We had been training for months to compete in "The Other Half" marathon in Moab and here we were, in town and ready to race...sort of. It's really hard to train while on the road and, as a result, Lynda and I hadn't run more than 6 miles in several weeks. Read on to see how it all turned out.
First, on to one of our favorite National Parks, Arches. We headed into the park to see some of the red rock arches we'd visited a number of years before.
Side note: We stayed in Moab 9 years ago when it was a dusty littlle town with a two lane road and no stop lights. Well, no more! The town has grown by leaps and bounds and is now overrun by, ATV's, 4 wheelers, Jeeps, mountain bikes, hikers, tourists and RVs. The motel we'd stayed in was so surrounded by other structures that it took several days to recognize. Amazing.
We took a half mile hike to Broken Arch seen in the distance
Broken Arch is where I tried to talk Lynda into "marrying ourselves" but she said she wasn't going to start married life by lying about where we did the deed. (Our "Marry Yourselves" license was issued in Colorado)
Such a pretty spot
Some "fins" we saw on our hike
More spectacular scenery
The next day we went back into the park to see more.
North and South Windows
Double Arch
Landscape Arch
No visit to Arches would be complete without seeing Delicate Arch...at sunset.
Canyonlands is another really cool National Park close to Moab. We visited the southern area called The Needles last time we were here. This time we went to the aptly named Island in the Sky. Island in the Sky has its own famous arch, Mesa Arch.
The huge difference between Mesa Arch and others in Arches is that you can only see one side of Mesa Arch. Why, you ask? Because theres a 600' drop on the other side of it!
Mesa Arch from the front
That step is a long one!
And through the arch, a really big hole in the ground
We hiked to Whale Rock where we found some Indian food storage spots
Next up Upheaval Dome, a 3 mile diameter crater that scientists speculate was created by a meteor impact. The center of the Dome is elevated above the rest of the crater.
Don't step back!
For the brave hearted the Shafer Trail Road travels from rim to floor of the canyon via switchbacks and a cliff hugging road.
So... what was the other thing?...Oh, yeah! The Other Half!. The 13.1 mile race is run through the spectacular Colorado River canyon along Rt. 128 starting at the historic Dewey Bridge and finishing at the Sorrel River Ranch Resort. I took some pics as we drove along the road on the way to Moab.
Mile 0, the Dewey Bridge
The downhill first mile
The Big Bend
Spectacular!
The Mile 8 hill, ugh.
Aileen and I a few miles into the run
The race was fantastic. I fulfilled my goal by finishing my first half, Lynda, however, took home the hardware finishing first in her age group!
Next up, a Capitol idea
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