Moab, Utah

Wish we would have taken pictures every hour in Colorado to capture the huge changes in landscape. We went from grassland, to Rocky Mountains, to canyons with sheer cliffs of layered rocks, to sandstone hills, and back to flat openness.

In Utah we happened to stop at one of the first exits for a stunning panoramic view and bathroom break just as a fellow Massachusetts traveler was taking a break. He noticed our plates and tipped us off to a most excellent scenic route into Moab. Needless to say if you're headed this way, the extra time is well worth a slow drive down Route 128 (off I-70). Our Massachusetts friend had promised something like the Grand Canyon and we were not disappointed! It was a winding road along the meandering Colorado River with landscape that went from rolling hills with horse ranches and stands of trees, to nothing but rock walls, to wide open vistas with some precarious looking needles of rock. It was truly stunning and we're thinking we'll try to camp along there tomorrow night.

Plenty of places to stop off too, including one where we snapped some pictures and got our feet wet in the mighty Colorado. No swimming though, the current was moving fast and its so silty that there's really no telling the depth. Rory crept out a little into the current for a photo op, which made Erica nervous. Plenty of great skipping stones for the shorebound, though.


Found a nice little hotel in Moab for the night then headed into Arches National Park for the sunset. This is definitely our kind of park, with lots of opportunity to roam off the trails and even some bouldering. It was a short trip, but worth it, as we got to see a really neat double arch that's pretty far from where we'll hike tomorrow.

We'll be camping for the next few nights, so maybe no more updates until Vegas. Vegas, baby, Vegas. Love to all.