We made a few more stops after Bryce Canyon and before the end of our walkabout…After leaving the beautiful canyon, we headed east across the dramatic Utah landscape where we planned a brief stop for some fun with friends in Moab, Utah.
As was the case in many of our later travels, our route to Albuquerque from Tucson was turning out to be quite loopy. But since these were the last weeks of our walkabout, we could not pass up the opportunity to see some of our RVer friends once again.
We wanted to boondock in Moab, but weren’t sure about our options, so we reached out to our friend Amanda (WatsonsWander). She told us that several of the better known boondocking areas were pretty full, but suggested Klondike Bluff Road just up a couple of roads from where they were boondocking.
We found a great spot, with 360 degree views and 4 bars LTE signal no less. Check out my review of Klondike Bluff Road here.
Having contacts sure helps when looking for these special out of the way places.
We’ve been turned onto more than one killer (and FREE) campsite through the kindness of fellow RVers.
Thanks Amanda!
Our friend Mona Liza (The Lowe’s RV Adventures) had planned a get together with several folks that were staying in the area on the day after we were due to arrive, and since she knew we were on our way, invited us as well. So that evening we met up with friends for dinner at a restaurant in town.
Amanda and Tim were there with their parents, along with our friends Pam and John (Oh, the Places They Go!). And we met Susan and David (Beluga’s excellent adventure), whom we had heard about from several other RVer friends. It was a fun time, as it always is with our RVer buddies.
The next day Hector and I took one of our sunrise drives over to Arches National Park. We visited this beautiful park a number of times when we lived in Colorado, but it is another of those places that you never get tired of.
Hector’s ankle was still not doing so well, so we just drove on the park road and stopped for short walks along the way.
Later that afternoon we returned to the park with Angel for a slightly longer drive. This time we drove over to Salt Valley Road which goes to a more remote area of the park. It’s a dirt road with very little traffic, so we had the place virtually to ourselves.
After we had driven for quite awhile, Hector spotted some burrowing owls. Shortly after we realized that this area was also a prairie dog colony. Burrowing owls frequently live amongst prairie dog colonies due to the abundance of insects, one of their preferred foods. They also modify unoccupied prairie dog burrows to lay their eggs.
The burrowing owl are sometimes alerted to predators by the prairie dogs alarm calls. Another one of those very interesting symbiotic relationships in nature. These owls are declining in some areas partially due to prairie dog control factors, as well as habitat loss and car accidents. They are considered endangered in Canada.
We spent a lot of time watching the owls, they are so incredibly cute as they peek out of their burrows! These little guys provided our entertainment for the afternoon. 
Angel got a few walks alongside the road, since there was no traffic. It was a fun afternoon for all of us, especially the photographer.
The following day Mona Liza and Steve had a little dinner party at their campsite. She made her literally world-famous lumpia (Philippine eggrolls) as well as some pancet, a noodle dish. We had never tried either of these before. Delish!
Pam and John and Susan and Dave were there, and we met two more RVers, Joe and Gay (good-times-rollin) All wonderful people and we truly enjoyed spending time with all of them. These impromptu gatherings were one of the very best parts of the RV life.
We entered the park one last time for a sunset drive. So beautiful.
The weather had been touch and go and it rained all night the night before we left. This made for quite an exciting exit from our perfect boondocking spot. One of the scariest drives from our entire walkabout. VERY wet and muddy as in – whatever you do, don’t stop! But we made it.
Stay tuned for a few more posts, as we explored a couple of new places on our wandering route before our landing in Albuquerque.
~ Brenda
What a wonderful visit it was!! It was so perfect that we could all get together. Thanks for reworking your plans to be there with all of us:) Gorgeous photos, Hector and Brenda:) John just said, “Hector always has the best photos!” I am so excited to be back in the west. Your photos have me looking forward to our return to Moab this April. Hopefully, we will be around this spring or next fall in your area. The motorhome has never been to northern NM. Miss you three:)
Thanks, Pam. We hope to see both of you this year!
Great pictures and blog. Really enjoyed reading this and seeing these wonderful photos. We are just preparing to go fulltime and hope to meet this group some day. Safe travels.
Thank you! One of the best parts of full timing is the people you meet along the way. Congratulations and safe travels!
Brenda
What a beautiful place that I have had the pleasure of seeing for myself.
Always nice to see a blog from you guys! Let’s us know what you are doing! Love the sunrise pics, which I would NEVER get to see live!
Thanks, Dave! There is always more to see there. I know you’ve seen the sunrise at least once!
Brenda
What beautiful photos and such a wonderful gathering of good friends. The desert colors and the clouds always draw us back.
Hi, LuAnn. We love the four corners area. Come visit us in Albuquerque! btw, we are planning a short trip to Yellowstone on the first week of May, always think of you when we go there.
Brenda
How awesome! Your adventure with the owls reminds me of my prairie dog painting. Nature is such an amazing gift! Sending a big hug to you guys, and Angel, too!
I know you know a lot more about the prairie dogs/owls than I do. Can’t wait to hear about your next painting!
Hugs,
Brenda
Wonderful memories! The beautiful photos are making me want to go back to Moab and the splendor of the red rocks. We sure hope we will meet again, our fall route this year will take us back to northern NM. There are still a few places to discover.
Can you believe how long ago it was – we really fell off the map! You must come visit, fall is the best time here. We only have 20Amp and water, but we have a nice extra bath and other amenities 🙂
Brenda
We wish you the best in your beautiful new home. I cannot tell you how much we have enjoyed your travel blog and the incredible photography you have posted.Thank you so much for sharing it all with us. I can understand the chore of blogging daily. We are not full timers, but I do blog when we travel and it gets harder and harder to keep up with it. Reading yours was always a special treat. Thank you so much for doing that.
Thank you so much! Blogging has been much more rewarding than I ever expected, but it does take a level of commitment that can be tough sometimes. I am not sure if I will continue blogging, but am considering it for our future travel as well.
Brenda
Yay! Another post with Hector’s fantastic photos! I keep checking back even though I know you are no longer on the road – hope springs eternal.
It was wonderful to meet you, for the first time, in Moab and to be able to spend a bit more time together at your perfect house in Corrales.
Cheers to this new chapter, we hope to see you again sometime. Give sweet Angel a good scratch for us!
Thanks, Sue! There are a couple of more posts coming, but we are back in project mode now that it has warmed up. We are prepping Island Girl to see her 🙁 Hope to see you again soon.
Brenda
What great memories…it was fun spending time with you, Hector and Angel.
Beautiful pictures as always.
We really loved meeting both of you – it was short and sweet. Let us know if you are planning a trip to the Albuquerque area.
Brenda