Weekend in Moab

Our son Forrest and his wife Somer had been planning a camping trip for this weekend and we decided to tag along for an additional adventure. They had originally planned on camping in the Bryce Canyon area. After doing a little research we found that very few trails in this area were dog friendly so we found a kennel to take Daisy for the weekend and prepared to hit the road early Saturday morning. The kennel we had found was about 30 miles outside Bryce and would pick up and return your dog each day so they do not need to spend the night in the kennel. Friday arrived and a quick check of the weather showed snow and temps in the 20’s in the Bryce area so we did some quick research and found the Moab area was not only going to be much warmer but there are many dog friendly areas as well.

Forrest, Somer, Lily and Jack at Corona Arch

The drive to Moab south on 15, then east on 6 was absolutely beautiful. We past through Soldier  Summit in the Price area where there was still a lot of snow in the area. We had several sightings of elk, mule deer and antelope along the way. We went east on 70 for a while then 30 miles south on 191 where we pulled over and waited for Forrest and Somer. We left Salt Lake about an hour before them knowing we were going to be much slower. Many of the state campsites in the area are first come first serve with no reservations so we left Barb and the rig in a wayside in Moab and I jumped in with Forrest and went in search of an empty campsite that would fit our rig. We struck out at the first two campgrounds, there were a few open sites but none big enough for our rig. We struck gold at campground

#3 which was Big Bend Campground. There are 3 sites in this campground that we would fit in, all three were taken but it looked like one was packing up. A few minutes later the site was open and we pulled Forrest’s truck in and I called Barb telling her to head on up. It was a tight fit but Barb backed it in like a pro! I am still impressed with the number of friendly people we run into. One guy offered to move his jeep while Barb was backing up and another offered to let us park our truck in his site when we unhooked.

 

Big Bend is right on the Colorado River and our site had a little sandy area right on the water. Saturday we spent in the campground playing and relaxing. Forrest cooked a huge tri-tip sirloin on the fire topped off with a few smores before bed. Sunday we woke up to rain and it stuck around pretty much all day. We went for a drive and explored a few more campgrounds and hiked one area when the rain paused. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the trailer listening to the rain and watching The Masters golf tournament. Barb braved the elements and went out and started a fire, our plan was to cook hobo dinners on the fire. For those who have never had a hobo dinner it is basically a mix of meats and vegetables wrapped in aluminum foil and cooked in the coals of the fire. Ours consisted of burger, chicken sausages, potatoes, onions and carrots. 20 minutes in the coals and they were ready. There is something about cooking on a campfire that makes everything good!

That night the rain stopped but the cold set in, when we woke up in the morning there was ice on the puddles, the slideout awnings and anywhere the rain had pooled. Forrest, Somer and Lily toughed it out and spent the whole night in their tent. After packing up camp it had warmed up nicely and we headed to one of the dog friendly trails on the Corona Arch Trail. It is about 2 miles each way with moderate climbing. There were a couple of where the climb is steep but overall it is pretty easy. The terrain in the area is absolutely amazing! Buttes, arches, wind and rain holes or just the color of the terrain in incredible. It is amazing that anything can live in this area and obvious that it is a tough existence for both plants and animals.

Corona Arch

 

Even Pikachu made an appearance!

Despite the weather, it was a great weekend. The short time we spent there was not nearly enough and we are definitely going to come back and stay longer. When we arrived back on the Lindon Marina on Monday afternoon we found that we had missed one heck of a storm with reported winds over 60 miles per hour! This week we are looking forward to spending more time with the kids, planning our route to South Dakota and ending the week with the first Easter where we were all able to get together in probably 10 years!