USA 2009 - Utah

From Yackson, Wyoming to Vernal, Utah, 430 km.

Another long transfer day. Evening of celebrations, Renato has his birthday, during the brief stops of the day I managed to make him a cake, the usual tart with the inscription 64, the age he's turning; unfortunately the size of the pan and the oven don't allow me to make a bigger one and dividing it into 35 the portion is very meager, nevertheless it was accepted and appreciated. Vernal Dinosaurland Koa Campground – N 40 28 09 W 109 31 43

From Vernal to Moab, Utah, 340 km.

Departure at 7.30 Today is a rainy day, the bad weather will accompany us throughout the whole journey. We tackle the Douglass Pass (N 39 35 53 – W 108 48 01) in the fog, the road is nice but steep and rather narrow, visibility is terrible. At the lunch stop, in the adjacent square we see a Dinosaur Museum, many of us go to visit it, it's quite interesting, there are masterfully reconstructed various types of dinosaurs that, with an internal mechanism, move almost as if they were alive and bring joy and fear to children. The weather clears up, we continue traveling among the mountains. You get the impression of truly being in the West. Vast expanses of highlands and mesas are part of the panorama and we feel like we're the protagonists of classic cowboy films. The mountains around form an imposing backdrop.

Along a secondary road, we drive alongside the Colorado River (N 38 48 39 – W 109 18 18). Can you imagine this long line of campers, almost at a walking pace, along the edges of the river, almost in contemplation of the river itself to savor every bend, every color, every force, every music? We come across a small ranch adapted for the tourists who stay there and where they teach how to ride a horse like real cowboys. Along the river there are small tent camps, they're young people trying their hand at rafting (N 38 45 33 – W 109 19 26), with rubber dinghies they go back down the quite impetuous current, following the course of the river there are rest points where you take wonderful photos (N 38 41 19 – W 109 24 57) Along the whole road there will be sun and rain until we arrive at the campground. Slickrock Campground – N 38 35 38 W 109 33 58

From Moab to Monument Valley in Utah, 340 km

Departure at 7.30 On the way out of the campground, actually a bit chaotic and narrow, no. 5 hits a jeep, with a foreign crew as well, and nearly ¾ of an hour was lost for the insurance paperwork. Finally off, we enter right away into Arches National Park (N 38 46 56 – W 109 35 41) a territory rich in thousands of intricately sculpted sandstone formations that constitute natural arches of every imaginable size, some of which are absolutely fantastic. The complex of arches originated in the Jurassic period when thick layers of sand were deposited. Over time, some of these layers petrified, others were sculpted by water, sun, frost and wind. In some areas you notice the expression of nature's force, depositions, erosions and other events, in the different millions of years of geological history. About 300 million years ago the salt layer resurfaced creating cracks in the rock.

With the erosion of this too, the solid rock above formed arches, ranging from the most massive Turret Arch to the graceful Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch. The extraordinary characteristics of the park create a landscape of contrasts of colors and landscapes different from any other in the world. With a 45-minute walk of medium difficulty, you could admire the star of the park, Delicate Arch, a thin rock bridge that has become the symbol of the entire state of Utah. Among the magnificent sceneries we admired, this certainly occupies one of the top places in the ranking. The more you look at it, the more we ask ourselves how it manages to stay standing, we prefer to admire it from the starting point and with the telephoto lens I falsely brought myself to its base.

From this point we go back down in groups of four, to allow everyone to take more photos at the panoramic points, without clogging the traffic and the stops in the parking areas with 14 campers (N 38 44 02 – W 109 30 07) (N 38 44 08 – W 109 31 14). For lunch we stop in a square at the base of a large boulder with yet another arch no less beautiful than the previous ones. The weather worsens, the sky is leaden, after the rain it starts to hail, at the edges of the road the hail accumulates in large quantities, fortunately it caused no damage to our vehicles. In the afternoon we go to visit Goosenecks State Park (N 37 10 28 – W 109 55 37) which overlooks a deep canyon of the San Juan River. This wonderful place owes its name to the meanders created by the river, raising with continuous erosion, the sandstone until it appears like a huge mound.

Because of their tortuosity, these meanders recall a "goose neck". It has stopped raining, the peaks of Monument Valley begin to appear, the colors of the storm, the wet rock, the few rays of sun reflecting on the wet walls generate colors that I compared to a Missoni sweater. We enter the Goldwing Campground for dinner and the night. Also this evening there's someone celebrating, no. 2 Lucio. Lodge and Tours Campground – N 37 00 23 W 110 12 54

Camping Lodge and Tours (Utah) – N 37 00 23 W 110 12 54

Today we're heading toward one of the most photographed places in the States. There isn't a travel agency that hasn't hung a poster of this incredible Navajo territory. Monument Valley is an icon of the American West. The desert plateau is actually of river origin and lies on the border with Utah and Arizona in an area that is quite isolated yet vast. Parked at the campground, today's meet-up for the participants is at 8:50, departure with two vans equipped for carrying people; with these vehicles they took us along dusty and winding roads to visit the fantastic Monument Valley, the drivers were two Navajos. Lunch in the shade of a hill in a grove, based on hamburgers cooked on a grill and a little box with various sauces for seasoning, a cookie, an orange and a can of soda and finally coffee, American of course, certainly not an espresso.

In the afternoon the visit continued to those characteristic rock formations with striking colors amid that spectacle of wild and arid nature. The surrounding territory is mostly flat except for the plain dotted with a sort of spires called "buttes" or "mesas." These natural structures made of rock and sand have the shape of towers with a reddish color caused by the iron oxide that composes them, with a more or less horizontal flat top. At the base, debris made up of gravel and sand accumulates. Back at the campground tired but satisfied, we all went to our own RVs for a refreshing shower. Tonight we invited crew no. 6, Renato and Patrizia, to dinner.

I had bought a chicken at a supermarket, maybe a bit too big, it took about 1 hour and a half to cook but it turned out very good and tasty, as a side dish oven-roasted potatoes, these got a bit burnt, but they were appreciated all the same, a dessert brought by Patrizia and a drop of whiskey from Renato, then other friends joined in for a pleasant and cheerful conversation. Then everyone off to bed.

From Monument Valley, Utah to Page, Arizona, 200 km

Departure at 7:30 Today is a quiet day, a short trip of about 200 km then a stop to visit Antelope Canyon, an unplanned extra suggested by a participant in the group. Here nature has outdone itself with a surprising masterpiece of colors. We are in front of a splendid sculpture in stone. Anyone who knows about photography can let their creativity run wild here. There are beams of light that enter from above and come straight down at particular times of the day, so much so that you remain enchanted, while at all other times, the play of intense and deep colors invites exploration and total immersion. The walk inside the canyon is thrilling, the spectacle is not lacking.

So we had to pay 6 dollars per person for parking and 25 dollars each for the guide, a very friendly and enterprising lady; besides guiding us, she took our cameras, of different types and quality, and took the photos herself from positions she knew, thus obtaining perfect framings, I tried to imitate her but I couldn't manage it. To get to this canyon they took us in exceptional off-road vehicles, they had raised suspensions and mounted oversized wheels beyond belief, they looked like monsters. Before entering the campground, the usual evening refueling and grocery shopping at the supermarket. Tomorrow another birthday and consequently another cake, by now I've spoiled them. Lake Powell Campground Plpc – N 36 54 59 W 111 27 36

Conclusion

So much effort and so much hard work for this trip that gave us emotions difficult to describe. Every day was unique, unmissable, extraordinary, thanks also to the commitment and determination of all our adventure companions. What do we remember most? Hard to say. Every place, in its own way, was wonderful. This trip will be memorable.

Our thoughts go, in order, to the impetuous charm of Niagara Falls; to the badlands of the Badlands; to the faces of the Presidents carved into the mountain; to the magnificent Devil's Tower, to the thrilling Old Faithful and the whole Yellowstone Park (even though we didn't see Yogi Bear and Boo Boo), to Monument Valley, and its delicate arches and its spires; to the light filtered through Antelope Canyon; to the legendary Lake Powell with the Glen Canyon Dam; to the superb, the great, the beautiful, the breathtaking Grand Canyon; to the lights, the sounds of Las Vegas; to the very hot Badwater in Death Valley; to the very old and very big General Sherman and the unexpected snowfall at Sequoia National Park; to the wonderful Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline seen from romantic Sausalito; and finally, to the enormous New York, its skyscrapers, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bri

dge, the Statue of Liberty (seen from afar). There would have been so many other things to tell that we didn't include in this text. Others that we could have mentioned but that are found in all the tourist guides. Still others, like the most intimate feelings and emotions....that can never be described but that will remain prisoners forever within us. Now it's really all over. It's time to return home, see friends again, continue our usual life, waiting for another wonderful trip to enjoy together.