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Published: August 25th 2008
On Monday, July 28, 2008, we departed Flaming Gorge, Utah and headed to the Moab, Utah area where there are several places we wanted to visit -- Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park.
Shortly after getting underway that morning we noticed the truck was running hot and had to pull over and add water to the radiator, but it was not too long before the truck was running hot again; so again we had to stop, let the truck cool down and add water to the radiator. Over the next few hours this happened several more times until finally we had no more water and were stopped on the side of the road. A very nice couple who lived in the area stopped to see if we needed some help, but we needed water and they had none. We knew without water we could go no further and had to call our road service who had a towing company sent out to tow us to the nearest town which was Price, Utah about 35 miles from where we were stopped. The couple who had stopped decided to wait with us in case we were not
going to be allowed to ride in the tow truck. They said some of the companies in this area will not allow passengers. However, this did not make sense to us because what was the person to do when their vehicle was towed -- stick out their finger and hitch a ride. On one other trip we had to be towed and we were allowed to ride in the tow truck. We were stopped along the side of the road for about three hours and this nice, young couple stayed with us. Finally the tow truck arrived and we were allowed to ride in the tow truck. It was somewhat of a heart-in-throat drive since this was very mountainous terrain and we made quite a long, heavy load with our 14,000 pound 37 foot RV, our truck and the large tow vehicle. I kept my fingers crossed and sometimes my eyes shut and hoped and prayed for the best. We finally arrived in Price, Utah without any mishaps and were taken to an RV park, which was one of those parks that you stay in when you need to, not because it is a really great place to be. It
had turned out to be a long, stressful day and we were happy to just finally be somewhere that we could have dinner, take a hot shower and relax. It was about 6:00 p.m. when we finally arrived at the RV park and it was too late to do anything about our problem that night. Dee had determined that we definitely had a crack in the radiator and that it was going to have to be replaced.
The next morning he found a radiator shop and we were lucky enough that they had the radiator we needed in stock. He went to two other places and they would have to order one and at both places it would take a day to get it to Price. Also, luckily, the RV park owner allowed him to do the work there at the park. There are many RV parks where you are not allowed to do any work on a vehicle. It took him only about an hour and a half to install the new radiator. We decided to stay an extra day at the RV park in Price and have a day to recuperate from the stress of the last
Arches National Park
North and South arches in Windows areatwo days.
On Thursday, July 31, 2008, we departed Price, Utah, again heading to Moab and arrived later that afternoon with no more trouble. This southeast area of Utah is quite beautiful, typically southwest in appearance and so much different from what we are use to seeing in the southeast. We were going to be here longer than we first anticipated as his older brother, Ralph, and sister-in-law, Olga, were coming out to this area also and we planned to spend a few extra days to wait on them. It took them about three or four days longer to arrive in Moab since they also had engine trouble with their motor home -- first, their distributor had to be replaced and then their radiator also started heating up and had to be replaced. They finally arrived on Saturday, August 9, 2008.
Some of the things we saw and did in the Moab area:
Arches National Park where water, ice, extreme temperatures, and underground salt movement have sculptured the scenery and created this land where more than 2,000 natural stone arches ranging in size from a three-foot opening, the minimum considered an arch, to the longest, Landscape
Arch, measuring 306 feet base to base. There are also towering spires, pinnacles, pedestals, and other unusual rock formations and petrified sand dunes. Millions of years ago, this area of Utah was a desert with sand dunes typical in true deserts, but over a period of time, due to weather changes and other natural forces, these sand dunes became petrified. We drove the 48-mile round-trip through many of these spectacular sights, of course, pulling out at many of the viewpoint areas to take photographs and to take in the spectacular scenery. One of he arches that you can see from a viewpoint is Delicate Arch, however to get up close and personal to it, you have to take a hike. Because of the 100+ degree temperature and the fact that we were not prepared to take a hike (not having the proper shoes and no way to transport water with us), we decided to return another day for this hike. However, the day we did return, there were so many people there we could not even get into the parking lot. We, therefore, decided to hike to the Windows Section where you can get close to North Window Arch, South
Arches National Park
Setting sun changes rocks to a deeper red in the Windows area Window Arch and Turret Arch. It was a very enjoyable hike and we got some great photographs. While we were in Moab, Wall Arch collapsed, which is the 12th largest arch in the park. We did not see this arch before or after it collapsed as it is in an area where you need four-wheel drive. This is eventually going to be the fate of all the arches since erosion helped form the arches and erosion eventually causes the arches to collapse.
Dead Horse Point State Park which towers 2,000 feet above the Colorado River. According to one legend Dead Horse Point was once used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa. Cowboys rounded up these horses and herded them across the narrow point of land. This point of land, which is only 30 yards wide, was then fenced off with branches and brush, creating a natural corral surrounded by cliffs. The cowboys chose the horses they wanted, and for some reason, left the other horses corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst. Dead Horse Point is situated on top of a high plateau at an elevation of about 6,000 feet above sea
Arches National Park
Sunset at Windows area level, revealing 300 million years of geologic history. It is another one of those areas where the beautiful work of Mother Nature is definitely visible. We took a walk along Rim Walk where the views from the edge are spectacular. Below, the Colorado River makes a sharp bend through a landscape broken into a series of eroded terraces, pinnacles and buttes and where minute to minute the movement of the sun and of the clouds overhead, playing with light and shadow, shows this landscape in different colors.
Canyonlands National Park which is comprised of three distinct areas -- Island in the Sky (north); the Maze (west); and Needles (east). The only area we visited was Island in the Sky. To enter the Maze area it is recommended you have a four-wheel drive vehicle. We did hope to visit the Needles area, but it was about a 70 mile drive from where we were staying and as it turned out we never did get to see it. Views from Island in the Sky reach from the depths of the Green and Colorado Rivers across canyon after canyon to the horizon 100 miles distant. To the east is the La
Arches National Park
Moon rise at Windows area Sal mountains; to the south is the Abajos mountains; to the southwest is the Henry mountains. In 1869 John Wesley Powell recorded his impressions of the region on his pioneering boat trip down the Green and Colorado Rivers: "We glide along through a strange, weird, grand region. The landscape everywhere, away from the river, is of rock." Canyonlands began more than 300 million years ago with the Colorado and Green Rivers carving their way through sandstone and rock. This erosion created canyons nearly 1,500 feet deep and eventually caused the two rivers to meet, forming Cataract Canyon, one of the wildest canyons for river rafters in the United States. Again, this is another area that Mother Nature provided a wild and beautiful landscape and we spent an enjoyable day exploring and photographing one beautiful spot after another.
Arches, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point were the three major areas we visited. However, we took several scenic drives one of them being Utah Scenic Byway 128 which parallels the Colorado River. On this road we came across Sandy Beach and decided to return the next day, pack a picnic lunch, and swim in the Colorado River. However, the next day
turned out to be a bad-weather day, overcast and raining off and on all day. While driving this paved byway, we took a side trip onto a dirt road to see Fisher Towers another beautiful place to see the terrain of the area. After leaving this byway we took the La Sal Mountain Loop Road. The La Sal Mountains were named by Silvestre Velez de Escalante, a Spanish missionary and explorer who saw them during his expedition through Utah in the summer of 1776. He called them Sierra La Sal, or "Salt Mountains," because he thought it unlikely they could be covered with snow in the summer. However, snow is usually visible on the higher summits well into July. The terrain on this drive was much different than what we had been seeing as it winds its way upward through aspen and fir forests to above 10,000 feet. At the summit you look down on Moab and the Spanish Valley. By the time we reached the summit the weather had worsened and it was raining, blowing, and with a low fog hanging over the top. This weather stayed around for another three days and put a damper on doing much
sightseeing or hiking, especially so because of the flash flood warnings being given for many of the canyons in the area.
Three days after wanting to return to Sandy Beach for a picnic and to swim in the Colorado River, the weather finally turned nice enough to go. However, by now because of the weather, the river was quite stirred up and instead of being clear and cool, it was cloudy with red dirt and somewhat colder. We spent about three hours on the beach and had a picnic lunch of fried chicken and a fruit salad. We did not swim in the river because it no longer looked inviting. After leaving the beach, we drove to Negro Bill Canyon Trail to hike. We had come across this hiking trail on the same day we found Sandy Beach. The canyon is named after William Granstaff, a black prospector and rancher who grazed his cattle in the area during the late 1800s. The trail follows a stream through cottonwood and willow trees, cut off from the desert above by towering cliffs and takes you to a side canyon and Morning Glory Bridge, a natural rock span of 243 feet.
It was about 3:00 p.m. when we arrived at the trail head and about 30 minutes later we started the hike. The first part of the trail parallels a small, fast moving stream and goes through cottonwood and willow trees which provide shade. However, a short time into the hike we came out of the trees and were then hiking in the heat of the afternoon in a very hot sun. The temperature that afternoon was hovering around 100 degrees. It wasn't too long before I knew I was not going to be able to complete this approximately four-mile hike and we decided to turn back. When we returned to the shaded part of the trail, we found a place to sit in the shade by the stream to have a cold drink and cool down before continuing back to the trail head parking area. We had planned on starting this hike later in the afternoon, but because we didn't stay at the beach as long as we anticipated, we started hiking earlier than intended. However, a couple of mornings later Dee went back and hiked this trail. I had decided not to hike it after all. He said it
turned out to be a good idea that I didn't go as it was a more strenuous hike than we thought it was going to be, and even as early as he went, before he was half way through the hike, it was getting hot.
On the Sunday after his brother, Ralph, arrived they took our inflatable kayak and kayaked about five miles down the Colorado River and had an enjoyable morning together negotiating the river.
A brief history of the Native Americans who inhabited this area:
The name Ute means "land of the sun" and is where Utah got its name. No one knows exactly when the Utes came into the area that is now Utah, but the earliest Utes migrated into what is now the United States along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. By 1200 AD, there is evidence that the Ute culture had begun to dominate the mountainous areas throughout the region. The Grand River Utes lived along the Colorado River in Utah, leaving evidence of their heritage around Moab. Their religious beliefs were based on nature, with animals serving as the central deities. The Utes believed they were closely
related to the bear. In the spring, they would gather for the annual bear dance, followed in the summer by the sun dance, their most important social and religious ceremony. Other groups such as the early Pueblo people left carved messages and artifacts revealing rich traditions and deeply meaningful connections to the area. These messages are either petroglyphs which are images pecked into rocks or pictographs which are images painted on rocks. The area inhabited by the different Native American cultures encompasses 3,600 square miles of canyons, arches and sheer cliffs, which is said to be like no other place on earth.
Some other interesting facts about Utah:
Because of its inland location, Utah's snow is unusually dry--earning it the reputation of having the "best snow on earth." There are 13 alpine ski resorts operating in Utah.
The world's first transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory where the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads met on May 10, 1869. The location is now known as Golden Spike National Historic Site.
The federal government owns 65% of Utah's land, including five national parks, seven national monuments, two national recreation areas, and six national forests.
The
Heber Valley Railroad's steam engine and ten passenger railroad cars have been filmed in over 41 motion pictures in the past 20 years.
Utah's peaks, on average, are the tallest in the country. The average elevation of the tallest peaks in each of Utah's counties is 11,222 feet, higher than the same average in any other state.
Beaver, Utah is the birthplace of Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of the television, and Butch Cassidy, the notorious western outlaw.
Utah has some unusual liquor laws. The liquor stores are state-owned and are the only dispensers of carryout liquor, wine and beer over 3.2% and are closed on Sundays and holidays. Prices for wine and liquor are fixed. Grocery and convenience stores cannot sell higher than 3.2% beer. Before patrons can be served a drink, any previous drinks must have been fully consumed and patrons cannot be served more than one drink at a time, no doubles. All liquor is dispensed by metered plumbing, one ounce per serving. Full liquor service is available in licensed restaurants. Alcoholic beverages may be served from noon to midnight with meals. Beer (no higher than 3.2%) is available from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Patrons must be dining in the restaurant to be served an alcoholic beverage.
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