In the morning at Green River truck stop wind blowing steady at 40 mph. Gusting 50. Dogs seem befuddled. They haven’t experienced this before. Desert hot temp, gusting wind, crusty sand earth. Scrambling to get resolution with UFO encounter. I search the internet for a drone similar to the UFO I saw. I look over hundreds and find one not exact but closest. Got a reply from BLM Visitor Services Information Assistant at Moab Field Office. Judie Cox informed me “BLM does not use drones to assist in managing public lands. Drones can be used by private users which is probably what you saw.” Her reply is reassuring if I choose to believe it. So I’m going to believe it was a harmless curious drone and let it go. Maybe the camp host was using it? I could call him and ask! Let go Kim. We head down the highway to Moab. Scenery is blandly comforting like mashed potatoes. Sagebrush. A fine sunny day. NPR on the radio. We roll past entrance to Arches National Park and on to the Colorado River. There's a private RV Park called Moab Valley RV Park right near Colorado river. I pull in and lucky me get last camp site. Price a little high ($50/night), but hey, they have minature golf. The staff was super nice. I sign for 2 nights. An easy ride to Arches and I hear those camp sites are always booked months in advance this time of year.
Its near the freeway. Not the quiet one gets from a national park camp site.
Bought a Utah Parks Pass for $50. Good for entrance to any Utah park for a year.
That should pay off since I plan to visit Canyonlands.
Very exciting as we drive up the winding road into Arches National Park. Seen plenty of pictures . Feels like some amazing ride. Surrounded by monoliths and odd shaped obilisks, grouped in unexpected variations. Why do people travel from all over the world to look at rocks? Rocks are like trees; holding recorded history to unravel and interpret. Maybe offering an insight into how we got here. I’m fascinated by rock art of the Archaic period.
Arches is not the place to see ancient peoples rock art. Its where you see natures amazing creations, rock arches of course. I shy away from too much technical information but can’t resist the informational graphic on how arches are formed. It was interesting but I forgot already! You’ll have to Google it.
Hiked to Delicate Arch. Bigger hike than expected. There was an original settlers cabin, Wolfes Cabin, and rock art ascribed to Ute Indians. Most spectacular thing was hiking to dangerous heights and viewing Delicate Arch.
Must have been more than 50 spectators standing around the bowl many clamoring for pictures. Slopes are steep. I feel some tension. Not too good with heights. Neither good with loud disgusting people. Exuberant a-holes competing to stand in arch for photo op. I was surrounded but wouldn’t let that ruin it for me. Got some great pics as sun was sliding away. Didn’t bring water. Mistake. Made it back to truck and sped back down to camp. I would need another day to visit Devils Garden and Windows.
Scoped out Moab for a place to watch the Seahawks play Detroit on MNFB.
Moab Brewery actually has beer in a can called Johnnys’ with a 7% alcohol content.
What kind of 'game' are the Mormons playing here? Trying to make it difficult to find real beer. An annoyance yet with a little perseverance one can get it at liquor store and some ordained bars.
Close game with a miracle play by Cam Chancellor to get the Hawks win. Exciting.
Had a guy from New Zealand next to me rooting loudly for Detroit. Trying too hard to be funny and cute. I parked the rig on the street near the Brewery and the Cinema, beneath the trees.
Decide to camp there. A free night to defray the expensive RV Park.
I decide to tow RV up into Arches in hopes of snagging a campsite (against Ranger advice) hoping for good luck. Drove all the way out to the end reaching Devils Garden. There was a small sign posted on the camp hosts cabin. It said, May be 2 sites available at 5pm. That would mean waiting 4 hours. Loved the place so much I decided to stick it out with the flicker of hope.
Strategically park in a reserved site and hike around perimeter of camp for a few hours watching for any sign of camp hosts return. Enjoy a few arches including Broken Arch. Spot the little golf cart puttering along about 4. I figure camp host will be back to cabin at 4:20 after making camp rounds. Someone else might be waiting for her! I take action. I follow and catch up to her right before she gets back to cabin. “Got any sites for tonight?” I ask. She replies, “ well the two that may have been open, turns out both arrived. But I do have one site available, #49.” “I’ll take it!” I said.
Before the couple on bicycles had a chance to book the site, I got it. Why is everything so damn competitive? I didn't make it this way. If you want to something, often it requires jumping through hoops. But it was worth the stalking. Had a great time camping and hiking round Devils Garden. Saw several arches: Pine Tree Arch, Double Arch, Tunnel Arch, Broken Arch, and Sand Stone Arch.
The Japanese family camping in tents next to me were very noisy. They kept slamming SUV wagon door every 5 minutes for 2 hours!
Contacted Evan and Michele about meeting up for dinner.
They’re on vacation coming from Preston, Washington through Utah. They rent a convertible Camaro from Vegas. We meet for dinner at Moab Brewery. We all have salads; huge and tasty. Share some laughs. Talk about Seattle getting too high with cost of living.
They found a little town close to Mesa Verde in Colorado called Cortez. They loved it. Considering a move there (dreaming). Evan suggested I check it out, could be of interest in starting a souvenir trade there.
Next day I milled around in Moab. Not inexpensive to live here. Stopped in a pub. Met a loony tune. Maybe it was my tie-dye shirt that attracted him. He looked like a dented Jim Morrison. Kinda handsome. At first he talked about how he designed his bike down to 7 pounds. Thats cool. Then he says It was stolen. He tried to get it back and a gang beat him up. Then he talked about how he designed the GTO. I’m thinkin’, Whhhat? I let him go on. Glen revealed to me that he knew where that plane jumping parachute robber is (DB Cooper). He described in detail his ranch and where to find him. One tale after another. Brawls he’d been in. I asked him if he’d ever been arrested. Yes, on a false accusation of spouse abuse. And another incident of accidently bumping his son with his knee. When he started explaining how he owned Apple Computer and was hiding out, I decided the fun was done. I don’t want this guy to see me get into RV so I walk away towards Main Street. (cue Twilight Zone music)
Slept well. The key to sleeping well is finding a quiet street to park on. Already learned that one. I’m camping under the radar. Trying to bring expenses down.
Evan and Michele went off to Arches. We meet up in evening for dinner at Ed McStiffs (really!). Couple local brothers are there playing music. It’s fun. We go to the reception of Le Petit Plein Air. Its a function with awarded prizes to best plein air paintings done on Main Street that very day. I could have participated but my mind wants a pass. Don’t want to work! So I observe.
Evan and I enjoyed bantering about the art, picking the winners. The most talented painter in my opinion was a young blonde woman. Her name:
They awarded her second prize. Her painting was hands down the best. Expressionistic brushwork, movement, composition, all working nicely. Selected winner was high contrast, posterized graphic scene. Ok, but static and not all that artistic.
Got to bed at 10 and slept well. Going to Canyonlands with Evan and Michele in the Camaro.
Visited the north end of Canyonlands. Appears much like Grand Canyon. Colorado River is brown and snakes around creating extensive maze to look down upon. It was a blast hanging out with Evan and Michele. Michele has a bit of vertigo. Worse than mine. Getting close to the cliff edge and looking 1200 feet down sends my mind spinning. I’m afraid I may try to jump into the sky and fly. Those extreme sports dudes flying around in body suits come to mind. In my dreams I can freely fly about. Hold me back!
Evan pulls out a joint and we take a few puffs. I become more talkative. Michele prefers to tag behind as Evan and I carouse. I don’t blame her, but Evan and I go way back. We can’t help it as we amuse each other with juvenile humor. We go right back to Issaquah High School.
Saw where Green River merges with Colorado. Learned more about Powell. How he started up at Expedition Island on Green River and floated down the canyon exploring and documenting his journey. He had one arm. Lost one in the civil war. What an inspiration. Imagine many hardships he must have endured with funky equipment.
We head back to Moab. Walk dogs along Mill Creek for about an hour, leading around to spot I camped the other night. Pet some horses in a field.
Later met Evan and Michele at ____________ for dinner. A young vivacious Texas woman on accoustic guitar strumming and singing Gram Parsons, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, and country western. We chowed down some good grits and bid farewells. They’re on their way to Salt Lake City and then flying back to Seattle. We had a blast. Hugs. I stay another night on street.
I meet a woman, Dottie who runs a successful T-shirt shop on Main Street. She says business is bustling. She takes the 4 winter months off. She makes most the art and heat presses the shirts.
Its fun to talk shop with her. She must be in her mid 60s and still going strong. She's planning to open a crafts/farmers market on her prime land along the Moab highway.
Saturday morning coffee and off to the Colorado River stretch between Moab and Colorado border.
Its near the freeway. Not the quiet one gets from a national park camp site.
Bought a Utah Parks Pass for $50. Good for entrance to any Utah park for a year.
That should pay off since I plan to visit Canyonlands.
Very exciting as we drive up the winding road into Arches National Park. Seen plenty of pictures . Feels like some amazing ride. Surrounded by monoliths and odd shaped obilisks, grouped in unexpected variations. Why do people travel from all over the world to look at rocks? Rocks are like trees; holding recorded history to unravel and interpret. Maybe offering an insight into how we got here. I’m fascinated by rock art of the Archaic period.
Arches is not the place to see ancient peoples rock art. Its where you see natures amazing creations, rock arches of course. I shy away from too much technical information but can’t resist the informational graphic on how arches are formed. It was interesting but I forgot already! You’ll have to Google it.
Hiked to Delicate Arch. Bigger hike than expected. There was an original settlers cabin, Wolfes Cabin, and rock art ascribed to Ute Indians. Most spectacular thing was hiking to dangerous heights and viewing Delicate Arch.
Must have been more than 50 spectators standing around the bowl many clamoring for pictures. Slopes are steep. I feel some tension. Not too good with heights. Neither good with loud disgusting people. Exuberant a-holes competing to stand in arch for photo op. I was surrounded but wouldn’t let that ruin it for me. Got some great pics as sun was sliding away. Didn’t bring water. Mistake. Made it back to truck and sped back down to camp. I would need another day to visit Devils Garden and Windows.
Scoped out Moab for a place to watch the Seahawks play Detroit on MNFB.
Moab Brewery actually has beer in a can called Johnnys’ with a 7% alcohol content.
What kind of 'game' are the Mormons playing here? Trying to make it difficult to find real beer. An annoyance yet with a little perseverance one can get it at liquor store and some ordained bars.
Close game with a miracle play by Cam Chancellor to get the Hawks win. Exciting.
Had a guy from New Zealand next to me rooting loudly for Detroit. Trying too hard to be funny and cute. I parked the rig on the street near the Brewery and the Cinema, beneath the trees.
Decide to camp there. A free night to defray the expensive RV Park.
I decide to tow RV up into Arches in hopes of snagging a campsite (against Ranger advice) hoping for good luck. Drove all the way out to the end reaching Devils Garden. There was a small sign posted on the camp hosts cabin. It said, May be 2 sites available at 5pm. That would mean waiting 4 hours. Loved the place so much I decided to stick it out with the flicker of hope.
Strategically park in a reserved site and hike around perimeter of camp for a few hours watching for any sign of camp hosts return. Enjoy a few arches including Broken Arch. Spot the little golf cart puttering along about 4. I figure camp host will be back to cabin at 4:20 after making camp rounds. Someone else might be waiting for her! I take action. I follow and catch up to her right before she gets back to cabin. “Got any sites for tonight?” I ask. She replies, “ well the two that may have been open, turns out both arrived. But I do have one site available, #49.” “I’ll take it!” I said.
Before the couple on bicycles had a chance to book the site, I got it. Why is everything so damn competitive? I didn't make it this way. If you want to something, often it requires jumping through hoops. But it was worth the stalking. Had a great time camping and hiking round Devils Garden. Saw several arches: Pine Tree Arch, Double Arch, Tunnel Arch, Broken Arch, and Sand Stone Arch.
The Japanese family camping in tents next to me were very noisy. They kept slamming SUV wagon door every 5 minutes for 2 hours!
Contacted Evan and Michele about meeting up for dinner.
They’re on vacation coming from Preston, Washington through Utah. They rent a convertible Camaro from Vegas. We meet for dinner at Moab Brewery. We all have salads; huge and tasty. Share some laughs. Talk about Seattle getting too high with cost of living.
They found a little town close to Mesa Verde in Colorado called Cortez. They loved it. Considering a move there (dreaming). Evan suggested I check it out, could be of interest in starting a souvenir trade there.
Next day I milled around in Moab. Not inexpensive to live here. Stopped in a pub. Met a loony tune. Maybe it was my tie-dye shirt that attracted him. He looked like a dented Jim Morrison. Kinda handsome. At first he talked about how he designed his bike down to 7 pounds. Thats cool. Then he says It was stolen. He tried to get it back and a gang beat him up. Then he talked about how he designed the GTO. I’m thinkin’, Whhhat? I let him go on. Glen revealed to me that he knew where that plane jumping parachute robber is (DB Cooper). He described in detail his ranch and where to find him. One tale after another. Brawls he’d been in. I asked him if he’d ever been arrested. Yes, on a false accusation of spouse abuse. And another incident of accidently bumping his son with his knee. When he started explaining how he owned Apple Computer and was hiding out, I decided the fun was done. I don’t want this guy to see me get into RV so I walk away towards Main Street. (cue Twilight Zone music)
Slept well. The key to sleeping well is finding a quiet street to park on. Already learned that one. I’m camping under the radar. Trying to bring expenses down.
Evan and Michele went off to Arches. We meet up in evening for dinner at Ed McStiffs (really!). Couple local brothers are there playing music. It’s fun. We go to the reception of Le Petit Plein Air. Its a function with awarded prizes to best plein air paintings done on Main Street that very day. I could have participated but my mind wants a pass. Don’t want to work! So I observe.
Evan and I enjoyed bantering about the art, picking the winners. The most talented painter in my opinion was a young blonde woman. Her name:
They awarded her second prize. Her painting was hands down the best. Expressionistic brushwork, movement, composition, all working nicely. Selected winner was high contrast, posterized graphic scene. Ok, but static and not all that artistic.
Got to bed at 10 and slept well. Going to Canyonlands with Evan and Michele in the Camaro.
Visited the north end of Canyonlands. Appears much like Grand Canyon. Colorado River is brown and snakes around creating extensive maze to look down upon. It was a blast hanging out with Evan and Michele. Michele has a bit of vertigo. Worse than mine. Getting close to the cliff edge and looking 1200 feet down sends my mind spinning. I’m afraid I may try to jump into the sky and fly. Those extreme sports dudes flying around in body suits come to mind. In my dreams I can freely fly about. Hold me back!
Evan pulls out a joint and we take a few puffs. I become more talkative. Michele prefers to tag behind as Evan and I carouse. I don’t blame her, but Evan and I go way back. We can’t help it as we amuse each other with juvenile humor. We go right back to Issaquah High School.
Saw where Green River merges with Colorado. Learned more about Powell. How he started up at Expedition Island on Green River and floated down the canyon exploring and documenting his journey. He had one arm. Lost one in the civil war. What an inspiration. Imagine many hardships he must have endured with funky equipment.
We head back to Moab. Walk dogs along Mill Creek for about an hour, leading around to spot I camped the other night. Pet some horses in a field.
Later met Evan and Michele at ____________ for dinner. A young vivacious Texas woman on accoustic guitar strumming and singing Gram Parsons, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, and country western. We chowed down some good grits and bid farewells. They’re on their way to Salt Lake City and then flying back to Seattle. We had a blast. Hugs. I stay another night on street.
I meet a woman, Dottie who runs a successful T-shirt shop on Main Street. She says business is bustling. She takes the 4 winter months off. She makes most the art and heat presses the shirts.
Its fun to talk shop with her. She must be in her mid 60s and still going strong. She's planning to open a crafts/farmers market on her prime land along the Moab highway.
Saturday morning coffee and off to the Colorado River stretch between Moab and Colorado border.
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