Some hiking instead of biking - Days + 1 - 4: around Moab

Schafer Canyon in Canyonlands National Park

Just in case you've been wondering where we got to on the last few days before we flew home after we surrendered our bikes.

View of Salt Wash from I-70 on the way to Green River

Saturday - it was raining cats and dogs all day. A short walk in the rain got us to the Enterprise Car Rental place in Cedar City. We considered seeing a movie at the cinema rather than hitting the wet roads in a downpour but decided to brave the weather instead and ended up at Green River for the night on the I-70 on the way to Moab. We got the last room available at the Budget Inn, the overflow room in a hallway in a dodgy part of the motel. Steve thought we might be in the middle of a meth den. I think he's been watching too much Breaking Bad.

Still in eating when biking mode, we over-shopped for dinner at the grocery store and had food leftover for breakfast.

Beer of the day: Uinta Wyld Extra Pale Ale.

Petroglyphs at Wolfe Ranch - Arches NP

Sunday - After filling up on the free continental breakfast at the Budget Inn (we couldn't get ourselves out of this over-eating mode), we drove out East directly into the rain storm, came out the other side and ended up in Arches National Park. Despite the questionable weather, there was still a multitude of tourists in the park. After checking in at the Visitor Centre to see if all the trails were open we legged it out to Wolfe Ranch so we could get a parking spot and hiked out to Delicate Arch. This trail was like Pitt Street, with lots of tourists in inappropriate footwear walking all over the slick rock. Still, it was worth the hike.

Hiking to Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch

The ledge you walk along to Delicate Arch

Next stop, Devils Garden Trailhead to hike out to Double O. We made it past Landscape Arch which was huge and had just started up the steeper portion of slick rock when the thunder and grey skies behind us made us turn around. We probably could have kept going as the storm ended up going around us but I just didn't want to get stuck up on the slick rock in the wet as I only had my running shoes with me and they didn't have much traction. It would have been a slippery slide getting back down if it had rained as the primitive trail on the other side of the loop was flooded out from the overnight rain.

The impressive Landscape Arch

Hiking up the slick rock trying to get to Double O

On the way out we checked out Pine Arch, Skyline Arch, South and North Windows and Turret Arch.

Pine Arch

Skyline Arch

From underneath you can see where the last chunk or rock came off Skyline Arch

Rocks, mountains and mesas

Double Arch

Double Arch

South and North Windows

Looking thru Turret Arch to North Window

Turret Arch

View thru South Window

Standing in South Window

Arches is a nice, smallish National Park with lots of cool, thick red rock formations, windows and arches, and fat fins and spires but there are just way too many people there for my liking.

In Moab, we headed straight for the Moab Brewery (of course), sat at the bar, downed a couple of beers and had an early dinner followed by some of their yummy gelato.

Beer of the Day: Moab's Derailleur Ale.

After this it was straight to Gearheads to find me some hiking boots so we could take on a longer hike tomorrow. Then we checked in at the Inca Inn - no more camping in the rain for us!

Monday - we made the 60 minute drive out to The Islands in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park. This park is huge and extensive with so much area to explore either on hiking trails, by 4wd or by mountain bike. With only 1 day to explore the park, we opted to hike the 10.8 mile Murphy Loop which took us down the cliff side with its panoramic views over the White Rim to Murphy Wash. We hiked through the dry wash for 2.7 miles, then up the dirt White Rim Road for 1.3 miles with views over the wash and out to the valleys and buttes below. In the distance we could see a mean storm coming our way.

Ummm, maybe this hike isn't such a good idea

Finding the obscure path by following the stone cairns

Finally getting below the fog

Covered in clouds

Hiking thru Murphy Wash before the storm

Desert landscape

View of Murphy Wash from the top of the Mesa

Our exit point is at the top of the V in the cliff face

Yep, there is a path to the top somewhere in the V

Hiking up White Rim Road

Soon we hit the site of the Murphy Campground which had a drop toilet outhouse. We watched the storm approaching as we scoffed our lunch down, trying to decide whether to push on or take shelter in the toilet. Bright flashes of lightening were striking the buttes through the dark sky and loud claps of thunder promptly followed so we decided to stay put for a while.

Watching the storm roll in from the campground

Sheltering in the camp toilet

Rain and hail thru the toilet door

It turned out to be a good decision as the wind came up, the rain came down hard and it started to hail. We were cheering because we were warm and dry hiding in the toilet, and had made the right decision to hike through the wash first before the storm hit.

Eventually the storm passed over and we hiked over the Hogback following the tail end of the storm. The Hogback was completely out in the open. Low shrub covered the sandy floor which was now full of red puddles and clumps of hail on the top of the mesa. From the Hogback we had great views of the Green River and Candlestick Tower.

View of Green River and White Rim from the Hogback

We legged it out and up the cliff hoping to stay dry. By the time we got to the top of the cliff the sky was blue again above us. The weather here just changes so fast! We were stoked that we fit this hike in and that my brand new hiking boots did the job, only giving me a slightly sore pinky toe but absolutely no blisters.

Making our way out

Finally we have blue skies

I loved the vast expansiveness of Canyonlands, the feeling that you are such a small and insignificant part of this rugged land and the complete solitude you could potentially find out here. On our 5 hour hike, we only saw one other group of four hikers, a mountain biker and one 4wd.

Schafer Canyon

We figured our hike today justified another feed and another round of beer at Moab Brewery.

Beer of the day: Moab Desert Select Series Scottish Ale (pairs really well with their Jalapeño corn bread!)

Tuesday - this journey ends with the drive from Moab to Salt Lake City Airport for our flight back to Houston, stopping for breakfast in the historic town of Provo en-route. It was a sad day.

From our last few days of driving through Utah, we can definitely attest to the fact that you most certainly absorb more of your surroundings from the saddle of your bicycle rather than from the seat of your car. From a car, there is a much more pronounced detachment from what appears outside your window, a certain de-sensitisation to the scenery that flashes by you in the blink of an eye.

From your bicycle you have so much more time to contemplate the view ahead of you and beside you - seeing an object from miles and miles away, your appreciation growing more and more the closer and closer you get, the extra time, slower pace and lack of barriers playing a major role in your awareness of your surroundings.

I miss traveling by bike. I miss Miss Lacksadaisy.

Beer of the day: Rock Bottom Brewery Red Ale

 

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