Maybe the most picturesque campsite yet? We woke to amazing views – colossal sandstone cliffs forming a cove around the camp, and dry, scrubby desert stretching out to the horizon. Somewhere out there is canyon country! We spent the morning scrambling around, testing the limits of friction on the steep, grippy rock.
As we were only a few miles away from the Needles Overlook – a viewpoint perched high on a cliff above the Canyonlands National Park, we made the detour. Woah. Huge. While not as deep as the Grand Canyon, the views out over the Canyonlands are supposed to be just as impressive, and the distances to the far side are greater. It’s so arid. Just crumbling rock and sand for miles and miles. So much to look at, it’s impossible to soak it all in.
The drive to Moab was exactly how I’d expected Utah to be – lots of open scrubby desert, big rocks and awesome scenery. Just like the whole of the rest of the trip, every minute on the road has been interesting in some way or another. There’s just so much to look at and soak in, even out here in the desert. It’s only when we double back on ourselves and drive the same road again that we get the opportunity to focus on anything other than gawping out of the windows. We passed Wilson’s Arch on the way into town and of course scrambled up there too.
After setting up camp in town at Slick Rock Campground, the temperature had dropped a bit so we headed out for a ride at the “Bar-M” trails area just north of town, ending up doing the Circle-O loop – following a painted line on the slickrock for a few miles. A big storm was drenching the Arches National Park and the El Sal mountains to the south, but it rolled on past without hitting us.
Moab is perhaps one of the world’s most famous mountain bike towns, mainly due to the unique, endless slabs of rock surrounding the town. Not only is this place a mountain bike mecca, it’s also a top spot for 4-wheel-drivers and off-roading, river rafting and general outdoor adventures – but not a place I’d like to live. Too hot in the summer, and not much else going on as far as I can tell.
Road and Ocean 