We had a short weekend getaway in November for Steve to run the Monument Valley Marathon. We camped Friday night at Valley of the Gods and were up early Saturday to head to Monument Valley. Steve picked up his packet, we watched the flag procession, and listened to the songs honoring our veterans before the race. It was pretty cool watching the runners take off down the road with the buttes in the background - definitely one of the most scenic starts to a race I've seen! While Steve was running, I took the opportunity to walk the four mile Wildcat Trail and enjoy the different vantage points of the iconic Monument Valley mittens. I was at the overlook near the parking lot watching runners make their final push (there was a half marathon also happening) when I thought I spotted Steve in the distance, ahead of his projected time. I met him at the finish line and he said "I think I won". And he did! With his win he gets free entry into any Navajo Parks Marathon next year (decisions, decisions).

One nice thing about a marathon versus an ultra, Steve was done around lunch and we still had half a day left. We stopped at the food trucks on the highway across from Monument Valley to grab some food then drove to Goosenecks State Park in Utah. It was a wonderful evening enjoying the quiet and views from our campsite. After an evening looking at the San Juan River from above, we would hike down to the river the next morning on the Honaker Trail. This required some backcountry roads that were fine with our truck. The trailhead felt very remote and we only saw three other people on our hike - one rafter (I suspect he was probably just as surprised to see us) and two hikers coming down on our way back up. The Honaker Trail is short and to the point - a little over 2 miles and ~1200 feet down to the river. Looking at the canyon, you have to wonder where in the world the trail goes - especially how it gets through the various cliff bands. I was impressed with the trail construction (and scouting to find access through the cliffs). Despite how steep the trail was and how there were some sections traversing along cliff walls with some [limited] exposure, the trail was comfortable and great for hiking. It was a great little jaunt to do before driving home. As always, we enjoyed our time in this little corner of AZ/UT, even if it was a short weekend. Hopefully we'll be back in the spring!