At one point, I pass an old Uranium mine from around the late 1800s, early 1900s. I didn't realize that Uranium was mined much back then, but it was used for "medicinal" purposes. I suspect more people were killed by the radiation than were helped by it. The picture below shows the ruins of a building the miners made. The little black hole right smack dab in the middle of the photo is a mineshaft.
In the picture below, you can see a good example of "crossbedding" in the lower part of the sandstone where the sun strikes it at an angle. See the layers of sediment at angles to one another? Those are the lines of old windswept sand dunes, and they tell geologists that this layer of sandstone was deposited in a desert, instead of an ocean bottom.
After driving the Capitol Reef Scenic Drive, I head back toward the visitor center. I see the following postcard, and find the location from which it was shot, about a hundred yards from the visitor center. I snap my own.
Obviously, the postcard was shot in the autumn after the aspen trees had turned pretty colors. It was also shot late in the day near sunset, where mine was shot just before noon, in different and more harsh lighting. I can see that the trees have grown just a bit, as well.
I head over towards Moab, Utah. I stop in at Arches National Park around 5:00 to see if I can camp there. The sign says the campground filled up at 1:52 pm today. At least they tell you that at the entrance gate, instead of making you drive all the way to the campground, several miles away. So I leave the park and head into the city of Moab.
A few years ago, I took a couple of mountain biking trips in Arizona and Idaho that were led by a group headquartered at the Poison Spider Bicycle Shop in Moab. I stop in to the bike shop, but nobody I know is there. The folks who are there are very friendly, though, and they offer some camping suggestions. I snap this picture of their cute bicycle shop.
I drive through Moab, having heard a lot about this place. It's about what I expect, perhaps not as overdeveloped as I had thought, though it's certainly developed enough. It reminds me somewhat of Sedona, Arizona, but not quite as new-agey, with a lot more of a wild west mining town flavor to it, and some of a California moutain biking atmosphere. The mountain biking almost adds a burley "surfer dude" flavor to the town.
At the south end of town, I drive by a place called the Lazy Lizard Youth Hostel. It's sign says it offers hot tubs, showers, and cabins. I stop in and check it out. There are signs saying pets are prohibited in all buildings. I explain that I have a dog, and ask if I can park there, sleep in my van, and use their showers and other facilities. They say fine, for $6.00. That's cheaper than any campground so far, and the plumbing is better, so I accept.
I meet a guy who used to live in San Rafael, my home. He had worked at the Goodwill store there, and lived in a tent up on a hill. Now he's a cook at the Moab Denny's. He says it's hard to get rich in Moab, unless you're already rich before you come here. But it's really easy and cheap to get by.
It's really hot here, so I sit outside on the picnic table drinking water at around sunset, with Pepper leashed nearby. A French family comes by and has dinner at the table. They're on a three week vacation, having arrived in San Francisco, visited Vegas, and stayed at Capitol Reef last night, like me. They're going to head toward Flagstaff, AZ and the Grand Canyon, and then spend some time seeing Los Angeles before going back to Paris. They have this nice varied salad, which looks like a good meal. But then they bring out spaghetti, which they smother in butter and cheese. I'm amazed at how much the teenaged daughters eat! Far more than I could get down!
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© 2000, Richard Cochran
