Canyons and A River

K: Day Three in Moab was a Colorado River experience. We woke up in our campsite on the bank of the Colorado River. Despite rather cool morning temps, the sky was a beautiful blue and Viggo makes a mean pot of coffee on a camp stove. Our morning started with an 8-mile kayak trip on the Colorado River. The trip was billed as a "calm water" kayak tour. The trip did go through several "riffles" which are best described as mini-rapids. After passing through the second riffle, I heard a large splash/displacement of water behind me. And to my amazement, there was Viggo floating in the Colorado, kayak upside down near him. Despite the beauty of the Colorado, it is a brown and muddy river. And, yes, Viggo was also very brown and muddy. I probably will never know exactly what caused the little "spill" but the official word is that the kayak trip needed a little excitement.

After kayaking, we left the Moab area and headed northwest in search of our next campsite. We ended up at Capitol Reef National Park. The landscape in Utah is just stunning and, at times, unbelievable. On the drive, we saw the color of the rocks and canyons change from bright red to orange to tan to gray to slate.

V: After a monster day of mountain biking, today was going to be a fine kayak paddle down the mighty Colorado. All was going well, so well that I became mesmerized by the majestic beauty of the canyon walls, and zoned out, and just let that nasty little eddy suck me over into the end of the riffle. Ah well, the trip was in need of a 'splash' of excitement. It was a fine paddle, as Karen will attest, all in all.

It is truly incredible how uninhabited much of the American Midwest and West is. There is so much land with not a whole lot of people, buildings, or anything on it. It's a wonder how some people make a living out here. But someone must add to the pile of car wreck hulks and paint the "No Trespassing" signs on the rotting building shells of Cisco, Utah. Of course, you could always run the Hollow Mountain store in Hanksville, Utah, supplying the few locals and fewer travelers with ice, gas, groceries, videos (VHS, not DVD), and sundry items. And you live next door, of course, inside a different cavern of the hollowed canyon wall.

Scenes from so many bad B horror movies run throught my head on these drives out here.

"Was that the last house on the left?"

"Or is that one?"

You know, a dentist and fashion consultant could really make a fine living out in these parts, methinks.

Highlights:

Sips: Moab Scorpion Pale Ale and Moab Dead Horse Amber Ale

Bites: Dinner at camp - grilled Spam, roasted chili peppers, grilled shallots and teriyaki rice

Sights: Colorado River, Capitol Reef National Park