We looked at the weather and saw there was some rain and snow in the area. So we decided to push our canyon hike for a day since we don’t want to get caught up in a flash flood in a canyon. Instead we decided to explore some of the back roads in the area. One of the other folks in the RV park recommended we try Montezuma Canyon road which starts just a little south of Monticello and ends in Blanding. We also thought we would drive the Valley of the Gods dirt road which is south of Blanding. David thought Montezuma Canyon would only take an hour or so, so we planned to get lunch in Blanding. We headed into Montezuma canyon and were very surprised by how beautiful it was. The road is gravel and dirt, narrow in a few places, but quite drivable. It has been very dry, so the road was dry and the creek running through the canyon was mostly dry, which was good for the low water crossings. Not sure we would drive this road in the rain. We saw two beautiful homes that had been built into caves in the sandstone like modern day cliff dwellers. We also saw a trailer parked back in one cave! As we went down the road we came across a rancher and his family driving a small herd of cattle down the road, moving them to a different pasture. So we came to a stop and shut down the truck and let them drive the cattle around us. The rancher stopped and talk with us for a while from horse back. The drought the region has been experiencing for the last two years is hitting him hard since he is not able to grow his own hay. Things in the canyon are greening up, but not as much as it should. As we worked our way back to the main highway we could see rain clouds building. By the time we got to the highway, there were storms all around. The drive through Montezuma Canyon had taken 2.5 hours, so we were starving by the time we got to Blanding. We went to The Patio restaurant again. As we were waiting for our food it began snowing/sleeting. With the storms spreading, we canceled our plans to drive the dirt road in Valley of the Gods since we really did not want to get stuck in mud. So after a very late lunch, we headed back to the Wanderer. The weather looks good for our hike tomorrow.
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| Montezuma Canyon |
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| RV Parking Idea |
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| Modern Cliff Dwellers |
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| Steak on the Hoof |
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