Arches and Canyonlands NP (Moab, UT)

April 5-10th

Southeastern Utah had been on our bucket list for years, and were we ever glad we could make it on this trip! It was a bit tenuous due to RV park availability in Moab. Little did we know, this time of year is prime-time for Moab due to the moderate temperatures and ideal conditions for off-roading. Moab Jeep Safari took place during our visit, and the town was a little crazy. Thankfully, we didn't stay in town - instead on the north side of Moab in between Arches and Canyonlands.

The RV park where Mary Margaret secured a reservation was in the process of getting

permits for the new pads with electrical hookups. While we were still in Colorado, staying here wasn't a certainty - but we were in luck. The most notable part of this campground was the great view of the red rock canyons from our patio in the back, and the close proximity to some great mountain biking trails. It was nice to be able to ride to/from the trails...something we had not been able to do yet on our trip.

Arches

Our National Park extravaganza began with Arches. Over the years, we heard all about the beauty of this place - but truly - pictures cannot capture the awe inspiring scenery. The drive through the park wound between gravity-defying rock formations and pillars. The road-side audio tour was an encyclopedia of geography with real-life lessons laid out in front of us. The education was truly amazing for the boys. We could have easily spent 3-4 days exploring this park, and every trail had a unique spectacle of geography that didn't disappoint.

The highlight of Arches was definitely viewing sunrise from the inside of a "window". We started out at about 4:30am, and hiked around the backside of "South Window", where we could climb up and actually sit under the arch. There wasn't a dry eye in the bunch as the early morning sun peaked above the horizon.

We thought this park was especially important for the boys to see because of the ever-changing landscape. We have pictures of them in front of arches that we know won't be standing in another 30-45 years when they bring their children.

Canyonlands

We did a one-day (all day) trip to Canyonlands in order to see sunset. Though only a couple hours apart, the landscape of Canyonlands contrasted distinctly with what we saw at arches. The "island in the sky" - a naturally elevated mesa that is only connected by a small, narrow land bridge - didn't seem real. The dramatic cliffs, and clearly visible layers of rock illustrating millions of years of history were breathtaking. Again - pictures don't do the park justice - you have to see it to believe it.

While we were exploring Canyonlands, something happened that can only be explained by out of this world intervention...something too unlikely to be purely chance. While biding time for sunset, we stopped to see the only arch in the park - something we almost skipped because we had seen so many arches the days prior. It was a loop trail, and we headed down the left side for no reason whatsoever. Halfway down the trail, we passed a man and his son...I did a double-take, because there was something familiar about both...nahhhhh, I kept walking. Around the corner, a mother and daughter walked by us and after passing, we heard - "Steve...Steve Blackmarr...I know you!".

As chance would have it, we crossed paths with probably the only other couple in Bend who took a road trip like us. And, it happened to be the family who really enabled us to move to Bend in the first place. Jeff held the job at ODOT that I interviewed for while we were still in San Diego. Jeff was transitioning to working his business full-time, and was instrumental in getting me hired for the job after my Skype interview. I worked with Jeff for months during the turnover, and though our kid were never in the same schools, we saw their family periodically throughout the year.

It turns out that we had almost a mirror road trip plan, with a lot of the same major stops. We had missed each other at destinations in Florida and on the East coast by only a couple of weeks. We had a great time hanging out with them for a night at their campground, and even made plans to link up again in Lake Tahoe. This was definitely the most bizarre occurrence on our trip - simply unbelievable.

We rounded out our Moab Trip by stopping in town on our way through to our next stop, Grand Canyon, at a grocery store pharmacy. Due to what we heard from Jeff and Julie, we looked into COVID vaccine availability in Moab. For some reason, they had an abundance of vaccines and it was open to anyone. Mary Margaret got her first shot there, and I got my second. Until Moab, we didn't think we would be able to get vaccines before returning home to Bend, making our return much less stressful with Grandma waiting for us.