vacation beginning

 Since we got our little Moab place, we really don't go anywhere but there anymore.  It's got all we need for vacation: easy access to the outdoors for hiking and biking; easy access to town for walking to beers, food, shopping and friends; world-class landscapes; great high desert environment; dog-friendly.  Every now and again when I hear of a trip friends took, I get a momentary pang and think, "Ooh, that sounds nice."  And then I remember that we can go to Moab whenever we want and I appreciate our privilege.

So for our fall vacation - we do a week's vacation in the spring, after ski season ends, and then again in the fall, before ski season starts - we went to Moab.  We drove down Friday late afternoon, noting the increase in traffic on I-15, both for the weekend and for the temperate season.  It took us a wee dite longer than it does when we go down Thursday afternoons, so we stayed in and cracked beers at home rather than venturing out.

Moody skies Saturday morning

On Saturday, we hit the Pipe Dream trail: A and the dog doing a six mile hike and H doing an eight mile trail run.  Later in the day, H ventured out for a quick 16.5 mile road ride.  We got lucky with the weather, at least in the first half of the week, as it was mostly clear and lovely, with highs not getting out of the 70s.  That evening we met up with our friends C and F who had scored a babysittter: we swung by a block party hosted by a local realtor, then moved on over to Dewey's for beers and noshes.  And then that night, we were delighted to discover that our neighbor A had returned home from her summer commercial fishing in Alaska.  (Milton was pretty excited to see her dog Moscow.)

Brand new bar tape on the ol' Cannondale

Sunday was another beautiful day.  A and M did a 3.3 mile town walk (trying to alternate off-leash and on-leash days for Milton so he doesn't exhaust himself).  Then H and A did a 24.2 mile road ride on the Moab bike path.  For a change, it wasn't windy!

So rad

The afternoon saw us three having a picnic up at the Slickrock trailhead parking lot - where H and M did some long-boarding - then a quick stop by Woody's for the humans and a backyard firepit after dinner at home.