Utah - Part 2

While I found Park City to be a bit quirky in a white-collar way, Moab was quirky in a blue-collar way. Park City reminded me of Bisbee, Arizona and Deadwood, South Dakota. An old mining town on a hill that has since been transformed by commerce and artists. Like this Banksy artwork.

Moab on the other hand, was flat and by a river. Still, it was an old mining town that commerce has changed. The big difference is the type of commerce. For Moab, it's tourism. You can do everything from land, air, and water in this town. You can walk, hike, run, bike, drive an ATV (or OHV as they call them), drive a Hummer, float down the river, kayak, raft, boat, swim, whatever you heart desires. Just expect to come back from your trip hot, tired, and a bit dirty from all the red dirt.

For some people, the muss and fuss is a bit beneath them. Seeing a women with dreadlocks and a shaved head might put them off a bit. But to me I felt like I was in a carnival of sorts. A carnival of young people that enjoy being outside.So it was no surprise to find people a bit scruffy in Moab. After all, they likely just spent 12 hours out in the desert having fun. And even though I limited my time in the sun, I still had fun.

One of the best spots was Negro Bill Canyon. Not exactly the best name for a place but hey, a country needs to have history to measure progress, right? This particular canyon is just outside of Moab and I think it represents pretty much the whole damn area. You pull off the road, park your car, head down the trail, and in two minutes you're lost in the wilderness. It was amazing to not only see the change in temperature but also the scenery. As a flatlander from the east, I loved the sand, rock, and sun. Just in little bite-sized pieces.

You could get lost, literally and figuratively, in a place like this. Thankfully I just got lost in the views. And there were plenty of them.