You may have noticed that I posted yesterday's blog this evening.... upload/publish wouldn't work last night.... Today was our full-day tour and, really, the first time we have spent money on our entertainment. Pam and I both have passes for the National Parks, but we decided that today we'd leave the driving to someone else. Also, the tours took us to places that we couldn't have access to on our own so it was a win/win. The day began at 6AM as we had to be at the tour center by 7. Our 4 x 4 tour was in a Ford SUV with air conditioning... but that was the only comfortable part of the trip! Talk about bouncey! Weston was our guide, a young, 6-year tour guide veteran who really knows his geology, history and folklore. We learned a lot from him and he was very patient with two ladies who needed the occasional assist on steep climbs (out of the vehicle) and a Japanese family whose 1st language is Japanese. Here's some of it....
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| Gemini Twin Bridges |
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| Amazing lighning struck tree in Canyon |
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| Beautiful pine... |
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| Horseshoe Bend from Above |
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| View Under Natural Stone Bridge |
After a yummy lunch of fruit, sandwiches and chips we got on an old school bus and travelled to the boat launch across town. Unfortunately the mosquitos were out in full force and by the time we all got on the boat I was frantic!!! The captain got us out into the main part of the river and zoomed off incredibly fast - leaving the mosquitos well behind us. We travelled 18 miles downriver, stopping occasionally to appreciate the incredible views and to listen to the silence broken only by songbirds and the gentle lapping of the water against the boat. There was a nice cloud cover and strong breezes making it a great day for a cruise. Here's what we saw.....
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| View of "pyramid" |
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| Loving the Clouds |
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| Many Beautiful Shades of Grey |
We learned about special concerts they hold on the Colorado River... instruments (including a piano) are brought by boat to a natural amphitheatre along the banks. Tickets are anywhere from $30 to $300 per concert and attract some top of the line talent. Monies raised go to support music education in the Moab and surrounding schools. Here's the amphitheatre....
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| Concert's Natural Amphitheatre |
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| Gentle Breezes, Georgeous Views: Ahhhhh.... |
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On the bus ride back to the tour offices we stopped at yet another wall of petroglyphs and pictoglyphs. These were the most detailed and complex we've seen on the trip:
Our guides tell us the glyphs we have seen probably range in age from 3,000 to 5,000 years old. Amazing to stand and photograph them.
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