Moving on to Moab

June 15, 2024 - Reading time: 6 minutes

My brother flew into Denver last night and this morning we began the journey across The Rockies, through Colorado, and into Moab, Utah.  We stopped for lunch about halfway through Colorado in the tiny town of Gypsum at The Cowboy Kitchen, a quaint place on the banks of the Eagle River with delicious food and a view.

 

With time to spare as we resumed our drive, we saw a turn off for Colorado Monument National Park.  Why not?  The ranger at the welcome station directed us to a short, but curve hugging drive to the top of the mesa about 2,000 feet up, up, up.  The view was nothing short of spectacular at the top.  And its main attraction was Independence Monument, which is actually an impressively tall hoodoo.  Fun fact:  I learned that each 4th of July a team of climbers ascends to the top of the rock to raise the American flag.  

Once in Moab, we treated ourselves to a good meal and a beer at the Moab Brewery before heading into Arches National Park about an hour before sundown.  We got the lay of the land to formulate a plan for our adventures tomorrow.