Day 8 (July 11): Unbelievable Utah

Total Driving Distance: 316.8 miles (trip total: 3,042.2 miles)

States Traveled To: Utah, Colorado

Main Activity: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park

The night at the KOA in Moab was an uncomfortable one. It was hot and stuffy in the van as we tried to fall asleep and that night was extremely windy. I woke up several times to hear what sounded like a tornado outside. I almost thought I was dreaming it, but sure enough in the morning all our stuff had been blown around the campsite.

I went for a run that morning and saw all that Moab had to offer. Dozens of souvenir shops, a restaurant hanging on the edge of a cliff, a dried-up water park with a For Sale sign, and a post office which we desperately needed (we kept forgetting to pick up postcard stamps).

We ate a big breakfast at the local Pancake Haus, which had good food and ehh coffee. Though there wasnt a cloud in the sky, it started sprinkling while we ate breakfast. It only lasted for about five minutes, but it was a sign of what was to follow us the rest of the day (read on!).

We drove back over to Arches and finally started our day around noon. At the Visitors Center, we stopped to watch a very interesting video about how the arches are formed. Erosion and shifting salt deposits, it seems.

With a newfound interest in the geology of arches, we began a hike up to the Window Arches. This hike was slightly easier than the one the previous night, but with stomachs full of Pancake Hausen, it still turned out to be a hump.

From the first arch we climbed to, we could see in the distance the storm that was following us. We only felt a few raindrops, but when we saw enormous bolts of lightning in the distance, we headed back to the car.

Our next stop was the famous (Utah famous, not real world famous) Hole N'' The Rock, a diner-turned-home in a red rock cave built by Albert Christensen and his wife, Gladys. Perhaps to make the frequently visited tourist destination even more random, Albert also built a sculpture of FDR's head into the outside of his home (seen below the C in "ROCK"), as well as added a petting zoo and a car made entirely out of license plates. Surprisingly, none of these things made the twenty-mile drive there worth it, although we did not take the tour of the Hole ($12), so we did not get the full experience.

We left as quickly as possible and drove north to Canyonlands National Park. We only had time to visit one section of the Park (Island in the Sky), though I really wanted to do the Needles scenic drive through another section of cool rock shapes. The third section is called the Maze and you need a backpack and several days to get lost in the harrowing heights of the most rarely visited section of Canyonlands. It's on my list of things to do.

Having already seen the Grand Canyon (I'm sorta far behind on updating the blog. I am currently writing this on Day 17 in Los Angeles...), I can honestly say that I actually liked Canyonlands National Park more than the Grand Canyon. I feel a little weird saying that...unAmerican or something. But that is not to say that if you are planning a family trip to the Grand Canyon, cancel your plans and fly to Utah instead. No, no, no. I cant even really explain how it is better. Liz said the difference to her was that the Grand Canyon was just SO big that you cant even comprehend how big it really is. It could pretty much be a picture and you wouldnt be able to tell the difference; it is too far away. Whereas Canyonlands is a bit smaller and more fathomable.

There was an awesome trail leading from the viewpoint seen above along the edge of the cliffs. Along the path we saw lizards, fake cave paintings, and some of the most amazing views I have ever seen in my life.

On our way out of the Park, we stopped at the other highlight of the Island in the Sky section, the Upheaval Dome.

The Dome was created in one of two ways: either a layer of salt underneath the canyon is pushing against the three mile-wide hole...or a meteor hit it. Whatever the reason, it was a pretty cool sight to see. The view from the top also gave us another chance to see our storm:

I climbed around on some rocks and almost fell on some cacti while Liz took more pictures of the storm and the Dome before we finally left the Park and headed south and back to Colorado, this time: Mesa Verde.