Moab

Last weekend I went to Moab with some friends and had a blast. Maren, Wendi, Rosalinda, Tyson and I drove up on Thursday and came back Sunday. I will have to post pictures later.

We got there around 6 or 7 Thursday night and drove around for quite a bit of time trying to find an available camp site. Luckily, we found our home at King's Bottom on the edge of the Colorado river. When we found the site, it had been pouring like mad. We were slightly disheartened, but mostly excited and in awe. When that much water lands on mountains of sandstone, waterfalls start appearing all over the place. It was amazing. The rain stopped just as we were ready to set up camp, which was perfect. We ate at the first open restaurant we found which turned out to be a good one.

Friday we went white-water rafting on the Colorado river and had a blast. It was sunny, warm and clear. Our raft guide was fun and we even got to rescue a raft in our party that got flipped on the largest rapid of the day. We got back to town around 3 and decided to go for a dip in a nearby stream. It was warmer than the Colorado river... and clearer. We went up to a waterfall and jumped in from rocks. Wendi wasn't so sure about the slippery moss that covered the rocks, but they made for good slides. We walked around town for awhile and went on a small hike near our campsite before eating and going to bed.

Saturday we went into Arches National Park and went on several hikes to different arches. One of the hikes (Sandstone Arch) was a lot of fun because it is in this large crevasse between large masses of sandstone and a very fine sand covers the floor. We took off our shoes and climbed up rocks and explored the area for awhile. The weather was cooler with occasional light rain. It was just about perfect for a day of hiking. While we were out, however, our tent had been ransacked. Apparently the criminals were naked transvestites because they stole guys clothes and a bag of makeup. My whole bag had been stolen and Tyson had three pairs of short taken from his.

I wasn't too bummed out because I had my wallet and keys and phone. They did steal some clothes that I really liked including my boars shorts, but maybe they needed them more than me? Anyway, that didn't keep us down. I insisted that we follow through with our plans to go take a bath in the stream we visited the day before. I won't go into details about how I managed to do that when the only clothes I had were the ones I was wearing.

Saturday night we ate at Zaks and had a fireside dance party which was rockin. It was highly enjoyable and is one of my favorite memories form the trip. The couple at the campsite next to ours, however, must have had a much more fun night. Apparently they believed their tent was sound proof and didn't think that their extremely loud mating sessions would be out of place in such a natural environment... I mean, the chipmunks were doing it.

We did some off-roading on Sunday and got Wendi's Jeep muddied up in Canyonlands National park and stopped at a few scenic points. By the time we got back to Provo we were so ready for a shower and real sleep, but it was well worth it.