SUNDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2024

(Moab, UT)

Woke up after many hours of sleep. Fabulous. We’d had at early night and the clocks had gone back, so an extra bonus. Despite this, Andrew appeared to want even more, but I decided it was time for coffee, so  I rattled around a bit, creating the necessary light and noise to kick start the day. A glimpse out of the window, though, confirmed the weather forecast as accurately predicting rain. The sky was grey and the streets were wet.

Having been woken up, Andrew found the tv controls and discovered that the Brazilian Grand Prix was just starting. It looked like getting up and out was not going to be a swift process, but I hadn’t really decided where to go today. I had thought about walking around a nature reserve, but a check online revealed it to be closed following the flooding in June this year, which caused extensive damage to the facilities. I came up with a leisurely plan, which involved getting a light breakfast at the hotel, and then going for a browse around the shops in the morning, having lunch, and working up to an afternoon ramble. 

We got ready while the Grand Prix ran its course and then went firstly to Gearheads, where after a vague wander around we purchased some energy blocks and left for our usual place, namely Gloria’s. [Editors note: Andrew managed another great piece of parallel parking in the busy Main Street, which for some reason I find a complex idea because it’s in the wrong side of the street.]

Gloria’s is an easy going place, with a range of food from breakfast, to salads, to sandwiches and burgers, to full dinners, and today was quite busy, mostly with people dressed in outdoor clothing, apparently putting off the outdoors. After a suitable lunch, however,  we eventually headed for a hike. Our chosen option, out of several plans I’d developed, was to go to Arches and hike Park Avenue, one of our favourite short walks, with a hike up and down a (usually) dry wash, between towering red cliffs of Wingate sandstone.

Admittedly, from a scenery prospective, this is more glorious in the sunshine, but it was still impressive in the rain. In fact, it was great fun, and curiously interesting, watching the water for a stream down the wash, puddles getting bigger as time passed, and the steam forging a path across the wet sand. It definitely added another perspective to a route we’ve walked many times.

[Editor’s note: slightly rain spotted video footage is here: https://vimeo.com/1025999682.]

We then went to the Windows section and walked to Indiana Jones arch, more properly named Double Arch (it’s in the Last Crusade opening sequence). It’s big. Very big. It was also wet. Very wet. Whereas the rain had been fairly light but persistent while we walked Park Avenue, it was now heavier and persistent, and cold (37 degrees). We decided that we’d done enough and, given the weather was closing in even more, we’d pass on a daylight walk to Turret Arch and instead sit in the car, drink our tea and have some chocolate. We drove back out of the park, which was getting gloomier by the minute and back to the hotel.

[Editor’s note: bonus! You get two videos today. This one is here: https://vimeo.com/1026003044 .]

After a vanilla coffee, some cookies and a hot shower, we were suitably warmed up and ready to head out to Zax’s for dinner. One final evening in Moab, and tomorrow we’ll need to pack up and leave. Which based on the spread of our belongings might take some time (although at least they should all be dry by morning!).