My friend Amanda met me in Moab in the morning and we went on a hike early to beat the afternoon heat. We hit up Grandstaff Canyon and it was actually a really great hike. Lots of different terrains. There was this creek that we had to keep crossing. A lot of vegetation around the creek helped keep things cool on the trail.
The payoff is a sort of box canyon with a very large arch – it looks like a kind of bridge you would see in a Lord of the Rings movie or something. For a while there we had the entire place to ourselves. I love when that type of thing happens.
On the way back we met this older man, his son, and another girl they had met on the trail. She was hiking barefoot and I was surprised. I usually don’t see other people that like to do that. The sand and rocks on the trail were a bit hot for me to do that but she was killing it. We had a quick little chat and moved on.
After the hike, we went down the river to this beach area, took a dip, had a beer, and made some lunch. We headed back to town around 5 o’clock and did some food shopping, found out there was a fire ban, and headed south of town to a BLM campsite.
We found a really amazing campsite on the ridge but the road was pretty gnarly. This van can really do work when given the chance. Bev the Chev continues to surprise.
Amanda had to get some work done so we came back into town early the next morning. We found a small coffee shop and did some work for a bit. Was able to catch up on some of my writing. I played some ukulele and did some yoga so it was a good time to reset. I am making time for myself which is not something I always did in Australia.
Amanda and I met this couple at the coffee shop and we had a really great conversation with them for about an hour or so. They travel in a Toyota 4Runner and they’ve been on the road for seven months now. I give them credit – I don’t think I’d be able to travel for seven months in a truck – there wouldn’t be enough space for me. The van is already a challenge at times.
We chilled for most of the day and then we met up with Leon and the couple we had met (Nima and Sabrena) for a short hike. The hike was actually really pretty and it was just a fun time – everyone was meshing together really well and there was great conversation.
We ended up going back to that same campsite but we didn’t get there until after sunset. Nima and Sabrena ended up spending the night there as well and we just vibed. They are fun people to be around.