Comfort Suites Moab

... and many others were doing the same, but I still couldn't help imagining a sickening crack as I was walking out onto the arch. But nothing happened and it was a fantastic experience. This time Yana had managed to rope Claudio (our resident Italian) into taking photos of her.<br><br>After Arches we drove to another small valley which only a few walked (it was very short) and we met them at the other end. We then went to Moab where some ...

... town we visited during our time in the western U.S. We had met some folks down in Sayulita, Mexico that lived in Durango so they had invited us by. John (the husband) was a pretty serious mountain biker so he was able to take Darren out and show him the best rides from a local's perspective. From a cumulative standpoint, Durango seemed to have better trails than the fabled Moab.

... to show you how far up it is and the people walking along the sandstone cliff. <br> <br>All of the sandstone formations in this monument are amazing. In many places you can see where new arches are being formed and where parts of high walls have collapsed and fallen down. What I found interesting was that parts fell down but some parts stopped part way down and remain on the downward sloping cliffs and on the edges of the rims. Why didn&#8217;t they ...

Today, we woke up in Denver, CO, and had Denny's for breakfast, which was surprisingly delicious. (Grand Slam for $5). We then drove around downtown Denver for a while, which was cool. As soon as we left Denver, we got back onto Route 70 West and right away we saw our first snow-capped mountains. We didn't expect them to show up as quickly and dramatically as they did. From then on, our whole ...

... of the night and stumbled to the restroom in her pajamas. In half-asleep stupor, she forgot her glasses and her lantern. Didn't realize it until in the dark restroom. Became uncomfortable. Thought she heard something. Came out and could not see. Was convinced that wild game was after her. Freaked out and took off running blindly in flip-flops and penguin pajamas. Tripped all the way back to car. Not proud of this moment. <br><br>

... narrow ridge with rock hangover coming very close to the Jeep. Two of our 4 did the impossible looking obstacle. Next was a very deep and steep 'bathtub' and only one tried it. He tried for many times to get out of it and finally had to be towed out. Then on to Mashed Potato. This is just piles of grey swirly stuff that looks like a stirred bowl of mashed potatoes, only rock hard! There were some obstacles and some climbing and trail finding but eventually we were out and on the ...

... central Utah to meet up with our friends Jim (aka Big Sexy) and Josh for some good ol' bouldering fun. Jim working the knots out of Ben's lower back. More photos of these debaucherous days in the Bouldering in Joe's Valley section toward the end of this entry. Even when we weren't actively meeting up with friends or running into them, the ...

... Delicate Arch. A rather vague track marked by cairns or piles of stones lead Dave the wrong way, since I was close behind I saw him ahead presuming this was the correct way I followed. We got there regardless and turns out we got views from the other side too. We headed to the correct side where we got plenty of photos. We then headed down back to the bus. We then drove the short distance to the trail head car park for Landscape Arch, a short stroll brought us ...

I set off early the next morning, eager as a beaver to get to the famed Arches National Park, host to some of the most outstanding landmarks of Utah. The air was fresh and I was feeling good. Despite the long drive the day before, I had a good rest at the motel and a good breakfast to start the day. The weather was perfect and the clear skies pointed to good hiking conditions, and indeed the hiking was good. There are more than 2000 ...