Natures Golden Arches:

We pitched our tent at a place that resembled a Flinstones family reunion and found ourselves two sites down from the folks that we chuckled about at the last campground. They arrived just after us and inquired about the same spot we had opted out of. When we saw them climbing into their car with women who looked like they had packed their manicurist and coif arrangers we panicked that we would have to out drive them to reach what could very well be the only remaining camp site in Moab. When they pitched their giant tent we wondered if there would be room for the guys among all the makeup cases. We actually rolled up just after them so I was able to demonstrate my newly discovered talent at parallel parking (sorta) a 44’ truck. I felt like a true badass! We sat in the shadow of the giant red rocks watching the sun glow as it fell behind us. Dave cooked up the most perfect Nathan’s dogs ever as we watched the remainder of the meteors burning up as they fell. Morning brought us an early start where we found the neighbors primping in the bathroom in an act that must have left them hours behind schedule. We drove up the edge of the cliff on a winding road that built excitement as we climbed. Each turn brought a beautiful new vista and we felt like Christmas morning, new package to discover after new package. The day was hot but dry and we slowly made our way out to Delicate arch, one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever seen. Hardly another sole was out there and we took our time running around the sunken bowl that it sat in. We found a little outcropping that afforded us the perfect picnic spot and ate the remainder of our melted ‘spank your momma good’ cheese (aka Beechers) while dangling our feet over the valley below. One of the many great things about traveling with Dave is his appreciation for all things, including the simplest of sights. It was a great treat to explore Arches with someone who could appreciate the stray spider, mother crow or even an array of pebbles that caught my eye. We spent all day taking in as much as we could. As the sun lit fire to the rocks we made our way back to the truck for our departure. Dave made a quick run by the restroom to see if he could freak out any oversees, elderly women dropping their kids off at the pool…a successful mission. Before making our getaway we opened the back of the truck to grab some water and all our emptys came crashing to the ground. As we picked up the broken glass I cut my finger and went looking for some paper towels in the car. In doing this I was pleased to discover that the entire case of Coke we left on the front seat of the car in the burning hot sun had decided that the cans could no longer contain their excitement. We spent the next 20 minutes absorbing the sticky goodness from the seat, the window, the vents, the floorboards, etc. etc. Once that was done we looked down to realize that every ant in all of arches had covered the trash bag with the broken bottles, the cola coated paper towels and of course the shrapnel of coke cans. We managed to escape their wrath but had to stow the whole monstrosity in the back of the truck until we could find a safe place to dispose of the evidence. We decided that a steak dinner and a comfy hotel were in order for the night. One last beautiful night in Moab before we headed to Colorado..after all time was still on our side!