Utah Bound!

Another long drive ahead of us, about 6 hours! We stopped for supplies at Target and Petco. I needed twin sheets, the ones I brought were full and they were too big, cleaning and van stuff. I am dealing with some ‘van-keeping’ issues. Clogged toilet, don’t ask, it’s nothing you want to know! We made one stop at a casino, Casa Blanca Resort and Casino. The grounds were green and lush so we enjoyed a nice long walk. I booked a KOA at Beaver, UT and we were on our way!

Once we arrived I had a few ‘housekeeping’ things to get done in the van (yuck) and home stuff, grateful to Madeleine for managing my mail and lingering bills, checks etc! I made reservations for an RV park near Capitol Reef; was hoping for two nights after all the driving the past couple of days, but they only had one available.

Capitol Reef!

Finally done with the flat windy desert! Happy to see some trees again. We drove straight to Capitol Reef. I hadn’t read about the park prior and was really surprised. It was so cool. We hear all about the big parks, Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon, etc, but the smaller ones seem to get lost. Capitol Reef is a small park but has a lot of history. The settlers, mostly Latter Day Saints, came and created their own colony. They had a school, homes, orchards. The last inhabitants moved out in 1969. The school house and The Gifford house and barn are still standing, along with some outbuildings. If you’re there at the right time if year (I wasn’t) you can pick fruit and leave the money in a on your honor box by the orchards. If you’re going to see the Utah parks, I would suggest not skipping this one!

Rv Life

We arrived at our RV spot after the park. I met a nice lady. She and her husband have a YouTube channel – OurForverHoliday. They’ve been traveling for three years, staying near their kids and grandkids from October – December, though next year may be the last; missing the grandkids too much! It’s kind of weird how people ignore you and refreshing when they say hello!

Our spot was right next to the fence of a farm, horses and cows. Lambert tried to get the horses to run with him but they just thought he was crazy, the cows didn’t even look at him. So sad. Another lady at the RV park One RV had a three legged cat – it was very cute. It really surprises me how many people travel with their cats, I suppose in many ways they’re easier than a dog. Hmmmm…

We went into town, finally a cute town; and then to dinner, which was a bit our of town. I thinking, steak house. I’m in cattle country, may as well have a steak! I wasted that steak night. It was not good. Though, Lambert enjoyed it over the next few days. I had a few bites. I ordered a baked potato to go with it and asked if all the stuff came on it – no – its all on the side -great. There were foil packets of butter and a ramekin with sour cream. The potato was so small – I ate the whole thing! Not my idea of a steak house, another lesson learned!

Next up Arches

I made a reservation for three nights, actually Madeleine had to make it for me because their web site was glitching. Thank you again, Maddy!!

It was in town and I was looking forward to being able to walk to things. We headed straight for Arches before the RV park. We got there and didn’t know you needed a timed ticket to enter, BUT we can get in before 7am or after 4pm. So, off to the RV park and decide what to do. It was warm out so we opted to go set up and explore Moab a bit, then head top the park in the morning. We went to Trailhead Pub House and they had a doggie menu – waygu patty on bread for Lambert – I ate his carrots, celery and cucumbers – he doesn’t eat that stuff – that’s why we make a great pair!!

We entered the park at 6:45 the next morning and spent over three hours there. I did pop out with the AC on forLambert – planning to do a short, one mile hike, after about 10 minutes I was stressed about leaving him so I booked it back. It was beautiful.

Back in town Lambert experienced his first trip to the grocery store, he was freaked out and so was I, the store was crowded! That evening we headed to The Moab Brewery, get this, they have a three dog rule, a WHAT? Only three dogs allowed in the restaurant at a time. Can we wait 30 minutes for a table. Ummm, no, I have a dog here people…. We headed to a nice little cafe, the Sasquatch statue at the store next door was VERY scary for Lambert, but we still enjoyed a nice dinner on the patio. Lambert lied on his little blanket with his water dish next to him and we watched a gaggle of kids destroy the place, broken dishes, jumping on and off the small wall to the sidewalk, broken crayons and garbage all over the place, sorry, dogs are easier in restaurants than some kids!

The Canyonlands

The weather was hot so it was a little difficult to sleep. The van has AC but it’s hard to get it the right temperature and it’s kind of loud, Lambert is not a fan! We slept in a bit and headed for Canyonlands.

When we got to the overlook a Park Ranger was about to give a talk about the geological aspects of the park and how it was formed. It was really interesting. She mentioned that there is only one other area in the world that is similar, not the same, but similar, and it’s in Saudi Arabia. Also, on average 30,000 truckloads of sediment flow from the Colorado River into Lake Powell every DAY! So, if you want to do any back country hiking you need to bring your own water!!

Oh and on our way out I finally saw cows on the road – a little family. I guess there is a purpose for those cattle crossing signs!

I finally washed the van too! Probably not the best wash job, but at least I know I can do it, maybe not the top! The rest of the day was relaxing and getting ready to go the next day. Heading for Colorado!

Observations from Utah

• Still lots of storage units
• And Cattle Crossing signs
• Not many Latter Day Saints ‘meeting houses’ which was surprising

Observations about this trip, so far…

• Will Lambert start to talk
• Do other states serve vegetables? Or just WA, OR and CA?
• Did I really want to know this much about an RV?

Read more or go back…https://carriesadventure.com/the-beginning/