Joan and I have what we call our “guest bed season.” Having a home in Moab, we are a popular destination as people travel to and from areas throughout the American West.
It’s a chance for us to catch up with friends, show them some of the local sites, and continue the relationships we built up over the years.
Over a recent weekend, our good friends Cam, Mike, and Whitney stopped at our high-desert home on their way to the CDTC Trail Days in Silver City, NM.
I’ve known these gentlemen for many years, and our shared love and passion for the wild places formed a continued bond.
Of course, our love of craft beer helps. 🙂 A few pints at a local watering hole in the evening, followed by many cups of coffee over breakfast at our home in the morning, formed a memorable start to the weekend.
We showed them a prominent place near their evening destination, Monument Valley.
The pictographs, petroglyphs, sherds, and structures serve as an excellent introduction to this remarkable area we call home.
After the hike, we wished our friends further safe travels and started our backpacking loop.
As typical for our routes, we found indications that the obvious way up to ridges and down canyons has existed for hundreds of years.
We soon reached the ridge and made our way along it, going toward the snow-covered peaks.
We found a suitable campsite with sunset views that did not disappoint.
We worked our way down a canyon the following morning and visited a well-known site.
The images and other artifacts captured our attention as we poked around the site.
And we enjoyed the detail found in these well-preserved areas.
And we noticed artifacts from a later time.
Soon after, we reached our truck. And still having time for a hike, we made our way to another classic panel.
After all the hiking, we drove through Blanding, UT, and continued our tradition of post-trip rootbeer floats.
A worthy tradition!
Another satisfying time in the place we call home.