We are proud to report that we completed our assignment. Our friends, Jane and Kim, recently toured through Utah. They had planned to stop at Goblin Valley State Park, but ran out of time. They told us that we must go there and take pictures. On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, we set out on our mission.
From deposits laid 170 million years ago by a vast inland sea, Goblin Valley State Park was sculpted by forces of nature such as uplift and erosion by wind and water. The results of these geologic forces are witnessed in the stone gnomes inhabiting the valley. These uniquely shaped goblins invited us into their desert playground.
It didn't take Kathy long to make new friends!
The unusual stone shapes in Goblin Valley result from the weathering of Entrada sandstone. The Entrada consists of debris eroded from former highlands and redeposited on a former tidal flat of alternating layers of sandstone, siltstone, and shale. The rocks show evidence of being near the margins of an ancient sea with the ebb and flow of tides, tidal channels that directed currents back to the sea and coastal sand dunes.
There are no defined trails through the goblin valley. You can wander 'till your heart's content.
Peek-a-boo!
Cowboys searching for cattle first discovered the secluded Goblin Valley. In 1949, Arthur Chaffin came to the area he called Mushroom Valley. He spent several days exploring the mysterious valley and photographing its scores of intricately eroded creatures. Here is Dave doing a little exploring on his own.
After wandering up and down and around and around we finally began to see the goblins in the rocks. This frog was easy to see.
However, this one was hiding in the rocks.
Eroded cliffs surround the goblin valley.
We worked our way as far back at we could.
Cookie Monster!
The rhino and the gecko!
Goblin Valley was prominently featured in the movie Galaxy Quest as an alien planet. In the movie, the crew of the Protector stops at a rock planet to get a new beryllium sphere, and Captain Nesmith battles a rock monster. Though at the time, the access to Goblin Valley State Park was partly unpaved, the fees paid by the production company were used to upgrade the entire access road to asphalt pavement. Never Give Up! Never Surrender!
Wait - look at that alligator sitting on top of those rocks over there!
Dave was lucky enough to catch this duck just before he took flight.
Ride'm cowgirl!
Goblin Valley State Park doesn't get as many visitors as its more famous neighbors - Arches and Canyonlands, but its rocks are just as cool. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make time to visit Golbin Valley State Park.
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