On our way out of Denver toward Moab, Utah, we stopped at Frisco, where we’d snow tubed in February. The aspens were turning yellow, and the view from The Summit overlook was spectacular.
I love how the Lord creates a pretty picture. He is the G.O.A.T. artist!
We stopped in Glenwood Springs for fabulous tacos at Slope & Hatch.
Hubby and I enjoyed the road trip as it took us through a variety of landscapes, but we were happy when we finally made it to Moab!
We stayed at a new Hyatt Place on the main drag just outside of “downtown” and enjoyed dinner at nearby Sultan Mediterranean Grill after walking and shopping the small town of Moab.
The next morning, we set off on a 9-hour, back-country tour of Canyonlands and Arches National Park in a tough Land Rover with an even tougher tour guide. She was a 70-year-old ex-cop with decades of outdoor tour guide experience.
Our tour guide enjoyed going where no vehicle should go! Much of the time, we just closed our eyes, kept our shoulders and hips kinda loose, and prayed!
Our tour guide took us to Tower Arch, where we were alone in a vast landscape of red rock. There, we feasted on a picnic lunch she’d brought with us.
Our one other companion on the tour was a yoga clothing model. At every stop, she had our guide get a video of her in yoga poses. At one stop overlooking the Colorado River, she perched on the edge of the cliff. Hubby clasped his hands to his face, groaned, and said, “I can’t watch!” Then he lay down on his belly and scooched to about a foot from the edge to enjoy the view.
It was almost sunset when our guide dropped us off at the hotel. We quickly made our way to an Indian restaurant in town and watched the sun go down while we ate Tikka Masala with mango lassis.
The next morning, we were up early to be the first in line at Arches. Hubby had made a reservation weeks before, so we decided to go back and hike to Delicate Arch before journeying on to Salt Lake City.
It was chilly on the way up, and Hubby groused about how I’d not packed him a jacket. We soon had our blood pumping on the steep climb, and he was warm and happy!
Halfway up, I spotted Apostolic young people coming down, so I started looking for their parents. It turns out that the Wright family pastors three churches in Pennsylvania. While standing on the 30 degree angles rock, we uncovered mutual acquaintances. I encouraged them to get their children into Bible quizzing so we could meet again at national events. Then we each moved on, happy to have had a moment of sweet fellowship!
After a gorgeous hike that took almost 2 hours round trip, we scoped out the park’s visitor’s center. There were posters of just about every arch in the park, but not one of Tower Arch. That fact suddenly made our trip the day before feel a little more special!
We jumped in our rented vehicle and headed for Salt Lake City for the next part of our tour of the great Southwest.
