(Moab, Utah – Grand Canyon Village, Arizona)

4 December 2022

Admittedly, on most occasions, few people would describe a 323 mile drive as a rest day, but as far as our legs are concerned, it’s an easy day. We woke slightly later than planned, tired after yesterday’s activities. This wasn’t a problem though, as check out wasn’t until 12 noon. Nevertheless, we got ourselves up, feed, clean, packed and out by 11am. We stopped first in Moab and had a browse in a couple of shops, including Gearheads, one of our favoured outdoor shops, but we were still on our way by 12.

As we headed south, the ‘familiar but but seen for several years’ landmarks rolled past. The La Sal mountains above Spanish Valley, open roads near the Needles District, mountains north of Monticello (where we were sandwiched between the rising land and lowering clouds), and the visitor centre in Blanding (closed on Sundays, but luckily the adjacent garage was open for a quick stop and vanilla lattes).

The rock formations become interesting again between Bluff and Mexican Hat on US-163, where the road crosses the San Juan river.

After that, we passed Alhambra, a volcanic core, before travelling past Monument Valley, and then another core, Agathla Peak.

We stopped in Kayenta for a sandwich. Masks are still required on the Navajo Nation. Or I’m becoming the next Marvel superhero…

From there we drove towards Grand Canyon, with a brief stop as the sun set at the Cameron Trading Post. It was dark as we arrived, but we stopped and checked – the canyon is still there!

We checked in, and unloaded the car, then headed straight for dinner in the Maswik cafeteria, having grabbed our torches to illuminate the way. Tomorrow, rest day is over…back to hiking!

P.S. it appears that they have installed broadband at the canyon, so you might be in luck for your daily updates!