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It's Never Drab in Moab ROYCE ROLLINS -:«.*. H,JSTORICALLY, MOAB, Utah was a place people went through to get somewhere else. Major Powell passed by on his trek down the Colorado River and a tew trappers camped on its bank before Moab became a town. Even early Indians stopped only long enough to trap game and peck a record of visits in a canyon wall. In 1855 Mormon colonists established the townsite, but it was still more popularly "worked out of" than "in" by cattlemen who gave homey names like Jug Handle and School Mann's Pants to the superbly eroded sandstone monuments on the fringe of town. In 1922 a miner named Alexander Ringhoffer looked hard at these fantastic formations and dropped his pick. Sensitive enough to recognize them as a greater attraction than a cowboy's "nothin' but a lot of holes in rocks," he prevailed upon Dr. J. W. Williams and Moab newsman "Bish" Taylor to pack into the country and confirm his ecstatic reports. 22 / Desert Maqazine / December. 19R4 What the miner had discovered was true—an overwhelming bonanza of Beauty. Thereafter began a long siege to persuade the National Parks Service to establish Arches National Monument. People still pass through Moab to get somewhere else. But as they pass through today, they linger. And then they return to linger some more. For this vivid Mormon community on U. S. Highway 160 is in the heart of the most exciting scenic country in the world and only with repeated and extended visits can a tourist ever hope to absorb it all. Our first exploration of Arches National Monument occured in the wintertime. Perhaps because it was our first; or perhaps because foamy pulls of white snow contrasted surprisingly with pink sand and blue skies, Southeastern Utah has never since appeared more beautiful. At an elevation of 4000 feet, Moab's snowfalls seldom exceed four inches, or linger more than a day. In a cur- vaceous world of suspended arcs, we followed wildcat, coyote, rabbit, fox and porcupine tracks through the snow, corrupting its primeval purity with our clumsy boots. But it was fun. And terribly beautiful. Crystal prisms sparkled on twigs. Here and there green juniper pointed above snowy billows. Pink sand splashed abstract patterns around arches jettisoned three-stories high. We ran and jumped and rolled in the snow. We were alone in this enchanted land—just my husband, our son and me. No matter what anyone says, wintertime is the best time in Arches National Monument. Headquarters are open all year to give you a quick lesson in the park's curious geology and trails to interesting points are accessible even under a light blanket of snow. Dress warmly, carry lots of film and be sure to have enough gas in your car. Chances are you'll have both the day and the park to yourself. //
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Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Volume 28 Number 1 January
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Page 11 and 12: can lay the willow down, then pick
Page 13 and 14: one ot which may have held the secr
Page 15 and 16: Right: Red Cloud mellows into the l
Page 17 and 18: Shallow diggings at Mendevil looked
Page 19 and 20: i LEE'S LOST LODE by RETTA E. EWERS
Page 21: through 1881. Five witnesses for th
Page 25 and 26: flora and along cliffs rising above
Page 27 and 28: y TED TREVOR photos by Ralph Michel
Page 29 and 30: and a pot of dams cooks in front of
Page 31 and 32: to his discovery when he filed his
Page 33 and 34: on the average contain about V4 alg
Page 35 and 36: (jTROUPED AROUND a sunbaked plaza n
Page 37 and 38: anci I am certain this trip will le
Page 39 and 40: Lowest Photo Print Prices Highest Q
Page 41 and 42: • INDIAN GOODS • PLANTS, SEEDS
Page 43 and 44: First Prize I VOTED REPUBLICAN" Rut

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