On Tuesday we moved on to Moab Utah. The ride across Colorado was very interesting. I25 basically goes through the Rockies near the very popular ski resorts. (Aspen, Vail, Etc.)The elevation changes on the highway were significant and the ups and downs through the mountains were hard on the buses brakes. Very beautiful country. Our first night in Moab we went to La Hacienda Restaurant to help address our Mexican food cravings. Very good food and a decent Margarita.
From Moab we visited Arches NP and Canyonlands NP. Both parks are very close to town. The parks are within 30 miles of each other and they are totally different. Arches has many rock formations and obviously the most significant of these are it's magnificent Arches. The park has something like 700 arches and we were told that their are about 2000 arches in the area. The beauty if astounding.
Kathie took us to the Double Arch which is where here family used to camp when she was growing up. They don't allow the camping anymore. Kathie's name for this formation is The Elephants. If you stand back and look at them in looks like two elephants with their trunks together. We rode around the park, and took a short hike to Landscape Arch. (One we had visited the first time we were here). We also drove to the far away viewing point for "Delicate Arch" which is the Arch that is on the Utah license plates. My zoom lens picked it up pretty well. It was a beautiful day, with beautiful people, in a beautiful place.
That night we took a cruise in a jet boat eighteen miles down the Colorado River. It was a beautiful ride. When we returned we had a cowboy type dinner. Met some nice people from Oregon. We ran into them a number of time the next day as we toured Canyonlands.
Canyonlands is very different than Arches. You basically view these massive canyons from the Colorado Plateau. The canyons were carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers that come together in the middle of the park. Canyonlands is divided into three distinct sections (Island in the Sky, The Maze, and The Needles). The Island in the Sky area is the closest to Moab and really the only area that is accessible to the general tourist. The other two are more remote and not for us older and wiser folks. The viewpoints are fantastic and the topography is amazing. We drove to a number of the most popular lookouts and hiked to a one of the arches that sits about 500 feet straight up form one of the canyon floors, totally cool.
You are a lot closer to Heaven in these places and others in the state of Utah. The pictures below can't begin to capture the real beauty. Enjoy!!
Golden to Moab!!
I25 on the way to Moab. Ski Country.
One of the Tunnels on the way to Moab!
Mark and Kathie. Lunch break along the Colorado River
Bill and Eileen Colorado River
Spring melt Colorado River!
Arches NP!!!
Balanced boulder Arches NP.
The girls in Arches!
Landscape Arch! Two mile hike!
Happy hikers!
Delicate Arch through the zoom lens. About
a half a mile away.
Look for delicate arch in the background!
It's over our heads!
This guy was touring on his motorcycle. It was the t-shirt that caught my eye.
He used to live in NC and vacationed in Emerald Isle.
He now lives in California.
Our River Cruise!!
River monster "Beaver" on our cruise along the
Colorado.
Arch along the Colorado!
Blue Heron nesting along the Colorado!
Cruisers with windblown hair! The hair I have left!
The Cruise!
The girls on our Landscape Arch hike!
Sexy Cowgirl!! Yawzer!! Moab KOA!
Canyonlands NP!!!
Beautiful Views!
The Green River is on the West and it meets the Colorado River on the East!
Canyons!
This guy is the one who used to vacation in Emerald Isle!
We ran into him in Arches and Canyonlands.
He didn't jump thank GOD!!
Over this cliff in drops about 500 feet straight down!!
Mark rides the Arch!!
Wildflowers are everywhere!
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