Friday the thirteenth we made it to Moab, Utah, a busy town with bike races, runners, triathlons, and all manner of general hikers, those with ATVs, and of course, the camera junkies like us.  We are lucky to have found a RV camp a few miles out of town, with the red rocks on one side and the Colorado River flowing on the other.  Even though it’s very dry, the grass and poplars in the camp make this place feel lush.

We headed straight out to Dead Horse Point Park, a spectacular canyon area with a troubling history.  It’s name comes from the tale cowboys would herd mustangs up to the narrow point 2000 feet above the Colorado River.  They would box them in with brush to cut out the best horses.  Then, as the story goes, they would leave the rest corralled to die of thirst with the river in sight at the bottom of the steep cliff.  Hopefully, just a good yarn…

The vistas were the best we’ve seen so far—how can they keep getting better??  The turquoise lakes were really that blue!  

As we were leaving, hikers caught our eye as they stood on the edge of a point.

Saturday we chilled.  We spent a few hours doing the final planning for the second portion of our trip up through Yellowstone and in to Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, where we’ll catch up with some college friends.  

The afternoon was perfect weather to ride our bikes into town then out the bike path toward Arches National Park.  We didn't make it any farther than the gate. The road to the arches involved a long Lance Armstrong-grade hill.  We’re taking the car first thing in the morning, thank you!

On the way back to town I watched kids scrambling up and down the local "surf zone"... a huge open-faced sand slope.  

Then, just before our RV park, we spotted this massive red rock looming ahead.  Are we in Shiprock, NM or Moab?  I swear that looks like the bow of a destroyer coming right at us!

More from the Arches tomorrow.

Alberta