October--Life in Moab and a final farewell to Arches
You’ve probably surmised that we really enjoy life in this small town in the middle of nowhere, Utah. It’s an outdoor recreational paradise, but don’t expect to find a Wal-Mart within a hundred miles of here. The town has always been fairly successful since its founding in 1877 since it lies in a valley rich for grazing and is Utah’s only town located on the Colorado River. At one time, in the 1950’s, it was also quite rich with the uranium boom during the Atomic Age. Only vestiges now remain, with no active mining taking place beyond the potash/salt plant west of town. In fact, the local uranium magnate’s home, at one time the largest in Moab which sits high atop a knoll on the east side, is now the Sunset Grill—serving fine steaks and seafood with a valley view.
Downtown Moab
Sunset Grill
Moab features an 18 hole golf course and a bicycle route through town which uses this under highway section to dodge most of the main street traffic, which happens to be Hwy. 191, a busy thoroughfare for big trucks.
Moab's golf course Bike path in town
Restaurants are rampant in this tourist town (many with al fresco dining areas), as is renting any type of contraption to get you in to the hills. One that melds the two is the Slickrock Café, which features a really comfortable interior whose walls open entirely to the outside and its own line of T shirts (slickrockcafe.com) touting riding the hills with their very own logo, the Slickrock Critter, aka Ridgus Dorsalus Spottus Canius Slick Rockus Critterus. Mountain biking gave the town it’s fame, but that has quickly been followed by Jeep, Humvee, ATV, rafting, horseback riding, tram riding, and rock climbing. This is a major destination for foreign tourists with Germans leading the charge for the hills.
Slickrock Cafe Custom rock hopper
Galleries are also big business and there are several very nice ones, including this one which features hand made windmills made out of copper which turn and change shape at the slightest breeze. Prices start at about $500 for the small ones. Inside you’ll find the most unique table and floor lamps I’ve ever laid eyes on. Ah, but I don’t have a house to put them in….
Windmill art
And what’s an old west town without the cowboys?
What we do here
We’ve been exchanging 18 hours/week each for our full hookup site with premium cable TV and high speed Internet. Since we wanted the opportunity to spend more time in this area, it’s worked out well but we will need to move on soon for financial reasons. After all, we’re not retired—we just like to pretend once in awhile!
The managers here, Annie & Kent Oldham, have run this place for about four years and are wonderful folks to work for. Marc pretty much makes his own schedule working on yard maintenance, occasional handyman duties, bathroom and cabin cleaning. There are seven simple cabins, no bathroom, no kitchen, so the cleaning goes rapidly. They close them for the winter season on November first; however, the campground stays open year round. The store/office where I work is also closed in November and it becomes self-registration.
Annie, campground manager
Taking down a dead tree the easy way
I work a more structured shift covering the office/store by myself, handling phone reservations on the computer system, check-ins, store cashier, and the questions that typically arise. It’s been a fun job that we’ve enjoyed. We work with two other workamper couples who have been here most of the season.
Claudia at work in the campground office
A farewell to Arches: the Delicate Arch hike
It’s Sunday October 12th, and we decide to tackle the Delicate Arch hike since it is only 78 degrees out. Our normal temps lately have been in the high 80’s or 90’s. From the start, the trail can play tricks with your mind, as you watch the army of hikers marching uphill, much like a trail of ants. This is a strenuous hike, gaining nearly 500 foot in elevation and mainly crosses masses of slickrock at fairly steep angles for 1.5 miles distance, but which really feels like double that. We’re very soon out of breath and sweaty and we stare in amazement at many folks who are doing this hike in flip flops and with no water along.
Delicate Arch trail Like ants up the hill
Enlarge to see the long and winding trail to Delicate Arch
Almost at the arch
The final portion of the trail ascends a cliff side and is approximately three to four foot wide with a drop off of a couple hundred feet. Since I have trouble with heights, I had difficulty on this portion and needed to hold on to Marc with my face turned towards the wall. So, don’t ask me what the view was like from this section—I wouldn’t be able to tell you! One last turn and magically the arch appears. Delicate Arch is Utah’s most famous, gracing her license plates and appearing on more books covers than any other feature of the state. It is truly a sight to behold and a hike not to be missed.
The last cliff hang section At last Delicate Arch
The trip down the hill progresses much faster than the uphill climb and it certainly feels much cooler going this direction. We make it back with water to spare. From there, we take a quick jaunt further down the road to take some pictures of the Fiery Furnace, a feature we had thus far missed. Our feet aren’t up to any more hiking, plus a permit is required for this area since it’s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of fins, so we’re happy to just take photos.
Sore feet on the way back
Fiery Furnace
Since we leave here on October 23rd, it is doubtful we will do any more exploration of the parks this time around. We would encourage you to definitely spend some time here; it’s a wonderful ride!
