After a good nights rest in Moab I meandered over to the Subway / gas station to start the day with some breakfast and coffee. Today I was going to go to Goblin Valley State Park and then on to Little Wild Horse Canyon. Goblin Valley was a 110 mile drive west from Moab. Luckily, Little Wild Horse Canyon was only a few minutes away from Goblin Valley.
About half way to Goblins I couldn't resist pulling over at a truck stop in Green River to take a shower. For $7.00, I got my own bathroom, a clean towel and a bar of soap, neither of these have I seen in the past 4 days. I took my time and enjoyed every last drop of that clean water.
I got back on I-70W for the last hours drive. There was a $7.00 entrance fee to get into the park. The only road inside the park is probably no longer than a mile. Along the way, you can see a few sculptures here and there but the main show is seen from the parking lot and beyond. Once there, you get to look out over a valley of thousands of natural sand/mud/rock formations, most of which stand only 15-20 feet tall. 
Surrounding this valley are tall, almost vertical, steep walls with more of the same structures, only higher. It’s almost like a partially enclosed stadium. If you let your imagination wander, like when you try to make objects out of clouds, you can see some distinct human (or goblin) resemblances. I walked around for about an hour and came to the conclusion that Mother Nature has an interesting sense of humor.
Next, I made my way over to Little Wild Horse Canyon, which is supposed to be a slot canyon. I arrived at the entrance around 3:30pm. This was not a state run park so there were no fees to be paid. At the beginning of the hiking path there was a sign that stated it would take 4-6 hours to complete the eight mile loop, and that the trail is not well marked. Even if I was able to do it in four hours, I wouldn’t make it back to the car before it was dark. I decided to wait until morning and look for a spot to camp for the night.
On my way to Little Wild Horse I had observed some dirt roads, off of the main dirt road, that looked like they lead to the base of what could be the back of Goblins. Since I was now looking for a camping spot, I put my Subaru into low gear and took one of these bumpy and rocky roads which eventually ended at a great, secluded camp sight. I had everything set up by 5 pm, by far the earliest so far and maybe the first time setting up my tent in daylight? I finally had some time to relax, so I played some guitar, read a little and then cooked dinner. Someone had even left a bundle of wood so I got to sit by a fire for a few hours.
There was no one around for miles, the air was perfectly still and there was a complete absence of sound. The sky is amazingly dark in the desert and the abundance of all of the stars makes it seem as if you were watching them from inside a planetarium. The big dipper was sitting almost on the horizon and was bigger than I had ever seen it before. If you’re into astronomy, the middle of the desert is the place to be.
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