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On to Moab we went.. After a 4 hour drive we pulled into the Moab Valley RV & Campark which is complete as far as the kids are concerned. Pool, hot tub, playground, giant checkers and chess, and other kids. No stream which was a bummer but plenty to do. We had the Godwin family specialty after the pool, taco night and then we were off to see the fireworks for fourth of July. As far as perfect nights we had the festival in the park for cotton candy and ice cream and then took some local advice and moved to a nearby baseball field for fireworks viewing. We all cuddled on a picnic blanket until they finished (which was 10pm) and then back to finish laundry, clean dishes, and make the beds. Needless to say it was a long day but it was a great one.
Our second day in Moab dawned to some late risers (no surprise there) and an 11am scheduled raft/float trip. For those that know about Jacquelyn’s prior not so good experience, she was a real trooper and wanted to do this. We went with Canyon Adventures after I checked and found out that class
2 was as high as the water would get. Once there, Jacquelyn used the rest of her birthday gift money to purchase a camelback water backpack (thanks again Aunt Sheryl, Uncle Joel, Uncle Ira and Aunt Phyllis). She was in 7th heaven. She had been playing with Ed’s for days and now she had her own and she was psyched.
We had a beautifully scenic bus ride to the put in point and learned quite a bit about the canyons and the local things to do. Then we were in. The kids learned first hand how to cool off in a raft when we started our first (but not last) water fight of the day. They loved it. Jacquelyn had a bucket and was going all out. Then our first stop was lunch on a nearby sandbar and the kids were like pros. They got their lunch, found their rock and were good to go. They even got the boy’s room was this way and girl’s room is that way speech and made for the bushes. After lunch, we hit a wide stretch of the river and we had a nice swim/float down the river and we all took
advantage to jump out the rafts (and duckies which is what Ed was in by this point). We also had a bigger water fight by now and Danielle complained to me that Ed kept turning the duckie so she got wet instead of him.
Then we hit our first rapid. I can’t quite say the kids loved it but I think it was more to do with the fact that the sun took that moment to go in, they were soaked, and then the wind picked up so they were just plain cold. A huge thunderstorm lurked nearby and kind of made the next stretch cold and not as much fun. Ed really enjoyed the duckie and both kids rode with him when there were no rapids coming.
Of course the sun would come out as soon as it was time to get off the river and of course the sky would open up as soon as we got back to the campground (a little opposite as far as what we wanted but hey, you roll with it). The good news was that this gave us a perfect opportunity to hit the Moab brewery for dinner instead of
cooking in the rain. Dirty and smelly, we threw on clean clothes, brushed our hair, and took off. It was pouring and we got pretty wet going in and out of the car but the food was great, the beer was better, and it was fun to just sit and relax and eat Jalapeno coated fries in chili cheese sauce (the kids stuck with chicken fingers and corn dogs and special root beer).
After a little walk through town and a really cool rainbow (the rain stopped for exactly 2 hours), we were back at the RV for showers and sleep.
Day 2 dawned in a steady rain (it actually rained all night long). We keep attracting the rain that is for sure. It has rained at least half of our time in the desert (go figure). So much for Ed biking but we decided to venture out with ponchos and made our way to Arches National Park. The sky was dark and grey and we made our way into the visitor center. The girls decided to participate in the Junior Ranger program so we got to watch an actually pretty good 15 minutes discovery show on the
park. Then we made our way out into the bright sunshine for our first stop (the weather was sunny above but a major storm hung out next to us the rest of the day). We got to the Windows region and really enjoyed scrambling on all the rocks, resting in the high rocks in the shade, and exploring the area. Jacquelyn had a great time with her new Camelback and had to go to the bathroom three times just to keep up with her water intake. We took a primitive trail and really just enjoyed ourselves. After a quick snack, we made our way to Balanced Rock so Ed could work (2 bars there) and Danielle and I finished her Junior Ranger Book in the shadow of Balanced Rock (on a ledge).
We probably should have called it quits but I wanted a little more so we made our way to Landscape Arch for our final hike of the day. We had a bit of whining going on but Jacquelyn and I walked ahead and had a good time. Then we went to the Ranger Station and became certified Arches Junior Rangers (I count myself in this as I
was asked quite a few questions along the way).
Night was a bit of our routine, pool, hangout, a little TV, a nice grilled dinner, laundry, showers, and then sleep. Of course this routine starts around 4-5pm but never seems to finish prior to 10pm.
This might be the last entry for awhile. Tomorrow we head up to Salt Lake for an overnight stop and then we are on to Yellowstone. I have no idea if we’ll have cell phone service much less WiFi so tata for now and we’ll see you soon.
Ed- I think Lori and I have realized that not having a lot of ‘stuff’ to take care of can be a blessing. This is not an endorsement for poverty by any means, but the question does come to mind, “Why do we all want to get away from it all?” It also brings more questions like, “What is all?” I wonder if it is the American way of ‘getting out of our mind’, meaning away from all of the tasks that continually circulate in our minds. You know all those ‘to do’s’.
In America, most of us work until May of June to
pay our taxes. What a hell of a big should that is. Then there is the keep your grass green, your mail box painted, and for sure to not park that RV in the driveway. What a big ‘should pot’ and big illusion we create for ourselves.
Touring the West, (Moab, Ut) has given me an idea of what it took to conquer the harsh environment here. Water, a basic commodity in the East, is not one here. If you have water, you can do anything here. If you do not, then you can not live as we know. It definitely took a rugged individualist to seek out and explore this country. Now we do it from our cars, RVs, and planes, usually on the path that was blazed for us by our forefathers. My, what an attitude to have, to conquer, one that I miss today. Coming out here was definite defying the know convention of civilization and of course, telling all of the shoulds to go to hell. I feel that spirit. Even with children, it may be hard to settle.
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