Our drive to Moab was largely uneventful and full of beautiful scenery. We passed through a sliver of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park while following a convoy of Model A cars.
We made several stops at scenic viewpoints along the way. It was amazing how the terrain changed drastically as we approached the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park.
Around midday, we found a spot near the Petroglyphs to stop and prepare some lunch. One of the best investments we made for this trip was a battery powered ice-less cooler from Anker. It charges up when plugged into the 12V outlet in the car! It has made a world of difference and allowed us to keep food and drinks refrigerated without the hassle of stopping for ice every few days. We’ve been carrying along everything from lunch meats and cheeses, to carrot sticks and sugar snap peas, to hummus, yogurts, and drinks. Even Tim’s mom’s delicious canned relish and pickles came along! We felt lucky to enjoy a taste of home while making our extended journey across the country.
We continued on the road for another few hours toward Moab. We thought we had arrived early enough in the afternoon on a Thursday to snag a campsite but to our astonishment, every single site at every single campground we drove through was occupied! We were out of luck. The host at the Kings Bottom campground recommended checking out The Ledge camping area. He said it was far out enough that there are usually sites left to claim.
Far out it was! We found ourselves driving out an — uncomfortably narrow at times — winding dirt road through a massive canyon. We weren’t even halfway to the campground and had already spent an hour navigating the steep winding roads. With sunset looming, and plans to wake up early to get into Arches National Park the next morning, it seemed like Plan A wasn’t working, so we opted to return to town to sort out a Plan B.
Over the course of the last year, one way that we began preparing for this trip was by accumulating credit card travel points. This was a perfect situation to call upon those points and see what hotel stays were available in Moab. Once we returned to service range, we pulled over to look online and see what our options were. With some incredible luck, we managed to book the very last room available at the Quality Suites Inn and the staff were sure to confirm this when we arrived to check in. “It’s your lucky day, you just booked our very last room available!” the friendly face behind the counter exclaimed. He also stated that it has been the busiest week this late in the season that he can recall, and attributed it to the incredible weather we’ve all been enjoying. That definitely appeared to be the case as Moab was packed with visitors!
Feeling relieved with a new plan, we unpacked our bags at the hotel and had a meal at the Moab Brewery conveniently located next door. Afterwards we made our way back to the hotel, enjoyed hot showers, and went to bed early in anticipation of the 5AM alarm we had set for the next morning.
After spending the majority of our nights on the road camping and sleeping in a tent, Tim and I both eagerly agree that the nights we’ve spent sleeping indoors have been some of the worst nights of sleep ever! Maybe it’s no surprise that tenting and sleeping outdoors in fresh air for an extended period of time has benefits. Additionally, without prolonged exposure to artificial light, we also noticed that our sleep time naturally aligned with the daily rhythm of sunset and sunrise. After working as a rotating shift-worker for several years, I must say that being on the road for an extended period of time camping like this and living by sunrises and sunsets is a glorious and much-welcomed reset to the varied and inconsistent sleep schedule I held before!
Friday morning, we awoke early and packed up. It was still dark out when we made it through the entrance to Arches National Park. Our goal was to arrive before 7AM so as to avoid the timed ticketing. Light was just breaking on the horizon as we drove into the park and navigated to the trailhead for Landscape Arch.
It was a breeze to get in early and easily find parking! We hustled down the trail to get to the base of the arch in time for sunrise. What a treasure. As the sun gradually rose, we enjoyed the amazing view of light breaking on the enormous nearly 300 ft span of Landscape Arch. Not many other people had arrived to the park yet and it was so special to enjoy the stillness of the early morning.
We continued on and stopped to explore Navajo Arch and Partition Arch, both equally as impressive.
Once back at the car, we made our way to the Delicate Arch trailhead. It was now mid-morning and the heat of the day was upon us. We took our time and stopped for lots of water breaks. After living in Alaska for over 7 years, we weren’t exactly accustomed to the intensity of the desert heat!
It was a great hike and offered rewarding views the whole way. Lots of people had arrived and on our way out, the trail had grown more crowded. We were glad to get an early start; not just to beat the crowds, but also to avoid the worst of the heat.
Our last stop was Double Arch. After gazing in awe of the amazing views and getting our fill of pictures, we wrapped up our time in the park and stopped at the visitor center on the way out. Feeling recharged with cold water and a lunch break, we briefly wandered down Main Street in Moab before getting back on the road.
By late afternoon, we reached the Colorado National Monument and ventured up the winding Rimrock Road to Saddlehorn Campground, a little over 5,000 ft elevation. Sprawling views of Grand Junction came into view below. The beautiful weather was going to continue through the weekend and we were lucky to get there on the early side. Several more campers arrived after us and by dusk, the campground was full.
We’re quickly closing in on 3 weeks on the road and after nearly 6,000 miles driven, it’s time to get the car serviced. Tomorrow we’re planning to stop in Grand Junction for an oil change. Also it’s been hard to ignore the fact that our camping days are numbered, as we will soon be making lots of visits with friends and family for the rest of the journey east!