2015: Moab, Utah

Canyonlands National Park

April 15

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Casitas taking over. Um, no thanks.

We were planning to stay in Moab for eleven nights because there is so much to see in this area; and as I mentioned before, we were going to have to move to another space halfway through. We found out on our second day here that the space they were going to give us was...up against a building!

Apparently the resort is gradually converting a back row of RV spaces to "casitas", three-story condos which they sell as part of the homeowners' association. Unfortunately they have developed these lots rather haphazardly, one here, two there, leaving several RV spaces sandwiched in between the buildings. Even more unfortunately, an RV space up against a north-facing wall -- like the one being offered to us -- has absolutely no chance of a satellite signal from the southern sky.

Once we saw the situation, we couldn't agree to move into the blocked space because I can do without showers, without heat, without inside plumbing, but I can't do without my TV! So our only option was to move out of the resort section when our time was up and move over into the low-rent "campground" section. Grrr.

Brrrr.

Parking-space roulette aside, we still had plenty of sight-seeing ground to cover. On our second day, we drove to the Island in the Sky area inside Canyonlands National Park. Canyonlands is an enormous park, with many potential hikes. Today, though, we planned to drive through the park and take in several viewpoints near the road. One thing we didn't count on was the weather: it was coooold and windy up on that canyon rim, so I was glad we weren't taking any long hikes.

Upheaval Dome. A better man than I.

Our first sightseeing stop was a geological feature called Upheaval Dome. It's a strange crater with what looks like the top of a mountain inside it. Geologists have different theories about what caused it, like perhaps a meteor impact or something called a salt dome, but apparently it's still a mystery.

Another photographer there was much more determined and dedicated than I was.


Next stop was the Green River Overlook, where we could see the incredible erosion channel carved by the river into the canyon floor.



At the far end of the park road is Grand View Point Overlook, where you can see the canyon carved by the Colorado River.

Candlestick Tower.

On the way back out of the park we stooped at the overlook for Candlestick Tower, an isolated pinnacle that is an iconic landmark in Canyonlands.

Mesa Arch from above.

We made one final stop before leaving the park. Mesa Arch is another famous landmark, known more for the view you get by looking through it than for itself. By the time we got there, it was very busy with people all over it, even walking on the top. One particularly rude man, apparently from Germany, placed himself and his camera tripod right in front of the arch so no one else could take photos without him in the frame.

Eventually we got a turn and tried our hands at the classic thru-the-arch shot. Unfortunately by that time the weather had turned again; it was gray and overcast, so pictures were not going to be great. Before we left, it actually started to snow!

  See the snowflakes?  Snowy jacket.

Mike's getting too comfy with Amazon-to-Moab. Today he ordered four cases of cat food. As if the basement weren't already full!