Fourth of July

Fourth of July. We woke up early to go back to Canyonlands National Park to see the Mesa Arch and do one of the longer trails. The section of Canyonlands that is accessible from Moab is called Islands in the Sky – it is a 45,000 acre section of the park raised about 1500-2000 feet above the Green and Colorado rivers basins that converge at the southern tip of this area. The access road is the only way onto the “island”. Otherwise you have to walk down switchbacks in the canyon walls. The Neck Spring trail led us about 400 feet down and around the edge of the canyon then back to the rim and around back to the car. The park is very rugged and less trafficked than Arches. And the views of the canyons in both directions are amazing.

There is also a gravel road leading down from the rim to the river. We went to the visitor center on the way back and I asked one of the rangers about my prospects in the low clearance, all-wheel drive element. He said he thought I could do it once. And then he told me about a few sections where I would have to get out and build a temporary rock ramp for the car before proceeding and gave me some pointers on how to avoid losing my oil pan on some jagged rock sections. Christine was tired but she was paying enough attention to quickly veto this idea, so we went for a swim.

In the evening, we went downtown and listened to the cubs beat the cardinals 2-1 then watched fireworks.

Saturday morning we are leaving moab, heading for Nevada via Salt Lake City. The objective is Winnemucca, NV. Roullette and Craps.

Devil's Garden

Today we went to The Devil’s Garden in Arches, a trail that Bob has been hot on, but I was reluctant. I didn’t think we could carry enough water as it is lengthy and you either start or finish in the heat of the day. At any rate, I went to bed early and agreed to go despite my get out of jail free card. Bob said he would go on his own, but I didn’t want him coming home telling me how great it was and all. As it turns out, he would have come home saying those things. It was somewhat lengthy but no major elevation change. Water supply was A-OK with some to spare at the end. We saw several arches and took a primitive loop trail on the way back out that led across canyon fins and spires. All around great. This evening we went to a winery in Moab (Castle Creek), but we did a few tastings and then the attendant told us they don’t actually sell any glasses or bottles of wine until 5:30 and it was only 4:45, so we left with broken spirit. We stopped at the Moab Slickrock Bar and Grill and had a Moab micro-brew. All alcohol served in Utah HAS to be served with food (state law), so you can either order dinner or the bartender will bring you a snack of some sort (chips and salsa in this case) in order to keep you on the right side of the law. We are learning many things about Utah liquor laws: no beer over 4%, no beer from other states, no alcohol served without food. I am sure we’ll learn a few more laws at tomorrow’s fourth of july celebration… we’ll keep you updated. After the outing we came home to grill out and drink Coors Light from our cooler. Rest assured it is Utah purchased, 4%, and we plan to eat… so we’re golden!

Fiery Furnace and XXXXX-XXXX

Weds. Morning we got up and went to arches national park to meet up for a ranger-led walk through an area of the park known as the ‘Fiery Furnace’. We assumed that the name meant it was going to be an ass-kicker. Also, when signing up for the walk, you have to look at pictures of people squirming through small cracks and walking along ledges next to sheer drop-offs. We also were informed that during the three-hour hike there would be no opportunities to use the restroom. The ranger told us that she doesn’t drink coffee on mornings when she leads this hike. This a problem for Christine. Since we left Raleigh she hasn’t gone more than 25 minutes without a potty break. She asked me for some time alone. She thought about what she was capable of and decided to give it a go. And she made it – I am very proud of her.

When we got to see the rest of our group, we were a bit more confident about the level of physical fitness required. There were some thicksters and kids there, so we knew we weren’t in too far over our heads. It was a nice stroll in the morning and took us through an area of the park that we otherwise would not have had access to, but overall it was disappointingly easy. Apparently the name comes more from the orange reflections more than the temp in this area.

We rested back at the cabin midday and in the late afternoon headed to Canyonlands National Park to see “Upheaval Dome”. And then went on an Indiana Jones type adventure that most visitors do not get. This is where the blog becomes a “need to know” basis J We ran into a river guide the day before while rafting and he told us about a trail with ancient ruins at the end in Canyonlands. And he told us what to say to the ranger to get access. And he told us not to tell anyone. And we thought he was a complete froot loop, but turns out he was legit. Now this trail, the “XXXXX XXXX” (that’s right, you are not “need to know”), is a Class 2 trail that is not on the maps, not acknowledged on the internet, and not in the guide books. Because of its fragile nature (cultural ruins from 1200AD), the location is only divulged by the ranger when asked very specifically. Well, Bob did just that based on the tip from the river guide and don’t you know the ranger pulls out a small map and photo that says right across the top, “NPS: DO NOT DISCLOSE UNLESS ASKED PROPERLY”. Totally made us feel like elite treasure hunters! So, we did the hike and it was awesome and according to a log kept at the site, there had been 10 visitors in the last 30 days. Pretty good secret. And in order to respect our good fortune in finding it, we will not post photos nor reveal its identity.

Rafting the Colorado River

Tuesday morning we got up and went down to the outfitter that was to take us on a 13 mile rafting trip on the Colorado river. Neither of us have been white-water rafting before so we chose the beginner level trip with class I and II rapids. Nothing too intense. We got to the shop and there were families milling about. From stories I have heard, the strangers in your raft can make a big difference in the experience. And it makes sense as we were planning to spend 8 hours on a raft with these folks. My sister tara went rafting in New Zealand and ended up on a boat with a crew of uncoordinated Chinese people that didn’t speak the language – I think she got smacked in the head and arm with oars and then couldn’t tell them to cut it out or what had happened. So we assessed the worthiness of these families and tried to decide with whom to align ourselves. On the bus ride to the departure spot, we sat by some germans and they snapped some pictures for us and vice versa. So we chatted them up when we got off the bus and their leader (Wolfgang) recruited us to join their boat. So it was the six of them plus the two of us on our raft. The ride was great. The day was hot. The water was cold and high. Enough rapids to get the feel for whitewater and calm enough to jump out of the boat and float down the river. Our guide was a 110 lb girl who had brains but not enough brawn to make the raft go where she wanted it to. So we pretty much let the river take us.

Our german friends consisted of three adults (Dirk, Wolfgang and Marisol) and three children (Josefa, Lavinia, and Viros) - they were very entertaining. Wolfgang was a one-liner king. It turned out they had rented RV’s and were staying at the same campground as us. So Dirk asked us if we had heard what sounded like two large animals fighting in the middle of the night. Wolfgang then quickly offered an apology explaining that what we had heard might have been him on the toilet. Freaking classic.

After rafting we came back, grilled some dinner and then went and enjoyed the evening with our new friends.