By Jim.
Moab is a semi-infamous Bible character and Utah certainly is Bible country, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect when we arrived. All good, as it turned out. The town regards itself as an outpost of Colorado (although it’s stuck serving awful Utah-mandated 3.2 beer). It’s set in a little red cliff-framed valley, there are lots of shops and restaurants and the vibe is friendly and energetic…none of which really matter, because the sightseeing in the area is beyond belief.
It all started on Saturday, when we took the dogs and hiked up Grandstaff Trail to Morning Glory Arch. It’s on the outskirts of Arches National Park, only a few minutes outside town.
It was a stimulating hike, with four stream-crossings and a couple of times where one of us had to lift the dogs up or down to the other because of the need to clamber over rocks. The payoff, once we got to the arch, was worth it!
And it really is an arch!
One interesting thing about the Red Rocks region is the dirt. It couldn’t be further from Alabama red clay – it’s finer than sand or dirt, almost powdery.
Sunday, we started at Dead Horse Point, a state park about a half-hour north of Moab. This must have been Teddy Roosevelt’s biggest blown draft choice, by not tapping it as a national park.
Part of the drive was through open pastureland with real cows and cowboys.
The vistas from Dead Horse were panoramicjawdropping.
When weather suddenly approached Dead Horse…
…we drove a few miles up the road to Canyonland National Park.
More wows.
On our return trip, we encountered unusual traffic issues.
If Sunday was Panorama Day, Monday was Arch Day. The entrance to Arches National Park was just down the road from our RV park. We had to wait in line for over a half-hour to get through the entrance. It was worth the wait.
The drive into the park was otherworldly…
First, we drove out to the Landscape and Double-O arches. After a long drive, it was a short hike to the arches. Landscape Arch is the longest natural arch on the planet, three feet longer than Kolob Arch in Zion National Park (which we hope to see this weekend). 
Then we did an uphill power hike to the iconic Delicate Arch. It was the hottest part of the day and the climb was relentless…
…but rounding the final corner of the climb and seeing this magnificent sight was one of the highlights of our trip. 
The setting around the arch feels like an amphitheater, where people lounge, pose for pics and just soak in the whole experience.
Some of you may have already seen this pic posted by Ginny on Facebook!
As dramatic as the Delicate Arch is, it’s only part of a bigger scene that goes on for miles.
Tuesday, we rode instead of walked. We did a rafting trip on the Colorado River. It involved a couple of rapids, but it wouldn’t be fair to call it white-water action. (Sorry, no photos – all phones and cameras stayed on dry land.). We then went back to our RV park and watched our neighbors spend two hours…full stop…washing their rig. 
Wednesday, we rode some more, to Bryce Canyon, which is about 250 miles from Moab, towards the southwest corner of the state. It was another demonstration of the extraordinary geography of Utah. We climbed to 8,000 feet, then stayed there on a broad plateau for over an hour. The rocks turned from red to blonde…
…there was some residual snow in the mountains…
…plus there were sights you don’t see most places.
On the final leg of the drive, we took the road less traveled to Bryce. For about 10 miles, we saw three cars.
Cell service was out of the question, and we weren’t even sure the occasional house that we passed had a landline, but we weren’t alone.
We have a day-and-a-half in Bryce, then we head southwest for Zion, where we’ll be through Memorial Day weekend. As much as we’ve admired Utah so far, we’ve been told that the best is yet to come.
Oh, there’s another big activity going on tomorrow morning. We’ll report on it soon.