Paria Plateau, AZ (4/17/2018) & Bluff, UT (4/19/2018)

Nearing the end of my time on the Kaibab Paiute Reservation, I began to look for my next stop.  I wanted to stop in Page to tour Canyon X, a slot canyon that is part of the Antelope Canyon system, but not as heavily visited.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a campsite available in Page.  I remembered the Paria Outpost having campsites, and it's not that far from Page.  When I went to its website, I learned there are no hook-ups, so I ruled that out.  However, I took a long look at the wilderness tours they offer.  I knew they took customers to North and South Coyote Buttes, and to White Pocket.  I learned they also have tours to Pinnacle Valley and Soap Creek, places I'd not heard of.  The photos from these places were simply stunning, with very colorful and shapely formations.  I began searching for more information, but there wasn't much available, just that they were somewhere on the Paria Plateau.

Using Google Earth, I found a place that might fill the bill.  While it was not a certainty, I thought I had figured out how to get there.  Basically, I would drive as if going to White Pocket, but not make the turn six miles onto the plateau.  Rather, I would continue straight for another fourteen miles, then turn right for four more miles.

On my last full day, despite wind and low temps, I was determined to make the effort.  The moment I drove past the White Pocket turn, the road became very deep sand...enough to concern me about the risk of getting stuck.  The LRJ handled it well, but not very fast.  The roads seemed much different than I had seen on Google Earth.  A wrong turn took a while to overcome, looking for a spot to turn around.  On a hunch, I took a right turn at about fourteen miles and drove until that trail ended.  About half mile away I saw formations that looked promising, so started hiking toward them.

As I got closer, I could see the formation was much larger than I had first thought.  No way was I going to climb up top and do some exploring, so I circled around until there were gaps and I was able to climb over.

I could then see more distant formations, but nothing suggested any of the colors and shapes I was looking for.  Obviously, I had not found the place I wanted, but had stumbled upon a pretty nice spot.  I decided to enjoy it as long as possible, knowing that the return trip would take as long as the trip here, nearly three hours.

At one point, I found myself on the rim of the plateau looking down at the valley more than 1000 feet below.  What an awesome sight.  These photos don't do it justice.

One of my favorite discoveries was where two formations at the rim separated to create a space where one could walk right through and off the rim, if one desired.  It could be called "The Gap" or "The Crack".

Other formations were all around, but I had neither the time nor the energy to explore them.  I had a strong feeling, however, that Soap Creek Tanks wasn't that far from me.  I explored a couple roads without success, but stopped to make sure there was enough fuel to get out of here.

 On one road, I passed an abandoned ranch that intrigued me.  Why would someone choose to live in such a remote place, even if the land was cheap?

Hours later and back on the highway, I looked at the rim of the plateau where I had been.  It seemed pretty clear that several areas of colored rock might be the Soap Creek Tanks.  Since then, I have found more information, including a GPS track provided by a group of Germans who have been visiting the Southwest for many years.  Maybe next time I can find the right place.

The next day I packed and moved to Bluff, UT for a little R&R.  Sunrise the next morning pulled me out for some photos.

On the way back to Montrose, there was snow all around as I climbed Lizard Head Pass.  Fortunately, this ended long before Montrose, where Spring was in full swing,

And so ends a long and pleasurable RV trip, a little more than six months on the road.  The girls and I have settled in, more or less, and it may be a while before I have enough material to publish a travelogue.  Until then, have a great summer.