Last Night's Update From Doug:

DAY 1

Great day.

Nick fell and got scratched up.

Chain on Sam's bike broke. Luckily they were able to fix it.

All the boys zonked out in the cabin.

Sam wasted. Couldn't wake up for dinner.

Jake tackled the trail-he-does-not-like and did great.

Doug the only one to get in the pool and soak. Boys go to cabin and sleep.

Doug falls asleep on a pool chair after his soak.

Good dinner at a restaurant. 

Excited to get up today and do it all again. 

*The annual father-sons man trip to Moab*

Gotta See It To Believe It

Moab, Utah

What a place.

Doug and the boys have been coming here for years.

They come every May

and ride Slick Rock

and Porcupine Rim 

and rough it at night.

I was fine with staying in a condo

with showers and a 

king size bed.

On Sunday we took advantage of the grill

and Doug cooked up some chicken

for our Easter dinner.

Someday I might be interested in camping

while we visit Moab.

But I sure was glad to be in a house

when I heard the coyotes howling

during the night!

Here's the thing:

I could show you one picture a day

for the next 239 days

(because that's how many Moab pictures I have--and I haven't even looked through Doug's pictures...)

but I think that might be overkill.

It is all so incredible.

These are real, straight-out-of-the-camera, colors.

The stories are fascinating.

This is Landscape Arch.

It is over a football field in length.

In 1991 a HUGE chunk of it fell off

and some tourists actually had their video camera going

and caught the whole thing on film.

Now, at the thinnest part, it is only 6 feet thick.

They say that if you come to Arches National Park

be sure to hike up to Landscape Arch

because they don't know how much longer

it will be there.

wow.

Saturday morning we drove the Manti-LaSal loop

up through the mountains

where there is still plenty of snow.

How crazy is this to be up in the mountains with snow

and be able to look out over the red rocks?

Abbie convinced us to stop at the Sand Dune Arch

before we left for our 4 hour drive home.

It was an easy walk to the arch

and only supposed to take 15 minutes.

We ended up being there for over an hour.

Shoes off. Toes in the sand.

Absolutely beautiful.

We talked with a photographer

who lives in Yellowstone.

He works as a guide there.

He was blown away with what he was seeing 

at Arches and was planning on spending

10 days there, taking pictures.

That says something, for a

Yellowstonian

to be so amazed at Arches.

One last shot of 

Delicate Arch

with Jake, Abbie and their friends at the base,

keeping their balance so they don't tumble off

either side and into the natural-made amphitheaters below.

Doug and the boys will go back next month

fat tires and water bottles in hand.

The Simple Woman's Day Book

thesimplewomansdaybook

FOR TODAY, Monday, April 13...

Outside My Window...Blue, blue sky. I can hear birds (because the window is open). During the night I heard coyotes howling! I haven't heard coyotes since the Ft. Irwin days.

 

I am thinking...Moab has been a lot of fun. I'm glad we came.

From the Learning Room...More geology lessons! The great outdoors is our learning room again today.

I am thankful for...Doug's practice and his hard work and my good money management and God's blessings that allows us to go on fun family adventures.

From the kitchen...Hummm...which restaurant should we eat at today?! So many choices here, unlike where we live...

I am wearing...Still in bed! I am having some sore rock climbing muscles. And there are more rocks to climb today, so I do need to get going.

I am creating...At home I'm working on a Photo Album Scrapbook for my on-line class. It is about the different hair styles in our family through the years. Pretty funny pictures.

I am going...We are going to finish exploring Arches National Park today before we have to head home.

I am reading...Real estate booklets and "what to do in Moab" booklets.

I am hoping...I'll be able to go back to real life tomorrow.

I am hearing...Doug down in the kitchen rustling about making something with eggs for breakfast. What a guy.

Around the house...We are staying in a nice condo on the golf course. It has been a great place to come back to at the end of each day.

One of my favorite things...Going on vacation!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: I don't much feel like thinking about the rest of the week right now, thank you very much!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

This is the "Delicate Arch", the unofficial symbol of Utah. There is a little blue speck sitting at the bottom right of the arch, and that's Miss Abbie. We hiked to this arch on Saturday with some friends who live near here. It Was Amazing. Stunning. Magnificent. One of those places that you have to see to fully appreciate.

This is cool.

Change of Scenery

Perhaps this doesn't look too terribly different

from the area in which we now live.

But it is.

It is much grander.

Much more red.

Much more interesting

with cliffs and arches and pinnacles.

It is Moab.

The Hiker's-Biker's-Jeeper's

Mecca.

We came here for our Spring Break.

We're staying in a condo on the golf course.

Which is funny because we live on a golf course at home.

And we don't really play golf.

But we're thinking about changing all that.

We're staying in a pseudo-pueblo

decorated in all things southwestern

(required for homes down here. Can you imagine

Colonial here? Or a Martha's Vineyard style? Would that be

too confusing?).

In the meantime: Moab.

We're here.

We have Delicate Arches to photograph.

We have Canyonlands to gaze out over.

We have Kokopelli galleries to visit.

The evening light is breathtaking.

Let the adventures begin.