The Colorado Plateau, Red Rock Desert, Where's Spike? and Moab

The Colorado Plateau





Saturday, October 16. Grand Junction, CO. to Moab, UT

The drive from Grand Junction to Moab is stunning. Heading south on UT Hwy 191, we begin our journey on the starkly beautiful, but unforgiving, Colorado Plateau, and what is commonly known as the "high desert" in these parts.
A quick geology lesson: Hundreds of millions of years ago, shallow seas deposited layers of sediment several miles thick. Over the eons the seas receded and those sedimentary layers were forced deep into the earth where intense heat and pressure fused them into rock. Tectonic plate movement caused the entire western US to begin rising some 5 to 10 million years ago, forming the Rocky and Sierra Nevada Mountain Ranges.But the thick, rocky crust of the Colorado Plateau didn't bend and fold from those forces. Instead, it was uplifted largely intact and then eroded into the dramatic red rock landscape we see today.
The further south we drive, the more vivid the desert colors become, especially as we are driving close to sunset. Red's, yellows, oranges.......colors bouncing off the sand and rocks. The landscape began to take on indescribable shapes formed by rocks and canyons; what shapes they are is only limited by your imagination. Nothing like this exists anywhere else on the planet, yet this was only the beginning of a fantastic geological journey we were embarking on.
Saturday AM we awoke to the sun bouncing off the red rock canyon walls right outside our duplex window. Our shelter for our stay in Moab is the Kokopelli Inn http://www.kokopelliinn.com/ . A fantastic place with wonderful staff in downtown Moab, but off the main drag. And very pet friendly. Highly recommended.
After breakfast, we took The Beagles for a hike in Negro (pronounced nay-grow) Bills Canyon, a beautiful slot canyon that is one of the most popular hiking trails in Moab. Juniper trees, cactus, beautiful red rock and the Colorado River a stones throw away. The dogs loved all the new stink, and we were enamored by the beauty of it all. Did we mention how beautiful southern Utah is? I asked Ruth if we might run into Spike. Spike, as we all should know, is Snoopy's brother who lives in the desert. Ruth said no, Spike lives in the Arizona desert, Needles, AZ to be exact, and doubts he gets up to Utah much. Bummer.

Ruth, Duncan & Gretchen smilin' & hikin' in Moab

After a couple of hours of hiking, we were all hungry and the hounds were cooked (that just didn't come out right, did it). Back to our duplex, we had lunch, the pups had Beagle nap time, and Ruth & I headed downtown to the Moab Inn to pickup our race packets for "The Other Half'" half marathon on Sunday (more on that later). That job done, we went exploring downtown Moab.
Being back in Moab, for me, feels like rekindling an old love. A brief bit of history: Way back in the last century, 1996 to be exact, I did a week long mountain bike camping trip from Telluride, CO to Moab. Fantastic trip. On the last day, we descended 2000 feet down through Arches National Park and pedaled into the small town of Moab. It was love at first sight, as the saying goes. A small town in the middle of the desert that catered to people who loved the outdoors, the arts, and who cherished a general laid back attitude about life. I was smitten. I only got to stay with my new love for one day before saying goodbye, but the impression she left on me would last a long time. Fourteen long years.
Now, here I am, in 2010, back rekindling my love for this town and, at the same time, sharing and stoking the fire of love for my wife here in Moab, as this is where we chose to travel to and share our 10 year anniversary together.
So, a fantastic place, this Moab. We both feel so comfortable here. Moab has everything the active, fitness minded, outdoor enthusiast could want. Self sustaining: supermarket and movie theater, independent coffee houses, a micro-brewery, fitness center, library, restaurants, shops - all right smack in the middle of the most breathtaking scenic beauty you can imagine. No malls, no box stores, no cookie cutter subdivisions, no sprawl - you want that stuff you drive 2 hours north to Grand Junction. Moab is a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. Small town America as it used to be , with an Outdoor Magazine twist.

"Nay- Grow"

Spike? No, just a jackrabbit

Getting late, it was time to wake up The Beagles and bring them to their lodging for the night - Desert Doggie Day Care. Great name. We'll see them tomorrow afternoon. Now it's time to fuel up at the Moab Micro Brewery, then get to bed early. It's an early riser in the AM to catch a shuttle bus for a 45 minute trip into the desert and the start venue for "The Other Half" half marathon.............