Trans Americas 2009 - The Blog

Happy Birthday, Katie...

Woke at 5am, as in a light sleep and Jim was already up and getting ready to go out in search of his early morning coffee... no problem, as I want to catch the sunrise anyway...

Showered and into my bike gear, and on the road by 5.25am, I filled up with fuel before heading up to Arches in the dark. Once in the park, I could see the lightening sky as the sun struggled to break over the horizon, the rock formations taking on a sinister and eerie quality, only just darker than the night sky. As I rode deeper into the park, keen to get to Devil's Garden before dawn broke, the subtle change in the colour of the sky, from jet black to deep blue, brought out the rock buttresses and fingers, even more, them now standing light waiting giants at the roadside... hope they don't feed on early-morning motorcyclists...





Riding through the dark rocks revealed another interesting character of this remarkable landscape. When the rocks were far from the road, the cool breeze and lack of sun meant it was quite cool, but when the road went close to the rocks, or between them, it warmed up significantly, as the rocks continued to release the heat they'd absorbed during the day, even 9 or so hours after sunset...

It had been my intention to walk to Landscape Arch to watch the sunrise, but my knee is giving me some pain after the walk yesterday, so I opted to walk into Devil's Garden and watch the sunrise from a suitable vantage point. On the walk in, I heard a rustling in the bushes and caught the slightest glimpse of a small animal, about the size of a domestic cat, but before I could adjust my eyes or get out my camera it was gone... I'll never know for sure what it was, but the glimpse I got matched the pictures I've seen of mountain lions, which are known to frequent the park... Once in Devil's Garden proper, I found a rock to sit on and watched the sun rise, in total silence and all alone. It was a very peaceful and calming experience, my mind empty, save for the inevitable thoughts of how much I'd rather be sat here with Tracy next to me...

Sadly, the photos of the sunrise don't do it any justice, the bright red band of sky filling the horizon before being washed away as the intense yellow ball of the sun appears, rising quickly up into the bright blue sky.

Feeling all melancholy, I made my way back to the bike, and rode back towards the park entrance, stopping once or twice to take pictures of the rocks, now lit bright orange in the dawn-light.








Once out of the park I headed North and then West, entering Canyonlands National Park, where I was still too early for the rangers, so didn't have to show my pass. Riding the empty twisting road through the park I caught glimpses of the canyons off to either side, the road following a flat ridge that is known as “Island in the Sky”, finally arriving at the dead-end that is Grand View Point. From here the full splendour of this magnificent landscape is visible, as the entire vista, from foreground to horizon and from far left to far right is taken up by a huge, wide, and multi-layered canyon. The plateau on which I was standing is at 6,000ft, and the first layer below is a white sandstone plateau, some 1,000 ft below the point on which I was standing. Carved into this are the canyon complexes formed by the Colorado and Green rivers, deep cuts in the sandstone layer, winding their way, in a complex maze tracking the route of the rivers past and present. Here and there are huge towers of rock, left standing as the rivers eroded the surrounding rocks, and weathered by the wind, their white sandstone tops making them look like inverted matches... Quite stunning...





From Grand View Point, I rode back through the park, stopping off at the viewpoints on the way to look out across the canyons, marvelling at the immense forces that must have been involved in creating this landscape over the millennia, and pondering the expedition that John Wesley Powell led in 1869, down the Colorado and Green Rivers, charting this landscape – at a time before the Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell and tamed the rivers, changing them from the ranging torrents that created this amazing landscape, into the playground they now are. Still, the views are fantastic...








By now it was gone 9am, and I was starting to get hungry, so I headed back to Moab and had breakfast at Denny's – cereal followed by 2 eggs (over easy), 2 links (sausages), 2 bacon (strips, they don't seem to do back bacon here), 2 toast and 2 cups of coffee... Then back to the hotel to call Tracy before going back to bed for an hour to recapture the lost sleep, and then sitting down and catching up with the blog, having lost so much time yesterday fixing the spot lights that I'd let it get 2 days behind...

Which reminds me.

I've heard rumour that this diatribe is being read by people “all over the world”. Now, I've no idea whether that's true or not, so I'd like your help, dear reader, to find out. It's really simple. All you have to do is click on the “Comment” hyperlink at the end of this entry and enter a comment stating where you are (you can add any other comments you think are useful, but bear in mind I have the power to delete any that I don't like...). You'll need a Google account to comment, but they're really easy to set up and once created you can comment on any other posts as you see fit. Correct my spelling, point out my mistakes, complain about my views, that sort of thing. Go-on, let's get all interactive... Oh, and finally, please, no comments on my naked body. It's not perfect by a long way, but it's the only one I got...

Right, back to the story...
When I woke around 12.30pm, I felt refreshed, and immediately set to work updating the blog, which took me all afternoon until it was time to put the bike gear on again and head out, this time in the direction of Dead Horse Point State Park, having decided to leave Needles until tomorrow, when I should be passing by it anyway. Dead Horse is a State Park, not a National Park, so this time my get-in-free pass was no use, but it only cost $5 and was well worth it. The point is called “Dead Horse” because it marks the spot where cowboys used to run wild horses, trapping them on a narrow ledge where they would fence them in until they could be dealt with. Trouble is, they forgot the horses need water and that this area is almost desert, and all the horses died. It's the 2nd Dead Horse I've been to on the trip, the other being at Prudhoe Bay, and that seems like an eternity ago...

The point looks down on a curve in the Colorado river, and provides an excellent vantage point from which to view the amazing geological masterpiece that nature has created in this area. Taking a look at the photo below, it's possible to see all the layers, which for the rock-fiends amongst you are, from Top to Bottom:

Navajo Sandstone, deposited by the wind some 175 million years ago, 300-400ft thick
Kayenta Sandstone, deposited by a stream some 180 million years ago, 150-300ft thick
Wingate Sandstone, deposited by the wind some 200 million years ago, 200-350ft thick
Chinle Formation, deposited by a stream some 210 million years ago, 200-500ft thick
Moenkopi Formation, deposited by shallow tidal flats some 230 million years ago, 200-500ft thick
Cutler Formation, deposited by coastal-marine beach and off-shore sands some 250 million years ago, the rim is white crossbedded sandstone, 0-250ft thick
Rico Formation, depostied as coastal-marine and floodplain, and wind-blown shore dunes, the deep red lower layer, dating back some 275 million years and 300-400ft thick





Having watched the changing light for almost an hour, it was time to start heading back into town and seeking somewhere to eat. I rode back in the searing early evening heat, and quickly changed before heading back out again on foot. I wandered up the main street and then found something I wanted that I'd not had for 5 weeks. Thai food!! Naturally I had to go in and order, selecting the Laab Kai (that's how it was spelt on the menu) and the mixed seafood red curry, which came with squid, shrimp (prawns), mussels, crispy fish and bizarrely peas and diced carrots... it was very good...

Then back to the hotel to update the blog as tomorrow I'll be camping and have no Internet access, and get an early night.