Monkeying Around in Moab!

Two weeks ago, just before starting back to school for the summer semester, Dan and I decided to take the dogs on a little mini-vacation. We weren’t really sure where we were going to go until the Thursday before we left, but Dan took a quick look at the weather reports for Utah and says “Let’s go to Moab. It’s supposed to be sunny and 80 all next week!” Awesome! Moab has been on my list of places to visit for some time now, and, after reading up on poison ivy and rattlesnakes (and, of course, after making note of the two nearest Moab veterinarians), we packed up the dogs and headed off to explore the red rocks of eastern Utah! Here’s a photo of Darby from our trip. Doesn’t he look happy!?! To me, the expression on his face says, “Ahhh… There ain’t nothing like the feel of the wind on your face through a open car window!”

Oh! And you might not know this, but one of Darby’s nicknames is “Monkey,” so, with that in mind, don’t you think the title of this month’s blog post is really cute?

Dan has actually been to Moab several times for photography seminars, but this was my very first visit and I now understand why Dan is such a big fan! There’s so much to see and do and the landscape is absolutely gorgeous! Famous for its 2,000-plus natural sandstone arches, panoramic canyon views, and snow capped mountain backdrop, every inch of scenery around Moab is breathtaking! Even in the rain… Yep, RAIN!!! Unbelievable! It was cold and cloudy every day we were there! That said, the predominantly overcast skies were not so overly good for photos or my tan, but the cooler temperatures were good for the dogs - no heat stroke or rattle snake bites for them! Another plus about the weather was that the moisture really brought out the red of the rocks and made the desert shrubs and wildflowers very happy! We saw scores of beautiful yellow glandweed bushes and oodles of delicate orange paintbrush plants, as well as countless purple, pink, and white blooms, including primrose and lupine!

Lucky for us, much of Moab’s magnificent scenery can be seen from the comfort of a car and, since it was cold and rainy, we did quite a bit of driving.

Our first stop was Arches National Park, just 5 miles north of Moab. As one of the most photographed places on earth, this is most definitely a MUST SEE! I hate to sound like a broken record, but, even if you are just passing through and have a limited amount of time, you should AT LEAST take the 18 mile scenic drive through the park and stop off at a couple of the viewpoints! I also highly recommend taking the short hike to Landscape Arch, but make sure you do it on a sunny day and with a fresh set of camera batteries! Read on for more details!

Landscape Arch is near the Devils Garden section of Arches National Park and it is the one arch that Dan said I absolutely, positively had to see up close and personal because it’s at the end of its lifecycle and could collapse at any moment! Of course, no one knows for sure when the arch will give way, but, like those before it, its collapse is imminent. As a matter of fact, it is said that as many as forty-three arches have collapsed in and around the area since 1970 and, on September 1, 1991, a 73-foot slab of rock fell from the thinnest section of Landscape Arch, creating an even thinner ribbon of rock. Even more impressive is the fact that the 1991 collapse was captured on video by a Swiss tourist who happened to be behind the arch at the time. Crazy! Since then, two other sections of rock have come tumbling down from Landscape Arch - a 47-foot chunk on June, 5, 1995 and a 30-foot block sixteen days later. Needless to say, the Park Service has since closed the loop trail that once led beneath the arch! Anyhoo! Back to the story about my visit. I made the hike when the rain let up and there was a slight break in the clouds. It was a pleasant little hike (1.5 miles along a maintained trail) and, once there, you will, without a doubt, have a better appreciation for the actual size and delicate nature of the arch. Landscape Arch is the longest Arch in Arches National Park and it’s also very tall and skinny. It measures 306 feet from base (nearly the length of a football field) and the highest part of the arch (which is only 11 feet wide and 6 feet thick) stands 106 feet above the ground. Amazing! The funny thing, however, is that, when I got to the base of the arch and I pulled out my camera to take a picture, I only had enough juice to take one photo! Doh! That really sucks! And then, on my way back to the Jeep, I got stuck in a torrential downpour! Lovely! Where was Dan? He stayed behind with the dogs in the car because they aren’t allowed on the trails. That said, Dan did meet me at the trail head with my poncho, but, by then, I was already soaked and looking like a drowned rat! Lucky for Dan, I was also laughing about what happened with some new friends I met along the way! Here’s my one and only photo of Landscape Arch.

Day two took us to Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park, and, as creepy as its name and legend may be, I must say that I really, REALLY liked Dead Horse Point State Park! Towering 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, the view from Dead Horse Point is downright spectacular and the park’s rim trail allows its visitors (including the four-legged kind) to easily set eyes on a number of Moab’s colorful canyons, mesas, and buttes! As a matter of fact, this area is so picturesque that the famous cliff scene in Thelma and Louise was shot near Dead Horse Point, as were parts of Mission Impossible II. Similarly, Grand View Point Overlook in the Island in the Sky portion of Canyonlands National Park is also a sight to behold! The dogs weren’t allowed to go out to the actual viewpoint with us, but we found a spot a little further down the road where we were able to set up the camera and take a family photo. This is our “Grand View” photo from Canyonlands National Park.

Day three brought us back to Arches National Park where we snapped this photo of us at Skyline Arch near the Canyon Wren campsite of Devil’s Garden Campground, the only section of the park where dogs are allowed to do a little exploring. In general (and as with most National Parks), pets are not allowed on any of the park’s hiking trails and/or anywhere in the backcountry (not even in your car on backcountry roads, which we later discovered). The reasons for these restrictions are two-fold. One concern is for the damage pets might cause to the park (in this instance, the scent of pet urine disrupts the reproductive and migratory patterns of the bighorn sheep). The other concern is for the damage the park might inflict on pets (for example, cacti, rattlesnakes, and deadly heat are a few dangers of the desert).

While in Moab, we also drove the Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-279), the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-128), and the La Sal Mountain Loop Road. I enjoyed all three drives (because each offers something different), but, of the three, my favorite was the Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway. I think I liked the Potash drive the best because it connects to the backcountry via the Shafer Trail which, in turn, leads directly into Canyonlands National Park. Basically, the Shafer Trail begins where the paved portion of Potash ends and, until it joins the paved road in Canyonlands National Park, it is an EXTREMELY lumpy-bumpy, rough and rutted, single-track, primitive dirt road. Do NOT take this drive unless you have a high-clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicle! Anyhoo! The trail begins at the cliffside banks of the Colorado River and ascends to the top of Shafer Canyon in a long series of switchbacks which provide for stunning views of the entire Colorado River basin and the La Sal Mountains. It’s a beautiful drive, but, believe you me, the hairpin turns and steep cliffs of those narrow switchbacks are a tad bit intimidating!

As much as I enjoyed Moab, I must also say that it is not one of the most dog-friendly places to visit, but, just as I always do, I did my research and made a list of all things we could see or do with the dogs. That said, dogs are not allowed in any of Moab’s city parks (and the city does not yet have an off-leash dog park), but, regardless of what they tell you at the visitor center, your canine friends ARE allowed on the bike and foot paths of the Mill Creek Parkway in the center of town! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to walk along the trail because of the weather, but, from what I’ve read, the paths are green and shady year-round because the trail follows the creek and canopy of the cottonwood trees. You can apparently access the trail at many points, but we only found one entry and that was off 300 South, across the street from the Dog & Cat Clinic of Moab.

At Arches National Park, pets can only be walked along paved roads, in parking lots, and, of course, in the developed campground of Devils Garden. In Canyonlands National Park, pets can only be walked along paved roads and in parking lots. Dogs ARE, however, allowed everywhere within Dead Horse Point State Park (which is down the road from Canyonlands) and on the hiking trails of public lands, including Negro Bill Canyon along Highway 128 where you can hike to Morning Glory Natural Bridge, the sixth-longest natural rock span in the United States. Dogs are also allowed on the trail leading to the waterfall and swimming hole above Ken’s Lake, just south of Moab. We drove to the campground just below the waterfall (where we could see and hear the beautiful falls), but we decided to skip the hike because it was super rainy and I was afraid of poison ivy!

P.S. On our way home from Moab, we stopped off at the Four Corners National Monument near Shiprock, NM and took this fun photo! There’s not much out there except the monument itself and quite a few really neat Navajo arts and craft booths, but I’m glad we made the drive and paid the small fee to enter. Basically, Four Corners is the only place in the United States where you can stand in four different states at one time - Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Here’s our “standing-in-four-states” photo. With the exception of Daisy (who’s from Texas and sitting in the middle), I attempted to place each dog in the quadrant representing their respective birthplace, but, as you can see, they moved! Scout is supposed to be in New Mexico and Darby is supposed to be in Arizona. I, myself, am attempting to straddle Utah and Colorado!