Bill and Eileen's Travels: Moab Ut. (8/6

Monday morning we part with Magnus in the parking lot and we head west to Moab Utah. What a beautiful ride through the Colorado mountains. This state has enormous mountains and beautiful vistas.

We stopped for lunch near the Colorado River. We had to drive through two roadside rests until we found one that was big enough an had some space.

In Moab we stayed at Moab Valley RV Resort on the north end of town. The place we used to stay was turned into a motel.

Soon after we arrived we had neighbors pull into the site beside us. It was a family from Paris France. They had a son who was 11 or 12 and a daughter about Sebastian's age. Mom and Dad and Grandma were all traveling in a RV Rental. I have forgotten the names but Seb and the young boy had a lot in common with regard to the Rubix Cube. Even though there was a bit of a language barrier they got along very well. We were to see them again at our next stop. Very nice people enjoying our beautiful country.

Next morning we rallied the troops and went to Arches NP. We went to the main desk a got the Junior Ranger information for the kids then headed up into the park. We walked the main trail back to Landscape Arch with hundreds of other people on a very hot midday. Even though this trail is easy the heat takes the strength right out of you. After returning to the car we drove to the lower viewing point for Delicate Arch. It was a hot day but we had great hikes and at the end of the day the kids received their second badge for the Junior Ranger Program. We returned to the campground and hit the pool.

That evening we had a good Dutch Oven Style dinner along the Colorado River before boarding a boat for a three hour cruise along the river. On the way up the river our narrator told us the history of the Moab area, then after it turned dark they illuminate the canyon walls along the river, played music, encouraged us to relax and enjoy the beautiful sites. This was our second time on this ride and I enjoyed it as much as the first time. Very Relaxing. I think the kids were expecting a little more with the lighting though. Maybe something like Stone Mountain Laser show. I do think everyone had a great evening.

On day three we drove toward Canyonlands to a dinosaur park along the highway. We learned that there are a considerable number of digs in this area. They have a trail that takes you through the various timeframes of the past, with lifelike models of many of the dinosaurs. This was very realistic and very well done. We enjoyed it very much. At the end of the tour they have a 3-D museum that demonstrates eight or nine of the dinosaurs from the past. The last one was a shark attack that scared the S--- out of half the people in the room. Very realistic.

After our return from Dino land we all went into town for lunch and some tourist shopping.

I think Moab and Arches was a hit for the kids and we met some really nice people from France.