4 Wheels 4 Girls

Sunday, April third, we went to camp at the Goosenecks of the San Juan River State Park in Utah. I was excited because I thought we’d actually get a good place to sleep. But boy was I wrong.
When we arrived I was very disappointed at where we were going to stay. It was pretty much a 100 by 50 square foot area of dirt and dust. With a hole in the ground for a toilet.

There was a cliff though, and when I walked out to the edge of the cliff, which had no fence, by the way, the view was amazing. There was a river a thousand feet below winding through the mountain/plateau things. It was so pretty and it looked like the Horseshoe Bend to me.

We didn’t take a picture of it, but the river was winding like this:

View Larger Map

I drew this picture of the canyon:

Looking down at the San Juan River

Ana drew this picture of us looking down on the river:

Ana's drawing of us looking down into the canyon

It’s hard to read the writing, but it says this, from left to right:
“I’m Jean. Ana be careful. It’s amazing.”
“I’m Ana. It’s cool. I see the sand won river.”
“I’m Van. Ana doesn’t it look so cool?”

But the wind was so strong that I felt like I was going to fall off, and I’m not kidding about that. Really. So I went back to the RV.

Well anyway, when we went to bed, I was really tired. I climbed in bed and tried to get some sleep, but the only thing I could think about was the wind that I could hear right through all the closed windows, which sounded like the sound of someone swinging a stick or rope through the air but 10 times louder and felt like 10 men were pushing the RV with all their might from both sides, and to the edge of the cliff. The RV was also only, like, 20 feet from the edge of it.
I finally fell asleep, but only a very light sleep. It was truly horrifying, especially when trying to slow the pulse of your heart.

I was relieved when I felt the RV bumping up and down instead of side to side. My tired brain decided we were driving. I listened closely, waking up more, now, but didn’t open my eyes. When I heard Dad’s voice giving Jean directions on where to go, I was certain we were going to a different campground or at least somewhere less terrifying to sleep. After that I slept great, not waking up a single time more.

When I woke up in the morning and heard the sound of cars driving by, I realized that we were at the side of the road. How pathetic, I thought, but was also happy because I got a good night’s sleep.

Well that’s the story of Gooseneck State Park, the most horrifying place in the world.
( Almost. But anyway, never go there. )

April 3rd, we drove through a place called Monument Valley, in Utah.

Monument Valley

We saw big mountains. They were shaped like different people and things. I saw a lot of shapes and designs. Everything looked cool and I loved it. I love seeing out my binoculars. We went through a little town. We saw a dog and almost hit it. It was crossing the road.

I am a Junior Ranger. A Junior Ranger is a person who keeps the parks clean and beautiful. A Junior Ranger also helps people if they have a question. You become a Junior Ranger by learning about all different national parks, filling out a booklet, and saying the pledge. What I like best about being a Junior Ranger is getting badges. Being a Junior Ranger makes me feel happy.

I went to a national park and I got a Junior Ranger vest with everything I need. I have a pocket and it can hold my camera. I can carry our food, too. My pockets are big, small, medium, and large.

Me, the Junior Ranger

We drove through a town in Utah called Mexican Hat. There was a rock that looks like a hat sitting on top on another hat.

That rock looks like a hat on a hat.

It looked really cool and fun. I was very amazed.