Red Rocks, Hot Sun, Cold Beer

From the mountains of Yellow Stone and The Grand Tetons we headed south to Arches National Park and Moab UT. After snow, hail, and freezing temperatures, the 100 degree climate of Arches was a welcome change…for about twenty minutes. The camp ground in Arches was full, but we were able to grab the last spot in a small camp ground a couple of miles outside of Moab called Moon Flower Canyon campground. It was a great spot, a narrow canyon of red stone shooting straight out of the sand, just across from the Colorado River.

We arrived in the early evening, set up camp, and tried to sleep in the uncomfortably hot Moab heat. Next morning we got up early, went into Moab to check out the progress of the World Cup and then headed into Arches to make the 3 mile trek to Delicate Arch. The ride to the trail head was an experience in itself, with huge rock formations jutting out of nowhere.




Balancing Rock

The trail to Delicate Arch was great, hiking up bare rock faces and through canyons with only rock piles to mark the trail. The final leg of the hike to the Arch was along a stone path overlooking a rock canyon stretching on for miles.


The final stretch of trail to Delicate Arch

The Arch itself was awe inspiring. A 40 foot arch of stone, jutting out of an amphitheater like basin.






Michael by Delicate Arch

After the Hike to Delicate Arch we headed to the Moab Brewing Company for some cool suds and World Cup soccer. It was interesting to see how the tap line-up at a place like Moab Brewing, where the temperature never drops below 103.2 degrees F (or something like that), compared to the tap selection in areas with a more reasonable climate. Moab Brewing had 3 wheat beers and 2 lagers on tap along with a stout, an amber ale, and a pale ale. All the brews, with the exception of the stout, were light, crisp, and had low alcohol content. A line-up geared toward keeping you cool and allowing you to drink a number of quaffables before the ABVs start to creep up on you.

That evening we headed back into Arches once the temperature had dipped down a bit. We cooked up some grub and played a few games of chess at the Devil’s Garden picnic area then made the drive out of Arches and back to our campsite.


Valeria alongside Balancing Rock



The next day we got up early and headed toward the Great Sand Dunes National Park, stopping in Durango along the way to grab a few brews at Ska Brewing Company (their Modus Hoperandi IPA was something special) and watch the Spain vs Honduras World Cup Match.