Moab rocks!

Here are just a few more pictures from the ATV trip last weekend. The first picture is of a very cool rock formation called "Secret Spire". It is called secret because it is really hard to find. We were so proud of ourselves when we caught a glimpse of it about 100 yards off the dirt road. It looked so small until we actually walked up to it and stood beside it. It is quite massive. It looks fragile and like it could topple over at any moment -- not to mention that it was so windy while we were standing there that we were a little hesitant to stand by it for very long -- but it is actually very massive and sturdy. The cool thing about this spire is that it sits out in the middle of no where with no other rock formations around. It just sits there on top of a dome of slickrock. Very impressive.

I gave Paul a GPS for his birthday last April. I thought it would be great for bicycling and ATVing but we had never used it. We brought it along on this trip and we were stoked with how great it is to carry along. We knew the coordinates for the Secret Spire and with the help of the GPS we were able to find it. Those things are amazing. Of course, it has more "bells and whistles" than I'll ever know how to use but hopefully Paul will figure it all out!

The second picture is from our 2nd ride. We did this one Fri. morning. It was a really easy ride out to a big rock formation with a couple of arches. This one is called "balcony arch" and the other one we saw was called "picture frame arch". The arches are so cool. I don't understand geology and why this area created an arch in this spot but it is fun to come across them. There were sand dunes on this ride as well. At first I was afraid that we'd get lost and our tire tracks would get blown away but the dunes weren't that big and except for one spot where I did get bogged down and thought I was stuck and Paul was getting farther away from me (he doesn't look back often enough!), it was a lot of fun!

The last picture is from our Fri. afternoon ride. We went up a canyon called Onion Creek canyon. This was so picturesque! The ride was not technical at all but the scenery was amazing. Thankfully we didn't have to watch the road too carefully so we could take in the surrounding rocks. The trail crossed the Onion Creek 22 times. I loved crossing the water. It wasn't deep at all but it is still fun to splash through. We passed mountain bikers, jeep riders and hikers. That is another thing that is so cool about Moab -- there is something for everyone! Kayakers, road bikers, mountain bikers, OHV's and ATV's, rock climbers, dirt bikers and people camping everywhere (in designated camp sites). Because of the National Parks there are lots of foreign visitors especially Asians. Except for being seated at dinner one night next to a table of 14 loud, drinking, laughing, rowdy Canadian men who I think were actually there golfing, it was great to interact with lots of diverse people.

So there you have it... We can hardly wait to go again!