Devil’s Garden Hike

Devil’s Garden is a magical place that at anytime looks like a dinosaur might fly over/walk by at any second. Once you walk into this trail you feel miles from any roads or civilization. The first arch on the trail you come to is Landscape arch. It’s crowded with lots of people here but the arch is amazing. When you go past Landscape arch the hiking turns much more rugged and only people willing to scramble on rocks, walk on high fins, and slide down steep rocks really keep going. There are several arches along this trail so it’s definitely worth your time doing if you want to see some beautiful arches.

Matt and I walked to the end of the trail at Dark Angel and then decided to take the difficult trail back to the parking lot, Primitive Trail. Well let me just say the description was not joking around when it said Primitive Trail was difficult. I’m surprised the National Park just lets you go off on a trail like this with only what felt like a slight warning that this trail involved heights, slippery rocks (especially when wet which it was for us b/c it rained off and on all day), and difficult scrambles. I guess that’s a good thing that they allow you to really go places that normally would seem to hard to conquer.

As we were hiking I was thinking wow, this trail is challenging, I’m so athletic to be able to do this! Then I saw a pregnant woman hiking it who asked us to take her photo. Then I saw about 3 families with a baby strapped to their back as they hiked this difficult trail. At that point after seeing the pregnant hiker and the baby on board hikers I thought, well maybe I’m not so special to be able to do this hike after all! And just maybe it’s not that challenging?? Well, let’s just say, I was humbled by the end of the day and I realize I’m not yet a professional hiker/rock scrambler.

We made it back to camp that night and I was ready for some food and to take a load off my tired feet! I think we ended up hiking about 9 miles this day overall so I was tired for sure. Overall I’d say Devil’s Garden was a great place to see. We even saw a bunny and a deer at the end of the day! 

If you've done this trail and think aww she thought that trail was hard, you're an impressive hiker and may be part mountain goat.

Petroglyphs in Moab Utah

Hello Blog - this is Matt!  Michelle has allowed me to post on the blog about some exciting archaeological history we've encountered here in Moab, Utah.

Petroglyphs drawn by Indians are actually chiseled images in the rock, and can be found in this area if you know where to look.  We were able to locate petroglyphs featuring humans, animals, and other designs in groupings on rock wall faces.

We first saw these etchings on HWY 279 just outside of Moab.  This images were created between 6,000 B.C. and 1,300 A.D. - amazing that they are still around today!  Some evidence of graffiti is present, but overall the preservation is remarkable.

 Locating and exploring the petroglyphs along the highway was exciting, but with the help of a photography book lent to me (thanks Dr. Tom!) Michelle and I were able to find a remote outcropping of images in Arches National Park.  These images were not mentioned on the official park map.  It required navigating a treacherous hike down a cliff face near the "Dark Angel" spire.

There we discovered 200+ yards of intricately carved petroglyphs in the dark rock face.  There was a small sign in front of the carvings placed by the NPS admitting that we had found something special, but they obviously didn't want the masses trying to get to the site.

 

We are both fascinated by these ancient drawings and have found a new hobby looking for them on our travels! 

Delicate Arch and Broken Arch

Delicate Arch is one of the Arches National Park’s most famous arches. It’s pretty amazing and a fun hike to get up to it!

Something about these rocks inspired a yoga pose for the camera

Broken Arch is a lesser know arch that we followed the trail to and I’m glad we did! We had the place to ourselves at the end of the day and even found our way to the top! Don’t worry it was very wide up there, I felt completely safe walking around on top, just don’t get too close to the edge.

Airstreamers Love All Airstreams

The funny thing about having an Airstream is the obsession with all Airstreams that comes with it. Every time Matt and I see another Airstream on the road we freak out and flash our lights at the people waving like crazy. The funny thing is, the other Airstream owners are doing the same thing!

I've been keeping a tally of all the Airstreams we've seen on our trip so far and my total is at 18! (We haven't even been traveling for a week).

In one of the campgrounds we stayed in we met another couple who has an Airstream so of course we talked with them. By the end of the conversation we'd already been invited to stay on their land in California if we ever pass by and are now Facebook friends all in a matter of about a 20 minute conversation all because of the Airstream connection.

The next day when we were hunting for a great boon docking site on the Colorado River, there was an Airstream parked in a lovely spot. We asked the fellow Airstreamers when they were planning to leave and they told us the next day at the crack of dawn. So, the next day at 6:30am as we rolled by their campsite, they were pulling out so we could take their spot! (I'm sure the campsite was happy to have another Airstream to keep it company another week).

So, Airstreamers are a special club that get super excited to see each other out there on the road! I love it! I don't think I every noticed Airstreams until we became obsessed and got one, do you look for Airstreams everywhere you go?