Moab is a cool city, I can see why so many people recommend it as a stop. My original plan was to stay here for two nights, even had a campsite reserved, and see both Arches and Canyonlands, but as I was passing Arches, I saw the line, and a sign that informed me that Arches has moved to reservation only, and that even with one, the line could take over an hour to get through by car. Went with my gut and gave it a miss, been trying to avoid crowds on this trip where I can.
Strangely enough, I was kinda happy about this, made it easy to decide to spend the day in Canyonlands, and I got there just in time to settle in for the Geology talk from the resident Ranger Geologist. What a cool job! Learned a lot about the local rocks and canyons, fascinating stuff, but I won’t bore you with the details. He managed to work in a beautiful metaphor about the last few years of hardship in our country. About how, much like rocks, the weathering the world afflicts on us sometimes reveals beautiful and hidden layers that were invisible before.
Did a lot of hiking afterwards, after liberally dousing myself in sunscreen. It was a hot one! And the trails are completely void of shade, so I was pretty sweaty by the end! Pretty place though, and it was neat to know a little about the history of the terrain as took in the sights.
VERY glad I brought multiple water bottles, and a reserve tank in the trunk, on this trip, went through quite a bit!
On the way out, I had to stop for some passing cows. So cute! One of them stopped and stared at me for a minute before moving across the road, I named them Lonny.
Luckily it was only a short drive to Cortez in Colorado, but I had to pull over to rest my eyes for a few along the way. I think it was the heat, but the hiking probably didn’t help. Anyway, new state! Dipped my toe in Mesa Verde to get a taste for then next day, but I’ll be writing all about that soon enough!
Where’s George? 