We approached the ziggurat
Towing over thirty feet of living space
Exiting
The Valley of the Gods
Switchbacks, gravel and steep grades
More than a thousand feet straight up
I wondered
At the wisdom of this drive
Then the thought
Each adventure ever had
Begins with
Just a little bit of faith
Utah State Highway 261
Near The Valley of the Gods and Mexican Hat
Utah, United States of America
Taken during travels, 1996
As it turns out, the faith was well rewarded. But looking at Cedar Mesa from this viewpoint, at least in this photo of it, you’d never even suspect there was a road switchbacking right up the precipice to that little bump of butte at the top.
Several posts on this blog feature images taken from the gravel switchbacks known as Moki Dugway, which leads to the top of Cedar Mesa. Some in 1996, when I took my 35′ fifth wheel up (on the way to Natural Bridge National Monument), and some in 2022 with my relatively diminutive 2010 Toyota Rav4 (a few times up and down, over a couple of days while also visiting Monument Valley, Goosenecks State Park, and Valley of the Gods, before moving on to Moab and Arches National Park). 🙂
The sign reads:
5 mph switchbacks
Narrow gravel road
1 mile
Pix to Words 