Trip Report: Moab to Vegas
Sep 22nd, 2007 | 08:04 AM
#1
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Trip Report: Moab to Vegas
Ok, I've never done this before so I hope it isn't boring. My husband and I spent a week hiking and seeing some amazing scenery before ending with a weekend in Vegas.
We flew from NYC (newark) to Las Vegas. We flew Continental and it's the first flight in a while that wasn't miserable. There were no delays, in fact our flights coming and going both arrived early. Fly Continental! We picked up our rental car (Toyota Corolla from National) and started our drive to Moab. It is a very long drive and we were both babbling incoherently by the time we arrived! Cruise control is a must for this drive.
We stayed at the Best Western Greenwell in Moab. Nice hotel, great rooms, great pool. We were right in the center of town and only about 10 minutes from the entrance to the park. We showered and went to Eddie McStiff's for a drink. Great place. Had the Polygamy Porter (thanks to a rec on this board). We had to get the chips and salsa so we could order beer. 69 cents for great stuff - there are worse things in the world! Then we went to a Mexican place someone at the hotel told us about. I can't remember the name of it but it was next to the Gonzo Inn and ended with "family restaurant". Great food, great people.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast from the Red Rock Bakery. I had yogurt with granola and my husband had a sunflower seed bagel. Both were excellent and lasted all through our morning hiking. We went to the park, signed up for the Fiery Furnace hike for the next morning and went to do the Devil's Garden hike. It was a great way to start. The hike was wonderful and you see a lot of great arches. It got the legs going and the heart pumping and it wasn't too hard. It might sound ridiculous but I kept thinking "this is where they filmed the roadrunner-coyote cartoons" haha. It was just like that and I could not believe the surfaces I was hiking on. The sky is big and beautiful and the clouds were just spectacular. It was hot but the arches provide great shade and it's so much cooler as soon as you step into their shadows. My first impressions were "I've never seen anything like this" and "I love this place". We did not make it all the way to the Double O arch. My husband has a fear of heights and there is a sort of rock wall that you have to walk across to get to the last part of that trail. He sat down and could not take another step. So if you or someone you're going with has the same affliction just be aware of this part. He's been able to push through and do a lot of stuff, but this he couldn't do. I don't have a problem with heights so I don't completely understand what it feels like but there is a drop off on both sides and I think that's what makes it hard to get past. We saw so many spectacular sights though, that missing that one was no problem.
We went back to town for lunch - Zax Sandwiches and the food was delicious. I had a turkey wrap that was HUGE. I can't remember what my husband had but he ate every bit of it so I know it was delicious! Their pizza looked good too. Oh, another good thing about the hotel is the rooms have very good refridgerators. I took home leftovers from the Mexican place and half my lunch from Zax and it was great to be able to do that. It kept the beer we got at McStiff's nice and cold too! The tap water in Moab tastes fine and there is absolutely no reason to buy bottled water. we just filled our bottles at night and put them in the fridge.
That afternoon was our hike to Delicate Arch. When you see this trail you say "THIS is a trail?". The rocks seem like they will be slippery but you get unbelievable traction on them! I kept expecting to slip when I saw sand but it never happened. The hike itself was just so much fun. Again, I just couldn't believe I was "allowed" to walk around on that stuff! Thank heaven for those rock cairns that keep you heading in the right direction. We brought a flashlight along in case it got dark while we were out. If you want to be there for sunset you want to leave about an hour before and don't expect to be alone. There were a couple of people up there with tripods who were acting like no one ever had that idea before! The hike itself was strenuous at times and when you get closer to the top the fear of heights thing kicks in a little bit, but it is so worth fighting through. I would not recommend going to the viewing point before doing the hike. I loved that my first view was as a I came around the top of the mountain and BAM there it was. You think you know it's going to be beautiful, but you really have no idea (kind of like when you see the Grand Canyon for the first time). We didn't stay for the sunset - maybe a mistake, maybe not. It was extremely windy and the blowing sand actually stung. Wear sunglasses for sure. I did go out under the arch and that was fun. Although we didn't see the sunset on the arch it was nice because we were able to see those beautiful colors on balanced rock and we didn't have to worry about coming down with a crowd in the dark.
Ok, I'm not sure how this is going or if anyone cares. So critique me and I'll continue!
We flew from NYC (newark) to Las Vegas. We flew Continental and it's the first flight in a while that wasn't miserable. There were no delays, in fact our flights coming and going both arrived early. Fly Continental! We picked up our rental car (Toyota Corolla from National) and started our drive to Moab. It is a very long drive and we were both babbling incoherently by the time we arrived! Cruise control is a must for this drive.
We stayed at the Best Western Greenwell in Moab. Nice hotel, great rooms, great pool. We were right in the center of town and only about 10 minutes from the entrance to the park. We showered and went to Eddie McStiff's for a drink. Great place. Had the Polygamy Porter (thanks to a rec on this board). We had to get the chips and salsa so we could order beer. 69 cents for great stuff - there are worse things in the world! Then we went to a Mexican place someone at the hotel told us about. I can't remember the name of it but it was next to the Gonzo Inn and ended with "family restaurant". Great food, great people.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast from the Red Rock Bakery. I had yogurt with granola and my husband had a sunflower seed bagel. Both were excellent and lasted all through our morning hiking. We went to the park, signed up for the Fiery Furnace hike for the next morning and went to do the Devil's Garden hike. It was a great way to start. The hike was wonderful and you see a lot of great arches. It got the legs going and the heart pumping and it wasn't too hard. It might sound ridiculous but I kept thinking "this is where they filmed the roadrunner-coyote cartoons" haha. It was just like that and I could not believe the surfaces I was hiking on. The sky is big and beautiful and the clouds were just spectacular. It was hot but the arches provide great shade and it's so much cooler as soon as you step into their shadows. My first impressions were "I've never seen anything like this" and "I love this place". We did not make it all the way to the Double O arch. My husband has a fear of heights and there is a sort of rock wall that you have to walk across to get to the last part of that trail. He sat down and could not take another step. So if you or someone you're going with has the same affliction just be aware of this part. He's been able to push through and do a lot of stuff, but this he couldn't do. I don't have a problem with heights so I don't completely understand what it feels like but there is a drop off on both sides and I think that's what makes it hard to get past. We saw so many spectacular sights though, that missing that one was no problem.
We went back to town for lunch - Zax Sandwiches and the food was delicious. I had a turkey wrap that was HUGE. I can't remember what my husband had but he ate every bit of it so I know it was delicious! Their pizza looked good too. Oh, another good thing about the hotel is the rooms have very good refridgerators. I took home leftovers from the Mexican place and half my lunch from Zax and it was great to be able to do that. It kept the beer we got at McStiff's nice and cold too! The tap water in Moab tastes fine and there is absolutely no reason to buy bottled water. we just filled our bottles at night and put them in the fridge.
That afternoon was our hike to Delicate Arch. When you see this trail you say "THIS is a trail?". The rocks seem like they will be slippery but you get unbelievable traction on them! I kept expecting to slip when I saw sand but it never happened. The hike itself was just so much fun. Again, I just couldn't believe I was "allowed" to walk around on that stuff! Thank heaven for those rock cairns that keep you heading in the right direction. We brought a flashlight along in case it got dark while we were out. If you want to be there for sunset you want to leave about an hour before and don't expect to be alone. There were a couple of people up there with tripods who were acting like no one ever had that idea before! The hike itself was strenuous at times and when you get closer to the top the fear of heights thing kicks in a little bit, but it is so worth fighting through. I would not recommend going to the viewing point before doing the hike. I loved that my first view was as a I came around the top of the mountain and BAM there it was. You think you know it's going to be beautiful, but you really have no idea (kind of like when you see the Grand Canyon for the first time). We didn't stay for the sunset - maybe a mistake, maybe not. It was extremely windy and the blowing sand actually stung. Wear sunglasses for sure. I did go out under the arch and that was fun. Although we didn't see the sunset on the arch it was nice because we were able to see those beautiful colors on balanced rock and we didn't have to worry about coming down with a crowd in the dark.
Ok, I'm not sure how this is going or if anyone cares. So critique me and I'll continue!
Sep 23rd, 2007 | 10:59 AM
#3
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Hi Dohlice, great trip report - keep it going! It is taking me back to our trip in June and I am reliving it every moment reading your report. We absolutely loved Moab and would love to go back some day, but it is a long way from the UK, Still you never know. Looking forward to your next instalment!
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