Moab, Utah attracts outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world. It's located in southeastern Utah, along the banks of the Colorado River between soaring red sandstone cliffs. Through Western River Expeditions, I'd booked a 3 day, 2 night package. That, along with 2 nights in the Colorado Rockies, made for a long road trip and an exciting adventure. The following is a documentary of our trip.
Colorado RockiesColorado is just as beautiful as everyone says it is. From the flat farmlands of Kansas to colorful Colorado mountain views, I could see a noticable difference in scenery.
We stayed 2 nights at Moraine Park campground in Rocky Mountain National Park. The site was equipped with picnic table, fire pit, and a tent pad (elevated plot about a foot off the ground). The park rangers were friendly, the public bathrooms (located across from our site) was suprisingly clean, and conveniently, there was an older man there at the entrance that sold beverages, ice cream, and firewood from 5-8pm every night.
Upon our arrival, we unloaded most of our gear and then decided to explore the place using the Mountain Bikes we'd brought along. The campground itself, was a pretty decent size, a much larger area for camping than what I've seen here in Branson. The views at some sites were more breathtaking than others, but I can't complain because even at our site, we were looking right at a mountain. As we were riding around we noticed these little chipmunks from time to time, probably used to eating camp food, or better yet being fed.
Napier Sportz Truck Tent IIIThat night, we set up a new tent I'd bought that was made to fit perfectly in the bed of our truck, the Napier Sportz Truck Tent III. Let me digress a little here:
The idea of having a tent back there, we thought at the time, was a great idea. Why? Well, come to think of it, I don't know why. All I can say is, it's not worth it unless you're going to buy the air bed that is custom fit to go around the wheel wells of the truck... ok let me take that back and leave it at "it's not worth it." The construction of the tent itself was comparable in material to our Wal-Mart brand tent, condensation built up on the inside walls, the fiberglass poles were difficult to work with (almost to the point they felt like they were going to break during installation), the poles stayed in that curved shape after taking it down, and one of the seams actually started to tear when I was taking it apart. The company was generous enough to give us a refund.
...back to the Colorado RockiesAnyways, remember the old man I was telling you about at the entrance of the campground? We bought ice, to fill our cooler, and firewood from the guy and began our attempt at a campfire. At this point, Morgan and I are pros at building them. The secret is the kindling, hands down. I have to admit, we skimped and ONLY bought firewood, though the old man had kindling for an additional charge. This made it kind of difficult for me at first, considering there wasn't much dry wood hanging around our site. Our neighbors accross the way, however, were duped into purchasing those "sticks" and gave Morgan a few to work with. It wasn't long after that before she got that thing a'blazin'. We ate fat-free hot dogs, canned chili, and pringles that night.
Fern Lake HikeWe ate a hearty breakfast of nectarines, apples, granola bars and crackers with peanut butter on them, then quickly got prepared for our day's activity.
Our first whole day in the Rockies, we'd planned a 7.7-mile roundtrip hike up to Fern Lake. The trail is deep within a shady spruce-fir forest and follows a shoreline of outlet streams and scenic views, one of which I believe was the Big Thompson River.
Although there was a shuttle which came around every half hour to take hikers up to the trailhead, we chose to walk the .9 additional miles. We began our trail which shortly afterward led us through a series of cottage-sized boulders known as Arch Rocks. We stopped here for our lunch of salmon, crackers, cheese nips and granola bars. It's funny to point out that as we were
sitting there enjoying our delicious meal, these chipmunks would be running around looking for anything we might've dropped. Later on after lunch, Morgan tricked one with an empty bag of trail mix long enough for me to capture a shot.
About 1.8 miles into it, we came across The Pool, a churning whirlpool that forms where Spruce Creek, Fern Creek and the Big Thompson River all meet. We took another breather here to snap some pics. It was here, I was bit by a *%@#*!'in horsefly which left a pretty good sized welt on my shoulder for a few hours. All in all, an interesting stopping place and the point at which the trail splits between the road to Spruce Lake or Fern Falls.
Fast forward 2.85-miles to the Falls. This you really have to see to appreciate. I wouldn't say it was more magnificent than when they had Table Rock Dam opened up, but just something about coming accross a waterfall in the middle of a strenuous hike with the cool mist coming up from off the rocks. I really didn't even hear the water coming from the Falls until after we'd arrived.
At this point, I think I would've been happy to turn around and go back. I was beginning to
aquire a slight headache and though I'm used to cardio activity, I could feel the difficulty with the thin Colorado as compared to Missouri's. I took a couple of Ibuprofen and we continued on to the Lake.
The hike up to Fern Lake and even before the Falls was considerably steeper than when we'd first started, not to mention pretty rocky. We stopped periodically for rest and drinks. Luckily, we'd brought 2-liter hydropacks of water.
Around 25-minutes later we'd arrived at Fern Lake. Wow! We made it! I have to say though, I wasn't too impressed. A lake is a lake in my opinion, though this one was on top of a mountain and very clean. I believe we'd reached an elevation of 9500' at this point. It was a great accomplishment to just be at the top! We sat there for a while just to rest and take in the views before heading back.
There isn't really much to say about the hike back except for we were truckin' it. It was much easier going downhill than it was going up, so we were moving pretty quick. We stopped in a couple of places again, such as this log bridge we'd crossed at one point, Fern Falls, and The Pool once again. Before the end of the trail though, Morgan started running, so we ended up running the last stretch, which concluded our more than 6-hour journey.
Road Trip to MoabSo we had this theory, that if we deflated the air mattress enough, we could push the sides of it, in between the wheel wells. So much for that idea, it led to one of the worst nights of sleep I've ever had! Combine that with the fact it was freezing and I was either hot or cold depending on how much of myself was actually covered and I wasn't feeling all that great the following day.
On the bright side of things, Morgan had to man-up and take the wheel. Between the watery eyes, constant sneezing, and lack of rest I couldn't drive. The problem was, she was inexperienced in driving with a manual transmission. I pulled off onto a farm road and there she received a lesson on learning to drive. Amazingly, she picked it right up, and after a couple of trial runs, she drove a 100-mile stretch just before Moab. Congrats Morgs!
The Gonzo InnWe arrived at Moab just before sunset. The scenery changed from green tree covered mountains to red sandstone cliffs and dirt. We checked in at the Gonzo Inn and proceeded to carry our stuff up. This room was part of our package and we loved it! The room was spacious, with a balcony overlooking the pool. It had high cielings and intricate metal-work on the furniture. The shower was like a walk-in closet there was so much room. Continental breakfast included, hot and cold cereal, various beverages, boiled eggs, fresh fruit, a variety of yogurts, and toast.
Zax PlaceTried to rest, but instead took a shower and hit the town. Places to eat were within walking distance on the Gonz, so we walked over to Zax Place. The pizza and salad buffet here is excellent, and it's all you can eat. Definitely a plus. I have to load up for tomorrows activities.
Moab Adventure CenterTalk about a profitable business. I highly recommend the Moab Adventure Center if you're thinking about visiting Moab. I was impressed with this company from day one. Their website was user friendly and easy to navigate. Once I had chosen my specific package, I'd called and their customer service rep was nice and offered helpful advice. I was also impressed with the way they handled confirmation of your order via email and a small mailing packet that outlined your itenerary and provided additional information about the area, activities, and dining along with a complimentary discount card. Their location is on the main street of Moab so you can't miss them and their set-up like an outdoor center, selling goods relating to anything outdoors.
Arches National Park
Arches National Park Preserves 1999 natural sandstone arches as well as many other unusual rock formations. We learned that the arches are formed from a combination of wind, water and salt. Up until a couple of months ago, there were 2000 arches, but the Wall arch fell leaving 1999.
Our first stop within the park was at a place called Park Avenue. Park Avenue overlooked several neat rock formations. For example, if we looked over to our left we saw a figure similar to that of Queen Nefertiti. Just below that looked like and old Atari joystick. To the right were these thin rock structures called fins. You also had the option to climb down from the overlook onto some native trails.
Next, we went and saw Balanced Rock. It's named that for obvious reasons. The boulder doesn't look like it belongs there sitting on a sandstone pedestal.
We continued our tour with a 1-mile hike on the Devil's Garden trail to see the amazing Landscape Arch. There's an interesting photo of a section of this arch as it fell off sometime in the '70s. One of the most popular arches in the park, the Wall Arch, located along the same trail, collapsed only weeks ago. Gravity and erosion will eventually destroy others as well.
At this point, we'd gotten to know our guide a little. Once part of corporate america, he gave up his demanding Programming job to become a guide. There wasn't anything we couldn't ask him that he didn't know the answer to when it came to information about the park.
A view of the Delicate Arch was our next stop. A scenic hike with views of La Sal mountains behind it, it's one of the most famous arches in the park.
The highlight of our trip was a short hike to Double Arches, two arches next to each other that share the same base. Visitors are free to climb within these arches, which is one of the reasons this particular one was our favorite.
Moab BreweryAfter the Arches tour, our guide took us out for lunch at Moab Brewery. This local taste of Moab was mediocre at best. I had the new york strip which was ok, but the steak was overcooked and the sides were under seasoned. One thing that did make up for it was their home-made rootbeer and the Brownie Sundae I had for desert. Morgan also had this deelish triple chocolate cake she barely touched, which I ended up eating later in our room.
Kids and FamilyI didn't realize it until we met with our group, how family oriented our package really was. There were 1-2 kids per couple. Morgan and I were the only ones without! The kids were suprisingly well behaved though, and I can honestly say, they added to the fun factor of the rest of the trip. They’re fun to be around at times, but I’m definitely not ready for any of my own.
Hummer Sunset SafariOne thing I wanted to make sure to do while we were here was to hit some off-road trails in my truck. Unfortunately, time didn’t allow it, but after this experience I was pretty satisfied.
Our mode of transportation was the Hummer H1. It was mostly stock with the exception a few suspension mods and much larger tires. The one we rode in seated ten passengers and was equipped with a custom canopy to that covered the vehicle front to back.
The tour took place a couple of miles from the Moab Adventure Center at the popular “slick rock” (sandstone) trail known as Hell’s Revenge. The trail started off on a lengthy sandstone fin not much wider than the width of the Hummer. From there, the trail only got more difficult with the sharp turns, steep ascents, and steep descents. There were a couple of “roller coaster” like
parts where the guide would let go of the brake and just let it roll down while descending. I think Morgan’s favorite part were the sandy, level parts of the trail where the driver would pick up speed and you’d feel as though you were in some Baja race. What made it even more fun was watching the kid sitting next to us try and take a drink while all this was happening!
The trails took us to a few high points where we were able to get out and take pictures. One of our stops overlooked the Colorado River and the scenic views were absolutely amazing. On our way back we stopped to watch the sunset go down over the horizon while we snacked on cheese and crackers.
Pasta JaysAfter coming back from our Hummer expedition, we decided to explore the town. The main street of Moab offers various local art venues, tourist shops, and many places to eat. Though Morgan claimed not to be hungry, we stopped into Pasta Jays, italian restaurant we’d heard about. Looking around, the place was dimly lit with an atmosphere similar to that of the Olive Garden. The special, served only on that particular day, was lasagna so Morgan and I decided to split one. Wow, it was probably the best lasagna I’d ever had and the portion, along with the included garlic bread, was enough for the both of us.
River Rafting on the Colorado River - Day 1
We’d spent the morning preparing to check out of the Gonzo Inn and packing the necessities needed for our rafting expedition. After breakfast, we headed to the MAC where we were fitted for life jackets. We loaded the bus which was set to take us to our launching point. We’d sat behind these two 6-year old girls who’d turned around in their seat and decided to talk our ears off during this 30-minute drive. They immediately became our best friends after that and we’d end up seeing more of them throughout the trip.
There were five rafts; one of which was used for food and camping equipment, the other for passengers. There were also four 2-person inflatable kayaks, which Morgan and I took. The current was slow moving and the river muddy. The level of difficulty was only a 2, with a few rapids on the first day. Not much different that paddling through the Buffalo River in Arkansas that Morgan and I are used to. Not long after take-off, the kids began soaking nearby rafts with an artillery of water canons. At first, we’d thought we could just paddle away just out of reach, but it wasn’t long before we were borrowing water canons of our own and participating in the constant water fights.
After a couple of hours, we’d stopped for lunch. They had a pretty nice setup, a table full of picnic foods where we made our own sandwiches and our choice of chips, fruits, and cookies.
We had a rare opportunity to see some big horned sheep along the way who’d made their way down to get a drink from the river. We passed right by them and it didn’t seem to bother them any. It was cool watching them climb their way back up the cliffs. Not long after this, we met with our guides at the campsite with followed our first and last real rapids experience for that day.
We set up camp that evening on a sand bar where we Morgan and I had chosen a spot shaded by a large tree. After helping to unload the gear, we assembled our supplied cots and laid out the sleeping bags. While our guides prepared dinner for the night, we had an opportunity to socialize with the parents and play with the kids. Of course, one of my new best friends wanted me to look at her “ant hotel” she’d built, a thick branch standing upright coming out from the sand. I thought, this could be fun, so I started to add to it. As we started to build this city, I noticed a crowd of kids gathering and soon, everyone was involved. We’d built a highway and roads, billboards to advertise our hotel, an entire neighborhood of homes, an outdoor movie theater, and pool, complete with waterslide. Our metropolis grew to a population of 1. Other activites we played included frisbee and touch football, played by both parents and children.
We had an awesome dinner of chicken, green beans, salad and rolls. We’d eaten most of the food, though with the few leftovers, the guides showed everyone how they could use it to feed catfish in the river. The food was stuck in between their toes and the catfish would suck it out. Needless to say, I didn’t participate because I for one, did not have leftovers. In fact I was waiting for more chicken to come off the grill. Unlike others, who now were digging through the trash to find more food to stick between their toes, I was still eating!
It was fun getting to know everyone, including our guides. Something that surprised us were two cakes the guides had made using a Dutch Oven. One of the cakes was for this lady’s birthday and the other was for mine and Morgan’s anniversary, and they were delish.
One of the guides had made a campfire that night and we watched the families and guides participate in a “talent show”. It was pretty entertaining to say the least and shortly afterward we were off to bed. Laying in the cot that night was really comfortable. The camp was dimly lit by the full moon and the skies were so clear I you could see all stars. The combination of nice cool weather, dry air and no mosquitoes made for the best sleep I’ve ever had outdoors.
River Rafting on the Colorado River - Day 2
We woke up to find the guides had made hot chocolate and coffee for everyone and were preparing for breakfast. We went ahead and packed our things, ate a breakfast of pancakes and fruit, loaded up and took off for our second leg of rafting. Morgan, being the generous individual that she is, gave up her spot on the Kayak for one of the kids. I ended up taking an English girl for the first half, her brother on the second, and she exchanged places once more for the final stretch.
The guides had stated more exciting rapids on this day and we got it. Every chance we took the kids and I would go backwards, sideways, or not paddle at all to make things more exciting. I imagine after experiencing what these kayaks can handle, it would probably take more than what we’d been through to actually tip one over. The kids were great to have onboard though, they were well-behaved though knew how to have fun when faced with an opposing water canon. Paddling the last stretch with the English girl, we noticed one of the dads had been pulled into a strong current. No matter how hard he swam he wasn’t getting anywhere, so we were determined to go on a “rescue mission” to save him. We picked him up and shortly afterwards, landed at our takeout point. Unfortunately, from what I’d heard, Morgan’s second day of rafting wasn’t so exciting. Being in the same boat with people who weren’t used to this type of activity... and by the looks, no type of activity at all, made for a slow unexciting raft. Sorry Morgs...
We had chicken salad wraps, fruits, chips, and cookies for lunch one last time with the group. We then proceeded to gather our belongings and loaded the bus. One small detail, but on the way back one of the guides had a freezer bag full of Otter Pops he’d distributed. It was nice to have after being out in the desert sun for two days. We made it back to the MAC, washed the sand from out feet, gathered our valuables and said goodbye to our friends.
On our way out of Moab, we’d stopped by the visitors center to pick up some scrapbooking materials for Morgan. We’d also heard about Matrimony Springs, a place where water comes from out of the ground clean enough to drink. We stopped there to fill up on water. Not far from there was our last stop in Moab, off the road to Potash, where Morgan and I stopped to check out some petroglyphs, ancient Indian wall writings. While we were there, I couldn’t help but do a little free-climbing. It was very interesting as all this was right off the shoulder of the highway and we could see professional climbers climbing as we drove by. We left Moab with a new appreciation for the desert area.
Holiday Inn ExpressWe drove through the Rockies in cold, rainy, and at times foggy, weather. We’d both seen snow for the first time in August as we are high enough to experience snow covered peaks. We stopped at a McDonald’s just outside Denver and had our dinner and knew it was time to stop to take a rest. As we drove through Denver, we lucked out in finding one of only two rooms left at a Holiday Inn Express. Most rooms were booked near the Denver airport and the lady that actually booked the last remaining room behind us had tried checking in at 3 others before this one. I’ve been in the most luxurious hotels (The Ritz Carlton, Hawaii) and the worst (Motel 6, Kansas), and this is my favorite thus far. Not only was the price reasonable, the rooms were especially clean and comforting, the front desk was kind and helpful, not to mention the hot breakfast was great to have right there.
Back to B-TownOur last day consisted of nothing but driving. We ate breakfast at the hotel, lunch on the road at Arby's and dinner at Taco Bueno on the toll road between Topeka and Kansas City. We occupied our downtime, besides talking of course, by watching movies on the laptop and playing our PSP and Nintendo DS. Although we had our GPS, Morgan was able to navigate most of our trip using a good old fashioned road map. We finally rolled into Missouri at around 2:00am, at which point I downed a Rockstar Energy Drink and finally made it home around 3:30am.
All in all, Vacay ’08 in Moab, UT is one that I won’t soon forget. Though it’s nice being back home once again, I already start to wonder where our next vacation will take us.
Blake
The wedding was held in a quaint little church in Menomonee Falls, WI. We'd actually arrived 30 minutes early, though I thought we were 10 minutes late. The church was the old, traditional setup, common in appearance to the churches I grew up in. Wood paneling covered walls, pews lined parallel to each other from front to back, a stage which showcased a large cross along the back wall. The windows were opened to let the cool air in from the perfect weather outside.
changed into some casual clothes, brought in our gift and scoped out the foods. The food was catered by this detective/cop from where Blake worked and it was gooood. They had an entire buffet with barbecue, lasagna, stuffed mushrooms, salad and fruits just to name a few.
Brian, his wife Emily, Bill, and Dallas. Seeing as how we had this wide open grassy field to play on we all winded up tossing the nerf football around and playing a few games of Bocce Ball.
20 minutes later, we headed back to the apt. We called B&S to check in and suprisingly, they were still hanging around! 10:00pm, we rolled up to their home. We didn't expect that they'd still be there, not with the little sleep they must've gotten the night before, an exhausting day of wedding and reception, and a long drive to the Dells ahead of them that night, where they had planned to stay for their mini honeymoon. Regardless, they stayed up with us for a couple of hours of visiting. It was hard to believe they were married just a few hours ago, and here we were, talking, laughing, viewing the days pics, listening to comedic radio talk shows about missed connections, and eating once again among other things.
Fern Lake Hike
sitting there enjoying our delicious meal, these chipmunks would be running around looking for anything we might've dropped. Later on after lunch, Morgan tricked one with an empty bag of trail mix long enough for me to capture a shot.
aquire a slight headache and though I'm used to cardio activity, I could feel the difficulty with the thin Colorado as compared to Missouri's. I took a couple of Ibuprofen and we continued on to the Lake.
The Gonzo Inn
We continued our tour with a 1-mile hike on the Devil's Garden trail to see the amazing Landscape Arch. There's an interesting photo of a section of this arch as it fell off sometime in the '70s. One of the most popular arches in the park, the Wall Arch, located along the same trail, collapsed only weeks ago. Gravity and erosion will eventually destroy others as well.
Hummer Sunset Safari
parts where the guide would let go of the brake and just let it roll down while descending. I think Morgan’s favorite part were the sandy, level parts of the trail where the driver would pick up speed and you’d feel as though you were in some Baja race. What made it even more fun was watching the kid sitting next to us try and take a drink while all this was happening!
We’d spent the morning preparing to check out of the Gonzo Inn and packing the necessities needed for our rafting expedition. After breakfast, we headed to the MAC where we were fitted for life jackets. We loaded the bus which was set to take us to our launching point. We’d sat behind these two 6-year old girls who’d turned around in their seat and decided to talk our ears off during this 30-minute drive. They immediately became our best friends after that and we’d end up seeing more of them throughout the trip.
We woke up to find the guides had made hot chocolate and coffee for everyone and were preparing for breakfast. We went ahead and packed our things, ate a breakfast of pancakes and fruit, loaded up and took off for our second leg of rafting. Morgan, being the generous individual that she is, gave up her spot on the Kayak for one of the kids. I ended up taking an English girl for the first half, her brother on the second, and she exchanged places once more for the final stretch.
We had chicken salad wraps, fruits, chips, and cookies for lunch one last time with the group. We then proceeded to gather our belongings and loaded the bus. One small detail, but on the way back one of the guides had a freezer bag full of Otter Pops he’d distributed. It was nice to have after being out in the desert sun for two days. We made it back to the MAC, washed the sand from out feet, gathered our valuables and said goodbye to our friends.
