Reverse Plan to Salt Lake City

Saturday is our last day at the Arches and Canyonlands.  Because we still have good RV power, we leave for a planned day of exploration.  Helen's sciatica is still very painful, especially in the morning and if she lets her pain medications lapse.  She cannot take the walks with Liz and I, but she does get out at the stops and has some good photo opportunities. 

For example, we stopped along the road to photograph at differing points and light/shadows the formation kpwn as the Three  Gossips.  These indeed look like three woman from the nineteenth century, gathered in a group and stopped as they share information. Today is early morning light, and the gosspis are strinking, yet as we travel around them on the road, stopping for more pictures, the light changes and they assume different shapes.

Another stop where Helen had good views from just the parking area was at Devils Garden, where we watched two young men climb on up the steep and sheer towers of red sandstone, while down below a toddler played around the legs of his pregnant mother, who stared upward at the climbers.  The picture at the left is just one of the formations in the Devil's Gardens.

We also stopped at Delicate Arch, one of the prettiest arches in the park.  It is along the skyline, but a strenuous hike takes you right to the arch.  The viewing area is an easy walk, and Liz and I followed it, but Helen's sciatica took a turn and she returned to the car.  At another access point to Delicate Arch were old ranch/homestead buildings from an early settlement, as well as a water filled wash--remmants from the recent monsoons that passed over the area a week earlier.  It is hot and dry today and for the past week, but the water remains and birds were thick in the vegetation of the wash.  We also walked to a good example of petroglyphs, made by Utes in the 1600s to early 1800s, scientists believe, shown below.

At Windows, we walked to see where the rock had opened into windows on the world--not a high arch, but a hole through a rock slab.  For awhile I was following Liz in a white shirt toward the distant arch, taking pictures, but then I returned to the car where I found both Helen and Liz--I had been following the wrong white-shirted woman!  Good thing I turned around.

We had lunch again across from Balancing Rock, where we ruminated on the AT LEAST 10:1 ratio of foreign tourist to Americans in this National Park (and also in our similar experience last spring in Zion and earlier in Yosemite).  The major languages are Dutch, German, and French, with a smattering of others.  Asian tourists are also common, but not as common as the European.  They seem to rent RVs a lot, too.

We then left the National park and drove up the highway, passing many bicyclists participating in the Century Tour in Moab. Moab Skinny Tire Events offers this road cycling event -- People cycle past the red rock canyon walls, scenic Colorado River, and aspen tree lined La Sal Mountains at 8000' elevation and we have learned that the cyclists have contributed $3.6 million in the past decade toward cancer survivorship, research, and treatment resources.

We also saw some more, possibly even more ancient, petroglyphs along this section of the Colorado River.  These have the shape of those reported to be about 10000 years old, and are high on the sheer rock sides of the canyon.  We ultimately went both up-river and down-river from the highway 191 bridge over the Colorado--one leads to Potash and the other to Castle Rock valley. Both roads had terrifc BLM campgrounds alongside the river, but the northern road up the river was the best for
camping. On the drive up the river, we saw boaters, rafters, and lots of recreational use of the river.  Then, right where the Colorado approaches Highway 191, is a graceful footbridge that crosses the wide river (and Century riders`were on it, too).  Helen couldn't walk it, but Liz and I did.

That evening, the three of us went out to dinner at Bucks Grill House--where buffalo, rabbit, and other game were on the menu.  I had a buffalo steak, Helen had a buffalo meatloaf, and Liz had chicken.  But the dinner was terrific, and the owner apparently had lived in San Francisco, so he blended the SF style with the Moab style to make his restaurant.  It was great!

The next day was our departutre day from Moab, and Helen woke up still in considerable pain.  Liz and I suggested that she consider flying home, and somehow her car would connect with her.  We said we could change our plans (we were heading south towatd Bryce) and go north to Salt lake City to put her on an airplane.  After she awakened her daughter Elaine who was up north in California delivering Michael, she felt better, happy theat Elaine was working on solving her transportation issues, and happier still (I think) to be heading back to the comfort of her own home and with her own doctors to advise her.

We headed north to Salt Lake City, a long drive, but a beautiful one through long lovely canyons filled with yellow and red trees bright with the change of the seasons.  We also encountered our first bit of rain as we headed north.I had also decided to try to get the trailer repaired at Camping World.  I had diagnosed the problem as a blown circuit when I had inadvertently briefly misconnected the battery.  I could fix it myself, but I was really tired and if there were auxialliary issues, I wanted CW to fix them.  Unfortunately, the soonest we could get in to Camping World was two days later, so I made that appointment and dropped the trailer at CW's parking lot in  Draper (near SLC).  It felt bad leaving the little Roo in the parking lot, knowing we were not coming back until the next day--but both Helen and Liz remarked that I should stop worrying because with all the other high end campers in the parking lot, it was most unlikely someone would take my little Roo with the patched corner.  I was offended for my little Roo, which is a wonderful trailer, and hoped the poor thing wouldn't act up after being so dissed.  Helen and Liz just laughed....

We had hurried Helen through packing so we could get her as quickly as possible to the SLC airport, but with the long drive and dropping the trailer she still missed the 4:50 plane--it was boarding just as she was getting ticketed.  Liz had gone with Helen to make sure that she got a wheelchair and also wasn't carrying anything but one bag on board. I stayed in the car circling the airport and resting in the car waiting area until Liz called and said to come pick her up.  Helen ended up waiting for several hours in the passenger section of the airport, and she believes that sitting in the hard chairs helped
her sciatica a bit.  Meanwhile, Liz and I took a Best Western motel room near the airport. 

By the next morning, I was feeling better and decided to fix the trailer myself, and cancel the CW appointment.  So we returned to get the trailer (no one had stolen it), hitched, spoke with Helen and we were happy to hear she was home and resting comfortably, and cancelled my Tuesday appointment with CW.  On we drove toward Craters of the Moon, and tonight we are overnighting in Idaho near Declo, right on the Snake River.  Liz and I took a walk down to pretty park along the river. 

Our campsite is lovely--grassy areas in between each campsite, and extra wide sites.  It is a Good Sam RV park called Village of the Trees Resort, which also has a grill onsite which will deliver food to your site (we had leftover buffalo, etc.).