Beautiful Boulder

Goblin Valley


Landscape Arch

Once again, Dave hoisted our behinds up and out of bed by 6:30 AM. We had bfast in our room and packed up to leave the beautiful Red Cliffs Lodge - deep in the canyons of Moab. We headed to Arches one last time and made the hike to Landscape Arch (pictured here). Along the way we also viewed Pinetree Arch and Tunnel Arch. Met some nice people from Oklahoma - a teacher, in fact. Had a fun conversation with them. Sunny day and temps were 82 by the time we left the park at 10:30 AM. We started our journey to Boulder ... not Colorado, but Utah! It's a very remote spot - in fact, the last place in the continental US to receive mail by mule - current pop. 200. It took us all afternoon to travel the 196 miles because we made a few stops. First, we visited Dead Horse Point State Park and enjoyed canyon spectacular views that also included the Colorado River flowing through it.

Next, we made a stop at Goblin Valley - a neat site that only gets approximately 100,000 visitors a year. After arriving at the site, we found a canyon full of sandstone sculptures that looked like little creatures. They were created by millions of years of erosion and, if you looked long enough, you could see face-like features in these creatures. The park allows people to roam off trails and stand on the goblins themselves, which the boys thought was really cool.

The final leg our our trip today took us through a beautiful part of Utah. We took Rt. 12 - named one of the Top Ten Scenic Drives in America to Boulder. It was absolutely stunning. While driving, we were able to see at least four rain storms out in the distance. To see a complete weather system moving was unbelievable. At the top of the mountain, we reached 9600 and the temps had dropped to 65 degrees. Met a family from Holland and they remarked on how "cheap" our gas is! They pay over $9 a gallon (equivalent) in Holland and are loving how the Euro is paying off in America. I guess that's why we've typically met Europeans this trip (with the exception of a family from Australia.) Not many Americans traveling this summer!

We finally arrived in Boulder and the first mini-mart we stopped by (a shack on the road) was completely out of milk. Luckily, the only other one in town (another shack) had milk, so we stocked up on bfast food. The lodge is really fun - remote, family-oriented (Matt is playing volleyball right now with a group of guests.) We can use their badminton or croquet sets, have a bonfire, fish, or a whole host of other activities.

Tomorrow we head to the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument to hike Calf Creek ("crick") falls. Love the cooler temps and the neat lodge. They are completely booked for tonight, believe it or not. Pays to plan ahead! No cell service here (or in Moab), so we are out of touch for awhile.