MEANDERING MOOSE

     We finally got out of Colorado and stopped by Moab, Utah for a little national park action. Besides being the mountain bike capitol of the world, Moab is the home of 2 national parks-Arches and Canyonlands. Canyonland National Park. Island in the Sky District. A salt dome uplifting through the floor of Canyonlands National Park in the Island of the Sky District.      We could not get enough of Arches as we visited the park on 3 separate days and still had things we never got to.  Arches is full of fantastic shapes carved in sandstone.  Red is the primary color of the day, but the rocks can also be purple, blue, green, yellow, turquoise, brown, and white.  There are almost 2,000 documented arches in the park and surrounding area with several accessible from the seat of a car or a short walk.  The only problem was that during our visit the daytime temperatures ranged between 96 and 103 degrees. The sandstone walls in Arches National Park.   An arch just

     We have been in Colorado since the middle of June and it seems like we will never be able to leave this beautiful state.  Since my last post we have not had any major disasters but, since it is us, a little weirdness always travels along. Since Colorado has legalized recreational marijuna it makes sense that there is a town named Stoner.      After leaving the Black Canyon of the Gunnison area we traveled 1 1/2 hours southwest to Ridgway State Park.  We love state parks, but since their reservation system has been privatized, the parks are bordering on being rip-offs, especially in Colorado and Nevada where additional fees drive up prices.  However, Ridgway State Park, due to its location, is really special. My flower-girl in a mountain meadow full of daisies.       First, on our way to Ridgway, we received our annual rock-through-the-motor-home's-windshield incident.  Since, this our second experience with our windshield target, the stress was non-existent. Second,

The Manitou Incline      Okay, the title may be a slight exaggeration.  However, if you examine the above photo you will notice a harmless little crack going straight up the mountain.  That crack is "The Manitou Incline" or "The Manitou Challenge" and, yes, it also is know by locals as "the most beautiful trail I ever puked on."  The Incline is a hike of 0.88 miles to the top of a mountain overlooking Manitou Springs, Colorado. During this short distance you gain over 2,000' in elevation and conclude over 10,000' above sea-level.  Hundreds of people attempt this challenge every day and quite a few make it. However, the hike is not for the feint-hearted as it is a dangerous and strenuous endeavor.  There have been a lot of injuries, including heart attacks.  In fact, on the day of my hike I watched an EMT crew of around 20 volunteers attempt to rescue a lady with a broken ankle.  On my hike I experienced lightheadedness, shortness of breath and