Vegas Voice November 2016

24 www.thevegasvoice.net
Kathy Manney
Moab, Arches and Canyonlands
Around Our World
Cloudless blue sky and some of the most
brilliant red cliff scenery on earth beckon vacationers
to Moab, Arches and Canyonlands,
Utah.
Moab is the county seat for Grand County, a
county with a population of 8,000 and is the
world’s uranium capitol. There is very little
private land around Moab. Nearly all of Grand
County belongs to the BLM or is state owned.
Moab is home to the world’s largest concentration
of natural sandstone arches. Beautiful
country as far as the eye can see.
The town of Moab was established in 1879
and many of today’s residents descend from
those early settlers. U.S. highway 160 follows
the Old Mormon Trail.
The Colorado River is narrow and tranquil
here while cutting through Moab Canyon
on its way to Lake Mead. It is when the Colorado
and Green Rivers merge about 40-miles
downstream that the Colorado River becomes
expansive.
Utah is known for fantastic natural towering
sandstone mesas and canyons standing
out in sharp relief - such as those in Arches
National Park, located just a few miles from
Moab. It wasn’t until 1936 that the first automobile
traveled the rugged sand and rock of
the Arches region that had become a national
monument in 1929 and a national park in
1971.
Early Moab settlers named many park formations,
such as Sheep Rock, Tower of Babel,
Sausage Rock and the Three Gossips. Due to
erosion from wind, water and temperatures
over thousands of years, the arcs in Arches
National Park are in a continuous state of
change.
Some disappear while others form. Double
Arch (first called
“The Jug Handles”
by early settlers) has
welcomed sightseers
for decades, but
if you look closely,
you’ll notice the
chunked remains
of former arches
littering the ground
below.
Corresponding
to Arches is Canyonlands
National
Park where the desert
canyons can’t
be beat and color
discharges far and
wide. According to “Backpacker” magazine,
the most dangerous hiking trail in America
is located in Canyonlands. The trail known
as “The Maze” earned this distinction due to
its numerous dead-end canyons, insufficient
water sources and soaring three-digit summer
temperatures.
Canyonlands National Park is located in the
Colorado Plateau region, a place of remarkable
geology. Waterways divide the park into
three districts - the Island in the Sky, Needles
and the Maze. While these zones share a primitive
desert atmosphere, each exhibit a distinctive
character that offers different exploration
opportunities.
The area’s sandstone canyons once served
as hideouts to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance
Kid. The the canyons and arch rocks
were a perfect hideaway. Their legendary hiding
place, Robber’s Roost, was near Moab,
although the gang never robbed in Moab or
neighboring Green River.
Released in 1969, the movie was an instant
hit, ranking among the twenty biggest ticketsellers
up to that time. The cliff scene in the
movie “Thelma and Louise” was also filmed
here.
The small town of Moab is at the hub of an
incredibly scenic wonderland. For that reason,
it has been an admired movie locality for
more than half a century, making this a very
good reason to plan a Utah adventure.
Kathy Manney enjoys visiting interesting places and being an Adventure Diva. Her
“Must See” travel journeys continue - always with enthusiasm.
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