– Moab, Utah to Butte, Montana –

Moab is gorgeous early in the morning. We got up at 5am again this morning and Mark, Mom, and I were out to run by 5:30. We headed down a trail out of the city of Moab toward Arches National Park. We stopped briefly for some water at a rest stop for mountain bikers and ran back into a canyon along the Colorado River.

I cannot stress enough how wonderful the trails in Moab are. From what I understand, they travel for 30 miles outside the city. Moab is a really neat little place. With all of the local shops and restaurants, it’s a great place to visit, especially if you like outdoorsy adventures. People  take jeep or 4-wheeler tours, rafting trips, and mountain-biking adventures from Moab, to name a few. We’ve decided we will need to visit again and spend a few days in the city to really enjoy it.

Black Dragon Canyon in Utah
Black Dragon Canyon in Utah

When we finished our run, we came back to the hotel, showered, had breakfast, and headed out. We didn’t have a lot of plans today. For the most part, today was just a driving day. We stopped at several lookouts to view some of the scenery in Utah. It’s a great place to drive through.

At one of our stops in Black Dragon Canyon, we came across a Navajo woman selling handmade jewelry at the lookout. She had some pretty stuff, and we looked at it and took a few scenery shots before heading out. Mom found some earrings she wanted, but when she heard they were $25, she backed out. I have to wonder how much money the woman was making each day. Maybe she only comes out on the weekends and works a regular job during the week? In my opinion, someone should introduce her to Etsy, so she can reach a wider audience.

Handmade jewelry sold by a Navajo woman at a view point
Handmade jewelry sold by a Navajo woman at a view point

Our drive took us through Salt Lake City, and in the outskirts we stopped for lunch at a Chipotle, so we could eat on the road. I was a little carsick from weaving through the mountains, so we didn’t get much reading done until later in the afternoon. In fact, we ended up taking a couple of short cat naps today when Mark and I weren’t in the front, because we were tired and didn’t have a lot going on.

After Salt Lake City, we drove up through Idaho and into Montana. Around 6, we stopped at a little tiny town called Lima and had a picnic dinner at a rest stop while the dogs ran around on long leashes. The picnic table was built into a nook in the hill, and Ripley had a blast running up and down the hill behind the table.

We had sandwiches, and Mom had some leftover pizza from dinner last night. Mark and I made egg salad. Ripley, of course, had kibbles.

Ripley on the hill behind our picnic table in Lima, MT
Ripley on the hill behind our picnic table in Lima, MT

When the picnic was over, we hopped back on the highway and drove the rest of the way to Butte. I finished reading The Hot Zone aloud on the way. Tomorrow I think we will start one of Richard Preston’s other books, a novel called The Cobra Event. It has an interesting back story related to President Clinton, if you’re interested in taking a look.

Our hotel is nice, although our room is a little small tonight. It doesn’t really matter much about the size. We won’t be here for long. We’re planning to get up early and get on the road by 6am or so. Tomorrow is Banff National Park, and I couldn’t be more excited.

– Trip Total : 1,782 miles

One thought on “Alaska Trip 2015: Day Three”

  1. Utah is one of my favorite states, all the way from Moab to Flaming Gorge and back south to Zion’s NP. Wish I was there!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *