Arches National Park

This is what brought us and the many others to Moab.  Once again we sailed through the park gates.  It’s wonderful to be part of the 47%.  After a long climb (in the car of course – we don’t actually climb) the road rose over the edge and the valley was spread out before us.  More of the stunning red rock canyons, fins and formations topped off by a series of arches.  It’s all so massive in scale and the panorama so sweeping that photos capture barely a fraction of the beauty.  Once again, words can’t describe it either, so here are a few photos and all I can say is that, if you ever get an opportunity – visit this area.

The town of Moab is not our favorite.  Even at this time of year, which is far from peak tourist season, it’s very frenetic.  The stores, restaurants and streets are crowded and traffic on the main street is irritating.  I can’t imagine what it’s like in mid-summer.  The area is very popular with bicyclists and hikers, as well as off-roaders on ATVs, 4WD Jeeps and motorcycles.   You don’t see the motorized sports in the National Park but they active in the surrounding area.  Of course, this congestion is to be expected in any highly touristed area, and there’s no fault to be found, it’s just not to our liking. 

However, one really bright spot in Moab (along with the scenery) is the best restaurant so far on this trip.  We had dinner last night at the Desert Bistro and the food was wonderful, the service was perfect and the setting was beautiful.  We couldn’t decide on which appetizer to try so we shared 6 appetizers and a salad for dinner.  Dessert was brie baked in puff pastry with an assortment of fruit to accompany it.  We liked the meal so much that we made reservations to go back tonight.  We may just have an entrée tonight.  Whee!

Dessert

Are you wondering about our coolant situation?  Here’s the poop (it’s been a while since I mentioned that isn’t it?).  We contacted Freightliner who puts engines on chassis for our RV company and they said yes, sounds like you have a coolant leak.  The nearest dealer with service is in Grand Junction, CO which is 120 miles over the mountains from here.  We could add coolant and make a run for it but if our slow leak suddenly turned into a rupture (think loose clamp or small hole getting bigger) we’d lose all the coolant at once and be stuck.  Since we are no longer under warranty, they suggested that finding a local repair person might be smart.  As we thought about the terrain between here and Grand Junction, we agreed that local help should be sought.  After several phone calls we tracked down the guy that everyone agreed is the go-to diesel guy in Moab.  Of course, being a good mechanic means he’s busy, but he will (hopefully, eventually) come to us here at the RV park and take a look.  So today we’re waiting to hear from Lloyd the mechanic and probably going to the local farmer’s market.  Also, with luck, we’ll Skype to Europe complete with sound. 

More later if there’s news.