Alaska – Canada Travels 2014, Moab, UT; Bicycling the Moab Bike Path to Island in the Sky and Canyoneering in Arches National Park, October 1st to 5th.

We’re on our way to the last great destination on our 5-month travels. From Grand Junction we go west on Interstate 70 then turn south on Highway 128 which meets the Colorado River and follows it all the way to Moab. We take a side trip into Castle Valley on Highway 96 to check out the bicycling route.

Parriott Mesa on Highway 96.

The Priest and Nuns rock formation (far left) and Castle Rock (far right) on Highway 96.

At Moab we camp at Williams Bottom BLM Campground along the Colorado River south of Moab. It’s been raining and a temporary waterfall is pouring from the cliff behind our camp. We need to get a little exercise after many day s of driving so we unload the bikes and ride back to Moab to connect with the bike path along the Colorado River. A new section of the path has been completed along Highway 128 since we were here last year.

An temporary waterfall at our camp at Williams Bottom BLM Campground after a rain.

Jackie on the Moab Bike Path along the Colorado River on Highway 128.

Jim on the Moab Bike Path along the Colorado River on Highway 128.

A beautiful foot and bicycling bridge spans the Colorado near Moab.

The next day we take a 50-mile round-trip bike ride from Moab to Island in the Sky in Canyon Lands National Park. The paved bike path which begins in town ends at Highway 313 which goes to Island in the Sky. It’s a popular bicycling road with some good climbs and superb views as it ascends to the top of the Island.

We ride our bikes to Island in the Sky for a view of the La Sal Mountains.
Behind the Rock above Moab is in the middle of the photo. 

We stay at Williams Bottom for a few nights then go camp at Sand Flat County Park for 3 days. It’s a popular campground for mountain bikers and 4x4 enthusiasts. There are lots of single track loops for mountain bikers and jeep trails for 4x4’s so the area has become a big outdoor theme park.

Fins of sandstone at Sand Flat.

There’s always something going on in Moab and the town is filled with road bikes, mountain bikes, dirt bikes, 4x4’s and 4-wheelers as well as all the tourists going to Arches and Canyon Lands. This is a recreation hot spot. The daily commute in and out of town is recreation traffic.

Oct. 4^th. At Arches National Park Visitor Center sculptures of Ravens and Big Horn Sheep greet visitors and offer photo opportunities. Love those Ravens.

A life-size Raven sculpture at Arches Visitor Center.

A companion Raven adds drama to the sculptures.

A life-size Big Horn Sheep sculpture.

A yew and kid complete the Big Horn Sheep sculpture and a photo opportunity for kids.

Lisa takes us canyoneering in Arches along with Carrie Ann, Molly and Erin. We have a strenuous climb up a steep, rubble-filled crack to the top of the cliffs and three rappels into Tier Drop. The first 2 rappels are easy, short and sloping. The last rappel is 120 feet, mostly a free hang. I forgot the camera so here are some photos from last year to show you how beautiful it is.

At the top of the scramble up the rubble filled crack to get to Tier Drop.

Jackie at the top of the 2nd rappel in Tier Drop.

Jackie on the 2nd rappel in Tier Drop.

Jackie on the last rappel in Tier Drop.

Oct 5^th.  We move our camp to Kings Bottom BLM Campground along the Colorado River south of Moab. Today we go canyoneering with Lisa and Erin in Arches National Park. We park at a little pull off along the main road and hike about a quarter mile to an easy decent down a ledge into Dragonfly Canyon.

The canyon narrows and we have 2 plunge pools to swim.

The canyon soon narrows with the only passage through two small but deep, over-the-head, plunge pools we have to swim through before we get to the 1st rappel. It’s a two to three foot drop into these pools followed by a short swim and then hoisting ourselves out of the lip at the other end. It’s like plunging into a big, cold bathtub.

Jim and Lisa get ready to jump into the plunge pool.

The technique is to throw our day packs into the water and then belly-flop on top of them, hopefully having enough forward momentum to push us to the other side. It shouldn't be too hard but the packs don’t move forward as easily as an air mattress and kicking our legs to get across the pool is pretty inefficient wearing hiking shoes.

A wet t-shirt contest after the 1st plunge pool. It's no contest, Jim is outmatched.

My leap onto my pack at the 1^st pool takes me under and gasping at the cold plunge, I come to the surface coughing up water. It’s shockingly cold and the canyon is in shadow with no sun to warm us after we exit the pool.

Below the 2nd plunge pool.

We hurry on down canyon to the 2nd plunge pool and this time I manage to keep my head above water. 

Erin works her way across the wall to avoid the pool on the 1st rappel.

Our 1^st rappel is a short 75 ft. but as we descend we have to move to the right to avoid the pool at the bottom. It’s an interesting challenge to move horizontally across the face of the rock when the rope and gravity want you to go straight down. We all reach the ledge at the edge of the pool without getting wet, which really doesn't matter since we’re already soaked.

Lisa at the top of the rappel.

The canyon drainage funnels into a narrow gutter between sloping rock walls. We have to wedge our shoes into the crack to approach the rappel point of the 100 ft. pour off. Lisa goes ahead as always to set the rappel and then wedges herself up in the crack so we can duck under her and hook-in.

Dragonfly narrows to a crack at the top of the last rappel into the amphitheater.

A rock face is all we can see from the crack. Once clipped in we have to back out the crack onto the unseen cliff face. We’ve nominated Jim as our rappel leader, a responsibility he enthusiastically accepts. He’s first out of the crack to explore the way down the cliff.

We're at the bottom of the amphitheater looking back up at our rope coming out of the crack at the top of the rappel. 

Lisa makes the final descent.

As I back out of the crack the space opens up into a U-shaped amphitheater, orange sandstone cliffs capped with sunlight curve up to a meet a blue sky. The cliff face is uneven and I dance my way slowly down to the sandy bottom. Lisa is always the last down. At the bottom we pull the rope, pack up and pause in the silence of this stone sanctuary to enjoy the moment.

Erin enjoys a reflective moment in the amphitheater.

Looking  back at our rappel into Dragonfly amphitheater.

The canyon is illuminated by the afternoon sun on stone and cottonwoods. Dragonfly flows into Court House Wash and we have a stream to negotiate as we hike up the creek. The hike out is a couple miles.

We hike out of Dragonfly.

Dragonfly Canyon, a garden of serenity and one of the rewards of canyoneering.

The late afternoon sun illuminates the cottonwoods.

We climb out of the wash and cross country in the general direction of the car. We’re careful to stay on the rock and avoid the cryptogrammic soils. Late afternoon shadows are filling in the low places in rock and sand. I see our shadows going single file across a rock face looking like a marching line of petroglyphs so we pose for a photo.

Petroglyph shadows celebrating a great day in the great outdoors.

What a fantastic day. Every day is a good day spent embraced by the canyons and mortal stone.

Shadows begin to fill the low places as we hike out creating patterns in rock and sand.

Sand ripples.

We have more adventures and fun to come. Join us next time for canyoneering in Rock of Ages/Pritchett Canyon.

Until then,

Jackie

Contours left in the sand by recent rains.