Went I left Moab after 3 nights I was still a touch upset over the loss of my camera. Can’t really analyse why, it was just a piece of metal after all. However it had some “memory” enhancing properties I guess. And it’d had it for almost 30 months since I “retired” the previous one by giving it back to my father.
On the final night of Moab I went back into a place called Eddie McStiff’s I’d frequented over the last 2 nights. I was immediately recognised from the previous night by the cute female bartender when more than a couple of $11 Margueritas had been necessary to celebrate my solo ascent of Mt Peale. However, unlike the previous night I was out of steam! Told her my tale of woe about the camera, as I showed her the new one which I had no idea how to use yet. She’d seen me the night before with the old one while looking at my pictures. I’d probably shown her a few shots from Mt Peale back then before my relationship with the old camera went bad. She was sincere in her sympathy, she initially thought I’d lost all the pictures too. Ordered Fish and Chips (their style) with a beer. Drank another beer afterwards, then left. I probably ruined her night, last night I’d tipped her 16% and she was probably looking forward to me drinking more Margueritas. However I maintained the percentage, it was simply a lesser overall amount.
Talked to an English couple at the bar next to me for a bit before I left. They laughed about the camera. They’d had a similar experience in Vermont on a previous vacation. They drowned the camera in a canoe, bought another one, and then on returning home the drowned one eventually started working fine again. Like them, I’d had to make a decision, which resulted in buying another one. I also did something incredibly dumb with the Gatorade’d camera back in the hotel room however at 4pm, which I’m too embarrassed to recount here. Let’s just say I did something completely dumb and stupid to it. I should have known better! For the moment I’m keeping quiet.
The next morning I went back for breakfast at the Jailhouse Cafe again, checked out of the motel, filled the SUV up with gas then headed for the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park. Weather was black and cloudy. The La Sals were shrouded in cloud, and they looked ominous. The Park Ranger at the entrance told me there was a 30% chance of precipitation. Went down the first mile or so of the Shafer Trail Road in the SUV. Scary, turned around as I’d had enough after the 1st couple of narrow corners in the dirt with fairly unforgiving falls into the canyon to the side! Went to the Grand View Point Overlook and wandered around a bit there taking pictures with the new camera. Had a look at the Mesa Arch on the way back out. Could have walked right over it if I’d really wanted to, but the several thousand feet of abrupt descent on a misstep due to panic may have killed me. By now it looked like rain up in the distant La Sals. Looks like I got my timing right when I did that 2 days ago!
Headed back in the direction of Moab and picked up the 128 Scenic Route again on the other side of the Colorado River to leave the area. On the way out I did a hike up Negro Bill Canyon to see the Morning Glory Natural Bridge (6th largest arch in the world). I was going to make a joke of what the original name of this Canyon might have been (clue starts with “N” and has two “g”s), but the Internet revealed that the gag was in fact the original name. Political Correctness, right? I guess any old signs got destroyed at some point or went into a museum!
The downpour, which I saw from higher up above the La Sals, hit as I drove into the trailhead parking lot. Couldn’t even get out of the SUV for a bit. Wind and rain were blasting. Cold and wet. Eventually got out when it let up a touch and stuck on the anorak I’d brought over. Stuck to the shorts as an act of defiance. Rain was still piling down as I headed onto the start of the trail. These conditions actually cheered me up! Maybe I was back in my element and was reminded of home. More than one bunch of people I encountered had turned back well before the Arch. I was told by one concerned person “Be careful” etc. etc. “Are you really going to keep going?”. Probably tourists or something, afraid of flash-floods. I pushed on. It dried up a bit. New camera was my main concern. It had gone onto a single bar in Canyonlands. I deliberately didn’t charge it overnight after buying it. Had to wade through a stream/small river at one point. I think I was still on the trail at this point as I walked up it, probably it’s normally a trickle with a couple of stepping stones! I bet this is where the amateurs all turned back.
Got to the Arch after a couple of miles, I was the only one there at the time. Vast area at end of a canyon. Looks perfect for lunch on a hike, lots of space, various spots to congegrate. Quite a bit of shelter. Can’t believe I had it to myself. Must be the rain, right? Got a couple of pictures from underneath it before the battery in the Sony died. Went back to the SUV by the same route, saw a hiker/runner with a dog a couple of times as she came past and then back. She was fast! She (like me) didn’t care about flash-floods or whatever the next “threat” was.
Decided I needed food, but wasn’t interested in taking the approx. 10 mile detour back to the tourist Mecca of Moab, so I turned right in the SUV and headed in the direction of the places I’d seen on the way in 3 days ago. The ranches from the old movies. If I failed to get nourishment there I would just have to wait for Colorado, as there was nothing else on the way out of Utah! They are now upmarket spa resort places. I forget the name of the first one I went into. It was the first one east of Moab on 128 so that’ll narrow it down if you care, I’m going to treat them with contempt by not even finding/recalling their name again from my vast sources of info. “Red Cliffs” rings a bell, but I could be wrong. It was obvious that some movies had been filmed here way back, a clue was in the fact it had a movie museum. I parked a distance away as “advised” by the numerous signs on the wide dirt roads, walked into the main reception, was pretty much ignored by all the women behind the counter. Tried to figure out which direction the restaurant was in. Gave up, asked them at reception and was told it was closed for the afternoon, but I could purchase a packed lunch if I wanted. Thanked them and headed out. When I got back to the main highway, U-turned a few times as I was considering going back to check out the Movie Museum which they advertised too from the highway. However I eventually decided to push on as no doubt that was closed too! Couldn’t be bothered asking them any more “dumb” questions to be honest. I’m sure it would be different in you walked in and established yourself as a “guest”. Hope they go bankrupt.
Sorrel River Ranch at Mile 17 from Moab provided the goods. I’ll have to go on the Internet at a future point to research it. Had to park quite a bit away as advised by signs yet again, but I got a warm welcome from the woman I encountered at reception. She showed me the way down to the bar/restaurant. Only 2 other customers, overweight, obnoxious women that I believe may have been Mexican Americans. There was a patio outside with a view of the higher than normal Colorado River flowing past. The Mexicans (I think) went out for a bit for photos. I went out for a bit onto it to watch it flow past, but the camera remained dead.
My service from the single bartender/waiter was a bit indifferent at first. I think he was pre-occupied with other things he had to do. My drink order got forgotten. I eventually got a small bottle of Zion Canyon Ale or something whose name/brewery I forget, after reminding him I’d ordered something. If I’d had a working camera that label would have been captured! Everything connects, Zion couldn’t make it into this trip, maybe a planning mistake! Poulet Burger et Frites did the job for lunch. Talked to the chap for a bit afterwards. He told me that bits of 127 Hours were filmed in this area, and other stuff about the ranch and the old movies. Nice guy, he probably took a dislike to the Mexicans and decided to treat me the same way initially!
Paid and left. Sincerely thanked the woman at reception while the "Mexican" women were sitting there and being advised about “Moab” and transport arrangements like it was a distant foreign country from the travel advisor/concierge. She’d made the effort to show me down there, although I could have found it myself, and I appreciated her attention and professionalism. She’s probably one of the owners or has equity. Outside on the “long” walk back to the car I had the experience of saying “Hi” by a Native American too who obviously looked after the grounds. This ranch/resort is obviously a start-up operation, they’re trying hard but the cracks are not filled in yet, plus it’s off-season. However my overall impression was favourable. I’m sure my experience in the previous place I refuse to name would have been better if I’d claimed to be a friend of Zuckerberg, Jobs or Gates!
The rest of Utah 128 on the way up to I-70 was incredibly atmospheric. Black clouds, rain etc. You can see why (even in bad weather) John Ford filmed a whole bunch of movies here before he discovered Monument Valley further south in Utah. The sort of scenery that would normally deserve to be captured by camera, but that option was gone until battery recharge. Joined I-70. Back across the border into Colorado.
Found the Motel 6 in Grand Junction, Colorado in the rain extremely easily. It was right beside the airport a couple of miles north of I-70. You’d have to a complete idiot to get lost finding these places from the Interstate when it’s all sign-posted well in advance. When I-70 narrowed in the rain and became congested with local traffic, I almost felt like I was back in Europe. Two lanes, wall-to-wall traffic in the spray. I’m driving along at, or below, the speed limit in the inside lane and everybody is cutting in front of me to get to their exit! I wonder if they have full appreciation of stopping distances in the wet on this worn-out section of (probably) original Eisenhower Interstate Highway? Oh well, I was in no rush...
Motel 6 was quite funny. Well to me anyway. Three Germans in front of me checking in. A middle aged woman at the front took ages. Mostly her fault, language issues, although to be fair my German is never very good when I go to Deutschland. The younger two (probably separate couple) after that were faster through, the guy asked as a joke what there was too do in Grand Junction when it rained. I think they were told “Go to the Mall” or such. I joined in with that answer and said “Watch movies in your room” or go to a movie theatre. He kind of half smiled at me at that point, but didn’t engage. He was probably trying to reconcile a weird Scottish type accent with Colorado in the rain. Maybe it was his first time in America.
When they all dispersed to unpack their vehicles I had the full attention of the young girl on check-in. She was great! Southern accent, she expressed concern about my rate. I said I’d booked it on the Internet a while back, she adjusted it in the negative direction for them, positive for me. Paid extra for Wifi as you have to at Motel 6. I joked as I paid with my credit card and signed, about the signature capture panel with electronic pen from my former employer (clue French and begins with “In”) where you’d be better off just signing with a “X” (Cross) as it’s so useless and slow. She agreed, and said that you could sign with anything, you could sign “President Obama” according to her and nobody would care. She was right, nobody would care which is maybe why sometimes my cards get cut off over here...
Unloaded the bags etc. A couple of middle-aged people were lying on their beds fully clothed with the curtains wide-open every time I walked past from my room back to the car! Intently reading books or travel literature. They were probably hacked off at the weather, maybe they’d just driven from Denver Airport along I-70 and were already panicking about what was yet to come. Or maybe they were religious lunatics. I’d prefer it if they closed the curtains as I walked past twice and couldn’t help looking in given the close proximity! Maybe they were German too, part of the gang at check-in. Maybe a massive convention downtown or something?
When I settled in my room, the phone rang after 20 mins or so. It was a courtesy call to ask if I was happy with the room. She still had that breathy Southern Accent! This is the first time I’ve ever had a courtesy call (which I personally hate) in a Motel 6. I said it was great. Can’t remember if I had the Wifi working at this point. Maybe she had appreciated my attempts at engaging the Germans with humour. Even worse, unlike the Motel 6 at Rock Springs, Wyoming the Wifi code had worked so I had no genuine excuse to go down again and ask for something! She looked like she was half my age however, so I wasn’t going to act like a stereotype, although maybe she liked my accent as much as I liked hers!
Can’t remember much about the night in the Motel 6 in Grand Junction apart from these recollections. Slept mainly. Never went out for dinner, I wasn’t hungry. I can’t recall anything of significance. I must have web-surfed for a bit and watched TV. Next day I would head into the mountains again.
(StuB - recalled Sat 8.10.2011)
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