160) Into the Deserts

On Monday I took the Amtrak out to meet Gabe in Iowa. We left for Denver on Tuesday morning, passing scores of cars and semis that had slipped off the road from the previous nights snow storm.







We arrived in Denver late on Tuesday evening, staying at one of Gabes friends house. After a late start we headed out to Moab that afternoon. By the time we got in the Moab area it was already well past sunset, so we decided to camp at a sight we had passed along the way, just outside of Moab. Lying beside the Colorado River and in between some barley visible cliffs we fell asleep gazing at the beautiful star light sky. With no shelter and no clouds in the sky it was a cold and dew/frost filled night.







Wednesday morning we woke up with wet sleeping bags and then headed out. After getting organized and getting some last minute essentials we stopped in at a bouldering area, very near our nights camp. Gabe climbed and I shot. After that we headed further south towards Canyonlands N.P. but didn’t end up getting to Canyonlands. Instead we found ourselves on some BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) that was home to some stunning views and plenty of cattle and even a few prang horn antelope. We did some exploring around there and spent another beautiful night under the stars. This night was a little different in the fact that it was dead silent here. We saw two other vehicles the entire time we were on these BLM roads.







We woke up early and got some sunrise shots not far from our campsite, and then headed out. We headed further south to Arizona. Along the way we drove through the beautiful Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley. I was really hoping to be able to get in some slot canyons today, but by the time we had gotten down to Arizona it was already getting to be mid-afternoon and too late to get everything figured out.







So tonight we decided to stay in a hotel and get a shower and re-charge batteries for our gear and get some internet access. I am hoping to get into some slot canyons tomorrow and spend a good amount of time taking pictures.







So far we have been blessed with beautiful weather- perfectly sunny days probably in the 60’s and cold clear nights just below freezing.