We’re back on the road. We left Kansas City a week ago and headed west again. Before leaving we managed to get the dining table and large awning installed. Still have a few tweaks to complete on the armrest/liquor cabinet.
Trying out the new dining table - Heinz lost!
Boy, is that shade going to feel good!
We drove from Kansas City to Longmont, CO on Saturday and spent a couple of nights with Heinz’s uncle. Sunday we drove up to Estes Park to visit another aunt and uncle. We had a couple of nice, relaxing, low-key days with lots of laughs and reminiscing with Heinz’s side of the family.
Monday found us packed up and heading out early for Utah. We stayed at a small RV park in Moab called Ron's Pack Creek RV Camp. It sure didn’t look like much when we pulled in. It is not in the most attractive part of town and there was a small mobile home park in front. However, the owners were extremely friendly, the park was exceptionally quiet, there was a tree of some sort (mostly cottonwoods) by every RV and tent pad, and the bathrooms, showers, and laundry room, while not fancy, were spotless. The price was very good for a private camp, only $25.00 a night for full hook-up. We had a choice of around 15 RV parks in Moab, but the thing that cinched this one for us was the deal the owner is running. If you check the website he is offering free stays (with full hookups) for any active duty military member and/or their family - the only thing he would like in return is a unit patch. You hear so much about people “supporting the troops” with nothing to show for it, and this couple is actually doing something tangible. We felt the least we could do was to support them. Please pass on the word of this great deal to anyone you know who can benefit from the offer, or anyone wanting to support them.
On Tuesday we took off to scope out the area. Neither of us had any idea just how big Moab, UT actually is, and were expecting a wide spot in the middle of the road. Instead we found a thriving community of 5,000+ with a couple of car dealerships, 30+ restaurants, 15 hotels, etc. It’s definitely an economy driven by the tourist industry, but a pleasant place to visit. Along with checking out the town, we drove up to Arches National Park to determine our strategy for photographic opportunities - we timed this visit to coincide with the full moon and the chance to do some moonlight hiking.
We decided to hike up to Delicate Arch in time for sunset (along with 200 or so of our newest friends). The hike is 1.5 miles (one way) across brushy terrain, open slickrock (got its name from the lack of traction when the rock is wet.) with no shade, around outcroppings, through washes, and all uphill. It takes about an hour to complete. The trip up is pretty spectacular and you cannot see the arch at all until you complete the last 100 yards of the trail that runs along a rock ledge with a 200 ft drop-off (no rails). Then, as you turn the corner…there it is, a free-standing sandstone arch that is 52 feet tall.
Slickrock section of the trail
Delicate Arch at sunset
Waiting for the moon to rise
Moon rising over the La Sal Mountains
Moon, La Sal Mountains and Delicate Arch...what a sight!
Trail by moonlight
Slickrock by moonlight
After we made it back down to the truck, we took off to experiment with the camera and night photography. The park allows hiking by moonlight, but we were just too tired to do any more, so we stayed close to the road for these shots. We stayed at the park until about midnight seeing what I could do with night photography. Bless Heinz, he drove me wherever I wanted to go and never complained once.
The Devil's Playground by moonlight
I love this photograph - that is strictly moonlight reflecting off the fence. It reminds me of a movie poster for an old western. I keep waiting for John Wayne to wander into the frame any moment. The effect was enhanced by the fact that we could hear the coyotes howling as I was taking it.
We slept in on Wednesday and didn’t head out until mid-afternoon. First stop was Canyonlands National Park, around 30 miles from Moab. We went to the Islands in the Sky district; a broad mesa wedged between the Green and Colorado rivers. There are mountain views in three directions, the La Sals to the east, the Abajos to the south, and the Henrys to the southwest. The area gets less than 10 inches of precipitation a year, so is truly high desert. This park was much less crowded than Arches, but just as spectacular.
Canyonlands mesas
La Sal Mountains seen through Mesa Arch
Later we headed over to Dead Horse Point in Dead Horse Point State Park. The area got its name from a legend that back in the 1800’s a group of cowboys rounded up a herd of wild horses and corralled them on a point on top of a mesa that had a narrow neck of land only 30 yards wide. The neck was then fenced off with branches and brush. The cowboys chose the horses they wanted and for reasons unknown, left the remaining horses corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst within view of the Colorado River 2,000 feet below.
Colorado River from Dead Horse Point
On Thursday Heinz was tolerant yet again and climbed out of bed with me at 4:00am to go back to Arches National Park for more hiking. This time we headed to Landscape Arch for some sunrise photography. But at least this one was an easy hike of only about a mile along a well-marked, mostly flat trail. But man, was it worth the trip!
Early morning moon setting over the Devil's Playground.
The spot to the right is a window in the rock.
Landscape Arch just before sunrise
Landscape Arch at sunrise. The impact of the sun on the rock was SO dramatic and is truly this orange!
After finishing up here, we headed over to Double Arch for some more early morning photography. It was great being out in the park so early. There were almost no other people around, the wildlife was venturing out for the day, and there was no sound but the wind. Very peaceful!
Double Arch as you approach it.
Standing under the arches looking straight up...very disconcerting!
While this is early summer in most of the country, it’s late spring in the high desert. With all the snow melt and spring run-off the desert is in glorious bloom.
We have lots more great photos, but simply can’t load them all on the blog. If you’d like to see more from this leg of our journey, this is the link to Photobucket and our collection of photos for Kansas City to Moab.
As of yesterday we left Moab and have now landed at Hill AFB in Salt Lake City, so stay tuned for more adventures.
And as usual, here’s our friend of the day.
Abert's Squirrel
Seen from Pete and Maureen's porch in Estes Park, CO
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