Repeat Visit to Moab

The bucket list is getting kind of short. Consequently we’re sometimes revisiting places.

Years ago we visited Moab. It was brutally hot even though it was early in June. But this trip was different. My wife wanted to participate in an event near Salt Lake City, I wanted to be a spectator at the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, the timing of the two events was very close together, we decided to combine the events into a single vacation with a stay in Moab during the trip. So I got a second chance at Moab.

Last time, we visited Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park. We repeated those visits this time, but the weather was overcast and rainy. I have no new/improved shots of those places.

Except, I did make the climb to Delicate Arch at sunset. I got about a minute of wonderful light on the arch. 

Delicate Arch at Sunset

During that first trip to Moab, we didn’t have a lot of time. This time we did, so we explored. The scenery along the Colorado River northeast of Moab was very cool. We spent a morning driving Highway 128, aka River Road, through this very scenic canyon.

River Road

Years ago, during a trip to Mesa Verde National Park, I saw Shiprock off in the distance. During my previous trip to Moab/Monument Valley, I saw Shiprock from the road, again off in the distance. During a flight from some trip whose details I no longer remember, our course took us right over the Navajo lands on which Shiprock sits and I saw it through my airplane window. I’ve wanted to get a better look for a while. So, during our drive to Albuquerque from Moab I took a route that gave me the opportunity to get a good look. Here it is. 

Shiprock

After this detour, we went on to Albuquerque, which I describe in another post.