Day Nine: Lehi to Moab, Utah

Among Giants

I left Lehi with a bit of a heavy heart, family concerns creeping in, things I cannot control or fix, worries, the ever present specter of loneliness that I know awaits when I get back " home". Remembering the great Master Yoda, I tried to be mindful of the moment, letting the warm sunlight and the beautiful view of the mountains fill my spirit with their presence and dispel the shadows.

After a quick stop to get some food and gas, I headed down the freeway, then turned east on highway 6 towards Price. Try as I might I could not shake the feeling of loneliness that clung to me. So I just rode on, looking at the dark, gloomy clouds gathering over the mountains to the East, hoping I would not have to go through whatever it was brewing in the distance.

At a gas stop I met a guy who was on a month long trip. BMW bike, BMW jacket and pants, well worn and dirty. He was from Northern California, tells me he is doing the Four Corners, by which he meant the for corners of the United States. Louisiana and Mississippi were his favorite places so far. Odd fellow, but he has seen a lot of road for sure.

I got to Moad around 5 PM, greeted by great red rock walls that rise high above the cute little town, some four miles from the park entrance. I was going to call it a day but my friend texted me and suggested a ride through the park at sunset and that is what I did. I was immediately hit by the scale of the thing, as you enter the park and are faced with a climb up a windy road perched on the side of a colossal red wall. From there on, with the sun getting low and setting the red cliffs on fire, I rode through a fantastic landscape of impossible shapes that defy gravity, a B Movie Martian landscape set that looked too weird to be real. The wind was hauling
and that, together with the dwindling light, gave the place an otherworldly feeling, loneliness carved in a surreal landscape, embers of red quickly fading into darkness.

I rode back and down into town, trying to digest what I had just seen. I parked the bike at the hotel and walked a few blocks in search of a place to eat, finally settling on the Moab Brewery, just a few hundred yards from the motel. I had one of their beers, something called the Moab Dead Horse, or something like that. I ordered tri tip and was served a huge plate of meat and fried potatoes. Topped with an espresso, the meal came to $17.00. Service was quick and friendly and the place had a funky pub like feeling. If you happen to like the sort of music blaring from the speakers, pumped fresh from the local "electric guitar only" radio station, even better.

I went back to the motel and dreamed of Martian spiders, maidens in distress, while being pursued by a large plate of angry tri tip.