The Arches

 

As we left the Rocky Mountains to drive towards the Arches National Park in Utah, our plan was to go through the mountains via the tunnels, saving an hour's driving time. But a car caught on fire in the tunnel, the result of a car and semi-trailer collision. And so, as the old children's "Going on a Lion Hunt" song goes: if you can't go through it, you have to go over it.

All  traffic was as diverted over the Loveland Pass ("the highest mountain pass in the country that stays open through winter" as featured in dangerous roads). As we inched our way through the snow and sleet, it made me realize that I won't be home for ski season, and I was suddenly sad. So we cranked the John Denver Aspenglow, crawling behind the trucks chugging up, up, up, and then - finally - down, down, down the continental divide. 

Sign marking the continental divide

Seemingly suddenly, we went from this . . 

Goodbye Colorado

To this...

Hello Utah

The sun started shining, and the awesome, overwhelming vistas of endless, undulating desert and rock outcrops starting rolling by. We had arrived in Utah, "life elevated".

We'd hoped to boondock at a dispersed camping, but Canadian Thanksgiving Monday fell on Columbus Day, which turns out to be a popular camping weekend here, so we stayed at a local campground backing onto miles of desert trails. The site offered free showers and laundry - two things that were becoming pretty necessary anyway.

Given the holiday (and a very dark sky threatening thundershowers) we skipped the national park and instead hiked the Navajo Rocks, a famous mountain bike area. Barring a convoy of jeeps and a few clusters of bikers, Ivan and I pretty much had it to ourselves. We were able to make our own adventure, scrambling up the rocks and making our way through a hidden valley deep between towering hoodoos.

At the Navajo Rocks

Ivan on top of the rocks

In celebration of Thanksgiving, lacking turkey, we ate beef stew with juniper berries that Ivan had picked from the Rocky Mountains. Our first "foraged" meal, you might say. 

Thanksgiving Dinner

Then again, you might say most of our meals are foraged these days. Finding produce has been tough. I'm stunned at how expensive and tough it is to buy basic groceries on the road - and amazed that you can't find a decent cream, but you can choose from 18+ styles of bottled BBQ sauce that occupy a whole aisle floor to top shelf. 

One morning, I have to confess: we had a hot dog for breakfast. There was nothing else resembling food that cost less than $12 US. Even the chopped onion for the hot dog came out of a squeeze bag. 

I do not recommend. 

The experience gives me a whole new understanding of a "food desert", and how hard it must be for many people to feed their family affordably in some areas. 

Our one great discovery so far? Meat in a can. Only three ingredients: meat, salt and pepper. Does not look pretty but turned out pretty delicious in the stew above. Looking forward to opening our can o' chicken pieces...

Can o' Meat

Moving on - reluctantly - from my favourite topic of food. 

Tuesday, when the non-retired returned to work, we tackled the famous Devil's Garden Trail at the Arches national park. It was raining, which was a blessing, since I don't like crowds, but also nerve-wracking, since I don't much like skirting foot-wide wet ledges falling precipitously on each side either. 

Hiking a wet ridge

Fortunately, though they call it "slick rock", the sandstone was fairly sticky. More like walking on wet sandpaper. But I sure wouldn't do it without good footwear. 

While most of our trek was spent in drizzle, the sun did peak out every once in a while. And when it did, it was like the heavens were opening. Glorious.

The sun streaming over the arches

Ditto

The trail had us scrambling up mountains and sliding down cliffs on our butts. Ivan had to catch me at the end of one slide, like you do with kids. He also had to talk down a panicking, shaking stranger across one of the steepest inclines, and help another down a steep rock slide with his pole. We had to ford a stream near then end. The water reached past my knees, and I crossed the creamsicle-coloured stream barefoot with my boots slung over my shoulder while Korean tourists wearing new sneakers and clutching umbrellas gave me the thumbs-up. 

Ivan on the Double O Arch

Juniper Trees

Dark Angel

Even though it was raining, the arches were spectacular. Here's just a few of them...

View through an arch

Double O Arch

Sideview of the Double O arch

Though All Trails didn't given a time estimate for this trail, it took us a total of 8 hours - and we barely stopped for lunch. Though ranked hard (for reasons noted above), I highly recommend the trail for anyone in OK shape, so long as you put your big-girl or big-boy boots on.

We've since left the Arches and made our way towards Zion. I hear fall is settling in back home. If it makes anyone feel better, even though these photos look like they come from a warm place, the temperature where we slept last night was the exact same as what you experienced in Ottawa. But we do hope eventually to hit more seasonal temperatures as we continue westward, and southward.

Have a great night!