Leaving Petaluma at 9 pm in our Cruise America 30 foot motor home,
stopping only to pick up Art and Rita in Carson City, Nevada, we had fresh drivers for a
non-stop assault on the American West. Driving twenty hours, Moab, Utah is our rest and
oasis. Located in a green valley between unbelievable red sandstone cliffs, Moab Valley RV & Campark, located at the
intersection of scenic Hwy. 128 and Hwy. 191, with swimming pool, hot tub, a tree at every
campsite and even air-conditioned bathrooms is a perfect launching point for our assault
on Arches National Park and Mesa Verde.
Climbing above the Colorado River Valley's green fields, sparse desert scrub turns dusty and brown. Towering red cliffs rise up only to crumble into spires, balancing rocks and arches. Over eons, wind action and meager desert water freezes and thaws chipping away bits and pieces of rock like a sculptor gone mad. And I love it all.
Making the best use of our time, a Visitor Center ranger plots our course starting 20 miles distant at road's end: Landscape Arch to Delicate Arch to Windows and a ranger talk along Primitive Trail. Stopping frequently for pictures of breathtaking scenery and short hikes I only slowed from the heat.
The
4 mile early morning roundtrip hike to Landscape Arch is a lesson in languages since many
visitors especially Europeans, find our Western expanses and the cowboy mystique
fascinating. A curious lizard watches the parade of peoples not minding the occasional
visitor who stops and prods. Paved and conditioned trails to popular sites allow athletes
and physically challenged hikers opportunities to see these marvels of nature. Early
morning shadows highlight arches against blue skies. Even dead trees appear like modern
art against red rock backgrounds.
For the best view of Delicate Arch take a daunting one hour hike. Pressed for time I took the popular shorter trail and was disappointed having to pick out the arch in the distance. Wanting a closer look, I took a steep winding trail as the sun cranked up the heat but Delicate Arch was still too far.
Meeting at Windows area, our ranger played devil's advocate, challenging an older couple, a French family and our group to find food, water, clothing, medicine and shelter along the Primitive Trail. The multi-purpose Agave gives healing aloe juice, fiber for shoes, clothes and ropes, shampoo from its roots and tequila when distilled. The ranger explained that desert crust is actually a living bacterial community giving essential nutrients that enables plants to slowly grow inches over years. We were careful where we stepped.
Water is the scarcest commodity in a desert found only in springs or potholes. No water equals no travel or living conditions. Evidence of human habitation in this spectacular area is measly due to lack of water although some petroglyphs are around.
Ending our hike along fins of red rock delicately carved arches into spectacles, gun barrels and double arches, we took off for our next destination.
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