We woke up to rain and it didn't seem like it was going to stop. I finally just got wet and readied the coach. I have been extremely lucky that has happened so few times in our travels. Today's move was relatively easy - just 79.3 miles (70,579.1 total) to Goblin Valley State Park.
We drove most of the way in the rain and, without the sun, the colors in the landscape just did not pop. It was still unlike anything we would see in Georgia and it has not gotten old for us yet.
The park was small but very nice. The rain stopped long enough to unhook the car, park and level (there were no hook-ups) before it started again. We watched as a couple packed up their tent and gear in the rain and longed for a simpler time when we would have done the same - not!
Such an extraordinary backdrop for our campsite.
The rain cleared and it was amazing how quickly the ground dried up. We decided to explore a trail leading over to Goblin Valley. Sam was able to hike with us since we were in a State park instead of a National park. The hike was easy although we lost the trail and really just wandered through the landscape. When we reached an overlook we were pretty sure we were looking at Goblin Valley, with its strange and unique shapes.
After our short hike, I set up our chairs and we relaxed outside for the rest of the afternoon. At the next site over, I noticed our neighbor was talking to one of the park rangers. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard the word "telescope" and I had to know more. I walked over and just interjected myself into their conversation. They were kind enough to overlook my intrusion and let me join in. I met John and Barbara and I found out they travel with quite a variety of telescopes. I thought about getting my telescope out again for the first time since January.
Later, as it was getting dark, John came over and invited me to join him in some sky-watching using his binoculars. As it turned out, the term binoculars really seemed inadequate for the instrument John was using. His "binoculars" had 100mm, EDO objectives and 1.25-inch eyepieces. I believe his entire collection of matched eyepieces for the binoculars were Teleview, providing tremendous views of the incredibly dark skies. I had the impression of seeing the sky in 3-D.
We noticed far off lightning on the horizon but never noticed any clouds overhead. We scanned the stars until around 10:30, before calling it a night. I think I will remember today as one of my best moving days ever!
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