Moab, it's so nice to see you again it's been forever, like 10 years. Um, you've changed. I mean, don't get me wrong you still look great and all but gee, you have gotten kinda big. Last time we met, you were small and kinda quaint. Now it's like you've entered your teenage years, you're noisy and not very fun to be around.
So we only went in to town for dinner and supplies and mostly hung out at the two national parks we came to see.
First up, Canyonlands National Park.
It might appear to be a quiet place to contemplate the universe. breathe in the solitude, and it is, until you turn around.
Tourists arrive by the bus load and line the rim all along the canyon wall. Some places had people lined up to take the exact same photo.
How big was that rattlesnake, Fred?
After the four boxes of Chez-Its I had this trip I think I'll have to choose a different route
Yes, Fred we've all heard the story of the rattlesnake that bit you
Not to worry, you won't be alone if you get lost out here. This guy and his scorpion friends will keep you company till the mountain cats come to drag away your parched bones
Doesn't this make you want to order up an Acme rocket and some roller skates
A nice rock for the front flower bed
From the distant mesa the looming shadow grows
I guess I shouldn't have eaten that peanut butter sandwich and large bag of potato chips before my hike
Ah, water in the desert. Well, if you want a mouth full of temporary pond organisms.
Back in the day, Fred would have made me hike this
Now I just sit and look over the edge
Hurry up and take the picture, I'm thirsty
We tried to get a camping spot in the National Park but it was a no go for both Canyonlands and Arches. Just too crowded. So, we stayed at an RV place that was right next to a great running/hiking trail and just a couple of miles from Arches.
Not bad for a little morning hike right outside our camp spot
Fred ran, I watched him run
Here's the money shot from Arches
Unfortunately, we had to hit Arches late in the afternoon so we had to hustle to get any shots at all before the sun went down. We have been here before so we did not hike out to the Arch this time. Plus, it's so crowded these days it's hard to get a shot without people crowding the frame.
There are plenty of other grand views in the park though. Like this one.
It's fun to watch the shadows creep up this massive wall, just ask the two little kids that were behind us crying with excitement the whole time
Bristlecone pine? Please, you people are not paying attention at all
Illegal aliens
Because we are experienced backpackers, we began to notice the subtle signs that the day was ending.
Since we got cheated out of our night skies at Great Basin, we decided to have a night time picnic at Arches. Actually, that's not totally true. We misjudged the time and lack of picnic tables in the park and did not end up cooking our dinner till well after the sun went down. We were the only ones in the picnic area which was fine except the ranger told us that a bear and mountain lion had both been seen there that afternoon. It's hard to enjoy your glass of wine and the night sky when there is sizzling meat in a frying pan, total darkness and a mountain lion in the vicinity.
I'm including this last shot of us at a roadside stop because of what happened right after we pulled back on to the road. We stopped to take a picture of this:
Not sure if you can see, but behind me is a guy on a motorcycle. He pulled out onto the road and we watched as he nearly got creamed by a car. It was really close. It was one of those "oh, my God he almost ate it" kind of moments. He pulled over just as we pulled on to the road.......and nearly got creamed by a speeding semi that was laying on his horn. But then it got weird because the guy in the semi kept slowing down in front of us and if Fred tried to pass he would cross the yellow line so we could not see around him. Eventually he lost interest in us and sped up but not before I shot him the finger.....under the dashboard.
We spent our two last nights in Taos, NM and Lubbock, TX respectively. We timed the Lubbock stop perfectly as a big storm moved in just as we pulled off the road into our camping spot for the night. Fred was pretty pooped after driving all day and we needed to get our head wrapped around the fact that another long trip out west was at an end.
To sum up:
Miles Traveled - Over 5,500
Most Expensive Gas - $4.30/gallon
Best Part - Toss up between bristlecone pines and Oregon's beaches
Biggest Bummer - Missing the night sky at Great Basin NP because of rain
Next up? I think we may head east but first we have to get the Bambi out of the hospital she needs a new circuit board and some much deserved down time.
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