STE1 Hop 7
179 miles via UT 191 and I-70. Cumulative tow miles: 1389. Truck miles: 379. Cumulative truck miles: 1759.
The best thing about the trip to Moab was that the truck handled the load just fine. Every hop now increases my confidence that the truck repairs actually fixed the problem. Still, we have decided to avoid the 11,000-foot pass on I-70; the last hop in STE1 will be north to Rawlins WY. We can go straight to Nebraska from there over a less demanding 8,500-foot pass.
The weather on this hop was clear but very hazy. I think it was just due to atmospheric conditions, but I can’t rule out the possibility that part of it was smoke from the California wildfires.
The high truck miles were due to the visits to the national parks – Canyonlands and Arches (twice). I have blogged about those trips separately.
The other feature of the stay in Moab was Moab itself. The Colorado River canyon on the edge of Moab was very beautiful. And the RV park had mule deer that weren’t intimidated by our presence. Rusty and I encountered them twice. Rusty was very interested but, surprisingly, did not bark at them.
Colorado River canyon at dusk
Mule deer
We stayed 3 nights at the Moab Valley RV Resort. We booked late due to the truck problems and they could accommodate us for only 2 nights. They found a place for us for the third night, but we had to move. I think that is a first in our travels. I suppose you could even call it a “hop” – of about a tenth of a mile.
The park was nice, but a bit cramped. I got an “extra vehicle” space for the truck, to keep its butt from hanging out on the campground road. There was a $5 fee (per night) for the space, which was waived for the first 2 nights. The staff person I dealt with when paying for the third night wasn’t so generous.
The park was right on a road so it was a bit noisy. But a red cliff also loomed over it, which made it kind of exotic. I guess overall we liked it and would return.
We also liked Moab. We only took one trip into town and that was for food shopping. There were some interesting restaurants but the only establishment we visited was Denny’s. Sometimes you just need a Moons Over My Hammy.
The campground
Our site, first 2 nights