Day 47, 48 & 49 - Salt Lake City, UT -> Idaho

Wednesday, October 27^th, 2010

I boondocked for the night in Orem, UT in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Wal-Mart is one of the few places that will let RV’ers use their lot overnight to park and sleep. I know I’m not driving a big, fancy RV, but my Subaru has been my home on wheels for the past month and a half. There were no dark corners to take cover from the bright parking lot lights so I strategically nestled my car close to a tree on one side to shade the driver’s side. A sun visor blocked out the front windshield and a blanket resting over the headrests of the front seats blocked any light coming in through from the driver and passenger windows. Using my telescoping ski/hiking poles, I was able to temporarily fasten a towel across the back window and a dark sheet along the passenger side of the car. Fortunately, I have been able to create a very comfortable and dark sleeping environment in my car, my tiny RV. This will be quite helpful for when the temperatures really start to get cold and I no longer want to sleep in a tent.

I woke up in the morning to find a few inches of snow on the car. It wasn’t a lot, only about two inches, but it was enough to put a smile on my face. I ordered a coffee from McDonalds and ate a bagel from my food pantry, which is just a fancy name for my cardboard box and made my way to Salt Lake City, Utah.

I think it was only about 30 miles but I didn’t feel like driving those last 30 miles last night. I have an old friend, Eric, who has been living in Salt Lake for the past 7-8 years now and has offered his house as a place to stay while I am here. I grew up playing soccer with Eric on a competitive traveling team which disbanded around the time high school soccer began. We ended up going to different high schools so the last time I saw him was probably the last time that Steinert played Nottingham. It was Eric and his family that took me on my first ski trip to the Poconos back in our early teen years. So when I look back, it was probably that experience that planted the first tiny seed that grew in to my desire to be in the snowy mountains.

The first thing I did when I arrived in Salt Lake was to drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon to see how the snow last night affected the Snowbird and Alta ski resorts. Temperature wise, it was a mild day in the valley but it quickly cooled to the low 30s on my way to the resorts and cars coming down the canyon road in the opposite direction had almost a foot of snow on their roofs. I love the feeling of being in the mountains in winter. Tall snow covered mountains, blue skies and trees flocked in a heavy white. Even though the ski season doesn’t officially start until late November, there were plenty of skiers in the parking lot willing to skin or hike their way up to the top for the reward of being able to make perfect and solitary turns in knee to waist deep fresh snow, away from all of the people that the regular season brings.

It was now lunchtime and there is a place that I seek out every time I come to SLC, the Lone Star Taqueria. Lone Star makes some of the best fish tacos that I’ve ever had. They start with lightly fried Cod placed on two white corn tortillas and then top that with cabbage, tomato and onions and a wedge of lime. On the side is a small container of a mayo based sauce that has a late, mild heat of jalapeno peppers. It’s quite simple but just the right combination of flavors. Pair that with a DOS Equis and you’ve got one helluva meal!

From there, I drove Interstate 80 to have a peek at Park City and The Canyons. Not quite as much snow as in Little Cottonwood Canyon but snow nonetheless. I stopped in at Wasatch Brewery on Main Street in Park City to sample a Polygamy Porter. With a slogan like “bring some home for the wives”, I thought it was only fitting to try one while in Utah.

I arrived at Eric’s house just in time for dinner and to meet his fiance Laura. Eric also had an ex-coworker from NJ over for dinner as well. She was in town to do research on her family tree at the Family History Library, the largest genealogy database in the world. We stayed up until around midnight catching up on the past 20+ years.

Thursday, October 28^th, 2010

I got some laundry going in the morning and I dropped off my car to have the oil changed, the second time in less than two months. Eric and I drove up into Big Cottonwood Canyon to see some more snow at Solitude and Brighton. Eric really has a passion for skiing. We pulled over along side of this one road and we passed the binoculars back and forth as he was pointing out some of the places that he had gone backcountry skiing, and at the same time he was scoping out new spots. Some of the chutes and bowls he is riding gave me the willies just thinking about what it would be like looking down on some of these runs with your ski tips dangling out into the air. I’m definitely not at his level of skiing, but should get a lot closer with a full season under my belt. We grabbed some lunch at a diner and just hung out for the rest of the day. We cooked up some of the best burgers I’ve had for dinner. They were Rufus burgers. Rufus was a deer that Eric “acquired” last month and this guy was delicious! After dinner, Eric, Laura, myself and their friends Floyd and Lisa went out for a couple beers at the Hogwallow bar to watch some live music. All in all, a good day.

Friday, October 29^th, 2010

I took my third shower in three days this morning which might be a record. I hung out for a while and then unloaded a portion of the trunk before repacking it again to put some order and organization back to my car. It’s easy to pull things out of bags and toss them around when in a hurry, but when you’re living out of a car, disorganization quickly leads to frustration.

I drove a little over four hours today, straight up I-15 North and am currently in Idaho Falls relaxing at a Barnes & Noble. It’s a bit of a weird place and I’m not talking about the bookstore. I met someone while riding in Moab who said I wouldn’t miss anything if I didn’t check out Idaho Falls, she was absolutely correct. I don’t know if I’m going to stay here tonight or just get back on the road? I don’t need any more weirdness rubbing off on me.

Anyway, here’s my shout out to Eric and Laura for letting me crash with them. I had a great time and hopefully I get a chance to ride some deep stuff with them this winter!

Salt Lake City has probably moved into first position for possible relocation, for several reasons. The proximity to so much great skiing is hard to beat anywhere. House prices are the most reasonable so far. SLC has probably the best prospects for landing a job and I have two great contacts there already.

Day 46 - Bryce Canyon, Utah

Tuesday, October 26^th, 2010

Map of Bryce Canyon

Last night I entered Bryce Canyon National Park at around 9pm. The sign at the gate said that there were campsites available at the north campground. When I got to the campsite entrance, I got out of the car and picked up a reservation envelope. It was cold and there was already snow on the entrance sign. Picking a campsite works by way of the honor system. You take an envelope and proceed to find an empty spot that you want for setting up camp. The you write down information on the envelope like your license plate #, which campsite you chose and how many nights you plan to stay. Put cash or a check in the envelope ($15/night) and return to the entrance to place the envelope in a locked box. Before placing the envelope in the box, tear off a stub and place it on the post in front of your campsite. I chose my campsite but since it was getting late and was quite cold already with a chance of snow, I slept in my car.

When I woke up, my windows were frozen on the inside from my respiration. The temperature dropped down to 26F so it was a little chilly, even in the car. Apparently, Bryce Canyon because of its location and high altitude has 200 days of below freezing temperatures. It’s actually one of the highest areas in the Colorado Plateau. I turned on the heat to defrost my front and rear windows and then proceeded to the visitor’s center to get a map of the park. I drove to Bryce Point at the end of the park and figured that I would work my way back. I hiked the Bryce Point trail which connects to a looped trail named Peekaboo and then exits via the same Bryce Point trail. The entire hike was an easy five miles on smooth trails. It started at the top with a spectacular view looking down on the amphitheater of fins, spires, ridges, pillars, balanced rocks and hoodoos. The Paiute Native Americans believed the hoodoos were actually people that were turned to stone by coyotes with magical powers. The trail meandered back and forth, just like any other trail working its way down the side of a steep mountain side. Once at the bottom and looking up, these formations took on a completely different perspective. I would compare it to taking a helicopter ride to view the NYC skyline and then walking the streets and looking up at the same tall buildings from the ground. The landscape here is different like no other. There are thousands of these strangely formed, almost unlikely and improbable structures jutting straight up from the ground like flagpoles. In reality, it’s just a natural process of erosion by wind and water that slowly breaks apart the rock, one pebble, stone or boulder at a time. This canyon is a delicate one and always in the process of changing. Even though I was only there a short time, it was not uncommon to see small pieces of rock dislodge themselves and roll downhill across the trail in front of me. Some trails were closed due to rock slides. Not only were the formations fascinating but the colors seemed to be amplified by the sun. There were various shades of reds and grays, alternating in their horizontal layers. The red colors come from the presence of Iron and other trace minerals. The grays appear from the limestone layers and from the absence of Iron. Iron being the heaviest of the elements, filters out of the rock more quickly than the others, taking with it its red color, of course over millions of years. There are also other elements like Manganese and Magnesium which contribute some hints of blues and greens. As I was walking out of the canyon, the sun hit the rocks in such a way that it turned some of them bright orange, almost as if they were somehow illuminated from the inside. There were more trails to hike and other observation platforms to see Bryce Canyon from, but even as spectacular as these formations were, it was my opinion that they are all just different variations of the same thing. I spent about six hours here and then decided to move on.

I pulled out some maps and planned on heading in the direction of Salt Lake City. Most of the drive was pretty uneventful. I passed through small town after even smaller town, all having the look of being stuck forty years in the past. I could see snow caps off in the distance. I was a bit tired and didn’t feel like driving the 260 miles all at once so I'm going to try to find a place to crash somewhere between Provo and Orem. The good thing is that many of the mountains are already almost completely covered in snow!

Tomorrow I’ll make it the rest of the way to Salt Lake City. I know of a place that serves great fish tacos! Someone from Barnes and Noble just said it was snowing outside so I went out for a look. Snow and fish tacos tomorrow, what could be better?

Day 44 – Angels Landing - Zion National Park, Utah

Sunday, October 24^th, 2010

Here's a link to a map of Zion National Park.

I hopped on board the free shuttle this morning around 9:30 and rode it to the Grotto stop. This stop along the six mile canyon road provides access to the Grotto and Kayenta trails, both of which I did yesterday, and the most well known trail at Zion National Park, Angels Landing. Angels Landing was closed yesterday for repair work so today was my chance to see it for myself.

Today was mostly overcast and fairly cool, in the upper 50s. An extra layer of clothing was needed this morning but it was quickly shed once I began walking. The Zion brochure ranks Angels landing in the strenuous hike category with a total round trip distance of 5.4 miles and a 1,488’ elevation gain. This trail probably gets its notoriety from the amazing 360 panoramic views at the summit but also because of the many lives that have been lost here, the most recent being this past April. It’s a plenty safe hike to do if you are careful and aware of your surroundings; however, some people unfortunately are not.

The trail is fairly steep but it’s paved a good portion of the way. It zig-zags back and forth as it winds its way up the high rock walls. There is one section called Walter’s Wiggles where the trail switchbacks 21 times, with not more than 20 paces before it again changes direction, almost 180 degrees. After Walter’s Wiggles, the next significant milestone is Scout Lookout. This is where many people, even with the best intentions of summiting Angels Landing, have their first peak at what lies ahead and decide to turn around. The end of Angels Landing is only 0.5 miles from Scout Lookout, but it is also the most challenging. The path to the top at 5,785’ is littered with obstacles such as boulders to maneuver over and around, slippery sandstone slopes and narrow paths, in some places only 3-4 feet wide, separating you from 1,200’ near vertical drop offs on either side. In recent years, trail crew have installed heavy gauge chains as a safety device in some of the more dangerous sections, even still, this is not for anyone fearful of heights.

I made it to the top and it wasn’t as bad as some people have made it out to be. I videotaped the last 0.5 miles from Scout Lookout to the top of Angels Landing so hopefully sometime soon I will have access to a fast internet connection to upload the file. It was definitely a trail worth hiking and just about anyone can do it if they’re careful and they don’t get freaked out by being on the edge of some very steep cliffs.

I decided to only do one hike today. After Angels Landing, I drove back to the town of Hurricane which I passed through on my way from Vegas to Zion. I remembered a Wal-Mart being there and I was running low on supplies. Things like batteries, energy bars, cookies, peanut butter and crackers, cans of chili, pudding, you know, all the good stuff that doesn’t go bad without refrigeration. While driving to Wal-Mart I found a public grounds area where I saw a few tents set up so I will go and check that out later tonight. It looks a little sandy but there are plenty of trees and it’s right on the edge of the river.

Tomorrow morning I am planning on doing the Observation Point trail via the East Rim trail. It's eight miles and should take about five hours. After that I think I will be on my way to Bryce Canyon.

Day 32 – Canyonlands, Newspaper Rock - Utah

Tuesday, October 12^th, 2010

Another night in Moab. I went to the McDonalds for breakfast, to work on the blog and catch up on some emails. I was there the night before and found that they had free wifi, a flat screen tv on the main wall with sofa and chairs and another tv in the corner. I spent the evening surfing the internet and glancing back and forth between the Monday Night Jet’s vs Viking’s game and Fox News.

Today I was going to explore Canyonlands National Park, about 30 miles southwest of Moab. Canyonlands has three distinct sections; Islands in the Sky, Needles and the Maze, each sculpted and carved by the waters of the Colorado and Green Rivers. The park covers 527.5 square miles and unfortunately each section is too far away from the others to be able to do them all in one day. I decided to focus on Islands in the Sky, which sits atop a 1500’ broad and level mesa from which it gets its name, and overlooks giant, steep canyons and the two rivers. When the sky is clear, views up to 100 miles are not uncommon. The Needles and the Maze sections were also visible from Islands in the Sky and the views of them were good enough from here to not warrant driving 150 miles to see them in their own designated section of the park. I thought about camping at the bottom of the canyon for the night. I wanted to take my Subaru down there, via the Shafer trail, but the park ranger said it was a 65 mile long, uneven dirt road that takes about 2 days to make it all the way around and back out, and there were no camp sites available. After seeing the Canyonlands, my expectations are elevated of what to expect from the Grand Canyon! It was now almost 3pm and I wanted so start making my way south as I was spending too many nights in Moab.

I heard of a neat place outside of Monticello, Utah, about 60 miles south of Moab, which features one of the largest known collections of petroglyphs, so I went in that direction. I arrived at the Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument around 4:30pm and one of the rocks, a 200 square foot sandstone cliff was visible from the road. This rock was covered by hundreds of ancient Indian carvings and is one of the largest and best preserved samples in the southwest. It is estimated that these date back almost 2,000 years, from B.C. to 1300 A.D. I could’ve hiked around for a few hours to see more but I was getting tired and hungry. Although interesting, I figured the other carvings would have been more of the same.

I headed into the town of Monticello to get a bite to eat but the only options were Subway and a pizza shop. I continued on to Blanding, White Mesa and then to Bluff. Amazingly, the further I went, the smaller and smaller the towns became. The town of Bluff consisted of small café and a trading post, which just happened to be closed. I think the only reason for these towns to exist is to offer overpriced gasoline at $3.20.

I pulled out a map and tried to devise a plan. The next town before venturing into the Navajo Indian Reservation was Mexican Hat. If there wasn’t anything there, I was going to drive to Flagstaff, AZ, about 190 miles away. I have heard that Indian Reservations and the Military are similar in that they abide by their own laws. I wasn’t going pull off to the side of the road to sleep and run the risk of answering to a Navajo lawman. I was either going to stay in Mexican Hat or have another 4 hours of driving ahead of me. There was nothing in Mexican Hat, except for another overpriced gas station. Good think I filled up in Moab.

I crossed over the San Juan River and into Navajo territory. There was nothing around except reddish, clay-like mounds, some of which rose hundreds of feet above the ground. But really, there was nothing there. I had lost my cell signal back as far as Blanding, and Blanding was metropolitan compared to where I was. About two hours through the reservation, I came to a town called Tuba City. I needed gas and the price was down to $2.89, a real bargain. I was approached by an older gentleman who had no money and was thumbing it from California on his way to New Mexico. He was looking for a dollar or two for a cup of coffee so I took him inside and bought him a coffee, Gatorade, sandwich and a bag of chips. I almost had a road companion when I left the gas station. Not the guy I just mentioned, but a 9-12 month old, abandoned, friendly yellow lab who was eating scraps from a garbage can. If only I had some more room in the car. I felt bad leaving that little guy behind to fend for himself.

Somewhere along the way, I crossed the line into Pacific Standard Time. I finally reached Flagstaff, AZ at about 10:30pm, with the time change it was technically only 9:30pm. I was ready for sleep and found a dimly lit residential street to call home for the night.

Mileage Update: 4,676.9

Day 31 – Little Wild Horse Canyon, UT

Monday, October 11th, 2010

It was chilly this morning with temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s. I waited until about 8:30 for the sun to rise over the rock cove to evaporate the dew that had formed on the tent during the night. While I was waiting, I fired up the stove to boil water for hot tea to have with my blueberry pop-tarts.
After I was all packed up and ready to go, I drove the approximate 3 miles back to Little Wild Horse Canyon. I wasn't able to do this hike yesterday due to the lack of time. Little Wild Horse Canyon is a slot canyon and a place recommended to see by my friend Chris in Aspen. Slot canyons are narrow canyons formed by water rushing through rock. They are significantly deeper than they are wide and they are predominantly found in areas with low rainfall amounts. The state of Utah has the largest concentrations of slot canyons in the world and Little Wild Horse is most popular slot canyon in the San Rafael Swell, the northwest corner of the Colorado Plataeu.
I arrived at the trailhead around 9:30 and struck up a conversation with Mark, a Moab local who was out for a hike with his Whippet, Hope. The total length of this hike is eight miles. The initial ½ mile leads from the parking lot into the beginning of the canyon. I hiked with Mark and his dog and he told me a story about this guy who was hiking in one of the nearby canyons. Apparently, his arm became wedged between the canyon wall and a big boulder that had shifted, pinning him in place. After several days without food, water or help, he decided his only option was to cut off his own arm to free himself. I had heard this story before, I just didn’t know it happened somewhere local to Utah. The real danger behind slot canyons are actually from flash flooding but there was no chance of rain today.
Upon completion of the first ½ mile, we came to a “T” in the path. From here, the trail is basically a 7.5 mile loop, which eventually leads right back to the "T". Since Mark had his dog with him, he decided to go straight while I turned right to go into the slot canyon. The canyon started out fairly wide and then slowly narrowed and narrowed until some sections were just wide enough to go in sideways. I came to a section, only about 15 feet long, that the floor was covered with reddish, silty water. I had waterproof boots on but I took them off to walk barefoot, just in case. It only looked a few inches deep but once I got in the water was about 3 inches over my knees, and it was COLD! I squeegeed off my wet feet with my hands and put my socks and boots back on. I made it maybe another 100 yards and came across a boulder as big as me that had fallen from above and lodged itself between the walls of the canyon. I probably could have made it over the boulder, but after hearing the one-armed climber story, being rather attached to all of my appendages and being alone, I decided to turn back and go the way Mark and his dog went. I was kind of bummed because the slot canyon section was the part I had really wanted to see, and I had only seen about 1/10 of it.
After about 2 miles or so, I caught up with Mark. We ended up walking together again and were going to continue the last 2 miles along the trail to where it connected with the other side of the slot canyon. When we got to the slot canyon section, we decided to finish the loop together. The last 3.5 miles through the slot canyon were pretty amazing. Thousands of years of fast flowing water carved out smooth canyon walls that zig-zagged left, then right and back left again. There were human sized rocks to boulder over, steep drops to navigate down, narrow gaps to squeeze through and deep water sections to either walk through or attempt to “wall walk” over them. We took turns passing the baton (dog) back and forth once one of us passed a difficult section.
We finished the eight mile hike and were back to the car in about 4.5 hours. I’m glad to have seen the entire slot canyon. Without it, it would’ve been just another hike. There are many other slot canyons in Utah, Arizona and southern California as well as other parts of the world. If you are ever near one, go and have a look for yourself. It’s worth it.
My next planned stop is going to be Canyonlands National Park, back in the direction of Moab, about 110 miles from where I just came from yesterday. I heard there is not much out near Canyonlands as far as gas and food are concerned, so I decided that I would just stay another night in Moab. Moab has turned out to be a nice little, centrally located town from which to venture off from.
Tomorrow is Canyonlands and then I plan on heading further south in the direction of the Grand Canyon. I may detour along the way if something looks interesting.

More Pictures of Little Wild Horse Canyon



Mileage update: 4,184.3 miles

Day 30 – Goblin Valley State Park, UT

Sunday, October 10^th, 2010

After a good nights rest in Moab I meandered over to the Subway / gas station to start the day with some breakfast and coffee. Today I was going to go to Goblin Valley State Park and then on to Little Wild Horse Canyon. Goblin Valley was a 110 mile drive west from Moab. Luckily, Little Wild Horse Canyon was only a few minutes away from Goblin Valley.

About half way to Goblins I couldn't resist pulling over at a truck stop in Green River to take a shower. For $7.00, I got my own bathroom, a clean towel and a bar of soap, neither of these have I seen in the past 4 days. I took my time and enjoyed every last drop of that clean water.

I got back on I-70W for the last hours drive. There was a $7.00 entrance fee to get into the park. The only road inside the park is probably no longer than a mile. Along the way, you can see a few sculptures here and there but the main show is seen from the parking lot and beyond. Once there, you get to look out over a valley of thousands of natural sand/mud/rock formations, most of which stand only 15-20 feet tall. Surrounding this valley are tall, almost vertical, steep walls with more of the same structures, only higher. It’s almost like a partially enclosed stadium. If you let your imagination wander, like when you try to make objects out of clouds, you can see some distinct human (or goblin) resemblances. I walked around for about an hour and came to the conclusion that Mother Nature has an interesting sense of humor.

Next, I made my way over to Little Wild Horse Canyon, which is supposed to be a slot canyon. I arrived at the entrance around 3:30pm. This was not a state run park so there were no fees to be paid. At the beginning of the hiking path there was a sign that stated it would take 4-6 hours to complete the eight mile loop, and that the trail is not well marked. Even if I was able to do it in four hours, I wouldn’t make it back to the car before it was dark. I decided to wait until morning and look for a spot to camp for the night.

On my way to Little Wild Horse I had observed some dirt roads, off of the main dirt road, that looked like they lead to the base of what could be the back of Goblins. Since I was now looking for a camping spot, I put my Subaru into low gear and took one of these bumpy and rocky roads which eventually ended at a great, secluded camp sight. I had everything set up by 5 pm, by far the earliest so far and maybe the first time setting up my tent in daylight? I finally had some time to relax, so I played some guitar, read a little and then cooked dinner. Someone had even left a bundle of wood so I got to sit by a fire for a few hours.

There was no one around for miles, the air was perfectly still and there was a complete absence of sound. The sky is amazingly dark in the desert and the abundance of all of the stars makes it seem as if you were watching them from inside a planetarium. The big dipper was sitting almost on the horizon and was bigger than I had ever seen it before. If you’re into astronomy, the middle of the desert is the place to be.

Day 29 – Arches National Park, UT

Saturday, October 9^th, 2010

I woke up around 8am and the sun was already out, as is usually the case in the desert. I took a trail that was maybe 50 yards away from my campsite that lead to the “Broken Arch”. It was about a mile long, round trip and meandered through small brush and sandy paths, carefully marked so as to not disturb the wildlife. It was already hot outside. The thermometer in my car read 67F but in the sun it felt more like 90.

I was having some breakfast back at my tent when the rangers came by on a golf cart and said that check-out is 10am. It was already 10:25. I thought that was an unusually early check-out time, at least compared to everywhere I’ve stayed so far, but rules are rules, so I quickly packed up and was on my way again.

There is one main entrance into Arches National Park. My recently purchased Annual National Parks Pass got me in without a fee. I was able to see some great sandstone formations as I was coming in the night before as the sun was setting on my way to the campground. Today was going to be the day for exploring. I pulled my car over at several little hiking trails along the way, no more than a mile each, but my favorite and probably the most popular hike was to the famous “Delicate Arch”. The trail was a 3 mile round trip hike to a 52ft freestanding natural arch surrounded by an amphitheater setting. Delicate Arch is the most widely recognized landmark in Arches National Park and is depicted on the Utah license plates, at least the ones that don't say "Greatest Snow on Earth".

I spent a good part of the day driving and hiking Arches. The sights were amazing. Arches National Park was designated a national monument in 1929 and was re-designated a national park in 1971. It is home to more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches and covers 119 square miles. No, I didn't see it all. The park lies on top of a huge salt bed, thousands of feet thick in some places, which set the stage for the rise of the arches, fins, spires, etc. The salt layers were left from an evaporated sea that flowed through the area some 300 million years ago. Over millions of years later, sedimentary debris was deposited over the sand beds. The enormous weight of the top layers caused the salt below to liquefy and thrust up layers of rock into salt domes. Time, wind and water have gradually eroded and shaped these domes into what is visible today. I highly recommend visiting Arches National Park.

My next leg of the trip is either going to be Canyonlands National Park (~30 miles south) or Little Wild Horse and Goblin Valley (100 miles north). I was tired from hiking in the sun all day and I needed gas for the car. Not sure if there would be any gas stations where I was headed, I went back to Moab to refuel. I ate dinner at the Moab Diner. I was brought in by a sign stating “Best Green Chili in Utah”. I had a bowl of that and a side of Sweetwater potatoes (thick potato cuts with bacon, diced green onion, bell peppers and smothered in cheese). Fantastic!

It was already getting late so I figured I would stay the night in Moab and then decide where to go in the morning.

More pictures of Arches National Park

Day 28 - Moab, UT

Friday, October 8^th, 2010

I had found a quiet, dark neighborhood street to park my car on and sleep for the night. Little did I know that there was a high school two blocks away and was awaken by its band practicing outside at 7am. In some parts of NJ, gunshots would’ve surely followed. Since I was now up with no chance of going back to sleep I decided to explore Moab.

Moab is another tourist driven town. When driving down its Main Street you quickly realize that the five main businesses are either gas stations, hotels, adventure tours (mtn biking, climbing, rafting, jeep tours, etc.), souvenirs (t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers) and food and beverage, in no particular order. Trucks are big here; big tires, lift kits, skeletonized frames with extra gas containers strapped to the side. These big boy toys are almost more common than a regular truck in town. Off-roading is a popular thing to do here in Moab.

What Moab is really known for though, is its mountain biking. It’s a mountain biking destination known throughout the world. It would be a sin if I didn't do some riding before I left. After breakfast I saw some signs for the Slick Rock trail and followed a train of cars with mountain bikes strapped on top, on the back and even to the sides. The parking lot was almost full. There must have been some professional riders there because they had their own support trailers, complete with bike mechanics and portable bike shop. As I was getting ready I met three Moab locals, Tommy, Jen and Melinda. Tommy approached me after seeing my NJ license plates and asked if I had ever ridden Slickrock before. I told him that I just got into Moab last night and followed the first trail sign I saw. He told me that they had been training for the past two months to ride Slickrock. Apparently, on a difficulty scale of 1-5, Slickrock is rated at 5+. Had I known this before I was already straddling my bike, I may have searched for another trail. But I was already here, ready to ride and up for a challenge. I ended up riding with them for the entire day. I was, from that point on, referred to as “Jersey”.

Slickrock trail is only 12 miles long but it was like no other 12 miles I have ever ridden. First off, it’s all rock so you don’t want to crash too hard. It had everything you could ask for, bone rattling downhills, quad shredding uphills and everything in between. I watched plenty of advanced riders fly over their handlebars, followed by a quick glance-back to see how many people were watching and then a hand raise signaling no major injuries. Moab is a place where $5,000+ full suspension mountain bikes are the norm and I was riding an old school hard tail. Let’s just say that I got plenty of nods and respect for riding Slick Rock on what nowadays would be considered a kidney busting dinosaur.

The 12 miles took several hours to complete. We took breaks when we needed to, and we needed to take breaks. By the end of the ride we were all physically spent. Afterwards, they invited me to join them for “the best burger in town”. Moab is a small town so I was careful not to raise my expectations too high but after that ride, even a mediocre burger sounded great. We went to Milt’s Stop and Eat, a local joint packed with hungry mountain bikers. I ordered a mushroom and swiss buffalo burger, fries and a chocolate malt shake. I wouldn’t call it the best burger I’ve ever had, but surprisingly I would put it in the top five, or maybe I was just hungry? I had a great time both riding some fantastic trails and meeting some cool people that didn’t mind me tagging along for the day.

I left around 6pm and headed straight for Arches National Park and got there just as the sun was setting. I drove almost all of the way to the end of the park and was greeted by a sign that said “Campground Full, No Occupancy”. My karma must have been strong today because when I walked into the ranger’s office to ask if there were any other places to camp, an older lady came out and said she just had a cancellation a few minutes ago. I got the last spot in the park. I set up my tent in the dark and unzippered the top vent revealing a mesh screen to watch the stars. I was wiped out and ready for sleep at 8pm, but it was well worth it.

Day 27 – Gunnison, Co -> Tulluride, CO -> Moab, UT

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

After a semi comfortable, semi uncomfortable sleep in my car due to the thunderstorms that came through the night before, I woke up parked directly across the street from the Gunnison County Sherrif's house. The first thing I did was to check my front windshield for a ticket. Luckily there wasn’t one so I quickly repositioned everything in my car and hit the road.

Shortly after leaving Gunnison, the scenery changed from large mountains and tall trees to smaller hills and short, stubby trees, bushes and grasses. This region had a desert like feel to it. I drove along the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado’s largest body of water and the largest Kokanee Salmon fishery in the United States. If I had known that at the time I might have stopped and dropped in a line?

From within about 2 hours from Telluride, I saw the outline of the San Juan mountain range. Beautiful, tall, jagged, snow covered peaks could be seen from the distance. I drove through the town of Montrose, still 1.5 hours from Telluride but it was the most populated (~15,000) town I’ve come across since leaving Colorado Springs and the Denver area. Montrose has very affordable housing, decent conveniences and from the look of it, an ok jobs outlook. But, it’s still 1.5 hours from Telluride.

The views of the San Juan Mountains just got better and better the closer I got to Telluride. There is not much around Telluride for miles and miles. From the moment I arrived, I knew this is the type of place that would be my ultimate destination. The quaint town of Telluride is nestled down in a valley with tall, nearly vertical mountains surrounding it. This is what I think of when I picture the perfect ski town in my head. I walked around town for a few hours to get a feel for the layout. Its Main Street was lined bars and restaurants, recreational outfitters, clothing stores and the typical resort souvenir shop. People were out and about even though there was a light drizzle from above. Although there was some snow on some of the peaks, there was no snow to report on the ski hills. The gondola was running in the background, likely taking bikers to the top for some downhill action. I would classify the entire town, a ski in/ski out town. Affordability in Telluride is another story. Intrigued at how one might manage to make a living in here, I stopped in to one of the mountaineering stores and started a conversation with a guy behind the counter. He said that it basically takes 3 jobs just to get by. Jobs are hard to find and it’s usually a hotel job or something in the food and beverage industry. However, even though you have to sacrifice the means needed to make a living; this would be living at its finest! If my bank account had an additional one or two zero’s tacked on at the end, I would have already started the process of changing my address. I would have stayed in town a little longer but there was another thunderstorm on its way so I grabbed two local newspapers and headed for my car.

I set the GPS for Moab, Utah and started driving. Most of the way there, the landscape was desolate but soon I was in the middle of some large canyons. I don’t think I saw more than 20 cars in the 3-4 hours that it took, and lucky for me, I had a full gas tank because there were no gas stations either. The drive was nice and I was treated to some very energetic lightning storms. I arrived in Moab, UT around 9:30pm. Immediately I was back in civilization and I liked it. It had started raining again, so I found a quiet, dark street, rearranged my car and went to sleep.