Moab / Arches National Park - April 9-11, 2010

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Kathleen and Brian are going to BYU-Idaho. We love it EVEN MORE that they make an event out of the beginning or end of a semester and go adventuring with us. This time, we went to Moab and Arches National Park to mountain bike and hike.

(Moab/Arches tip #1 - Charge all your batteries before leaving
home. **A few of these photos are mine, but most are Kathleens**)

James checked out a four-man tent from the gear closet at backcountry.com. Because it is early April, we were concerned that the weather might be chilly (last year, it snowed down in Bryce Canyon!). So he checked out an expedition-weight super tent that looks like half of a soccer ball. We got into Moab at 10:30 pm and finally found a campsite at midnight.

(Moab/Arches tip #2 - no matter how early-season you think it is,
reserve a campsite. Otherwise you may have to spend $40 for the last site in a
campground in the middle of Moab - the one without a picnic table)

We had to set up the tent for the first time in the dark. And discovered that this gear-closet version DID NOT HAVE A FOOTPRINT or even a floor!

The rainfly made a good make-shift floor and protected the gear from dirt. But ASAP on Saturday morning, we relocated to a cheaper, prettier, quieter campsite on the Colorado River.

James has a mountain bike that we brought along and we had already reserved a second mountain bike from Poison Spider.

(Moab/Arches tip #3 - if you don't have a mountain bike with the
serious shocks, rent one. And of course, RESERVE it ahead of time!
Oh, and riding gloves are a great idea.)

Kathleen and I were up first for a quick 6-mile ride from inside Arches National Park on the Willow Flats Road out to the trailhead of the Sovereign Single Track that James & Brian were going to ride. It was a perfect day for riding. 70-ish degrees, a few clouds and a good breeze.

We had to turn the fancy rental bike back in at 5 pm, so we stopped by the grocery store and picked up supplies for a hamburger dinner. We drove back into Arches and grilled up some burgers!

(Moab/Arches Tip #4 - It may be a good idea NOT to unload everything
at the campsite. When we were ready to cook dinner, we had the grill and
all the foodstuffs with us in the car and could make dinner anywhere!)

Well, Kathleen rode around the picnic area a bit.

And so did Brian.

James actually did all the grilling - I just set out condiments and tried to keep the napkins and light-stuff from blowing away.

After dinner, we decided to take an evening hike to Delicate Arch. We passed most of the people hiking their way out from the arch. It is 1.5 miles one-way and we made it to the arch just as it began to be really dark. We almost had the arch to ourselves!

We had flashlights and head lamps, but I was the only one to use one. Once we got past the section where I was worried about sprained ankles, I turned it off again. It was so nice to walk in the dark and watch the stars come out.

On Sunday, our only plan was to sleep in as long as we could. Then hike the Devils Garden Trail at the end of the road in Arches. Then get on the road back to SLC before too late.

(Moab/Arches tip #5 - HAVE FUN!)

Early along the trail, James found this unusual rock laying in the dirt. So he picked it up and settled it into the ground like a fence post.

This is what we found on our hike back out!

Brian - flying along!

This picture is here as proof - I WAS NOT ALWAYS the slowest, last hiker on the uphills!

The snowy mountains in the background are the La Sal Mountains and they were such a beautiful backdrop for the red sandstone.
James testing out the stability of this crazy looking boulder.

Hiking along the top of the sandstone 'fin'. Aren't those snowy mountains wonderful!

(Moab/Arches tip #6 - watch closely for wildlife!)

We saw a few lizards:

A few chipmunks:

And Brian:

(Moab/Arches tip #7 - Arches are everywhere!)

The Windows Arches and Turret Arch:

Kathleen at Turret Arch:

Double Arch:

Brian and Kathleen at Delicate Arch:

Brian, Jessi, James & Kathleen at Tunnel Arch:

Pine Tree Arch:

James and Jessi at Landscape Arch:

Part of what used to be Wall Arch: The trail goes right by the gigantic debris. Wall Arch fell in 2008.

Double O Arches:

(Moab/Arches tip #8 - Start planning the next trip - you've got batteries to charge, campsites and mountain bikes to reserve and trails to research! P.S. Sunscreen is MANDATORY)