Utah Roadtrip Part 1

A Camper Minivan? I was intrigued when I saw it in an email from Groupon. I’d always wanted to go RVing, but didn’t want to drive a big rig around. But I’d driven a minivan before; this I could handle. Ultimately the Groupon deal dates didn’t work for me, but I was hooked. I knew I’d have to give this a try.

When I had a work trip to Breckenridge added to my schedule last fall, I decided to take an extra week and head further west and a bit south to explore the Mighty 5 National Parks of Utah. I invited my mom to come along and we met in Las Vegas where we picked up our home for the next week: Jucy.

Jucy camper vans have everything you need for a road trip including the kitchen sink (but minus a bathroom). The internal seats fold flat into a bed and the rooftop case is a popup tent. The back door opens up to reveal a sink, refrigerator, and a burner. We were set for a whirlwind week of exploration.

Stop #1: Hoover Dam

Less than an hour into our trip we reached our first destination: Hoover Dam. I didn’t realize that you can currently drive across the top of the dam. You can’t really go anywhere after that as the road just leads to parking lots, but it was fun to drive across, get out, walk across, walk back, and drive back across.

Right now Hoover Dam and Lake Mead tell the story of the water crisis that is impacting the west coast. There is a very visible “bathtub ring” around the basin. Until we get smarter about our use of water (how important is having a green, grass lawn in the desert?) the situation will not improve. I’d heard of the water problem, but coming face to face with it at Hoover Dam had a much larger impact.

Stop #2: Ten X Campground

After our quick stop at Hoover Dam, we booked it across the state of Arizona in search of our first campsite at Ten X Campground just outside Grand Canyon National Park. Ten X is managed by the US Forest Service and has no running water, but I was impressed with how clean and well taken care of everything was. This was also our first night in our new home. The set up was fast and easy, although there was an issue with an inside light we couldn’t get to turn off. We still don’t know what was going on with it, so we detached it for the rest of the trip.

I woke up early the next morning to the sound of an elk bugling near our camp. That has to be the best alarm clock I’ve ever experienced! Soon we were up and headed down the road to check out the Grand Canyon!

Stop #3: Grand Canyon National Park

We stopped at the entrance gate to purchase a new National Parks annual pass as mine expired on my last day in the Badlands. I think it’s one of the best travel bargains around – $80 for entry for 4 people into all of the National Park sites for a year!

The drive from Ten X to Grand Canyon was filled with many more elk. They were easy to spot as they were right next to the road. But we never did see the bull elk I heard that morning.

We took about an hour to explore Mather point and walk part of the rim trail.

We thought we were headed out of the park, but I couldn’t pass up more opportunities to stop and take in the view. I really enjoyed Grandview Point – the site of an old copper mine – with it’s tiny view of the mighty Colorado River.

Eventually, we had to take off for our next destination.

Stop #4: Four Corners

There are lots of times when I wish I could be in more than one place at once – and finally, I was able to be!

Four Corners wasn’t the major attraction I thought it was. It’s a dirt parking lot, a square of craft stalls with a monument in the middle. Not that dissimilar to the “Geographic Center of the United States.”

Though the site is unimpressive, the geographical significance is impressive. Plus, it is a good photo op if you’re willing to patiently wait for a clear shot.

Then we were northbound for Utah!