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How it got its name.

The narrows. Those upright rocks line the left side of the drop-off.

The narrows with a car on it and the right side drop-off.

Looking down at the river you can’t get to from here.

I’m so glad we are not here with any children.

See Shafer Road? Coming down the far hill, crossing the middle of the picture and leaving in the lower right?

Dave spent days asking everyone he thought might know about the advisability of him driving this in our Honda CR-V. He was told it is not a technical road, that it gets a bit chunky in places so you have to be careful that sets of tires go the same way at the same time, that it’s expensive to get towed out of there, and that if he got through the bottom 2 1/2 miles he should be OK. He decided not to try it this trip. I think the next time we come here he’ll try to rent a Jeep. That was my suggestion.

TTYL,

Linda

Yesterday was the day we planned to go to Arches National Park.

The day started, as usual, with us at our computers. The difference this day was we had an excellent connection so we decided to catch up on all things computer. By the time I got around to doing the detailed research on Arches, it was nearly noon and their website said we should be planned to be gone from our current campsite for  about five hours.

So, I suggested we should pack a lunch. Dave replied that if we went into Moab for lunch we’d be closer to Arches so we’d need less time for the trip.

As we finished lunch in Moab, Dave said we were just down the road from a BLM district office so it would be good to swing by there. So we did. Of course, they weren’t open on Sunday but there was a sign out front saying BLM camping information is available at the Welcome Center.

On the way to the Welcome Center we came to a grocery store and Dave turned in. We need bread and cereal. We need more but we can’t buy refrigerated stuff on our way to Arches unless we also buy a cooler and ice.

Then we went to the Welcome Center where we got information on free and cheap camp sites around here on BLM lands. On the way to Arches we decided we’d check out some of them for future trips to the area.

We never did make it to Arches National Park but we know where we can stay next time we try.

For now, our time here is up. Someone else has this site reserved for tonight and we need to move on towards Albuquerque where we have an appointment Friday to have a chip in our windshield fixed.

When we have time and a good connection I’ll post more about other places we did see while here.

TTYL,

Linda

When we decide to move to the Moab, Utah, area on a Friday Dave checked out a local state park to see how crowded it might be. There was only one site left so he reserved it. We seldom make reservations but we aren’t prepared to do much boondocking in this new RV yet and this being prime time in this part of the world, competition for sites with electrical hook-ups can be fierce. Especially since a lot of campgrounds around here are still closed for winter.

So as we pulled up to Dead Horse Point State Park we weren’t surprised to see the sign say, “Campground Full.” Fortunately, we arrived early in the day when most of the sites were still empty because it was too early for new arrivals to come. We blocked the campground road a long time before we finally got our RV into our assigned site. We think this site was available only because it had a maximum RV length of 38 feet and most class A motorhomes are 40 feet long. They ask you how long your RV is when you make a reservation but no one asks how wide it is. This site was narrow. To make things even more challenging the asphalt curved.

The utility pedestal was on the wrong side of the site so we considered pulling in instead of backing in but that would have meant driving the wrong way a short distance along the road. Since we weren’t sure how busy traffic would be at departure time we decided not to risk it. Also, we weren’t sure we would be able to open all our slides so backing in would let us open the most important one.

Here’s a picture of the passenger side once we got backed in showing the electrical hookup being on the wrong side.

And here’s the driver’s side just barely still on the asphalt.

And here’s the car tucked in front just off the road.

With the big slide out, Dave had to walk around the rocks to get the electrical cord from its storage compartment. Fortunately, it did reach all the way over the the pedestal so we have a 50 amp electrical hookup which means we can run our air conditioning if it gets really hot here.

When we opened the living room slide, it bumped a tree.

I didn’t realise how close it was until I later when I closed a window there and smelled the fresh pine needles that got crushed in the window. We won’t be opening that window anymore while we are here.

We took one look at the picnic table’s shelter and decide not to even try opening the bedroom slide.

But we are safely tucked in for the weekend and there is much to see here. Are you coming along to see the sights?

TTYL,

Linda

A place to study geology.

A place to take a break after all your hard work.

Aren’t you glad I didn’t make you look at all 100 photos? Don’t you wish you could see it in person? Put it on your bucket list; it’s worth making a trip to see it for yourself.

TTYL,

Linda

Railroad car wheels loaded on a semi-truck. There’s just something inherently wrong with that.

Well, it’s one point of view I guess. Big Bully.

I saw a van with an ad for Rock Star Energy Drink and a huge wifi signal graphic. The van is a wifi hot spot? Are you supposed to chase it down the road while computing?

A Cruise America RV went by and Dave said, “That’s what we’re doing.” He got that right. But, I’m sure glad we aren’t doing it in one of those Cruise America RVs with their obnoxious graphics.

A billboard said, ” Animals are kids, too. Don’t abandon them.” I know a lot of people who think their pets are kids but unless they or another human gave birth to them it is not true. Unless they are baby goats. We shouldn’t abandon our pets anymore than we should abandon our children but pets are not kids no matter how much you love yours.

Another billboard said, “We cordially invite you to act your shoe size.” I have no idea what they were advertising but it is an interesting concept. I wear a size eight. When I’m playing, eight is a good age to be but not when I feel like throwing a tantrum.

I like being the navigator when we are driving Interstate freeways. For three days the directions were I-15 north to I-70 east to Colorado exit 19. Even I could remember those.

As we crossed the Arizona border there was a sign that said, “Commercial vehicles must proceed to port of entry 30 miles.” That port of entry turned out to be in Utah. How does Arizona know if you went that far or not? How can they require you to pass through their state then come back before you turn to their interior?

Another billboard said, “What happens in Siever County you can share with your friends.” This is in response to “What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.”  I never understood that last one anyway. I’m sure if I lost lots of money in Vegas, Dave would know about it. Plus, it would probably become a good campfire story.

Utah’s anti-litter slogan is “Don’t Waste Utah.” Instead of wasting it, use it all up?

We drove by some stony ground covered with a white material I think is salt. Is this where they get rock salt?

The exit sign said, “Ranch Exit.” Is there is a town named Ranch? Apparently not. Several miles later there was another Ranch Exit sign with the milepost listed above it. Then another one with a different mileage. Apparently, Utah has a lot of exits that lead only to private ranches. Some signs added “No Services.” In other words, don’t get off here unless you are headed for a particular ranch. Is that a Western Welcome? If so, don’t look for their wagon.

A sign said the next rest area had vending machines. I can’t read one of those without thinking Cheetos. It’s probably a good thing we didn’t stop there.

Then a sign said, “Eagles on Hwy.” The Eagles? A music festival?

OK. That’s enough to let you know I’m still out here. I’m working on a blog that started with about a hundred photographs. I’m trying to get them down to a more reasonable number before I post them. Watch this space.

TTYL,

Linda