GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK EXPEDITION!

It was a post card that first alerted me to the fact that there was such a place as Goblin Valley State Park.  It was back in the eighties, when my husband and I were on a motorcycle trip out west.  I had taken a photography course where the instructor advised the participants to always look at the post cards of new places they were visiting, to determine what was important to photograph/visit in a particular area. (This was before the days of the Internet, where you can just Google "Top ten things to see in such and such")

The word "goblin" may not denote anything other than Halloween to most people; but to me, it was a word I had heard and seen, almost daily,  all my life !  That is because I grew up and attended school for 12 years, where our mascot was a goblin, and I strongly identified myself as a  "Harrison Goblin"! 

So you can imagine how delighted I was to actually be on my way to visit Goblin Valley State Park!

 

What made this occasion even more special is that I was visiting with my son, who is also a Goblin! (notice his shirt has the Harrison Goblin logo on the front)

 

 I had visited the park back in July of 2021, but did not hike there because the visitor center had a sign,  warning of the dangers of venturing out onto the desert terrain in such harsh conditions.  The photo below shows that the outside temperature  was 93 degrees, but the warning sign in the visitor center stated the heat index was over 100.  (the large butte on the horizon, is the one used as a "landmark" for directing explorers back to the visitor center).

Ever since July, 2021, I had the goal of returning to Goblin Valley with a fellow Goblin, (my son), and here he is, walking into the Visitor Center, when we visited in November, 2021.  My goal was achieved!  Although there was no line of cars to get into the park on the autumn day we visited, the rangers told me that during the height of the pandemic, the line of cars waiting to get into the park, might stretch as long as a mile. (because people were searching for outdoor activities to do as a family unit)  If you want to check on how busy the park is on a particular day, the phone number for the Visitor Center is 435-275-4584, and their website is www.stateparks.utah.gov

 Once inside the visitor center, there are exhibits that tell about the park, and its location to the greater San Rafael Swell.  The San Rafael Swell is a massive anticline that was uplifted ages ago, and covers a large expanse in the state of Utah.  Interstate 70 provides a very scenic drive through the San Rafael Swell, and has scenic overlooks in several areas, that provide views which make for great photo opportunities. 

 

 

As the above photo shows, the gift shop also sells souvenirs, and the one I was looking for was a metal medallion for my hiking stick:

There is also a display of rock types:

 The park brochures recommend using the Wild Horse Butte ( shown in photo below), easily visible beside the Visitor Center, as your landmark in case you get lost exploring the park, since hiking towards it, will eventually get you back to the park entrance station:

 

 The scientific name for these "goblins" my son is gazing at in the valley below, is "hoodoos".  The hoodoos were formed through the erosion of Entrada sandstone, which was deposited ages ago, when the area was a tidal flat, situated next to an ancient sea.  As sand washed in with the tides, the surrounding area eroded into the sea, depositing silt and clay.  These components layered to form inter-bedded sandstone.  This tidal phenomenon is easy for me to visualize when I think back to my visit to the Bay of Fundy on the Atlantic Canadian coast, known for the greatest tidal fluctuations in the world!

In addition to the picnic tables under the covered pavilion, there was a picnic table on an uncovered ledge, right on the edge of the overlook.  By the way, I would recommend you take with you any meals you hope to consume at the park, as there are no foodservice facilities. 

From the area where the picnic tables are, there are steps going down to the Valley Floor:

My son, the Harrison Goblin, amongst the hoodoo goblins (he is the blue one)!

 Down in Goblin Valley, one can be a long way off, but still visible.  The dry channels seen in this photograph shows the downward direction that water travels, whenever there is rain. 

One of the first things I did upon arriving, was purchase matching Goblin Valley State Park tee shirts for my son and me, that we could wear while exploring the park;  my son set up his smart phone on a tripod, to take the photo shown below.  When you see the shape of the formations surrounding us, it is understandable why this place was originally called "Mushroom Valley".  Nature sculpts the unusual shapes through a process called spheroidal weathering.  Because the siltstone and shale layers are softer than the more resistant sandstone layers, they dissolve more quickly.  As vertical cracks appear, the sandstone's sharp corners are smoothed by chemical decomposition and erosion, forming the rounded caps and curves of these otherworldly formations. 

When I looked into lodging for us at Goblin Valley, I read they had yurts for rent, and photos showed they were in very scenic locations.  However, when I phoned the number to make a reservation to rent one of these yurts (800-322-3770), I learned they were not available during the time my son and I would be visiting.  However, the effort was worthwhile, as the operator said there was a yurt available to rent at a (somewhat) nearby state park, called Dead Horse Point State Park.  The result was that we ended up renting a yurt for an overnight stay, after all, when we visited Dead Horse Point State Park the following day .  (that experience will be the subject of a separate blog)

Since there are only two yurts for rent at Goblin Valley  (and the closest "big city" with ample lodging available, is the 50-miles-away Green River, Utah), this sign almost always says "Campground Full"!

Although there are some marked trails along the ridges surrounding the valley, there are no designated paths or hiking trails in the valley, so one can just wander around to their hearts content.  My wandering had a goal, however, and that was to find neat locations for photographs, like the one below where I am photographing my son through a "window" of orange sandstone:

We walked across the valley to a distant, aqua colored dome, and climbed to the top.  My son took this photo of me on top of the dome, hoping to show some of the fascinating landscape in the background.  One can see paths traversing the ridge behind me, that indicate where most visitors try to make their way to the top of the valley. 

To give you some perspective on where above photo was taken, in photo below, the light colored dome is the one we climbed and that I am sitting on, in above photo (notice there are two "windows" in the sandstone ledge on the horizon:)  Looking at this unique landscape, it is easy to see why the producers of the science fiction movie, Galaxy Quest, chose Goblin Valley, for the scenes depicting astronauts, landing on a distant planet in outer space. 

On the far right of the photo below, the viewer sees a top layer of lighter-colored stone, which the brochure says is part of the Curtis Formation.  It also says that the red cliffs on the edge of the valley will gradually erode and expand the goblin landscape.

This is one of my favorite photos, because it illustrates so well the effects of erosion on different types of stone.  Some of the rock layers erode faster than other layers, resulting in the overhanging ledges.  The official brochure for Goblin Valley listed the layers as Morrison Formation, Summerville Formation, Curtis Formation, and Entrada Sandstone.  The Entrada Sandstone shown in this photo is a fine-grain sandstone, along with siltstone, and gypsum.

Since my son has much longer legs, and is used to rock climbing, he made it to the "Top of the Rock" quite some time before I did!

 

 I took a semester-long college photography course when my son was a pre-schooler.  Every week we had a new assignment involving some principle of photography and composition to learn, so I took hundreds of photos of the cutest thing around at that time---my little boy!  To say I wore him out with photos is an understatement, and accounts for the fact that many of the photos in this blog are taken from behind him, to avoid his objections.  One of my favorite pictures I have from that college class in the 1970's is the black and white photo below ( we had to develop our own prints in the darkroom, for the course!)  His quote as a youngster is shown in the caption, and says, "When I grow up, I am going to climb big rocks."  He did just that, even summiting the famous "El Cap" in Yosemite!

We were incredibly blessed to have fantastic weather on the day we spent in Goblin Valley.  As the photo below shows, the walking surface was very dry.  This was an answer to prayers, because friends who visited this park when it was damp and rainy, warned that it was a very muddy trudge, in wet conditions. 

I am using this photo of me "pressing" against the rock surfaces, as the visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:14

The tiny black spot you can see in the photo below, is me with arms uplifted in gratitude.  I am so thankful I had this opportunity to explore Utah's Goblin Valley State Park with a fellow Harrison Goblin ---my son!  Spending time with him in Goblin Valley, gave me "MILES OF GOBLIN SMILES"!!

 

LOUISIANA "NO MAN'S LAND" EXPEDITION!

The Louisiana map shown on the back of this tee shirt highlights the area known as No Mans Land.  I had the wonderful experience of touring No Mans Land, with representatives from the Louisiana Tourism Department, and Group Leader Magazine (www.GroupTravelLeader.com) .  After spending several days in this area, I came across a verse in the Old Testament book of the Bible that took on new meaning.  Job 38:26b uses the phrase, "A wilderness in which there is no man."    Although that Bible verse references a territory of the "Old World" in ancient times, this area of Louisiana  got the nickname "No Mans Land" because of border disputes, between the pioneers of various countries, who came to North America (the New World), to start a  life in an area that they knew nothing about.  Therefore, the phrase "No Man's Land" is serving as my visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."  Hebrews 11:8  Likewise, I did not know exactly where I was going on this trip, but I had faith in the hosts of the event, so I obeyed the instructions and went! 

 

 

One part of No Man's Land is Toledo Bend and that is the body of water behind me.  It is formed by a dam on the Sabine River, which serves as the boundary separating Louisiana and Texas in this section of the USA.  I am standing on the Louisiana side, and the shoreline in the distant background is Texas.  A bridge goes across the lake to connect the two states.  If you ever wanted to say you paddled from Louisiana to Texas, this would be the place to do it!  Likewise, if you ever wanted to say you walked from Louisiana to Texas, this would be the location of a bridge to do it!

Our group stayed at the incredibly beautiful Cypress Bend Resort and Golf Club.  The photo showing me, with uplifted arms in gratitude, was taken on the golf course we visited, and the photo below shows our group having an outdoor supper at the pavilion overlooking the lake:

If you want to watch the sun go down over Texas, without actually being in Texas, this is the place to do it!  Sunsets always seem to be more stunning when there is a body of water in the foreground, and who could find a prettier inland location for photography, than this body of water that separates Louisiana from Texas!

There is only one national forest in Louisiana (Kisatchie National Forest), and it has a limestone cave feature that is unique to the area. It is accessed by an easy trail, shown below.  When I am out hiking, I like to get photos of people walking the trails under overhanging rock ledges, so I asked the person behind me to snap this photo of me, (since I was not quick enough to get someone in front of me to pose for a photo.) 

This area of No Man's Land with the national forest is where Wolf Rock Cave is located, and this is a photo of me looking at the Wolf Cave opening:

No one in our group ventured back into the cave any further than the opening, seeing as how this was not a spelunking expedition.  However, the forest service personnel said it was not a very big cave. 

There was a spacious parking lot at the trailhead for Wolf Rock Cave, that easily accommodated our large motorcoach.  And in a true gesture of Louisiana hospitality, the forest service had a table of snacks and beverages for us, as well as a clean port-o-potty with hand-washing facilities.  This was a welcome sight, as the cave is located several miles off the pavement, on a gravel, forest service road.

 

A very popular town in this area is Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-a-tish).  Since the name of the town is not pronounced the way it is spelled, I thought it was very helpful that there was a big sign in the visitor center that explained the pronunciation, and also a map on the wall that shows Natchitoches is just a short drive into Louisiana, from the southern border of Arkansas! 

This photo I took of the rowing skiffs, is a reminder to say that Cane River Lake is the site of college rowing competitions, as well as Dragon Boat Races.

I saw the photo below on the local college (Northwestern State University) social media page, recognizing their Women's 4+ rowing team that brought home the championship in a rowing competition in May, 2021. 

The city of Natchitoches, whose tagline is "Louisiana's Oldest City", has numerous types of lodging, and these are listed on their website at www.Natchitoches.com, or you can phone their office directly at 1-800-259-1714.  Some of the lodging properties are directly on the waterfront, such as "CanDi on the Cane Guesthouse", pictured below:

 

Besides waterfront locations, there are several Bed and Breakfast Inns, as well as AirBnB's.

If you are a movie fan, you may remember the movie called "Steel Magnolias", and the home that is shown in some of the scenes.  That home happens to be in Natchitoches, and has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast, where you can stay overnight!

The Cane River Lake was formed whenever the Red River shifted its course, brought on by a gigantic, 160-mile-long, log jam, causing an oxbow lake to form.  The massive log jam was known as "The Great Raft".  In the 1830's, "snag boats" started trying to clear the log jam raft.  But soon after the raft was cleared, the meandering river began to change the course of its main channel.  The result was a new channel which cut across a bend , over four miles north of Natchitoches.  Afterwards, steamboat access to Natchitoches was difficult, and ultimately impossible.  By the beginning of the 20th century, dams were built to separate the old channel from the new, thus forming "Cane River Lake".  So now, the body of water that passes through downtown Natchitoches is a lake, but has the characteristics of a stream.  It averages only about 250 feet in width.  The use of dams to control the depth and "current" of the lake made it possible for the city of Natichitoches to open up a beautiful, renovated  riverfront part in 2017, that is less prone to flooding. 

It is a common sight to see folks out on the water, enjoying the historical sights along the watertrail, as well as the private homes and restaurants.  Most of the area along this waterway is part of the Cane River Natural Heritage Area (www.CaneRiverNHA.org).  It is made up of a largely rural, agricultural landscape, known for its historic plantations, distinctive Creole architecture, and multicultural legacy.

Our group had the pleasure of taking a boat ride on the lake, aboard the"Cane River Queen" vessel.  We took a leisurely cruise down the lake and back, and enjoyed seeing several different types of wildlife along the way.  You can find out more about the many services they offer, by visiting their website at www.caneriverqueen.org

I was intrigued with the beauty of the riverfront park, including the red brick sidewalks, the luscious hanging baskets full of colorful blooms, vintage-style lampposts, and park benches. 

The expansive canopy of the live oak trees provides shade for the park, and there are clean public restrooms that are easily accessible.  (the person in photo is walking towards the public restrooms at the end of the sidewalk)

 

The entire 33-block area of downtown Natchitoches has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District, so one will see many different types of architecture along their main street, reflecting the different countries that ruled over the settlement, over the decades; yet the thing that ties them all together is a ribbon of red brick streets and sidewalks, tied with bows made out of beautiful flowers:

Kayaks, both those powered by paddles,  and those powered by foot pedals, are available for rent in downtown Natchitoches at the Cane River Paddle and Pedal Concession.  They also rent standup paddleboards,  You can find out more by phoning them at 318-527-0066.  I am posting these photos of paddling possibilities in this area, in hopes of inspiring my kayaking buddies to come on a group trip to this area!

If you look at the photo below, I hope you will notice the bold architectural statement made around the ascending staircase.  This is the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, that is known as much for its stunning architecture, as its historic exhibits.  You can read about the history of the area by visiting www.LouisianaStateMuseum.org

 

 

A famous Louisiana sports personality is one way I am remembering how to pronounce the name of this town, the oldest city in Louisiana.  That is because when Shaquille O'Neal came to Natchitoches, to be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the story goes, that he joked that in recognition of his induction, the town name could be changed to "Shaq-0-Tish" for a day, instead of "Nack-0-Tish".  Since one of my nick names is "Trish", I can now remember that the first part of the town name rhymes with "Shaq" and the last part of the town name rhymes with "Trish"---problem solved!

Another attraction you will not want to miss when you are in Natchitoches, is the Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, one of three state historic sites in the area. 

Inside the campus of this historic site, one can see evidence of the early settlers' life:

Nachitoches has dozens of restaurants, and many of them offer the famous Natchitoches meat pies (shown in photo).  This city even has an annual "Meat Pie Festival"!

Another reason this would be a good trip for those who enjoy paddle sports, is that there is a popular lake in Natchitoches, called Sibley Lake (shown here).   Whenever I saw the kayaks on the shore at the restaurant where we dined, I was visualizing a "repeat performance" of a paddling excursion our kayaking group took in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  We started our adventure on a canal near our lodging property, and then paddled about a mile, to a popular restaurant along the waterfront, stowing our kayaks on the shore---similar to the ones shown in the photo I took.  We had a delicious seafood lunch, then worked off the calories by paddling back to our launch site!  It was a fun experience!

 

 

  The Mariner's Restaurant is a destination on Lake Sibley that one can paddle to or drive to.  Regardless of how you get there, it is a FANTASTIC place to enjoy seeing the sun set over a lovely expanse of calm waters.  You can watch it from inside (because the entire dining area is all glass), or go outside on the deck that is above the water.

My photos and comments in this article have barely scratched the surface of the numerous activities that await you when you visit the southwest section of Louisiana, known as "No Man's Land"!  You can find out more from their website by visiting www.VisitNoMansLand.com and for information about other areas of Louisiana, check out www.LouisianaTravel.com or phone the Louisiana Department of Tourism at 225-342-9282.  I predict a visit to these charming locations will give you "MILES OF SMILES"!!