That Time I Nearly Drove Off a Cliff (And Other Awesome Desert Stories)

What do Moki Dugway, a bowl of penne vodka, and an unexpected family reunion in Monument Valley have in common? This ridiculous, beautiful, kinda magical desert road trip. Here’s what went down.

It Started With Dropping Off My Parents

My parents signed up for a Road Scholar trip through Southern Utah and Arizona. They needed a ride to their starting point in St. George. I volunteered. But once I dropped them off, something inside me said, don’t go home yet. Keep going. So I did.

I Nearly Drove Off a Cliff

Let me be clear: I’m not afraid of heights. Or I wasn’t. Then I drove Moki Dugway, a gravel road carved into the side of a cliff with zero guardrails and a thousand feet of exposure. My hands gripped the steering wheel. My heart beat in my throat. But when I crested the top, I was grinning like an idiot. One of the coolest stretches of road I’ve ever driven. Exposure is addictive when you’re alone.

Muley Point: Pasta at the Edge of the World

At the top of that road is Muley Point, a spot so beautiful I had to sit down just to process it. I fired up my camp stove and whipped up penne with vodka sauce and sausage. I sat on the cliff’s edge, fork in one hand, water bottle in the other, and stared. The desert sprawled out like an alien planet. When night fell, the stars went off. The universe decided to throw a rave and forgot to tell the rest of the world. I’ve never felt smaller or more present.

Quick Stops and Ancient Echoes

Not every stop needs to be dramatic. Goosenecks Viewpoint was a drive-up lookout with layered canyons that look like a geology diagram. I snapped a photo and moved on. But then came Monarch Cave, and something shifted. Standing near Ancestral Puebloan ruins tucked into a cliffside, I felt the weight of history. The air around them was thicker. I couldn’t touch anything, it’s illegal and it’s sacred, but just being there was powerful. Butler Wash was similar, more ruins, more cliffs, more standing quietly feeling tiny in the best way.

Valley of the Gods and Dust

Valley of the Gods is a dope desert road to cruise. Mesas and buttes rise around you like you’ve driven into another world. I blasted dark R&B, let the dust fly, and just existed. Dispersed camping under the stars. Total silence. A sunset so dramatic it made me laugh. I even managed an outdoor shower. This is the kind of trip where you learn what solitude actually means.

Plot Twist: My Parents Are Here

Here’s a moment I didn’t see coming. My parents were on their own Road Scholar trip, a National Park tour coach situation. And somehow, we ended up at Goulding’s Lodge at the exact same time. We hugged, had lunch, caught up. Then split off again. Random timing. Perfect timing. The kind of thing that reminds you the world is smaller than you think, even in the middle of nowhere.

Monument Valley: Cue the John Wayne Music

From Goulding’s, it was a quick jump into Monument Valley. You know the place. Towering sandstone spires. Buttes that look like they’re from a Western. Roads that twist through red dust and quiet magic. I drove slowly, windows down, soaking it in. Some places deserve your time, not your speed.

Back to Muley Point

I loved Muley Point so much I came back. This time I had leftovers from Goulding’s. The sunset took my breath away. I almost died. The sky went colors I didn’t know existed. This place has a hold on me. It’s not famous. It doesn’t have a gift shop. It’s just vast and quiet and real.

Natural Bridges, Blisters, and One Fiery House

Before heading out, I tackled a 9-mile hike under Natural Bridges. Three massive stone arches. Canyon climbs. A couple of where’s-the-trail moments. I got lost. I found myself. I cursed at rocks and high-fived a tree. It was a whole thing. Even though my legs were sore, I made one final push to House on Fire, a short hike with ruins that light up in morning sun like they’re actually burning. I sat there alone, dusty and tired and happy, just taking it in.

What This Trip Actually Was

I just pulled off something I never thought I could or even wanted to. What started as a simple drive to drop my parents off turned into a 10-day overlanding expedition through Utah and Arizona. No real plan. No reservations. Just me, Estes my 4Runner, and the gear I packed. From St. George I took the long way home, through Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Moab. Full-on overlanding. No running water. No hotels. Barely any cell service. One restaurant. The occasional bathroom. Endless wide-open space. It was hard. Lonely sometimes. Hot, cold, windy, wild. But it cracked something open in me.

I didn’t know what I was chasing until I was deep into it. Every night under the stars. Every quiet mile. Every moment without distraction. It stripped everything down and showed me what I’m capable of when there’s no one else to lean on. I proved to myself I could do something wild, hard, and totally uncertain. And I’ll never forget it.

So yeah, go. Get lost. Get found. Bring snacks. The world is bigger than your screen, and the only way to find out how much bigger is to actually go.

The Bigger Picture

For me, adventure isn’t about conquering peaks or checking boxes. It’s about standing alone in big places and feeling connected to something bigger. It’s about proving to yourself that you’re capable. It’s about the quiet moments and the wild ones, the pasta on a cliff’s edge and the rocks you curse at. That’s what I chase. That’s what Unicorn Adventure is about. Getting out there solo, finding the places that still feel wild, and bringing back stories that remind you the world is bigger than your screen.

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