Moab

 Several years ago I drove to Seattle and passed through Moab, Utah. At the time, I wanted to stop and have a look around, but had a schedule to keep, so I decided to save it for another time. This week was that time. Again, I had a schedule to keep, but I had planned a whole day in Moab.  Turns out, I'm going to have to go back to see more -- one day was not enough time.  It was as enchanting as I thought it might be.

 My first campsite was in a Park Service campground right along the Colorado River. Imagine cliffs towering on both sides of the camp, and the river flowing by. I couldn't actually see the river from the site I was camped in, but I could hear it. The birds were out in full force, singing every evening and morning.









A little way down the road from the campground was a pulloff from which I could see where the Colorado River flowed between sets of cliffs.  Trying to imagine how that formed just boggled my mind.  
 

Three Gossips and Courthouse Rock

There is a drive that goes all round the park, with pullouts at many strategic and scenic points, and I took that drive --- very slowly.  I even had to keep pulling over to let cars pass me by so I could go as slow as I wanted to!  But oh, the views, and the rock formations... they were quite amazing.


 








Balanced Rock was one of them.

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One of several blooming cactus -- another was yellow, but I loved this pink one.

Landscape Arch

But I think the thing that most impressed me was the fabulous views of so many different kinds of rock formations.
 










Being old (well, not that old, but not a spring chicken either) and definitely out of shape, strenuous hikes are just not within my abilities, but shorter easy ones are.  I decided that my hike for the day would be to Landscape Arch --- described as an easy hike in the guide book.  Easy, I guess, if you are younger and in  better shape. I don't think it was easy, but I did it!  I think the hardest part was the last 75 yards or so through the soft dirt -- it was like walking on a sandy beach, and not the firm sand near the water!! But the effort was so well worth while, the views all along the trail, and of course at the end, were just breathtaking. Just to prove that I actually did make it here's the photo that another kind hiker took.

But I think the thing that most impressed me was the fabulous views of so many different kinds of rock formations.

Delicate Arch

  Reminds me of an old song -- On a clear day, you can see forever....  You sure could from Moab!  

Now on to Seattle to see kids and grandkids for a weekend, then the rest of the adventure begins!

One more day

Tomorrow (Monday, Memorial Day) is the day I leave. Everything I've been planning for the past year or so is coming together very nicely, and I'm just about ready to go. I just have to pack the cooler, and the valuable stuff (I have a safe for that).

So why is it that the you-know-what hits the fan on the weekend before I leave?  Things happen and they have to be taken care of -- things that I did not expect and did not plan for (well, not all of them).  So here are my whines for today:
     1. Went out to dinner with friends on Friday night, just like I do every Friday night. But this Friday night I ate something that wasn't "right", and spent the whole night and much of the next day fighting food poisoning.  Not fun, but luckily today I'm feeling much better.
     2. Friday's mail contained a jury duty summons -- for June 19-July 3.  Now I believe in doing my part and serving when called, but I served 9 days in September, and this trip has been planned for almost 2 years.  Hopefully they will accept my excuse and let me off for now. I'll be glad to serve when I'm back at home, just not now.
     3. Got home from church today to find my pantry overrun with ants.  These are a fact of life where I live, and I had called the bug guy last week to come and do his magic. But we have been trading phone messages for more than a week, and he hasn't come.  So I had to get out the can of Raid -- not my favorite product, but it's a last resort. Plus I had to empty much of the pantry and find out what the ants were feeding on (it was a package of rice mix that had a hole in it). 

So now my pantry is clean, my jury duty excuse is written and mailed, and my tummy has settled down. I wonder what other surprises are in my near future; whatever they are, I hope they are the good ones!  See you on the road...