Road Trip – Goblin Valley State Park

After dinner with Scott and Josie, Jesse and I headed south to Goblin Valley State Park. It was a couple hour drive and we were pretty exhausted by the time we arrived at the park gate. Unfortunately for us, the park was closed and so we ended up setting up a time-lapse of the beautiful, moonless, midnight sky and pitched our tent nearby. We woke up early and snagged a campsite in the park before making our way down into the valley studded with the mushroom-shaped rock formations.

In the deep shadows of the early morning, it’s easy to see why these rock figurines are called goblins. Some sections of the valley are grooved with ravines and ridges where a few of these little guardians sit. I imagine that they’ve climbed back to their spot each morning after a night of roaming and now loom over us with their ears pricked and their eyes glassing for the horizon.

The goblins were seriously so cool. They are the remaining part of a layer of sediment that has mostly eroded away and each goblin sits on a layer of softer, easily eroded dirt. I was afraid to touch them so they wouldn’t fall off their pedestals. Oddly enough, the park allows roaming off the main trails into these ravines. So, Jesse and I took advantage of the map-less terrain.

Jesse and I decided to take the Cinestar for a spin around the goblins a couple different times during our stay in the park. The first morning Jesse flew it over me as I played around on some ridges with goblins. Since our Epic Valentine’s Day I’ve become more comfortable being around the Cinestar and letting it fly over me without ducking out of the way.  ;) Jesse also flew it through a specific group of goblins called The Three Sisters right before we left. Even though Jesse is a good pilot, I couldn’t help but hold my breath as it passed through the massive rock towers.

We also set up a couple different time-lapses in the valley. We started one early that morning grabbed a campsite so that the other hikers wouldn’t end up in our shots. It’s pretty exciting for me to be a part of all this camera work. Jesse’s been teaching me everything as we go and I feel like I’m beginning to understand all the settings that work well with time-lapses and such. Check out this little video we made!

Our last evening in Goblin Valley, the wind picked up, throwing sand in our eyes and in our food. We took shelter and hid in the tent, drinking the last of our growlers filled with delicious Draught Works Scepter Head IPA. These are the kind of moments you hope to remember fifty years into the future: not a care in the world but to make the most of the peaceful times you are given.