Utah Road Trip 2008 - Moab during the Day

Moab has a beauty of it's own. It is not beautiful in the way that Colorado is. It is a solid, intense and jagged kind of beauty. A red, rust, brown and windy kind of appeal. It causes you to step back in wonderment. It makes you stand up and take note. It is a kind of beauty that will not be ignored. And it is resilient. We have been here many times before and we still find it breathe taking. It calls to Ethan from time to time. It is also humbling.

We arrived mid-day after exploring various items of interest on the drive. We stopped in at Pagan Mountaineering to take a look around. The woman who helped us gave us great tips on where to camp and where to climb. We also picked up a few fun items from the shop. She sent us to Big Bend, just north of town. It is an area for mountain biking and camping. There are sites that follow the Colorado river up the little valley. We checked out a bunch of them and picked a great one near the west end of the camp. The site next to us housed a boy scout group. We even knew one of the boys in the troop from biking. What a small world! Next we decided to check out the bouldering sites. We had wanted to bring the rock climbing gear, but there was simply not enough room. We had to be happy with bouldering. We had some fun, but quickly decided that climbing was more to our liking. (I don't actually climb, or boulder. I just watch sometimes and take a few photos.) Next up was to check out Potash road. That is where accessible climbing is to be had. The chapter in the climbing book on this area is extensive. The Potash road chapter is long. Larr walked the road, looking at the cracks and chimneys. His fingers must have itched for chalk. He arms must have wanted to pull him up a face. He must have been envious of group after group of climbers that he past. He had to settle for taking notes and photos in preparation for a return. It would have to wait. The kids and I inched along in the van, ready to pick him up at a moment's notice. The kids put one sunscreen, sun glasses and headphones. They enjoyed having a little down time. I did a little reading as well. Earlier in the trip I had finished Angel of Death by Alane Ferguson. Ellie snatched it up and read it, too. Then we finished The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. We love his books and were sorry for it to be over. Next I wanted to pick up a Gayle Giles book. Ellie and I were prepping for the Teen Lit. conference that we are helping to launch the next weekend.

The day was waning and we were hungry, so we headed back to camp. We had a quick dinner and went back into town to check out more stuff. We had a great time at a shop, Gear Heads, or something like that. We also found the visitor center to be very useful. We spent some time in the local bookstores. My favorite bookstore in Moab is home to a longhaired white and orange kitty that has clear opinions on how one is to play with a cat. The cat entertained Ellie. I looked for a book I needed, Ethan lost himself in the gardening books and Larr tried to not get drawn in. I did not find the books I was looking for. Instead I found The Dogs Who Found Me by Ken Foster. I am a sucker for animal rescue stories. I had a hard time putting this one down. It made me cry, laugh and cry again. I was done with it quickly. Ellie took that one, too, and began to read. Moab nightlife was about to begin. But I will save that story for tomorrow.