We arrived safely at Moab Valley RV Campground yesterday afternoon following a stunning drive across central Utah on I-70, and find we are just 3 miles from the centre of town, and just a mile from the gates to Arches National Park which is on the agenda, or is the whole agenda, for tomorrow. Dinner out tonight at The Moab Brewing Company, and caught the last two periods of the Leafs dismal loss, but did have a good burger and beer meal. Found another quirk in the Utah liquor laws……..NO doubles……..really……..you can’t order a double in this state, and you know from before that it is only one drink per person at the table at any one time, so like you can’t just order two singles……..sobering. Town seems pretty cool with lots of eatery’s and outfitting stores and a great area where all the food trucks have a space to park on a side street close to the main drag.
The four wheel drive culture in the area is huge…..a few of the rigs from around the campground……..the blue one is our neighbour……..600hp, 54in sticky tires for climbing rock walls…….now in the shop with broken drive shaft……..little heavy on the gas.
Luckily a couple from Kelowna we met in Zion tipped us off that you had to pre-register for entry to the Arches park, and need confirmation/QR code before showing up at the gate……….they allow a certain number of people per hour into the park starting at 6am…….we booked for 7am and cruised right through with no wait at all, but in the afternoon we saw a huge lineup, and many people being turned away because they hadn’t pre-booked. Arches NP is immediately stunning just 1/4 mile from the entry gate, and just gets better as you drive further in. Jutta has done her homework and we know we want to hit at least two of the major sites before the crowds arrive in a few hours.
First on the agenda is Delicate Arch……..this is the one that appears on all promotional material, Utah license plates, and is the biggest draw in the park. It is a pretty good hike, passing first the old Wolfe Cabin, a one roomer, where, for some unknown reason, this guy, his two sons, then his daughter and husband, decided to build this cabin and try to scratch out an existence in 1900. At least he knew how to build a good cabin, because it is still standing. The trail heads uphill across a lot of open smooth rock (must be cooking in the afternoon) then through a winding section before we come around a corner and there it is………not the arch……..the last 200 yds of the trail is a fairly steep uphill narrow rock ledge cutting across a sheer rock face………..I didn’t check the trail listings before heading out, but this one is listed as difficult……..OMG what am I doing here………I decide to just suck it up and say nothing, following Jutta who is fearless, but about 2/3 of the way up it just becomes too much….….I am glued to the rock wall, thinking how do I get out of here……can’t go up and can’t go down……..people are walking by on the way to the top but I can’t move……….this vertigo thing is a pisser. Jutta comes back to chat and we remember a similar situation I was in while hiking in Patagonia……..I looped a finger into a cord on Jutta’s backpack an off we went…….really just 20-30 seconds later we were at the top with Delicate Arch in full view. It is hard to imagine that this arch was once a part of a solid wall of rock, and the rest of it over millions of years has fallen or eroded away leaving just the arch standing here. Having a bit of flat ground under me made a huge difference, and following our time up top, and taking lots of drugs, going down was actually pretty easy. We met a lovely lady named Haley from Michigan, and walked the downward leg with her, sharing information and experiences along the way.
Next up we decide to head to the end of the park at Devil’s Garden Trailhead, hoping again that the crowds have not reached us yet. This trailhead offers multiple options for hikes, and a handful of arches to visit depending on how far you would like to go. We decide walking in a couple of miles to Landscape Arch is doable and we are off. Landscape Arch is also well known, particularly because in 1991, a huge chunk of the arch fell off leaving the very fine sliver of rock you see in the picture………the arches listed for the longer hikes provide trail descriptions and degree of difficulty………when I see exposed ledges, not happening, but I have also become familiar with a new term……….”scrambling”……..usually listed as light or moderate, but when it is difficult they just say “scrambling required”…………the only scrambling I am doing these days is my eggs.
From this far point we have reached we turn back towards the park entry (18 miles) and decide we will stop at a number of the viewpoints and short hikes to arches along the way. Each one, is distinctly different in appearance and setting, but all are beautiful.
We make one last pass at Balanced Rock to photograph it in the afternoon light, and wonder why this one structure in particular has become so well known when there are hundreds of balancing rocks all over the park??………I always remember when I lived in Denver that there was a balanced rock at Garden of the Gods park just south of the city, but one day on the news that the rock wasn’t balanced anymore……fell over.
We stopped in at the Windows area……multiple arches here……lots of people now…….and Jutta has been wanting to see the Parade of Elephants.
Last stop is Park Avenue and we are outta here
Plan B is welcoming,, as is her nice cold beer. We have a few hours to relapse before heading out to dinner. I must say we have not always made the best dining out decisions on this trip……..although we have had some lovely meals and discovered true gems like Tequillana in Leeds, there have been a few bumps in the road. Tonight was one of those nights and we never even had a bite………walked out of the priciest steakhouse in Moab after sitting there with no service for over 15 minutes……..maybe I’m just getting bitchy…….no……couldn’t be that.
Canyonlands tomorrow…….our last National Park on the trip……..I think……..then we are heading home.
HUGEBLOGSITE 
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