Introduction
Map
Mojave Desert
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Colorado Plateau
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Sonoran Desert
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
Day 21
Painted Desert
Day 22
Day 23
New Mexico
Day 24
Day 25
Day 26
Day 27
Day 28
Day 29
Day 30
Chihuahuan Desert
Day 31
Day 32
Day 33
Day 34
Day 35
Day 36
Texas
Day 37
Day 38
Day 39
Day 40
Day 41
Day 42
Day 12: Moab
Sunday, March 24, 1996
1460 miles
38° 34' 17" N / 109° 32' 53" W
The motel is pretty busy and bustling with activity and so we get up, pack our stuff and head for breakfast to the Slick Rock Cafe. By the time we finish our excellent burritos, it's already past noon. Since I want to see some more of the Canyonlands, we decide to spend another night in Moab, get another motel room and head for the Island in the Sky district.
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| White Rim | ||
The weather is still unsettled and there are scattered snow showers all around us. By the time we reach the high plateau, another shower just clears and leaves behind a few lingering clouds. This produces a most bizarre sight, as they hover below the cliffs and one gets the feeling of being in an airplane. Or on an "Island in the Sky". There couldn't be a better match betweeen the scenery and the name.
We reach the Southern tip of this mesa and hike out to Grand View Point. The hike is short and very pleasant and going cross-country reminds me a little bit of my beloved Sierra Nevada.
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| View from Grandview Point across the Green River towards the Maze | ||
The overlook is absolutely fantastic. I stand on a large boulder right next to the drop-off, turn around 360 degrees and feel like a bird soaring over this gorgeous landscape. To the West we can see our companions from our epic hike: Elaterite and Ekker Butte.
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| Waterholes after snow showers | ||
Back at the car we drive North for a short while to reach the trailhead for the White Rim Overlook. The sky is really clearing up now and the low sun casts a warm light through the crisp and clear air. The hike is pleasant again and when we reach the overlook, we are overwhelmed by the grandeur of the panorama and I want to break out into spontaneous applause.
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| Monument Basin | ||
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| La Sal Mountains beyond the White Rim | ||
We look over an undescribable landscape of canyons, plains, mesas, buttes, arches and on the horizon in the East, there stand the snow-capped La Sal mountains. I find it very hard to leave this powerful place and want to stay here until darkness.
But we move on and make a final excursion to Mesa Arch, the one you can see in many photographs. This arch is quite outstanding. It stands very close to a high cliff and through its window one can see the La Sal mountains. The setting sun provides a very nice lighting which stays with us all the way back to Moab.
We have dinner again at the Slick Rock Cafe and go to bed with the memories of an extremely scenic day.