Pokin’ around Moab

Back up the road toward Moab we take a left to head for Mill Creek for a hike we were told about. First, there’s an area near the trail head where you carefully traverse a small ledge. We were advised that nobody ever looks up at the cliff there but we should. When we do we see a great little bunch of petroglyphs. We journey down the trail which follows a rushing, muddy creek. On the far side there are cliffs that look like they’re hiding dwellings and etchings. One alcove looks like a ruin but we’re not quite certain–did teens who frequent the swimming holes here build that or did ancient dwellers? We spot some other petroglyphs with the all too frequent graffiti. This scrawl reads “Be the change.”  We sadly muse that the author did not grasp the point of the slogan. We were told of some truly fantastic ruins and pictographs after a creek crossing but when we reach the crossing, Jason mentions he has no interest in getting wet in order to continue further. I’m pretty certain my disappointment is visible. We turn back. My grumbling fades as we cross meadowy fields of wildflowers.

We ventured further north to the next recommended trail. “Turn left at the McDonalds at the south end of town.” The road thins to a poorly maintained single lane following a river canyon. We miss our intended trail for its unlikely appearance and drive far into the canyon. It’s beautiful and a number of people obviously enjoy coming here. Finally we turn around and make our way to the Cliffhanger trail. They didn’t tell us this was a dusty mountain bike and off road vehicle trail. We yield a number of times for mountain bikes and enduro motorcycles. We sopt some fantastic panels of petroglyphs but fail to see “the fat man and the owl” until we are about to leave.  On the drive out, we stop here and there to admire rock art.

Throughout this time Jason repeatedly asks what I want to do next. I smile and tell him that it’s entirely up to him.  After a stop for lunch we drive on to see some other pictograph panels at the north side of Moab–Courthouse wash. As we are there, the winds pick up blowing gusts of sand in our faces. The ancient painted figures look on unphased. The skies are not looking happy.

We decide to squeeze one more venture into the day and drive east to Castle Creek Winery. Pam greets us from the tasting counter as we enter. Most of the tasting room is filled with stack of promotional wine accessories from logoed cutting boards to a violin case that has internal partitions to furtively hold several bottles of wine. The wines are quite a pleasant surprise as they are one of only three wineries in all of Utah. The state is its own AVA with no boundaries marked by soil or geographical locations. The used to grow grapes at the winery but found the grapes take in so much salinity from the soils it fouled the wines. I select a few to have shipped home to share with wine friends who will be intrigued by the pleasant, reasonable wines coming from Utah. Later at home I realize one notable difference between Utah and Oregon wines. In Utah, bottles of blends are not labeled for varietals or percentages…it’s just a blend. That’s it. We scour the website for information that is not listed and I email the tasting room manager who simply replies that the only information they have to share is on the website.

The wind has continued to pick up since our last pictograph viewing a couple hours earlier. The temperature is starting to plunge as well. Jason scouts out a reasonable hotel for us for the night.