Day 3: Moab and Arches National Park

Day 3 (May 29, 2022) After leaving Albuquerque, we drove through some amazing scenery to get to Moab, Utah. We also passed through a small patch of Colorado which makes for 26 states Bitey has visited. He is one well-traveled cat. 

Jenny found a Homewood Suites in Moab on Main Street with an amazing view. For a chain hotel, this one is very nice and has a fair amount of character. I would recommend it especially if you’re traveling with pets as it is pet friendly. 

Moab is a cool place with a lot of character. A little warning if you want to visit, Main Street is a fairly busy street with a fair bit of traffic most times of the day. Luckily, we’re on the third floor and our room is fairly sound-proofed. 

Despite six hours of driving, Jenny and I were both excited to stretch our legs a little and explore our surroundings. We wandered the town a bit and went to have dinner at Thai Bella, an amazing Thai restaurant around the corner from our hotel. We shared an order of larb, pad Thai, and sweet basil shrimp. All three were delicious. 

After dinner, we decided to head into Arches National Park. FYI, the park has implemented a timed entry system to try to keep the park from getting overcrowded. If you’re planning on visiting, set this reservation up way in advance. The other work around is to visit before 6 am or after 6 pm as the booth is closed and no reservation is required. One of the cool things about Arches is that the park is open 24 hours, so you can enter early or late and still enjoy the park. 

We entered the park a little after 6 pm enjoyed exploring several of the sights before the sun began to set around 8:30 pm. Our plan was to hopefully enjoy a beautiful sunset and some star gazing, but it was a little cloudy. When we first arrived in Moab, there was a freak storm that actually had some hail. While it was no longer stormy when we entered the park, the cloud cover kept the sky a little gloomy. Having said that, it was still cool to see the amazing rock formations that make Arches one of the more beautiful parks in this country. Here are some pictures from our first evening in the park…

Below are pictures of the famous Balanced Rock…

We stopped at some other interesting sights on our way to the Windows and Double Arch area…

The Windows Arches are definitely amazing and worth a visit…

We finished with a visit to Double Arch, appropriately named…

And enjoyed the changing colors of the sky as the sun went down…

And some beautiful cactus flowers…

All in all, it was a spectacular way to end a long day of driving. This place is amazing, and as with most of the places we visit, photographs do not capture the absolute majesty of the scenery. 

Day 1-2: Abilene TX and Albuquerque NM

Day 1-2 (May 27-28, 2022) We’re off on another epic road trip to California with some stops along the way. We’re bringing Bitey along for the ride. He continues to be a very well-traveled cat. I know we come off as crazy cat people, but we’re really not. We just don’t like the idea of him being home for three and a half weeks with only a cat sitter checking on him once a day. 

Here he is relaxing before embarking on his next adventure. 

Our first few stops were to break up the drive to get to our first long-term destination, Moab, Utah, the town closest to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. 

I’ll post a few things about these two before writing about our experiences in Moab in a separate post. 

Abilene, Texas was our first stop, and while we were only in town one evening, we did find time to explore the downtown area for a few hours. We ate at a restaurant called Cypress Street Station. Jenny really enjoyed her crab cake. My trout was only okay. We wandered through a few parks and saw a high school graduation being celebrated at the Paramount Theater. We also stopped be an interesting dessert place, The Roll Shack, that sold rolled ice cream. It’s what it sounds like, ice cream rolled with ingredients on the inside. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but both Jenny and I found the treat amazing. Try it if you get the chance. And now a few pictures…

Albuquerque, New Mexico, was our next stop, and neither Jenny nor I had ever spent much time there. While it was just an overnight stay, we made it to the old town, and enjoyed a nice dinner at the Church Street Cafe. The service was a little slow, but that seems to be fairly normal these days. The food was good, and apparently one of Jenny’s friends said the place was haunted. We didn’t encounter any ghosts. 

After dinner, we explored the old town to see some of the interesting architecture and shops that make this a particularly charming part of town to visit. Jenny and I happened to notice that a band was setting up in the old town plaza which apparently happens most weekends this time of year. We ended up staying for a bit to watch a jazz band play a few songs. It ended up being a relaxing and unexpected way to end a travel day. Experiences like this one are what continue to drive us to explore. 

And Bitey always explores his new surroundings as well…