June 11 – 17
Picasa web album link:
Moab, Utah is our primary destination. Upon arrival,
we drove south through town and to the RV park. After setting up we went back
to town for grocery shopping and go to the Visitor Center. Our first impression
of Moab was that everyone we talked to was so friendly! I guess this town
understands that tourism is their bread and butter! Kurt contacted a river
outfitter to find out about how we could get our kayaks on the Colorado River.
Rick and Debbie were already in Moab for a couple of days. Later in the afternoon
we drove up the Colorado Riverway Recreation Area. This designated public land is
setup for various camping sites along the river, boat ramps, a scenic drive
along the river and a paved bicycle trail. We drove along the river to look at
the possibilities of which section we would want to paddle.
The next morning, we all headed north of town to a great
mountain biking trails area called MOAB Brands. There were several trails,
rated from easy to very technical. Debbie and I rode the easier trails and the
guys rode the more difficult trails. It was a fun day and great exercise. As
the day got warmer, we headed back to camp. Later in the afternoon, Kurt took
the dogs down to the Moab boat ramp so they could run and play in the water.
They all had some fun.
The next morning we headed up to Arches National Park for
the day. After stopping at the Visitor Center, we headed out to drive the
scenic drive to first hike to Delicate Arch. The trailhead parking area was
limited and we were lucky to find someone leaving their parking spot. We first
stopped at the Wolfe Ranch historic area to view the remains of a settler’s
small cabin and horse corrals. Along the way, there was also a wall with
ancient Ute petroglyphs. The trail then crossed up and over slickrock to head
to the arch. This was a fairly strenuous hike along cliff edges, climbs over
large rocks, and to make conditions worse, there were high wind gusts. We did
make it to the Delicate Arch area and enjoyed the views. The next stop was at
the far end of the scenic drive, Devil’s Garden. Within the hikes here, there
were several arches. We viewed the Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch and Skyline
Arch. After this, we headed to the Windows Section of the park. Here we saw
Double Arch, North Window, South Window, Cove of Caves and Balanced Rock. The
final section was on the drive out, the Petrified Dunes Viewpoint. After
several hours of touring Arches, we headed back to town and camp.
The next morning we took our kayaks to the put in and met
the outfitter for the shuttle. The previous day we had visited the outfitter to
discuss our paddle of the Colorado River. After some discussion and looking at
river maps and conditions, we decided to paddle the section from Moab
downstream for about 18 miles to a boat ramp. This was the safest and easiest
paddle for us. We then headed down the Colorado for a wonderful paddle with
amazing views of the canyons. With the current being very swift and the occasional
winds, the entire trip took us about 3.5 hours. We had a great time, even
though the wind was testy and the skies were overcast.
The next day, we were ready for some more mountain biking
and headed out to the Slickrock Trail, adjacent to the town of Moab. We
understood that this was a difficult and technical trail, but we wanted to try
at least the practice loop. We headed up to the practice loop and we very
intimidated by the large rocky area with the marked trails on the slickrock. We
took off on the loop and we both quickly realized the difficulty. I was on the
trail about 5 minutes, when I crashed on a large rock. I fell on my right
elbow/arm and left a good amount of skin on the rock. My biking was over for
the day! Kurt continued to finish the 1.5 mile practice loop, but decided the
remaining trails would have to wait for another time. After that we headed
north to the Klondike Bluffs area. This was another set of trails that are
rated easy to technical. We did ride there, but my ride was not as long as I
wanted due to the increasing heat. Kurt continued to ride for another hour, and
he really enjoyed these trails. After riding, we went back to camp and gathered
the dogs and happy hour supplies and headed to the Moab boat ramp on the
Colorado River. The dogs really enjoyed running free and playing in the water.
The following day, we decided to curb our activities and
take care of some chores; shopping, laundry and grocery. After getting back to
camp, Kurt decided he really needed some more mountain biking and headed out to
the Moab Brands trails.
Our final day was spent on a great hike in Negro Bill
Canyon. This canyon north of town was originally settled by a black
homesteader. The 5 mile round trip hike followed the canyon with a flowing
creek and a lot of green shade. We took Kody with us as he really enjoys hiking,
especially along creeks. The hike was very beautiful and ended at the end of a secondary
canyon with a large natural bridge, Morning Glory Bridge. After the hike, we
went back to camp, fed the dogs and then drove back to the Colorado Riverway
and drove about 20 miles back to a town called Castle Valley. This was an old
town originally founded by Mormons in a beautiful valley. What a surprise to
find such a beautiful area in a remote wilderness!
After heading back to camp, we had some dinner and began
preparing for our move the next day to Canyonlands – Needles District. This
will be a boondock camping event, but we are looking forward to being in the
wilderness!