4 Wheelin

September 7th/09 - Moab Valley RV Park

Rented a Jeep today and were off at 7:30 a.m. Toured Arches National Park and Canyon Lands National Park. Also visited Dead Horse Point State Park.

These parks are beyond description and photos do them no justice. You have to see them in person. This is Wiley E Coyote country. Only the mountains and canyons look like they are on steroids as compared to the cartoon. The Lord must have invented peyote the day that he made these parks because they are like no other place on earth.

We took a 4X4 only road through Canyon Lands. Thirty miles of road that you want to take a rental 4X4 on, not your own. We followed the Colorado River paralleling it on a high Mesa, but nowhere near the upper rim of the canyon.

Near the west end of the park we had to climb out of the canyon. I'm guessing 2,000 - 3,000 feet elevation gain straight up a wall. And I mean a straight wall.

Turns out a rancher first made the road to move his cattle up and down from the bottom to rim. This road proves that you don't have to go to school to be a genius! The Inca Indians with their little trails aren't as impressive after travelling this road.

Don't ever take this road to test your manhood. You might fail and then the gig is up. It is something to behold; switch backs carved to and fro on a cliff face. Princess spent the ride in the passenger seat hyper ventilating and dry heaving (and that's not one bit of exaggeration!! I enjoyed the first 25 miles immensely...the last 5 miles up a cliff face, not so much). I thought a road like this only existed in National Geographic photos. We lived through it. I was impressed. Tomorrow is another day.