Mission to Mars
Since Emma had a four day weekend, we headed to Green River, Utah to get in some hiking and exploring two weekends ago. It was a quick three day trip and included some time in Goblin Valley and searching for the Black Dragon petroglyph in Black Dragon Canyon.
On our way to Green River (the only real city close to Goblin Valley), we stopped in Grand Junction to do a little apple picking at a place called the Fruit Basket. It was the end of their picking season, but we were still able to find a bag full of delicious Granny Smith and Red Delicious Apples.
We got to the hotel a little past 3 p.m. Emma and I headed to the John Wesley Powell Museum to check out the dinosaur bones while AJ hung back working and watching the live coverage of the Ironman World Championships. I haven’t been to the race in a few years (since Emma came along), but for AJ it was the first time he hasn’t been in 14 years give or take a few. I know it was strange for him to not be there. I could tell at times he was missing it, but I know he is excited for his career change.
I titled this blog post “Mission to Mars” because Goblin Valley is often referred to as Mars on Earth. The goblin and mushroom like formations make for some martian like landscape. After a nights rest, we hit the Green River Coffee Company on the way to Goblin Valley. It was a blue bird but windless day and a perfect mid 60’s.
We went for a hike on the Entrada Canyon Trail- a narrow slot like trail down in the valley. After that hike, we had lunch and enjoyed playing in the Valley of the Goblins. We finished our trip with a hike along the Curtis Bench trail that offers views of Three Sisters, the Henry Mountains and other landmarks in the area.
On Monday morning, before heading back to Colorado, we went searching for the Black Dragon and other petroglyphs in Black Dragon Canyon. The petroglyphs are truly amazing to look at thinking about what the Native Americans saw and used them for. It was sad to see the amount of graffiti in and around the historical site.
The next planned stop in Utah is to hit the St. George area after spending Christmas with AJ’s family in Salt Lake. We have Vernal, Utah in the plans and probably the Moab area for spring break. There is a lot of territory to cover!
Leading up to the Ironman World Championships, my article on Kirstin McCay second attempt on the Big Island was featured on ironman.com. I just sent off a story on 13 time Kona finisher Simon Butterworth for the website. An update story on Marcus Cook is also in the works as his inspirational video about his Ironman Texas race in 2017 is due out in December.
I am also working on two listicles for motivrunning.com– 10 Things Mamas Should Know About Running After Pregnancy and 10 Worst Things To Avoid Race Weekend.
Halloween is just around the corner! I hope you’ve been enjoying the fall!
Adventure On,
Courtney
adventureswithmylittleray 
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