120 Hours of Moab
No, we didn’t participate in a longer version of the 24 Hours of Moab bike race (it’s for crazy people – check it out), but we did get to experience quite a bit in our time here.
Utah continues to provide incredible scenery. We spent another few days in the Arches and Canyonlands NPs, and took a ranger-guided hike into a place called the Fiery Furnace, full of slots to squeeze through and rocks to climb over. We also took another walk up to the Landscape Arch which is over 300 feet long, Partition Arch, and the remains of Wall Arch which collapsed earlier this year. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to see that 10,000-year event.
We also got lucky and scored a campsite in the Devil’s Garden, which normally has people waiting in line at 8AM. However, it was a restless night with wind gusts up to 30 mph. The tent held up, but maybe everyone else knew something we didn’t.
Since we spent a few nights there, Moab is definitely worth a few words. It’s a pretty interesting place with some of the vibe of a ski resort town. It’s filled with a strange variety of people drawn here by the natural resources – everything from cowboy off-road vehicle enthusiasts to nouveau hippie rock climbers, with retired RVers, and tons of German tourists mixed in. I’ve never seen so many Jeeps in one place. We suspect there may be a law against pickups with less than 8 cylinders and 5 liter engines, because there don‘t seem to be any.
All kidding aside, we really enjoyed our time here. I think Moab may have some of the most creative T-shirt designers in the world. I’ll leave you with the caption from one with a picture of some hikers: “Bring a compass – It’s awkward if you have to eat your friends.”
Here’s a parting shot of Skull Rock from inside the Fiery Furnace. Next stop, Bryce.
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