I had been looking forward to Arches since the start of this trip. When I came here a few years back with my family, I was completely taken by the spectacular rock formations that looked like something out of a ‘Mission to Mars’ film. Plus, I had forgotten what a funky-fun town Moab is so that was an added bonus. We stayed all 3 nights at a trail head right in between Moab and Arches Park on highway 191. Apparently, boondocking in Moab is not advised plus staying close to the park entrance is ideal to beat the entrance crowds. Of course we weren’t the only ones with this though, by sundown that lot was packed! Lots of other Vanners to admire…
We set our alarms early to be one of the first into Arches at 7am. Turned out that is THE way to do it, otherwise you won’t find a parking at some of the more popular hiking points. We snagged a spot with great view for breakfast in the Windows area and then went exploring.
Next stop was Devil’s Garden Trailhead. We hiked the normal route to Landscape Arch and then veered right to take the Primitive Trail. There was only 1 point where we had to scale a large boulder face but other than that I think the only difference between the primitive & regular trail is the lack of marking. Which meant we had no idea where we were going or where we had been but we made it to the Double-O arch and that seemed to us a perfect spot to bust out our dearly beloved SANDWICHES. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a sandwich as tasty as one eaten on the trail. I’ll probably be posting an ‘ode to sandwiches’ soon on our instagram so if you follow us get ready for lots of hummus đŸ™‚
We finished the hike just as the rain began. The next day was pretty soggy and cold so it in Moab doing laundry, showering, grocery shopping, finishing up some van wiring and computer work at a cozy coffee-shop. Always nice to have a down day to get things done.
The following day we got back on the road, destination Bryce & Zion! The drive was gorgeous and we only made it an hour before pulling off to enjoy lunch with a view. On down the road, we passed thru Capitol Reef National Park where saw some of the Petroglyphs from the Fremont culture. They date back to 600-1300 A.D! This picture doesn’t really do them justice but in person they’re quite striking.
Drive thru Capitol Reef 
Walkway to the petroglyphs 
Chimney Rock in Capitol Reef
And then we took a slight detour to Lake Powell. Unfortunately, we were not at all impressed by what we found in Bullfrog; lots of cement, tons of RVs all parked in sun-baked lots, not one tree, and no beach to speak of. But the sun was setting and we were tired. So we made tuna fish sandwiches in a dusty parking lot, listened to our book on tape and crashed at the campground later that night. The next morning we were up bright and early ready to get outta there and onto greener pastures.
Roaming Geckos 