Cottonwood Wash
We were looking forward to starting our vacation in Utah and the first day promised a lot of scenery and a lot of miles. We weren't expecting any major challenges but the views promised to be spectacular. We were all at the same hotel in Blanding and that made it easy to get started. We were on time and we headed out to highway 95 to make a huge loop to Monticello.
We had done bits of the Cottonwood Wash trail when we were in the area the year before but we never came close to finishing it. Completing the trail was our first mission of the day. We aired down where the pavement turned to dirt. Mike and Hoa found a tarantula but Monica was having none of it. It wasn't long at all before we were on the road.
The trail is paved with white gravel at the start. It churned up a lot of dust so we kept pretty far from each other. Once we passed the trailhead for Woodenshoe Buttes the trail turned to dirt and the dust became more manageable. We stopped for a break and Mike put his top down. It was a gorgeous day.
We found a spur or two we wanted to try but we just didn't have the time. We marked them for next time.
We were going around a bend next to some trees and Monica spotted a tiny ruin in the side of the wall. It must have been a granary used for storage. We took a few pictures and then kept going.
We were almost to the end of the trail when a big dump truck pulled out in front of us. We followed it as it passed a couple more dump trucks. We were still on the trail and in the middle of nowhere but suddenly it was rush hour. There's nothing like dump trucks to remind you that you're on a scenic trail with no obstacles.
We got to the end and kept following the dump trucks to The Causeway. What a weird ending! But the trail was nice and we'll definitely take it again.
