I don’t think we’ve ever been anywhere with a greater concentration of scenic beauty than Moab, UT. Within a short drive of the small town there are two distinct national parks (Canyonlands and Arches) and the spectacular Dead Horse Point State park.
But even just driving ordinary back roads we encountered landscapes (like the one above) that would be considered national park worthy if they were located in any other part of the country. The entire area is simply amazing.
Canyonlands National Park (also near Moab, UT) is so large that it is separated into three distinct land districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles and the Maze. No road directly connects these areas and travel between them can take up to six hours by car. During our time in Moab, we only explored Island of the Sky, which is really just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll have to make a return trip to see the other two thirds of this wonderful park.
Landscape Arch, Arches National Park, Utah
Just outside Moab in Southeastern Utah, Arches National Park preserves and protects more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches. It is believed the park contains the greatest diversity of such formations anywhere in the world. A small sampling includes Landscape Arch (above) . . .
“I don’t think I can do this.”
“Gravity will do most of the work. That and our guides who, being strapped to our falling behinds, are every bit as interested in a safe landing as we are.”
With those words we basically convinced ourselves to do something that the human mind was never designed to contemplate: step off a platform thousands of feet above the ground with only a thin blanket of nylon to slow our descent back to earth. But even that description puts things too cheerfully. We didn’t step off a platform. We tumbled off. Headfirst.
Falling out of an airplane wasn’t originally on our to-do list for Moab, Utah, or for anywhere really. There was a time when I figured I’d eventually go skydiving, but over the years that interest mostly faded. Shannon’s thinking on the matter pretty consistently fell in the neighborhood of “no freaking way.” She’d watch from the ground, thank you very much.
So how, then, did we find ourselves at 10,000 feet in a tiny single-engine propeller plane, each strapped bum to bollocks with a man we’d only met moments earlier? We’d say it’s all TripAdvisor’s fault, but the truth is that we were building toward that moment consistently, if unwittingly, for more than two solid years. Every new experience, every boundary pushed, every obstacle overcome during our travels brought us a step closer to the point where we had the courage to take this literal leap of faith.
The rising sun illuminates Monument Valley formations
In some respects, we were incredibly lucky. True, two of our three days in Utah’s Monument Valley were completely blown away by dust storms. And on our fourth day those same gusty winds threatened to force us off the road as we tried to escape the wicked weather. But that second day, the day we arranged an off road tour of the Valley? That day was perfect.
We arose well before sunup to get the first tour of the morning. Our only complaint is that we didn’t get up even earlier. We couldn’t have known that this would be our only clear day in the Valley, and our only chance to photograph the monuments as they emerged from night’s inky blackness into beautiful blue silhouettes of dawn.
We saw them briefly in that light as we pulled into our appointed pick-up spot but had no time for photos. Our jeep was waiting and a bit impatiently too.
Everywhere Once 