Moab on my mind

That's John on the Slickrock Trail. Pretty much, when we're in Moab, he lives and breaths Slickrock.

That's Double Arch at Arches National Park. See the previous blog entry for my memorable experience, which I lived to tell about.

Canyoneering in Arches was an exhilarating experience. After scrambling and climbing upward, we reached the top of a mesa that looked like a sea of slickrock. Peering over the edges, soon our sight wouldn't be limited.

We put on our gear and rappelled down to the next tier. The rappels grew increasing longer, culminating in a 100 foot drop. Wow.

The heart-pumping experience was accentuated by the natural beauty of the red sandstone, the rock structures of Arches and the La Sal Mountains in the distance.

This adventure was like having a back-stage pass to Arches National Park.

Those off-highway vehicles are called "Tom-cars." We went on guided trips in the fun little rigs on a few occasions. Then several years ago, for some reason, the outfitter we went through was unable to do the trips anymore.

They definitely got me hooked on off-road exploration in Moab.

Last summer we bought an ATV before our trek to Moab. Once in town, we checked in (I looked through some booklets that were in the hotel lobby - in search of coupons). We then headed to the visitor's center and found a great ATV trail guide (and I got a discount!)

The book is AWESOME and will definitely get lots of use by us. It gives great descriptions, including how to get there, mileage checkpoints, photos and rates the trail on level of difficulty. We had a great time riding in about 9 miles to Gemini Bridge. The ride included a sky-high view of the highway below as we winded out way back into the red rock.

Another ride I particularly enjoyed, we ended up only going part way. Initially, we planned to ride out to an arch, but when we came upon the red sand dunes (and the sky looked a little ominous), we played around in the dunes. It was a blast. Maybe next time we'll make it out to the arch.

Buying an ATV was one of the best purchases John and I have made. The owner's manual says it's not a toy, but whatever, it's our toy. Oh, I definitely respect it's power, but face it, anything that brings a giant smile to my face like that falls into the toy category.