Miatas In Moab IV, Part Two

The red jeeps were sitting outside a convenience store just out of town the last time I saw them, but now they became rapidly growing red dots in my rear-view mirror as we headed up the narrow canyon. Construction equipment, towering walls of red-rock on the right, drop offs to the Colorado River below on the left – none of that deterred the testosterone fueled rent-a-jeep jockeys as they whipped back and forth through and around our small Miata caravan. A small cry of relief escaped Marilyn’s lips as the last of them barely squeezed between the lead Miata and an oncoming diesel pickup towing a trailer full of river rafts – and then they flew up the canyon and were out of sight in a blink. We were on Day One ( Friday ) of Miatas In Moab IV, on our way to a very special group of arches in BLM land just outside of Arches National Park. Bow Tie Arch and Corona Arch are reachable via a short drive out of Moab and then a 1.5 mile trail, most of it over “slick rock”. The lower part of the trail is fairly easy, the way marked by rock cairns, but the upper part is reachable only by a climb up a ladder set vertically into the rock and a scramble over uneven surfaces before it smoothes out again. The arches are visible from the end of the lower trail, but for the full impact, it is well worth the climb and scramble to reach the weeping garden wall kept moist from the slow seep below Bow Tie and the magnificent spectacle of Corona. I recommend you take the following link http://www.utahredrocks.com/hike_corona.htm to get a feel for this very special place. These were the only arches we saw this trip, as we had hiked extensively in Arches National Park during our previous visit four years ago when we attended Miatas In Moab, The Sequel.

This time we wanted to take a drive by ourselves to see my step-mother and step-sister who live in Grand Junction, Colorado. There was to be a drive called “Run Round the Mountains” on Sunday morning, but we were planning on leaving that day, so we hatched our own plan – and that is exactly what the planners of MiM-IV had in mind, as there were not a lot of planned drives – this time you were encouraged to amuse yourselves. We decided to take this one planned drive and hike because it is nice to go with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic leader. On the way back he stopped to point out petroglyphs along side the road – which we surely would have missed had we been on our own.

We went back to the Canyonlands Inn to change clothes, and to buy some Miata goodies. Thompson Automotive showed up with Miata Hawaiian Shirts, and those were easily the most popular of all the Miata-themed merchandise. The first time I wore mine at a PSMC event, I was inundated with questions as to where I got it. Here’s a link to where you can get your own: http://www.thompson-automotive.com/Shirts.html

Then it was off to a good lunch at the Moab Brewery and then a visit to “Hole in the Rock”, a tourist trap which was originally the 5000 sq. ft. home hollowed out of a huge rock formation by a hard rock miner for his wife. The tour was short but interesting, and the grounds were filled with interesting things to pose by and take pictures of. We stayed longer than we had planned, and had a great time for being somewhere so tacky!

That evening the storm clouds rolled in and the Western Show and Gun Fight complete with a rubber chicken being shot out of the sky, just barely ended before the wind calmed and the rain started. We were at the Bar-M Chuckwagon, where you are served cowboy-style on tin plates and cups, over a gravel floor, and on rows of picnic tables. It was all good fun, and the food was OK, but in my opinion, the musical show after dinner was the best part. All four of the principals are accomplished musicians, and it shows. The music was Cowboy, the ambiance was Country, and the jokes were Corny. When they played and sang “Cool Water”, they encouraged audience participation by breaking out Super-Soaker water pistols and soaking down anyone not singing along to the refrain, “Cool, Clear, Wa-ter”! As the night progressed we found that the owner, who played the marshal in the opening gun fight, plays lead guitar, is also the lead vocalist, and is camp cook, as well. The other three are equally adept at various roles, and it was a treat to be part of their dream living the Western Way. The Bar-M Chuckwagon – check it out here: http://barmchuckwagon.com/theshow.html.

The next day we enjoyed a very good breakfast at Canyonlands – they have really done a nice job of turning a small meeting room and open area into a kitchen and eating area, and the food was great, especially considering it was part of your room. Then we headed South out of town towards the La Sal Mountains. We had heard about a cute General Store in Bedrock just over the border in Colorado, so stopped there – it may have been cute and bustling once, but the store was for sale, and it has clearly seen its better days. Still, we were glad we stopped to take a few pictures and spend a little cash, because these little stores are fast disappearing from the landscape.