After nearly 2,300 miles, we crossed the border into Utah this morning. We have seen some special places in the past week. But as we got closer to Moab (our home for the next 5 nights) we realized that Utah just hits differently.
Our drive today was short, just over 2 hours. Because we are still sort of on Eastern time, we were up and out by 9:00 a.m. Knowing we could not check in until 1:00 p.m. at our new campground, we decided to take a scenic drive on route 128 out of Moab to see some sights.
Karen had read about this drive shortly before we departed and it look cool. The route is a 2-lane road that follows along the Colorado River, winding its way under towering red-rock cliffs on both sides. The effect was mesmerizing. Several campgrounds were squeezed between the river and the road, perfect locations for hiking, floating on the river, or just relaxing. Because of this valley’s narrow width, the foliage along the river stood in sharp relief to the surrounding cliffs and flowing Colorado. Simply awe-inspiring.
After traveling about 15 miles up-river, we found a large pull-out along the river, plenty enough space for Livvy, so we pulled in. And since it was now lunchtime, it made the perfect place for a meal. While the beginning of the road out of Moab was rather busy with other tourists, far fewer traveled this far upstream, meaning we had a very quiet and peaceful lunch.
We could not be happier with our campground, as it is outside of a “peopley” center of town (no likey!), but still close enough to have things around. We have red rock cliffs on both sides, a gorgeous site, a pool which we WILL be using this week, and peaceful surroundings. Oh, and we even met a very friendly neighbor while relaxing and reading outside. This beautiful lady was just starving for attention (normally a turn-off for us, but she was so lovely we couldn’t resist). So we spent some time with her.
If you’ve followed us for any time on these journeys, you know we do not go out to eat very often on an RV trip. That’s just not what we want out of this lifestyle. Now that absolutely does NOT apply to In-and-Out Burger because that’s just heaven in a bag. Anyway, right at the end of the campground driveway is a Utah brewpub called Proper Brewing. Karen was all in to give it a try.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that is was KAREN who wanted to go to a microbrew. The woman whose only real “beer” was an occasional Michelob Ultra when it was hot and there was literally nothing else available. Yes, that same woman is now starting to enjoy beer!!
So we drugged Daisy (okay, we gave her a calming treat) and walked next door to Proper. It was really cute inside and we were early enough to get seats at the bar. The beers were wonderful as were the burgers. The beer was so good, in fact, that we brought some back to enjoy at the RV on another evening. Proper is here as well as Salt Lake City and we wholeheartedly suggest you try it if ever in the area.
You’re probably wondering why I started off by saying Utah hits differently and then dropped it. So am I. I don’t think a whole lot when I am doing this, I just start to type and see what happens. I suppose you’d have to see it to fully understand, but the landscape here is so incredibly varied, even within just one viewpoint along the road.
When Karen mentioned it earlier, we were descending into the canyonlands area so we had a great vantage point. We could see high desert plains around us, covered in the scrub we’ve become accustomed to. But just beyond that low hills were thrusting up from the flats, covered in bulbous, smooth, red rock. Next in the frame the flat scrub land was bisected by canyons, fracturing the landscape like too-dry soil. Then more, even higher cliffs and mesas above. And in the background, far away but seemingly so close, high mountain peaks still blanketed in snow.
That is a lot to take in all at once. A lot to digest. It becomes almost impossible to take in the variety and vastness of it all. The feeling of smallness can be overwhelming. It is unlike any place we’ve ever visited. And that is why Utah just hits differently.
Leave a Reply