50 After 50 – Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park

Our October 2020 Utah trip was so amazing. It literally ended with a plan to return... to finish what we started and see the other side of Utah and the rest of their National Parks. On a Southwest napkin during the flight home, a budget was scribbled, a monthly saving plan created, and that very next week an AirBnB reservation was made for Moab. St Danes Cabins has an amazing little cabin seven miles south of Moab and thats where we stayed on our first trip of 2021, the extension from 2020.

We scored cheap Southwest flights, two round trip tickets for $49 each way from Nashville to Denver. Leaving early on Monday morning, we arrived shortly after 8am. We headed southwest on Interstate 70 toward our first night in Grand Junction, and on the way we stopped in Golden Colorado and had a great breakfast at Launch. The drive to Grand Junction was really pretty, lots of snow covered mountains, elevation changes and beauty. We found the Grand Junction AirBnB and headed for our routine Sam’s Club purchase of pillows and then to Aztecas Family Mexican Restaurant for dinner. A long day of travel meant a good night sleep.

Tuesday afternoon we arrived at Arches National Park for a quick peek before heading to the cabin. Again, using our America the Beautiful Pass from October 2020, we drove to the Windows section of the park, took a quick walk out to the North and South Windows, then on to Turret Arch. That evening, away from the hustle and bustle, we checked into our St. Danes cabin,  a small cabin with everything we could possibly need for the next four nights. We finished off the evening at Susie’s Branding Iron Restaurant for dinner and a quick trip to City Market for food supplies for the remaining days.

Wednesday morning's temperatures were in the 30’s with 15 mile per hour winds. Layers are clutch and we always pack plenty! Amazing how the temperature can swing in just a few days. Today we packed our lunches and drove to Canyonlands National Park, a wilderness of countless canyons and fantastically formed buttes by the Colorado River. It had somewhat of a remote feel with a beautiful quiet depth to the canyons. Pictures only remind us of the beauty, but never really capture it. Island in the Sky was our first stop... such depth... with canyons within canyons. We drove the park road to Upheaval Dome, found a parking spot at the trail head, then hiked to the first and second overlook. There weren't a lot of folks on this trail. The wind was a factor as we had to literally “hold on to our hats”... stampede strings required. Grandview Overlook, where we ate our picnic lunch, was a beautiful site to behold. Mark was quite fascinated with White Rim Road. Because we were in a rental car, and had not researched it, we only watched from above. It looked like quite an experience... and I can only imagine how dark these night skies are.

Before returning to Moab, for a $20 entry fee, we also visited Dead Horse State Park for some pretty views of the very green Colorado River. We strolled along the Rim Trail, and saw lots of beautiful views and rocks. It was such a gorgeous, windy, cool day.

Thursday morning we gathered snacks and headed out pretty early. The weather was predicted to be a much warmer day, with temps in the 80's. We drove to Devils Garden Trailhead, happy to find a parking spot and head out to explore Arches National Park - Tunnel Arch, Pine Tree Arch, Landscape Arch. Then off to Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch where we hiked and scrambled a rock to continue to a lesser known Tapestry Arch. Most of the trails were pretty crowded with folks, however we took a different route, after leaving Tapestry, thru the campground and found some solitude. It may have been our favorite place... where no one else was going. Cairns were our friend on this one!

Friday morning, our last day before traveling back to Denver, we ran a little later getting to Arches. It was really crowded with no parking at Delicate Arch trailhead, so we opted for the overlook parking instead. It was really warm, also! After taking the overlook trail, we meandered a bit thru some of the less crowded stops enjoying the views on what we called 'Our Goodbye Tour.' We met a couple from Ohio at one of the stops, and during this trip we met several people from the South... it truly is a small world. We tried to capture the snow covered Lasalle Mountains, walked around Balance Rock, and every other single stop we could find. Moab was a zoo traffic-wise, so we opted for a stop at City Market to purchase steaks to grill and veggies to cook for dinner. We spent the last afternoon relaxing at the cabin, away from crowd, doing what we sometimes forget on vacation... resting. There was even a little star gazing from the back patio plus reading and enjoying a great evening meal together in prep for the long travel day tomorrow. It just felt right.

Saturday morning, we began the 6 hour trek back to Denver. Have I ever mentioned that at the end of every beautiful vacation... as we get in the car to drive away .. I cry? I cry because of the beauty, the opportunity to do this yet again, and the fact that it is over. Maybe it’s silly, but I have a good cry... it was a great vacation. That morning I cried. I cried at the goodness and kindness of my Father for allowing me to see beauty, the companionship of a husband who knows me well, who follows me on the trails, who drives, and is always ready and willing to go exploring.

The drive back was beautiful again, thru Vale and Breckenridge where the snow remained and folks were skiing. In Silverthorne, Colorado we stopped for a late lunch at The Baker’s Brewery. We always look for the local guys when traveling. Pretty sure this entire trip we were successful! Arrived at the Southwest gate with thirty minutes to spare. Boarded and flew into Nashville.

Home sweet home, with red rock memories of another great trip to Utah. Next stop... some green mountains with water.

Stay tuned.