Southern Utah

Can anyone explain to me how we ever lived with only one hammock? Boondocking near Natural Bridges. And for future reference, we managed to find a couple unboosted bars of 4G AT&T up Arch Canyon Rd. #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #hammocklife

A few days ago, we'd heard enough about the crowds in Moab, so we decided to skip it this trip and divert down Hwy 95 to Natural Bridges National Monument. While we were excited to visit the monument, reading up on the surrounding areas including Arch Canyon, the Bears Ears and some Native American ruins excited us even more. A few catch up pics from our last couple days:
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1. Wasting time at the "House on Fire" ruin where the sun apparently creates a glowing effect on the roof at just the right time of day. I say "apparently" because despite getting there when we're heard it would happen, we and a few other serious photography types waited for about two hours watching the sun approach the dwelling and finally had to give up.
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2. Still a beautiful and powerful site and a nice hike.
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3. The GPS and offline Google Maps showed a connector to Arch Canyon Rd which we'd read boasted views bettering the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, it turns out the most spectacular section of the canyon was to our east, and we just ended up exploring a still-cool dirt road that eventually became narrow and rutted. This pic and some new "Utah pinstripes" on the Sequoia are about all we got out of it.
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4. Towards the bottom of the road, the reserve light went on. A quick evaluation of the options led us 30 miles to Blanding where three things happened. First, we crossed the spectacular Comb Wash, the actual start of the pretty part of Arch Canyon.
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5. Second, a chicken literally crossed the road in front of us in downtown Blanding though we still have no idea why.
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6. And last, we saw a sign for a dinosaur museum which turned out to be really good. As Wynne walked up to this imposing feathered Therizonasaurus, she turned to us and said, "No one press *any* buttons in this room."
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#houseonfire #archcanyon #blandingdinosaurmuseum

We may have taken the "more direct" route down Hwy 261 from Natural Bridges to Valley of the Gods. 3 miles of gravel, an 11% grade, countless switchbacks and views for miles. I can't recommend it for everyone (in fact the state of Utah roads department doesn't either), but with a close eye for uphill traffic in the narrow sections, we made it without a problem. Proceed at your own risk and within the limits of your setup and abilities. #disclaimersoutoftheway #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #myscaredshitlesswife

One glorious night boondocking in the Valley of the Gods. Plenty of sites available, each with seemingly better views than the last. The approach from the east end of the road is easier, but still required some careful attention to approach angle when crossing the first wash. Oh, and we found a boosted 3 bars of 2 mb 4G Verizon by pointing the directional towards Mexican Hat. #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #valleyofthegods

The wind was whipping sand everywhere when we arrived at Lone Rock Beach last night (see Story from today). With the approval of @backroadbennetts, we snuggled the trailer in about 2' from them and staggered the wheels in an attempt to form a windbreak for @simplylivingmore to park behind. Between our view windows being in the front and the need to open our door, we opted to come in forward. Good thing we stole a few extra Lynx levelers from @joehendricks and @rhondahendricks! #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #lonerockbeach #airstreamfriends

The wind has died down so the #sisterhoodofthetravelingparents has been outside playing alllllllll day! @backroadbennetts @simplylivingmore #littleairstreamfriends #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #airstreamwithkids #lonerockbeach

Driving past the packed parking lots of the tour operators at Antelope Canyon, we just about decided it didn't look worth it. Thankfully, we reconsidered and headed for the less crowded (slightly anyway) Lower Canyon. We arrived at 9:33 on a Saturday morning and got on a 9:40 tour! So glad we did. A great tour guide and a really spectacular place. Plus another fun outing with @simplylivingmore #antelopecanyon #lowerantelopecanyon #travelwithkids #familytravel #hikingwithkids

13 person selfie achievement unlocked! Sad to say farewell-for-now to this great group of #airstreamfriends. See ya down the road @simplylivingmore and @backroadbennetts!#horseshoebend #10footselfiestick #nomadicbreedersunite

For anyone looking for a solution to boost your cell connection while on the road, @weboost asked me to evaluate a new everything-in-one-box solution that I really do think is about 99% there. And yes, this is #sponsored. Well, sorta anyway...
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So we've used @weboost (formerly Wilson Electronics) boosters since we started traveling: first a Sleek 4G cradle, then a 4G-M and now a 4G-X. Paired with a decent external omni antenna and, for particularly tricky applications, a directional antenna, they've squeezed (squozen?) a usable signal from some pretty remote places and are what I always recommend to others.
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While recently boondocking outside of Zion with about 7 other Airstreams, one of the rigs was having trouble getting a decent connection without a booster, a connection they needed to do the work that allows them to stay on the road. I dug into the back of my wardrobe and pulled out the Drive 4G-X RV kit that WeBoost had sent me to test. Honestly, I hadn't been sure what I was going to do with it, since I already owned the same booster and antenna it came with.
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That first day, we jury rigged the pieces together to test everything and immediately salvaged the spotty connection into a strong one for work (and even some NetFlix and Chill after the kids are asleep). So the other day, the owner of the rig completed the install... in a little over an hour on a beach on Lake Powell!
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Check out the link in profile to get the info from WeBoost (and yes, we get a kickback if you like what you read) and look at the upper right on the blog at advodna.com for some more info on what I really like plus the couple small tweaks needed on this handy all-in-one kit that brings together several of the products I've been recommending to folks for a couple years and is a great base for a capable but expandable remote connectivity setup.
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#rvinternet #rvconnectivity #workontheroad #airstreamgeekery