There was never a plan to return to Moab, but if you remember we had thought we were going to camp host for 3 months until Jim ripped up his rotator cuff.  Since we didn’t spend a great deal of time in Moab , we decided to return.  The fact that it was sunny and warmer than Wyoming didn’t hurt either !

We found an area of BLM land just past Lone Mesa Campground. We took Highway 313  off of Highway 191 out of Moab and drove about 5 miles past the campground until we found a spot we loved.  We had an overlook of a small canyon and spent most of our time climbing rocks and exploring the area.

KitKat, our new furry family member, took to boon docking immediately.  She was still skittish and afraid of every noise she heard, but she went crazy with all the scents she was picking up and the wide open spaces.  We did learn she’s a little stealth and much to my chagrin loves to play hide and seek. Having had her for less than a week, I had a few small heart attacks when she wandered behind the rocks and I couldn’t spot her.  But her first experience with us helped her get familiar with the van and she developed the habit of running up to the side slider, circling  the van and returning to the slider door and plopping herself down until I caught up and let her inside the van. Her personality is slowly but surely coming out and her trust level with us is growing.

It was bittersweet remembering Hailey in Moab and how she loved sleeping outside at night in our pop up “Clam” shelter.  And don’t even get me started on how much she loved wading in the Colorado River.

It was interesting camping here.  We observed two different family dynamics. One family loaded down with dirt bikes, loud stereo, motorized toy trucks for the kids and two big dogs that roamed freely through our campsite without supervision by their owners.  The other family, no loud stereo, no dirt bikes, obedient non roaming dogs.  The dirt bike people didn’t interact much with each other; mom and dad were off on their own on the dirt bikes while kids zoomed the toy trucks around the campsite.  The non dirt bike people hiked all around the area.  The kids came running up to us while we were out hiking to point out a small snake they stumbled across while hiking.  They were so excited and then began telling us about snakes and the wildlife in the area we were camping in.  These kids were so excited and dad stood quietly in the background, obviously proud of these two explorers. Give me the explorers any day !

Loved watching slivers of the canyon walls light up at sunset-nature is just so amazing.

We plan on returning to Moab in February 2019 for another attempt at camp hosting-BLM Big Bend Campground just outside Moab.  Jim has promised he will not climb on the Revel the night before we report for duty !

There are so many places to boon dock in Moab-even if you see someone in a spot and think you have to go further down the road-the places are so wide open that you could probably follow the road in and find a spot completely away from them and out of view .

You can’t go wrong, pretty  much wherever you camp you will find an amazing view with trails to hike.

When we return in February, and I plan on spending a lot more time exploring and photographing the beauty of this place.  And on our days off we plan on visiting all the parks that surround Moab, so get ready for plenty of canyon and rock pictures !

We are really looking forward to camp hosting here, while it can get crazy with climbers and mountain bikers and trail hikers-everyone is here for the same reasons, the beauty and the peace and quiet.  If you are in the area mid February 2019 to mid May stop by Big Bend campsite 6, that’s where you will find us-camp hosting our little hearts out.

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 ” May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.”

Edward Abbey

Happy Trails and safe Travels in 2019 and may all your camping experiences be memorable-get out and enjoy nature !