it back out again. Sadly, this impending winter storm means the end of our vacation travels.

In the morning, we’ll be heading back toward Missouri.