Day # 50 - Moab, UT

We made it to Moab and were excited to check out Arches National Park, but no one feels very good today – especially Tony. We thought we would head into town to have some breakfast and to check out the lay of the land. We also wanted to pick up a travel book on Utah. Utah was not originally in our travel plans, so we didn’t research the area we are staying in or the National Parks located here. The poor quality of the wi-fi service we have had didn’t allow for us to research on line either, so we figured we would hit a bookstore in town so we could orient ourselves a little better.

There were 3 book stores on the main drag in town so we were confident that someone would have what we were looking for. The first store was a used bookstore that didn’t have what we were wanting, so they sent us down the street. The second bookstore didn’t have exactly what we wanted either, but they did have a really cool Cars book (from the Pixar movie “cars”) that contained movable cars on each page. AJ sweet-talked daddy into buying it despite its steep price tag – “dis AJ’s book…Daddy peas…dis AJ’s book.” There was another bookstore across the street, but our tummies were getting rumbly so we headed out in search of brunch. We were directed to try the Moab Diner. The food there was excellent. Since it had gotten late, we opted for lunch. Tony got a roast beef sandwich smothered in what was advertised as the best green chile sauce in the state. He concurred with their assessment. The bite I had was excellent. My chicken sandwich was good, but my onion rings were awesome. The kids meals were very reasonably priced, came with their drinks and ice cream for dessert was included in the price. Tony and I were impressed with the quality and the price – we’ve paid more on this trip for lunch at McDonalds! The service was the only downside – it was slow at first, but got better.

After we ate we headed over to the information center. The kids had been interested in fossils and dinosaur tracks and I wanted to see more petro glyphs. We picked up some information on where to look around town. Tony was starting to feel pretty crummy, so we made a quick run into the third bookstore and found what we were looking for. We thought we would head back to the camper for a little rest before heading into the parks.

Everyone took a little rest but Tony was pretty congested and AJ’s asthma was really flaring up. We were feeling pretty frustrated that it looked like the boys were getting sick. Tony thought that maybe getting his allergy shots would help him (he surprisingly hasn’t had much trouble until now). Tony has his allergy medicine (serum) with him but needs a clinic or urgent care to administer the actual shots. We asked in the campground office and found an immediate care facility in town. When we got there we were surprised to find a note on the door explaining that the office was closed until Labor Day because the doctor was delivering babies in Alaska. Small Towns! We found the town “hospital” and the ER department said they would give him the shots, but they had to admit him (instead of doing like an outpatient so he could just leave afterwards) and he would have to stay there after the shot until the doctor was sure he wouldn't have any reaction (even though he has been getting shots for 10 year with never having a reaction). With one vehicle, we didn’t want to leave Tony stranded and we didn’t know how long we would have to wait after his shots for the Doctor to dis-charge him, so it didn’t seem like a good idea at the time.

Since Arches National Park was only about 3 miles down the road, Tony thought we could drive in and take a quick look. We were in awe of what we saw. I think I was more impressed with the redness of the rocks and the formations here than I was in Sedona. The varied rock formations were indeed awe inspiring. My favorite formation on the drive in was definitely the Three Gossips. As its name implies the formation appears to be three women standing around doing what women are accused of doing best – gossiping. We continued on and stopped at balanced rock, but the “boys” didn’t feel like getting out and Abby couldn’t tear herself away from the movie AJ was watching, so Sarah and I stepped out for a closer look. Man it was cool. This huge boulder balanced precariously on a rock pillar. We went a short distance up the trail but didn’t get to actually hike around it. We hopped back into the car and drove a little farther into what is known as the Windows section of the park. We stopped at the Windows parking area. North and South Window Arches are surrounded by other incredible rock formations and numerous arches. When Sarah and I hopped out this time, Abby decided that she wanted to come too. We walked part way up the path for a closer look and were genuinely impressed at the sight of so many natural rock arches being visible from one spot. It was also a little frustrating that we couldn’t get out into the rocks and dirt to enjoy it.

We reluctantly headed back to the camper in the hopes that a good night’s rest would help set everyone on the road to recovery. After we returned and the kids were in bed, Tony decided to go back into town to get his allergy shot. The ER doctor took a look him and they only made him wait the standard 20 minutes after the shots rather than admitting him (after the hour they took trying to figure out what to do with him). We’ll wait and see if it helps.