Cruise Moab Off-Roading -- Her View

We spent ten days camping and off-roading in Moab, UT. (a couple of non-camping since it got very windy and cold) On our way there and back we drove through Navajo, Apache, and Hopi Indian reservations. Came close to Canyon de Chelly --where I hope to visit in depth sometime soon. Mexican Hat, UT where there is a rock that truly has a rock balancing on another that looks like a hat. Saw a landscape that has inspired me to design a wall quilt --the colors, textures and patterns were amazing.Moab, what a mecca for extreme sports. Not only do people off-road on these crazy trails, but some people mountain bike, hike, canoe, rock climb, and the list goes on and on. The area is in the middle of Canyon Lands, Arches National Park, Valley of the Gods, The Colorado River...it's truly an amazing place.

The weather was crazy. For a person coming from Phoenix and planning on camping the weather was a shock to the system. The first two nights were reasonable. Then on the third day we stopped at a KOA to grab a shower ($5.00 per person) and the owner asked where we were camping and we said, BFE (really) and she gave us a look like the end of the world was coming and a smirky smile. We hadn't heard the weather report in a few days. Unbeknownst to us, sustained 35mph winds, with gusts up to 65mph were expected the next day. The area where we camped was very sandy and blowing sand, at that speed feels like glass biting your skin. Temperatures dropping to 35 degrees. Snow. Sleet. Storms....Uh Oh....we were in trouble. And, we were testing a new off-road tent trailer for a company called Afrispoor. We decided to get a cheap room in Moab.



Here's some trail names....you'll get the picture of what I went through:

Hell's Revenge
Hell's Gate
Tip Over Challenge
Poison Spider
Porcupine
Top of the World
Chicken Corners
Metal Masher
Cliff Hanger
Fins and Things
Golden Bar
Potato Salad
Steel Bender
Wipeout Hill
White RimArea
BFE

We didn't do all of these, but enough of them for me to hyperventilate a few times. Driving up or down a path just about the width of your vehicle at a 90 degree angle...and sheer drop offs on each side. I have pictures that are just views of the sky! Then other shots of just dirt! Because that's all I could see...


Or, a trail that was so narrow that you had to hug the rockwall side of the trail so you didn't slip off the other edge. There were a few times that I had to reach out and pull the rear view mirror in so that it didn't scrape the wall. Other times that switchback trails ruled from the top to the bottom of Canyon Lands. Driving under a rock that was precariously perched for probably 100s of years, hoping that it didn't fall at just the moment that we were driving under it. Driving up a trail called Top of the World to an elevation of 7,000 ft just to park out on a precipice to get a really cool picture. The day we went up the winds were extremely gusty (around 70-80mph) which didn't allow us to go far out on the precipice for fear of being blown off.


Many times, me saying, "we aren't going up there, down there, over that....are we?" Or, me snapping pictures just to take my mind off of what was going to happen next. Now, you may ask yourself why I would put myself through such torture...in future posts I will show you some incredible scenery that I would have never seen or gotten photos of if I hadn't traversed such scary terrain. I will describe the trails that I went on (I took one day off just to rest) and I will tell you what was and wasn't scary. I don't like rollercoasters, so I have a low tolerance for really scary trails. So if you have a fear of off-roading I will help alleviate some of the fear. Or, perhaps confirm that you may not want to go on a particular trail or only do a portion of the trail. Many times there are places, if you are the passenger, that you can get out and walk the portion of the trail/obstacle that you don't want to do. Remember to take your camera so that you can get some really great shots of the person driving the obstacle or some of the wildflowers and scenery.


Our vacation was amazing and I know we'll go back to Moab to do some of the trails we didn't have time for. In the meantime, check back...I'll be writing in more detail about many of the trails and adventures!