Sept 29 MOAB

Yesterday I had a lovely day in the pines at the Elk's Lodge Campground in Tijeres. I paid $20 to stay there and after a bit of searching, found a flat area to park.

There was NOBODY else there except the campground host - who told me there were NO LIGHTS at all on the campground at night.  

I thought, "Ok - I'll see lots of stars."

Then, around 4 pm, the host and his wife left for a Luau at their Lodge, leaving me alone in the woods. 

I'm usually pretty brave, and I hung out for a bit, but around 6 pm, I suddenly heard a dog barking nearby and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. This was a very sudden feeling, and I pay attention to those feelings. 

For about 20 minutes, I felt like someone was watching me. It totally creeped me out.  I tossed my chair into the van and locked the doors and drove out of there -- thinking I'd drive to the other side of Albuquerque and sleep at Love's.

I arrived there to have the cashier tell me it was not a safe place to sleep - that there was a lot of crime there - and he suggested a Casino up the road.

I drove to the Casino. I didn't feel that I should stay there without going inside and "paying" so I put $20 into one of their machines, and in 5 minutes, I'd made back that $20 plus the $20 I spent on the Elk's campground!  Actually I think my ticket was for $39.64.

I took my money and went out to the van and had a fitful night's sleep. It was so danged hot - my little fan helped - and I think I got maybe 6 hours sleep.

Next morning I got up around 5 am and headed toward El Morro. However, upon checking their website, I realized I'd be there hours before they opened, so I didn't take that road. I just drove straight on to Moab and Arches National Park.

The drive was very pretty, but a little frustrating because there were several gorgeous views I would have liked to have taken photos of - but there are LITERALLY no rest stops and no place to pull over in New Mexico or Colorado! So I had to try to take photos while driving!

Utah was a little better. They at least had pull-outs where you could photograph the beautiful rock formations like this one. 

And this one! A woman and her son were up in the arch - 

look how tiny they are!

I arrived in Moab around 2 pm and was shocked at the number of people here! The GPS on my phone told me I could see the Visitor's Center and THEN go to the park entrance, but that was not correct. Also, the campground was full and the lady at the kiosk had no advice for camping elsewhere. So I turned around and came back into town. I managed to find an inexpensive hotel - and was happy about that since sleeping in 92 degree weather wouldn't be fun!

My plan is to get up in the morning around 5 am, have my breakfast, and be at the gate long before it opens at 7 am - I'll watch the sunrise inside the park. 

The drive around the park is said to take 2-3 hours. From there, I'll head to Bountiful to sleep at the Elk's Lodge.

I'm just a few days from home and I'm really homesick. I wish I could just beam myself home - but alas - I have to drive. I THINK after Bountiful I MAY be able to make it in two days but it could be more like three.

Looking forward to tomorrow's visit!

Happy Trails!

Love,

Annie