McArches

Moab, Utah. Not only a place for free, plush internet ... but also where there are apparently "real live Mormans" (you'll have to ask Betsy)! Between visiting Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, we bummed around 2 places in Moab: this amazing pizza place called Zak's & the T-Shirt Shop.

At Zak's, we discovered Chasing Tail beer. Incredible. Really.

At the T-Shirt Shop, we met this hysterical & incredibly confident 19-year old, Kyra, who thought we were 19 & 20. So flattering ... thanks, Kyra! The T-Shirt Shop is one of these places you either bring your own shirt in or buy one there & they print cool designs on it for pretty cheap. Exhibit A:


So then on to Arches! Arches National Park is one of those places like Sequoia, where the natural wonder is so strange it's hard to capture in picture. The creation of an arch goes well beyond my ability to comprehend. Why don't they just fall in? How does the middle fall out before the top erodes? And on and on.

And the pictures:

This first one is Delicate Arch &, while you can see it from an overlook, the 1 1/5 mile or so hike there is totally worth it. See how tiny we are!

And from a different perspective, now Betsy is a giant! (We had some super nice folks from New Jersey teach us this optical illusion trick. Gotta love people from the East Coast!)

This was my (Beth's) favorite arch - no, it wasn't called tree arch, but Landscape Arch. In 91 or 95, a huge piece broke off from underneath - back when the trail led underneath the arch. Now, they discourage that. Go figure!

McDonald's Arches. Where they don't sell amazing Veggie Burgers! Have we mentioned this phenomenon to you yet? Turns out in my couple years of vegesaurusism, I hadn't been introduced to the BK Veggie Burger. Thanks to Betsy, now I have, & now I'm in trouble!

Mmm ... browned lettuce, just the way fast food should be!


These are called double arch, because ... well, you can see through both at the same time.

And this is Balanced Rock. Anyone need me to explain what's going on here?

Last night we crashed with a friend of Robert's (Betsy's boyfriend) in Grand Junction, CO. Not only was dinner great & the roof over our heads a godsend, the company was fantastic! Thanks, Brandon!


So today begins the drive back to Minnesota. (Single tear.) Tonight we'll stay in Rocky Mountain National Park (where there are trees!!), tomorrow in Nebraska ... somewhere ... and Monday night with Betsy's brother in Iowa. In Minneapolis, we'll pay a visit to REI (of course) & Potbelly for some sandwiches, crash in a cheap hotel & off I go to DC Wednesday morning. So strange that the trip is nearly over ... although no worries, I'm sure we have more blogging to do! It's never a dull moment, really!!