I like Moab just as much as I do Estes Park. It’s an unpretentious town that feeds the body (food & recreation) as well as the soul (galleries & red rock).
Last night, after supper at the Moab Garage (excellent salad — ambience young and industrial), Tom and I wandered the downtown area for awhile, perusing galleries as well as checking in at the “Back to Beyond” bookstore, which Frank and I discovered in 2012. It’s an interesting mix of new and used books, as well as historical material. Again, I found things unique to the area, including a book called The Anthropology of Turquoise.
Today we explored Canyonlands National Park. I am beginning to run out of superlatives to describe these places. CNP gives the Grand Canyon a run for its money and title. Carved out by the Green and Colorado Rivers, then eroded by wind and rain, the soft soapstone rock that has been so carefully sculpted will eventually disappear after hundreds of thousands of years. We passed one canyon where you could see five different stages of progress in the creation of an arch.
We decided to make the hike to see a crater created by a possible meteor strike. Of course it was uphill, without shade, in 95 degree heat (but it’s dry!) — and totally worth it. As we were ascending, I could not help but notice a young woman in black and flip-flops, talking on her cell as she made her way back down. As with all of these parks, we have hit the highlights, but left plenty for returning peregrinations.
Tomorrow we begin the trek home — but we have ended our exploration of the west on a definite high note.
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