Will people help me plan a Moab trip? And report!

Mark W. wrote: There is also Moabs Uranium Mining History to look into. It was once one of the fastest growing glowing places in the USA.

Now that was clever! Well done sir!

Both of these trails are a ways out of town. TOTW is like 40 out. I like to do it first thing before I get to Moab. Both times, I stopped and spent the night in Grand Junction. Then the next morning, came into Utah, unloaded at the trail head, did the trail, loaded back up, and then finished the trek to Moab. It is an in and out trail. There are some very cool looking rock formations at the beginning of the trail. Lots of shapes and colors. Once you get on the actual TOTW trail, it has some small challenges that look harder than they really are. but it’s relatively easy. The terrain is like Porcupine Rim or Strike Ravine. One of our vehicles was open diff. The payoff is definitely at the end. That view is stunning and the best cliff overlook I have been to in Moab. Better than Cliffhanger, Moab Rim, or other IMO. Looking straight down is several hundred feet with some towers down below. Looking straight ahead are the La Sal mountains. Both times I’ve been there they have been covered with snow. The view to the right is really amazing. Mesas, towers, several rows. It’s very “dimensional’” and can’t be captured with a camera. And of course, the iconic shot of your Jeep, ... or Bronco, out on the ledge:



To take this shot, the camera man has to stand out on another ledge to the right. Don’t have the camera man too far out on the ledge or the shot isn’t as good because it’s hard to see the overhang.



.... see what I mean?

Behind the Rocks is on the south side of town and 10 - 15 miles out. It is as easy or hard as you make it. There are three main obstacles, “High Dive”, and “Up-chuck”, have bypasses. Once you get past them, you run into a trail network where you can either go back to town, or go on to “White Knuckle”. I’m not sure if there is a bypass for white knuckle. If you go that far, it is a lengthy drive to get back to the main road which you have to drive like 8 miles to get back to town. I’d recommend having a map and or gps because there are some intersecting trails and it’s not always clear which way to go but I think once you get past white knuckle, if you keep choosing the southern most road, you will make it back to the highway. The exit to Pritchett Canyon is in that area too. And the “Picture Arch” is also out there:

The 40 mile drive from Moab to the TOTW trail head is amazing!! You have huge cliffs on one side and the Colorado River on the other side!! The road also goes past the Fischer Towers. I think it is amazing to see the huge rock pieces that have broken off the cliffs and landed feet from the road!!

BTR:

You can bypass “High Dive” and still do “Up-Chuck”. Billy and I did “Up-Chuck”. We along with Ward, passed on High Dive. Spent some time contemplating it though. That is on my to-do list .... probably this year.

“White Knuckle is not as hard as it looks IMO. One thing about it, once you start the obstacle you are guaranteed to get down it! . Billy and I did it with 80” wheelbase and no strap so..... Gravity locker worked awesome!

Here is our video. The guy in the red and black shirt is John Currie.



I think the arch is actually called “Picture Frame Arch”. Lots of cool stuff in that area.

It's a little more official now, we have out campground reservations!  After spending a couple nights at the Grand Canyon we'll arrive in Moab on September 16 (too late in the day to do much but set up camp) and then spend 6 nights at Canyonlands RV park.  That'll give us Sep 17 - 21 for four days of 'wheeling and one full day of being tourists.

Yeah, it's getting closer!  I'm really not focusing on it too much right now.  Along the same likes of kicking back to enjoy the vacation, we also want to enjoy this summer too!  We have two vacations planned between now and the Moab trip (a 3-day weekend to a state park with some friends and a week on an Alaska cruise with my 80+ year old parents, both of my siblings and their spouses and all of my parents grandkids).  I especially don't want to give that cruise with my parents short shrift!  Plus there's still this summer to enjoy!

I've heard that term, but it doesn't apply to us.  My wife is a retired stay-home mom.  Now she volunteers at a local charity.  So we're single income no kids.  Wait, "sink" doesn't seem so flattering.  Maybe we should go with one income no kids.  No, "oink" seems worse.  I guess we'll stay with "empty nesters!"

Thanks for the update and looking forward to hearing more.

Yes, that's the shirt!  I currently drive a Ford Bronco, but my son found this shirt somewhere and gave it to me after Lesley got a Jeep Renegade.  I posted the picture below before in another thread, showing that shirt and one Lesley made for herself (she was wearing this shirt again the day she took that picture of me in front of the diner).