Standing above the Hite Overlook, from the right is my son’s girlfriend Deb, my son Robert and on the left Ann, Deb’s sister.
This is going to be a very unusual post, usually my posts here are all about educating folks about the joys of being a Nomad and how to do it, or inspiring you to get out and travel by sharing my wanderings. Both of those will be a little bit true today, but mostly today will be all about me being a proud Papa!!
I grew up in Alaska since I was 6 years old and had two sons born and raised there, but after 45 years of living through the extremely long, cold (and worst of all) dark winters, I had had enough–I had to leave!! Fortunately, my reaching early retirement age and my youngest son (Robert) turning 18 happened to coincide so in 2006 I made the hardest, move of my life and left Alaska permanently. Boy, I gotta tell you, I shed a lot of tears over that! I was leaving the only home I had ever known and my sons, who I loved so much–so I cried a lot of tears on that trip down the Alcan!
My son Robert and I in Monument Valley.
If there was one thing I knew for sure, living in Alaska made maintaining relationships with family in the Lower 48 difficult. It’s so far away, and so expensive to get there, that most people tend to drift apart. I had grown up without extended family because they were all so far away so I knew how easy it was to have that happen. We’ve tried to keep close, but it has been difficult.
Robert and Deb at Double-Arch in Arches NP.
So when my son Robert emailed and said he would be in Moab, Utah visiting his girlfriends family I knew that was an opportunity I couldn’t miss!! I intermediately made plans to finish up what I was working on and run over there. I was in Pahrump, NV, so it was only 500 miles away, which is just one days drive. At that moment I can’t tell you how glad I was that I live on wheels! When an opportunity presented itself I didn’t need to ask permission of my boss or try to round up airfare, no, I just jumped in the van, turned the key and waved goodbye to Pahrump in the rear-view mirror!
Just “hangin” at the top of Mogi Dugaway. That’s a long first step!
It had been a year and a half since I last saw him so it was so wonderful to see him again–and this was the first time I had got to meet Deb, his new (to me) girlfriend–who is a very special young woman. She was also born and raised in Alaska, so she has the strong independent spirit Alaskans are known for and had chosen an unusual career path; she is an Electrical Lineman with the Union in Alaska and with the specific idea of being able to work short periods of time, make a lot of money, and then travel and do whatever she wanted with her time off–she has a nomad heart beating in there somewhere!! I fell in love with her right away and it was such a pleasure to get to know her.
Deb enjoying the view in Arches MP.
They had come to Moab to visit with Deb’s sister, Ann who had also been born and raised in Alaska. She also had the famous Independent Alaskan spirit and had become a biologist with the U.S. Geological Service and worked in Moab for Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. That meant her “office” was out in some of the prettiest places on the planet! They both chose their careers very well!
Robert and Deb in Monument Valley.
Ann was very familiar with the area so she had planned an outstanding itinerary while they were there–time for a road trip!! And what a road trip it was!
First we headed over to Capital Reef NP with a stop along the way at Goblin Valley State Park, which is a very cool place. We stayed the night in Torrey Utah, which is just outside the NP. When you grow up that far from the Lower 48, you don’t get to see much of it, so, like me, Robert had never seen anything like the Red Rock country of Utah and both of them were mesmerized by it’s beauty. Nothing can prepare you for how breathtakingly beautiful it is! Alaska is of course a fantastic place to grow up, but it’s all mountain, forests and glacier–nothing like Red Rock country! Robert and Deb both love Utah now!
Climbing around Arches.
The next day we left Capital Reef for the rest of the road trip. and followed 95 through a beautiful Red Rock Canyon to the Hite Overlook over the Colorado River and then on to the Mogi Dugaway. If you’e never heard of it, it’s a super-steep decline down an incredibly steep hill in which the road is literally cut out of the side of a vertical mountain. It’s so steep they can’t even keep it paved and they just let it remain a gravel road that they continually grade. Standing at the top and taking in the impressive view is well worth the effort of struggling up or down the hill!!
The happy couple in Monument Valley.
From there it was on to Goosenecks State Park which is a very unusual rock formation where the San Juan River has done a total 180 degree turn in an extremely short distance, and not just once but six times in a row. It’s a real sight to behold and worth the stop. You used to could see it and even camp there for free but people had taken advantage of that and it had become an overused mess, so now they charge $5 for day use and another $5 to camp. It’s still a very good deal and worth the money. It’s about the cheapest and closest camping to Monument Valley (which is all Navajo Nation land) so many people use it as a base to explore the area.
Finally, we made a stop into Monument Valley to see a stunning and other-worldly place made famous by John Ford in Western movies starring John Wayne. It’s one of my favorite places anywhere and well worth the $20 entrance fee per car.
We had already been together for 4 days and the next day they were booked up solid, and the morning after that they left to fly back to Anchorage out of Denver so rather than drive that far to spend so little time with them, I stayed behind. It had been really cold and rainy (we even got snowed on in Capital Reef) so I was ready to get warm. I spent the night in Goosenecks, and the next day headed down to Cottonwood/Sedona where I’m camped now.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed seeing my son again and meeting his girlfriend and her sister! Especially in one of my favorite places in the world and doing the thing that makes my heart sing the most–wandering aimlessly enjoying the amazing creation we call Earth. I’m going to have to chalk this up as one of the highlights of the year for me–it’s hard to see how it can get better than this! But, if my past history as a vandweller holds true, my life will only get better and better!!
Come join me in the free life on the open-road!! Then your life too can can be an ongoing circle of better-and-better experiences!
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This is the route we took, a big circle. I left them after monument Valley to head down to Sedona.
I covered a lot of the same territory last summer. It’s great. Everyone should experience it at least once.
Al, we’ve been to some of it together! Maybe you should call me dad?
Bob
No, I’M the dad. 😉
If you insist!
Bob
Hi Bob love your site just a small suggestion is there a way you can number you posts so we can follow you in order instead of jumping around or am i not seeing thing rite
Darrell, if I understand you correctly, the archives do that. You can go back to the first month and start at post number 1 and read them sequentially. You can also start at any year and any month of the year.
Stupidly, it starts on the last post of that month and forces you to go through them newest to oldest one at a time. Worse, it won’t let you just keep going forward through time, just that month. Sadly, I don’t have the expertise to change any of that.
So it’s a poor way but the only way right now. You’d have to go to the month, scroll back to the 1st post of that month and then read them forward till you read all of them for that month. Then you’d have to do the same thing for the next month.
Bob
Nothing makes me happier than spending time with my kids and the people they care about. What a blessing to do that in such a beautiful spot.
You are so right Cheri!
Bob
I love this post. It’s a really good example of the great benefits of freedom. Ordinary people could not take off to a place 500 miles away. Even if their jobs allowed it, most people have huge bills and cannot afford the fuel and missed pay. I appreciate all the pictures of both the folks and the Red Rock country.
Glad you liked it Calvin.
Bob
Seeing places you love with people you love is absolutely the best part of this life. I’m happy for you that you got to have those few wonderful days.
Thanks Linda, I totally agree!
Bob
Nice post Bob!
Thanks Rob!
Bob
Beautiful pictures, Bob, I’m glad you got to spend sometime with your son. Wouldn’t it be nice if he came to live in Utah ?
My regards, Lucy.
Lucy, that would be like I’d died and gone to heaven!
But he’s still enamored with Alaska and can’t understand how I could leave.
Bob
Bob, even thou I haven’t been in Alaska I know it is just plain gorgeous, thus I understand the reason your son loves to live there, Alaska is dreaming, just the weather STINKS ! LOL.
My regards, Lucy.
Lucy, Alaska is spectacular! But it doesn’t offer a lot of variety. My ideal would be to be able to go to Alaska whenever I wanted and back to the lower 48 the rest of the time. Maybe when I win the lottery!
Bob
LOL, if we expect to win the lottery to do things, or go anywhere we’ll die waiting for it to materialize. Our chances to win the lottery is one in 46 million, for clarity purposes I’ll spell it with numbers:
1 in 46.000.000 ! < — discouraging, uh ??
Ohhhhhh–you burst my bubble Lucy! Now what am I going to do?
Bob
Deb needs to start a blog. I’m dying to read all about her career as a lineman in Alaska. She must be fascinating.
Matt, that’s a good idea, hopefully she’ll do it!
Bob
Hi Bob,
Thanks for sharing that personal trip with your son, some amazing places for you to all visit together. Like you said with Death Valley super bloom post, having the freedom to go now when these opportunities show themselves is priceless. 🙂
What a great memory to share together. You have a very handsome son!
Tina
Tina, he turned out much better than he should have with me as a dad.
Bob
What a good looking couple. It is obvious you guys had a great time. Congratulations Bob. So glad you were able to spend quality time with your Son … and Deb!
Thanks William, we all had a great time!
Bob
Wonderful to see you so happy as a proud Papa … and in such spectacular places! Warm fuzzys all around 🙂
Thanks Suanne!
Bob
Yes, I can attest as Anne and Deb’s Aunt that they are the best of the best!
Thanks for sharing the pictures and story of your wonderful trip to our favorite part of the country.
Kay Kelly and Bill Rozar
Thank you Kay! Your family raises some wonderful kids!!
Bob
That kid should be playing for the Lakers. He could eat a bowl of soup off your head, Bob
Tommy, his mother’s father is tall while my dad was my height. I guess we know where he got that from!
Bob
I really appreciated your sharing this way. Getting to know you a little better is nice. And, the photos are absolutely beautiful as are the people involved in the post.
Thanks so much Cathy, I’m glad you like it. I’m very proud of my son!
Bob
Hey Bob nice pictures of you and your family. My wife and I are buying a new mercedes 170″ wheelbase sprinter, I’m going to outfit myself and hit the road. Thank you for inspiring me to live life now, instead of later
Jeffrey, that’s music to my ears! I love to hear that people have chosen to follow their dreams. Insist on being happy!
Bob
It was a privilege meeting you Bob, and traveling with you, Deb, and Robert around my favorite place on this planet. If you’re ever out toward Moab again, look me up. But I might be living in Montana or Arizona then, who knows. 🙂
Anne, it was my pleasure getting to meet you. I can’t get enough of your contagious smile so, wherever you are, I’ll look you up!
Bob
Please do! I’ve been considering the four-wheeled home for a long time, maybe I’ll see you on some BLM land some day. 🙂
That would be great Anne!
Bob