Wednesday, November 05, 2008

ThE RED DESERT

One hundred and fifty years or so ago Cowboys on horses roamed this land of Moab Utah. Their numbers have dwindled but I am sure they still exist, although I did not see any while here for 48 hours a few days ago.
What I did see was the modern cowboy-daredevil who rides the steep hills careening on high end Mountain bikes. Trails like slick rock and poison spider beckon. They come to this outdoor mecca to fuel their passion for two wheel speed and lots of caffeine There are more coffee shops in the main strip of this town than bars. Try a double espresso or a G shot for a real kck in the cardio.
This town has a preponderance of white dreadlocked men and apparently a limited amount of women who are reckless enough to participate in this sport or love a man who will fly down what they call "the rock".
Meanwhile for the more tame, mature and sedate hiker I highly recommend Arches National Park to see some natural red rock creations that have been around for millions of years. The trails, throughout the canyons are almost too much to take in. An incredible vista around every corner. Watch out for the four foot ledge heading up to the delicate arch, it has a 4000 foot drop and on a windy day you can feel like it would take much to blow you right off of it. I wonder how many actually fell to their death while innocently hiking on these cliffs.

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