Leaving the land of absurd liquor laws

Day 96

Canyonlands National Park seems to be too tucked away for most people to bother, and that’s a shame, unless you don’t mind being in a huge outdoor area with very few people, which I do. It’s a great area, tons of trails to explore, and there aren’t mobs of people all over. We were only here for a day though, and the day we chose was like 100 degrees, so we waited until the evening to wander about. The five mile hike we did was really fun because you’re essentially climbing around on rocks, making your own trail, and just making sure there are some cairns in sight so that you know you’re no absolutely lost. That was the first part anyway. Then it heads down into a canyon with normal style trails made of boring dirt. That was less exciting. Still, I would come back here in a heartbeat. It’s way less traveled since it’s about 35 miles off the highway, which makes it ideal for hiking and back-country camping.

The night didn’t get much cooler, and we almost skipped making dinner. But we didn’t, and we made a stir fry with tofu, onion, broccoli, and ginger. We also had some nuts for a snack. The night had no breeze, it was stuffy as hell in the van, and I doubt it ever got below 80. Thunderstorms kept threatening, but they were always a couple of miles off. Where’s the luck?

Day 97

Worn out from all the hiking, we relaxed most of the day in the town of Moab, which I’ve been told is really cool. Not true. It’s probably a lot like Jackson, Wyoming in that people have fond memories of how cool a place it was in the middle of a bunch of horrible places, but at this point it’s just another tourist town with literally no local flavor. Touring companies, clothing companies, cheesy restaurants, and hotels litter the area. We ate at a place called Zax, which was decent, but nothing spectacular outside of their homemade root beer. Except, when I asked the waitress about the homemade root beer advertised on the menu she told me that was a misprint. It wasn’t actually made there, but some place down the road. Who let that one slip? They also had beer on tap, but they water everything down to 3.2%. Weak. In many ways.

The coffee shop was nice though, and served non-watered-down caffeinated beverages. They also had a sweet piece of art hanging in the window. It was a window, and on each of the six panes a VW van was painted in various colors. If I had an extra 250 bucks, I’d have gotten it. Maybe I’ll just make my own.

We slept in this almost abandoned campsite three miles outside of Moab along the Colorado River. The only other person we saw was also in a Vanagon. Sweet. It was also half price for people with a National Park Pass, dropping the price down to $6 a night. We found out later that it’s unlikely anyone ever checks to see if you’ve paid, so it technically could have been free, but the park services are a good thing to support, so says Mike. Really he just doesn’t like to break the rules.

Day 98

Arches is a lot like Yellowstone. A lot. The landscapes are entirely different, but if you go on a trail to something worth seeing, you’re essentially walking in a line behind a whole bunch of other people. Mike and I did the long loop up at the northern end of the park that branches off a bunch of times to see all the various arches in the area, and at every single one there were people sitting about, looking around or eating a Subway sandwich. It’s a little disappointing when nature is so cramped. We did take the “primitive” trail on the way back, but there were still quite a few people on that as well. The arches are quite amazing to see though, so it’s a shame that the only way to see them is by standing shoulder to shoulder with Asian women wearing slippers and fat white dudes smoking cigars (true people!).

We then needed a shower. Pretty badly. We hadn’t showered since Arizona, which means there was no bathing after hikes in Monument Valley, Natural Bridges (where I fell in mud, remember), or Canyonlands. So once we hiked our six miles at Arches, we were past due. We went to the bike shop, which offers public showers, but it’s closed on Tuesdays. Huh? The shower door, however, was open, so we went inside. Except that the shower head was on the floor, along with a lot of drywall. No luck there. So we went to a hostel at the edge of town and took $3 showers. Refreshed, we treated ourselves to stomach destroying root beer floats. They were so good. Mike overheard a couple (hopefully from another country) whisper to each, asking “what are those?” in relation to our floats. What is wrong with people?

The evening was spent in the shade at our campsite, reading, drinking some IPAs, eating fajitas, and enjoying out last night in Utah. Tomorrow Mike goes to the airport in Grand Junction, Colorado, and I’ll have officially left Utah behind, and officially be on my own. Well, until I meet up with Micah at the end of the week, which is rather exciting.

Day 99

Another sad day in the life of VanGuy. After spending a couple of quality hours at a brewery in Grand Junction, Colorado (which serves beer with normal alcohol levels), I had to send off another van traveller. I dropped off Mike at the airport, bidding adieu to my Utah travel companion. I held back the leaks this time, though I was still a bit choked up driving away.

I now sit in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, which seems to be a nice enough place, but everything is already closed and there’s not a lot to do. I’m also already a little lonely. I’m going to research something to do for tomorrow, but I’m pretty much just anticipating being in Boulder at this point and don’t have much of a drive to do a whole heck of a lot. Just biding my time.