Moab

And so onwards to Moab, an old uranium mining town that sits snuggly between the state parks of Arches and Canyonlands. It was "Outside" magazine which, tapping into a modern re-invigoration for adventure, helped to transform this once sleepy desert community into the thriving small town that it is today.

We arrived in the mid-afternoon after a long and pretty stretch of Highway 50, which the Beast devoured feverishly. Our first aim was to find lodging, something that we did, eventually, after slowly accepting that all local motels were going to charge an arm and a leg. That night, with an uncontrollable hunger, we hopped onto the main street to consume beer and pizza in a friendly bar which was nestled in-between the many T-shirt and 'craft' shops that dominate this town. The following morning, after a fantastic breakfast at the Eccentric Cafe, we went to Arches National park for a hike and some much needed exercise (this time armed with proper boots).

I am conscious that I am rapidly running out of adjectives to describe this state, which is concerning, but also inevitable when you consider that we have been confronted with such relentless beauty since we've been here. I guess that the best that I can do to describe the prehistoric stone structures that make up this park, is to emphasise their immensity and prevalence, and to describe how they appear to glide effortlessly out of the sun scorched red sands that dominate every view.

Honestly, never before have I seen so much geological beauty in such abundance across such a vast area.

Arches National Park (and Rebecca)

Arches National Park (and a very small Rebecca)

That evening, eager as we were to avoid the expense of the previous night, we checked into the friendly but infected Lazy Lizard youth hostel, where we cooked lemon courgette and watched Back to the Future in the communal room that sits in the middle of this incredibly cheap collection of wooden cabins. Then, fed and tired after a long day under the sun, we headed back to our wooden room, enthusiastic for sleep.

'Why haven't we stayed in more places like this' ...was the last thing we said to each other as we turned in for the night.

...4 hours later the answer to that question became abundantly clear. Miss Rebecca had been partially devoured by something nasty lurking within her mattress. Painful and very itchy. The cost of our frugality immediately swung into focus. We needed to check out of this place and check out fast.

Canyonlands & Arches National Parks (+ 2 intrepid adventurers).

Prior to arriving in Moab, I had been researching John Wesley Powell's 1869 attempt to navigate the aggressive Colorado River. With only one arm, and under instruction from President Jackson to survey the land for opportunity to initiate mass settlement for people with white faces, he managed to navigate a long stretch of this violent river. This tortuous experience almost turned him mad. It also forced him to respect the shear power and unpredictability that lies within nature; a respect that led him to speak out against others whose aim was the complete manipulation and domination of the natural world. His was an early green voice, now more relevant then ever.

With Powell's trip resonating in my mind, we booked a white water rafting excursion on a stretch of the Colorado, not far from Green River where his now famous journey began (click here to see a picture of this).

Right... bring on Colorado.

© All Images By Paul