Day Ten: Moab, Utah

Delicate Stony Things

Park Avenue,  as it resembles some an alien skyscrape city

After breakfast I headed for the park. With so much to see and only one day to do it all, I decided to head straight to the end of the scenic route and hike to Delicate Arch. Despite my decision to "ride straight to the end", it as impossible not to stop and take in the sites. To make the constant stops easier, I got rid of the jacket and gloves. Because Utah laws do not require you wear a helmet, I could have done without it also, but I simply cannot bring myself to ride with my head in the wind. I will, however, look into getting one of those helmets that convert from full face to open face, as I can see it would be useful when touring. One of the things I learned

on this trip.

I rode down the 10 or so miles to the parking lot from where you hike to the Delicate Arch. It was warm, hot, actually, 85 F (30 C), with a crushing azur sky for a dome. The parking lot was full but I found a spot for the bike, locked my gear in the side cases, got my camel pack with plenty of water, my hat, and headed into the trail.

The sign said it was a 3 mile round trip, moderately strenuous hike. Maybe it was, but it felt longer, perhaps because it was mostly uphill. A constant

stream of people hiked up, looking like ants going up a stone hill in the distance. There were young people and old people, and some very old people. One Japanese lady I helped get down to the Arch rim must have been 80 years old. I have no idea how she made it, but she did.

People walked up in all manner of attire. The Japanese groups looked like they were ready to cross the Sahara, with face scarves like Bedouins, and matching clothing and water enough to last for a long trek. There were people who just walked out of their cars and thought 3 miles up and down some

rocks in some serious heat was nothing, so they headed up, no hats, no water. One older woman even headed up wearing nothing but a bikini top. There were entire families with little kids, babies on back carriers, the works.

The last part of the hike is a long a narrow ledge that curves upward along a the side of a great big rock, and then, all of a sudden, in the middle of this massive natural amphitheater, there it is, this oddity of Nature, a colossal arch made of  whatever is left after eons of erosion took out the rest.

The great explorer has been framed

To get close to the Arch you have to go over a ledge and walk on a smooth incline made of this smooth red rock which offers such a good grip that you can walk pretty much at a 40 degree angle without loosing your footing.

This is another one of those places that you have to see to believe. The view from the top here is absolutely fantastic and definitively worth the hike. They say the best time to see the Arch is at sunset, and I don't doubt it. Still, even with the heat of the midday the view was one of wonder.

Back in town I stopped at the Peace Cafe for lunch. Had a very good chicken pesto sandwich, another pint of that local beer, and then went back to the motel for some rest, as the sunlight, the heat and the lack of proper coffee had left me with a noticeable and nasty headache.

Ancient Ones

Sunset light reflected on the Colorado River

Towards the evening I rode out of ton and headed West on the Potash Road, which follows the Colorado river for about 10 miles. It is lined with even taller, sheer cliffs that rise from the very edge of the road. I saw several people climbing the rock walls, while small groups of people were taking lessons on rock climbing.

There was hardly any traffic on this road, adding a feeling of privacy to your view of the sunset as it lit the cliffs and was then mirrored on the slow flowing Colorado.

On the way back I stopped on the side of the road

and next to a gigantic cliff wall where ancient ones had left their mark. Petroglyphs illustrated animals and hunters, and symbols that had meaning to those who carved them thousands of years ago. I spent a long time admiring these drawings and taking pictures. I was very touched by them, issued from the minds of artists so long ago History has no record of them, yet they speak to us still today.

I made it back to town as the shadows deepened on the canyon. after parking the bike and changing into my street attire, I walked down to the center of town in the warm evening air, intent on doing some tourist shopping, getting some postcards, some pins and patches, and so forth. Th stores stay open until 10 PM, and restaurants continue to serve quite late, no doubt to accommodate all of the European tourists bent on dinning around 10 PM. I did the same, stopping at Zaqs. I had a beer and a steak sandwich, which was very good. Luckily for my digestion, the brisk walk to the motel took care of annoying effects all that food could have had on me.

If you are curious about some of these scenic byways around Moab, check out discovermoab.com, they have a nice little article of these routes if you want to take a few short detours.