THE GRUMPY CHRONICLES – LEAVING MOAB

It’s not like we wanted to leave Moab. It was very apparent upon our arrival the previous day that this was a special place worthy of further discovery and we both knew that at some point we had to return, but it wouldn’t be this trip. No, Moab is its own destination, a veritable Disneyland of sorts for those active and young, or maybe just young at heart. Instead, we travellers would nestle in for the night at the pretty KOA at the base of a red butte, before making our way South in the morning.

I was not at all sure how I would handle campgrounds because well, there are people in campgrounds and these people may want to talk but hey, it all worked out quite nicely; there were many people, but they were surprisingly friendly. One of our neighbours politely asked if he could see inside Anthony (our van but you all knew that) and while he of course liked what he saw, this man from San Antonio was most impressed by the Nespresso machine on the counter. Yes, I have a Nespresso machine for the van (I only use bottled water as well) because hey, we are not barbarians. 

Moab KOA was our first night camping in the van and the first night hooked up to shore power and water (in Idaho Falls we boondocked in a Walmart parking lot, yikes). We connected without issue (a win for the mechanically disinclined Me) and got set up for dinner which tonight would be barbequed wieners. One problem though, someone forgot to pack the barbeque. This person had one job to do prior to embarking and yeah, he forgot. Whoops!

Like it or not, morning arrived and we had to leave, heading South on Highway 191. Evening would find us in Flagstaff, Arizona. We were driving the high desert of the Colorado Plateau. There are nine national parks inside this physiographic region of the United States, including Grand Canyon, Arches, and Canyonlands. Driving southbound on this winding two lane black top highway, a very real sense of desolation begins to set in. The Colorado Plateau is BIG country, big skies, big vistas, big buttes. It swallows up the self and the perception regarding the insignificance of your life in relation to the Natural world around you begins to settle in. It’s hard to imagine making a go of it out here but people do; driving along you do see the occasional homestead, and there are small, scattered herds of cattle out amongst the sage brush and juniper. Me personally, I could live out here, easily picturing myself sitting in the shade of the porch of my adobe cottage, sipping sweet tea and writing to my heart’s content, writing words that will probably never be read by anyone else and not caring at all that they won’t. This is the lonely land of the introvert, a place where time seems almost meaningless; you can find yourself out here, find the real you, or if so inclined, get completely lost amidst the sands and the sage. There is however a magical land of red sand further South, a place of 1,000-foot sandstone pillars which according to Navajo legend are the carcasses of defeated monsters.

THIS is Monument Valley! Upon first seeing these buttes, mesas and spires, John Wayne was quoted as saying “So this is where God put the Old West.”.   

Amen! When first planning our inaugural trip for the van, Monument Valley was the only location I felt strongly about visiting; it doesn’t disappoint. In fact, we acquired our Anthony for just such places. Even now, as I write this two plus weeks on from when we passed through, I am not quite able to find words to adequately describe what we saw, how this land made us feel. Honestly, I was overwhelmed. There is a deep spirituality floating in and about these towers of red rock that seeps in to enrich your soul, leaving you humble and filled with gratitude. 

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike – John Muir

I was not always so open to this #VanLife concept, mostly because my favourite word in the English language is “NO”. It’s kind of like my word to use when more time is needed to consider the proposition that has been presented before me. “NO” doesn’t always mean “NO”. Yeah I know, this can be frustrating for those having to deal with me. “NO” sometimes comes out of my mouth before I even know the question. Then comes the moment when you think, “wait a minute, that’s actually a pretty cool idea, we should consider this.” Oh my God, eh? 

Know what? #VanLife is pretty awesome!