Hot, Hot Moab

[Chris7]

-- No, I'm not mad, but it sure felt like we were surrounded by fire.

We took two days to get to Moab from the Sacramento area. I should have researched the path a bit, we took US 50. That is not a very trailer friendly highway unless you have a large gas tank. We had to make several extra stops just because the next gas station was beyond our comfort zone.

Trailer Tip #1 -- Make sure your brake controller is set appropriately. Our wasn't and our brakes on the vehicle got very over heated. Once I made the proper settings, no more problems. Our vehicle, has a sway control system and before getting the right settings it went off 3 or 4 times.

Once there, despite the heat, we had a great time. Spent two days in the Arches (early morning hikes), a day at a local spot, took a 2-hour drive to the Indian ruins at Hovenweep, spent some time downtown, and spent a day in Canyonlands which was a little cooler.

We did the whole drive home in one day, 17-hours and took I80. My older son took the reins for about half of the trip.

We stayed at a KOA in Ely, NV for one night on the way there and spent the week at Archview RV Campground. Similar pricing to a KOA. Clean, quiet place. Pool needed to be bigger though. In a few years, the young trees will provide some much needed shade.

I love taking photos and am really happy with some of them.

cd :O)

 

[REWahoo]

When we were there in Sept of 2012 it wasn't all that hot- of course almost anything other than some spots in the desert southwest are cooler than south TX that time of the year. Here is a snapshot of DW and me in downtown Moab courtesy of Google Street View:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.574...4!1stm1_ys76ij6LYZVPb26lqQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[lemming]

Wow. I know you expect heat but this year this season this fire and wind. Wow

 

[Big_Hitter]

drove though Moab 3 years ago in a Penske truck. couldn't stand that place, everyone is in such good shape. they need to drink more beer or something

 

[Chris7]

When we were there in Sept of 2012 it wasn't all that hot- of course almost anything other than some spots in the desert southwest are cooler than south TX that time of the year. Here is a snapshot of DW and me in downtown Moab courtesy of Google Street View:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.574...4!1stm1_ys76ij6LYZVPb26lqQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

That is both really cool and creepy at the same time. :O)

 

[Ronstar]

I agree - Moab is awesome. Great photos can be had in that neck of the woods. I've been there twice. Once in July, once in early April. I know what you mean about the heat. In the July trip, I left Phoenix early morning at 106 degrees, and it was about the same temp when I got to Moab.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Dawg52]

Moab was awesome. I was there early Oct 2015 and the weather was perfect.

 

[robnplunder]

Last year, we went to Moab to visit Arches & Canyonland NPs for the 2nd time. We flew from Bay Area though. We have noticed that Moab restaurant food is as expensive as the ones in Bay Area minus food quality. Food was just terrible.

 

[Chuckanut]

Moab food is best enjoyed as good old American comfort food - meat loaf, burgers, pancakes, omelettes, etc. IIRC, there is one pretty good Italian restaurant there - Pasta Jay's. PJ's is good and very good by Moab standards.

Oh, Moab has a charging station for your Tesla.

Below is Landscape Arch.

 

[ivinsfan]

Well, the hotels are pretty pricey as well, that and the restaurants are really what support that wonderful little town.

You should try eating and staying in Springdale, Utah the gateway to Zion National Park. They don't have a real grocery store or any fast food options in the entire town. I'm been to both places more then once,and your comment about the food being "terrible" is a bit of a stretch.

 

[hesperus]

Moab is only a couple of hours away from us, but we usually don't venture there until the fall, when it cools off. About a decade ago I climbed Castleton Tower (kor-ingalls route), just a little outside Moab in Castle Valley. One of the fifty classic climbs and a summit that is simply unforgettable. I remember Moab about thirty years ago when it was just a few rock shops and maybe one fleabag hotel. Quite different today.

 

[mh]

Well, the hotels are pretty pricey as well, that and the restaurants are really what support that wonderful little town.

You should try eating and staying in Springdale, Utah the gateway to Zion National Park. They don't have a real grocery store or any fast food options in the entire town. I'm been to both places more then once,and your comment about the food being "terrible" is a bit of a stretch.

There's a cafe in a funky re purposed gas station in Springdale that's pretty good - I forget the name of it but you can't miss it on the main drag thru the town - it looks suspect but I was lucky enough to try it my first night there and kept going back.

Addition: found it on Yelp

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...3-Reviews-Whiptail_Grill-Springdale_Utah.html

Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[jabbahop]

Moab is only a couple of hours away from us, but we usually don't venture there until the fall, when it cools off. About a decade ago I climbed Castleton Tower (kor-ingalls route), just a little outside Moab in Castle Valley. One of the fifty classic climbs and a summit that is simply unforgettable. I remember Moab about thirty years ago when it was just a few rock shops and maybe one fleabag hotel. Quite different today.







View attachment 24196 View attachment 24197

///

Wow


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Eagle43]

If you haven't done so, suggest you read Desert Solitaire, by Ed Abbey. It starts in Moab, and describes his time as a Park Ranger in Arches National Monument . He's a whacky environmentalist, but a desert lover and a great writer. Wikipedia has a couple of samples.


Sent from my SM-T810 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[ivinsfan]

There's a cafe in a funky re purposed gas station in Springdale that's pretty good - I forget the name of it but you can't miss it on the main drag thru the town - it looks suspect but I was lucky enough to try it my first night there and kept going back.

Addition: found it on Yelp

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...3-Reviews-Whiptail_Grill-Springdale_Utah.html

Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Oscars is a good option too, great hamburgers and I think that it might have started as a gas station too.

 

[Which Roger]

When I visited Moab, we stayed in a cabin in the La Sal mountains just outside of town and about 3000 feet higher. Heat was not an issue.

 

[Chris7]

When I visited Moab, we stayed in a cabin in the La Sal mountains just outside of town and about 3000 feet higher. Heat was not an issue.

That is a good thought for a future trip. :O)

 

[38Chevy454]

Two years ago, when Bonneville Speedweek was cancelled due to flooding of the salt, we came back to Moab and spent a couple days. We stayed at Oasis RV Park. This was mid Aug and it was hot during the day, but not what I would call unbearable. Drove all through Arches park one day with my one of my old cars (37 Chevy Utility Coupe) I had towed behind the motorhome. Not a picture of the arches themselves, but another picture of the Arches park scenery.



Back to OP, I have driven Hwy 50, aka "Loneliest Highway" in past years for the Bonneville trip when I lived in CA. Hwy 50 is a pretty drive, but can get pretty desolate between the small towns. I-80 is faster and has better stops for fuel and stretch breaks, but more boring than Hwy 50. I liked the break of the mountains on Hwy 50 by each town, separated by long stretches of flat desert.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Man, the stop we made in Moab back a couple of years ago with the old school bus was pretty miserable. Dead of summer, a very sketchy and crowded campground, and so very hot with no A/C and tent camping.

But...Canyonlands and Arches were both amazing and I'm glad we went.

We had an incredible drive down to there through the Green River area from Montana and Wyoming. Lots of hairpin turns and ups and downs.
If you ever get the chance to make that run from Yellowstone through there--do it.

 

[RonBoyd]

The Four Corners region is my favorite area of the whole USA. We have been to Moab numerous times (It is a half day drive from Denver). In fact, we are in Roswell, New Mexico tonight and will go to Carlsbad, Midland/Odessa, El Paso and then north to Moab before going west to the other Utah wonders.


A good resource is the "Indian Country Guide Map": https://www.amazon.com/Map-AAA-Guid...05MZ53RI?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top

 

[ivinsfan]

@RonBoyd, my idea of a perfect trip except for the fact you are doing it in July do you love hot weather and crowds

If you get too hot take a swing up to Brian Head and Cedar Breaks to cool off, some really inexpensive lodgings there this time of year.