Moonflower Canyon

Very short hike up Moonflower Canyon located just off of the Colorado River.  A special treat at the end of the hike—a little pond reflecting the gnarled oak trees and fallen rocks from the nearby cliffs.  There really are moonflowers, but the trumpet shaped flower only opens in the dark.  A desert oasis.  Lots of rain the last couple of days and you can tell from the resulting humidity felt on our morning walk.  The humidity is nothing compared to the East Coast, but having any at all is  unexpected by us here in the desert.

Park Avenue

We hiked through “Park Avenue” today (Arches National Park).  Named by the early settlers remembering the tall buildings of New York City.  Obviously, less the bustle of people and the traffic gridlock.  Not a long hike (2 miles), but lots to see--full of awesome cliffs, slickrock, green pinion, and purple spring desert flowers.  The color combinations here are striking reds, greens, purple and blue skies.  Happy colors.

Most trails (in the national and state parks, and well-known areas) are marked with cairns--small stacks of rocks—without them it would be easy to lose the trail.  The cairn makers (who I suspect are park employees and volunteers) can get creative with the rock arrangements and it is fun to see what they dream up next.

Devil’s Garden

Hiked through Devil’s Garden in Arches National Park—gravity defying rock arches and fin rock formations that look like skyscrapers.  (Partition Arch in the left picture)  We got to the trail head early, but when we completed the trail and were walking out there were hordes of people—mostly parents and kids—arriving.  The parking lot was jammed up.  Just how long do they string out spring break?  Come on…

So, far we have to say Arches National Park is our favorite of the Grand Circle of National Parks/Monuments through northern Arizona and Utah.  (Navajo Arche in the picture at right)  Although, we have been told that we will like Capital Reef National Park and/or Bryce Canyon National Park even more.  Bring it on!

Morning Glory Bridge

Moab has over 40 hikes in the area, and that is not counting Canyonlands National Park.  Yesterday, we picked the hike to the Morning Glory Bridge.  It is not a man-made bridge, but a rather large rock bridge at the end of 2 mile hike up a very pretty little canyon just 4 miles from our RV Park.  The trail follows an active creek that spills into the Colorado River. 

The trail is very popular with locals and their dogs.  The dogs love the jumping in the creek, and the barking echoes loudly off the canyon walls.  Dogs are fun to watch when they are in their element—no holding back when it is time for play—jump multiple times in the water, shake, roll in the sand and do it all over again. 

When we reached the arch, there was a group of “canyoneers” rappelling from the top of the arch.  They were trying to convince us to try, but….no…that is not going to happen.

Today, we finally took the truck to the car wash and got rid of all the red rock silt that seems to stick like glue to everything.  Everyone else seems to have the same problem, there were bicycles, jeeps, and motorcycles all washing the crud off.  I guess that is what happens when you play outdoors.  You get a little dirty.

Moab

We arrived in Moab, Utah a few days ago on Thursday.  The morning drive was calm, but raining.  By the time we reached our RV Park (Portal RV Resort), the wind was starting to pick up.  We got settled in and went downtown to the Slickrock Café for a quick bite.  

The wind and rain just will not leave, but we were anxious to get familiar with our surroundings. We were also nervous that the government budget issues would affect our visits to the two nearby national parks (the national parks will close if the federal budget is not approved within the next few days), Arches and Canyonlands, so we went for at least a road trip through the Arches National Park yesterday.  Absolute phenomenal sights—from “fin” rocks (narrow rock formations reaching many stories high) to over 2,000 arches.  We were surprised to pass lots of bicyclers braving the wind.  I always wonder what brings the athletes to an area like this.  Are they on vacation in Moab?  Do they live in Moab for the outdoor challenges and natural beauty and earn a few coins waitressing?  Are they all a large group training for an upcoming event? 

[When I took the photo above, the wind was howling making it difficult for me to hold my hand still.]

We are excited to hike in the parks and around the Moab area and next week starting Monday the weather is supposed to cooperate with no wind and sunny skies in the mid-70 degrees.  And it appears as of this morning that the federal budget is back on track, so our plans are back on track, as well.

Since it is another indoor day today, we will visit the hip, little shops of Moab and enjoy a meal out at one of their many restaurants.