Moab, UT

We are about to spend our third night in Moab, Utah, a town in the middle of the desert, tri-sected by the Green and Colorado Rivers, and home to two of the country's most dramatic national parks. We are staying at a great campground near the junction of rts 191 and 313, putting us about half way between Arches Nat'l Park to the east and Canyonlands Nat'l Park to the west.

 

 

View from the parking spot at our campsite

 Friday morning we went into town for coffee and breakfast and discovered that Moab is, as we expected, a very fun town that I pretty much love.

3 Fits, all the same! Moab, you feel like home.

A good example of my favorite kind of art/jewelery, and one for sale at our fav coffee shop- I like this town :)

After breakfast we drove out of town and stopped at the trailhead for Corona Arch, a scenic hour-long hike that is located between the two parks, near our campground. It was a beautiful start to the day, and definitely got us excited to go see more of the area. So we went home, packed a picnic lunch, and set back out for Canyonlands, about a 40 minute drive (though, the drives here hardly ever feel long- the speed limit is usually around 55, and you're cruising through one of the most visually interesting landscapes even Dr. Seuss could dream up).

On the way out to Corona Arch, about a mile from where we started

Corona Arch- our first Arch viewing! Unreal.

Corona Arch from a higher viewpoint

We love it!

Next, we did 3 moderately-long hikes in Canyonlands: Mesa Arch (awesome), Upheaval Dome (weird- check out the mysterious story if you're so inclined) and Whale Rock, an easy and beautiful climb from the road (which is already up in the sky) to the top of one of the most massive rocks in the park, giving you a panoramic view of the place. We also went out to the Grand Viewpoint, which is also amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

View from the Grand Viewpoint- the white rock layer is more sturdy than some other layers, and thats why it remains in so many places

View from Whale Rock

Whale Rock, off the other direction

 We left the park around 6 and went back to Moab in search of a local swimming hole, which was promised to us by the writer of some blog about such things. We walked for about 30 minutes out along a trail following creek in the outskirts of town, but never actually found the swimming hole. It was a beautiful hour nonetheless, and at the end I of course jumped into the stream and laid down in the 8-inch deep water, because it is effing HOT here and I was desperate for that swim. It was nice!

Creek walk, swimming hole FAIL

Then we stopped by the Moab Brewery for a drink (delish) and went home to cook (on our NEW campstove, thanks Wendie!) and sleep.

Today (Saturday) we went to Arches. Unbelievable stuff to see here. We did a longer hike out to Delicate Arch, which was spectacular, and then did some shorter hikes (and climbs) around the Frames, Double Arch, Balanced Rock and a few other cool sights. Definitely our most scenic day on the road so far.

Delicate Arch- me doing Standing Bow Pulling pose underneath

Turret Arch

Me climbing up Turret Arch- props to Kelsey Shannahan, photographer

Frame Arch. Gorgeous day behind.

Balanced Rock

 We finished off our day some shopping in Moab, some more local beer, and now we're back at our little tent. Hiking all day in the desert, it turns out, is pretty exhausting. So, we're enjoying some early bedtimes...but I have to say,  so far we've managed to cook all our meals at our campground, enjoy plenty of beverages, make friends with our neighbors, and even make progress in our books. Life is pretty good at the campground.

We leave in the morning for 3 days at the Grand Canyon to conclude our adventure :( I will make sure to update at least once more!

Also... I'm going to the Gorge.
Lots of love
xo
Cory