Weekend in Red Rock Country

At 4:15 pm Friday, the hardy 2-door civic was packed to capacity with 4 people's camp gear, coolers, camp chairs, a large rubbermaid tub of non-perishable food, a 5-man dome tent, a dutch oven, an awesome camp stove, 2 bikes and 4 bodies...I'm forgetting something... 

With our good friends Jordan and Corina Sorensen, we made our 3 hr. trip down to Moab UT!!

                                                  
7:30 p.m. - We finally reached our campsite along the banks of the Colorado River.  It was the perfect little site with a picnic table, a clean firepit, and a really smooth, flat area for the tent.  Of course, Devin immediately occupied himself with the fire, which he's a pro at - while the rest of us set up camp. 

Friday night, Devin and I were on culinary duty which consisted of tin foil dinners (with yummy ground beef this time) and dutch oven peach cobbler.  The tf dinners were amazing, and the cobbler was rich.  It was then that we realized 1/4 serving of anything from a size 12 dutch oven fills you up fast!  Devin and I learned a new dutch oven rule of thumb: 10 briquettes underneath, 14 on top, an hour of cooking and you have yourself a well done dutch oven delicacy.

8:30 am - we woke up to a frosty campsite! As warm as you think Moab would be, it got down to the 20s at night!  Above us were gigantic cliffs that blocked the sun, and we were in desperate need of some warm rays.  But Devin started us up a toasty fire and we kicked our morning off with the BEST camping breakfast you could ever imagine: sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes and syrup, and OJ! 

11:00 a.m. took the boys to the trail head to start their 14.4 mile bike ride on Porcupine Rim!  This was their second time "mad-dogging" this trail and they were so excited to make way.  The trail boasts a trecherous 3-mile climb before the reaching the summit.  Apparently, Devin ate way too much breakfast, we'll take that as a compliment :) At one point during the long climb, he reportedly tipped over his bike and plopped himself down on the ground to catch his breath and give himself a chance to digest his breakfast.  The climb is known to be nightmarish, but definitely worth the struggle for the unforgettable view on top of Porcupine Rim.  Moreover, the following 11 miles are all downhill, which according to Devin, is the real mccoy!

 

1:00 p.m. - While the boys were rattling themselves to death across the Rim on their mtn bikes, Corina and I went on a nice 2 1/2 mile hike up Negro Bill canyon, which was convenient because the trail started right by our campsite! It was a pleasant red-sand trail that lead up the canyon alongside a lazy little river.  It was all very comfortable, except having to cross the river 14 times from start to finish!

The trail lead us to "Morning Glory Bridge."  I believe it is the longest natural arch in the world, measuring at 243 feet!  It was a spectacular sight, too bad my camera couldn't capture the true scope of the arch.  I guess you'll just have to make the trip down and see it yourself!

3:00 pm - The boys met up with us at the end of our hike to drive over to Arches National Park, only about ten minutes away.  We were in a hurry because we knew nightfall would be coming soon.  Thankfully, we made it to Delicate Arch just in time for a beautiful sunset, which actually illuminated the red rock beautifully.  There were all sorts of people visiting the arch ie Chinese, French, and Mexican folk. The arch looked so cool in contrast with the snow-capped peaks in the distance.  This was the perfect ending to our adventure down in red rock country.

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