here comes the sun

This past weekend was the first time we traveled to Moab under clear, dry skies since, well, October.  We took the day off work, loaded Milton into the truck (complete with Dramamine and extra towels for the car-sick drooling) and headed down Friday morning.  Although it got chilly - about 30 F - going over Soldier Summit, it was sunny skies all the way down.  This made us very happy.

Black dog, blue sky

It was the closing weekend of the 2019 Easter Jeep Safari week so we knew better than to try to go out to dinner.  Instead, we did some chores on Friday and basked in the sun.  Milton likes to soak up the rays but has to keep going into the shade to cool off.  He found himself a pillow on the north side of the garage, out of the sun.

Totally looks comfortable

Saturday morning we three got up and walked to Main Street to watch all the jeeps take off together.  The Safari week is incredibly well-planned and Saturday is the one day everyone lines up on the side streets to head out to their respective rides all at once.  Despite the sheer numbers of participants, it is very low-key: no revving engines or blaring horns, just Jeep enthusiasts riding off into the dirt and rock. 

Courthouse Panel

After that, H and I took the MTBs up to the MOAB Brand Trails for my first ride of the season.  H had been a couple times over the winter but this time the trails were dry and the range cattle had been moved off further afield.  It got overcast and cool but was extremely pleasant for riding.  I rode well enough (although out of shape for cycling) but my butt was sore for days afterwards - my bike shorts need more padding!

H in Courthouse Wash

Lest you think the weather had moved off entirely, it did rain for a couple of hours Sunday morning.  By 10 a.m. it cleared up, however, and H and I went to do a short hike that's been on our list for a while: lower Courthouse Wash.  It's actually not that short a hike if you do the whole thing (5 miles each way) but we figure we only did about six miles all told.  Most of the trail guides start in the park and hike downstream; we started at the mouth of the canyon and went north. 

Looking upstream

There is a pictograph panel on the west wall at the mouth of the wash, well-worth checking out even if you aren't going to hike the way.  Courthouse Wash itself is really the only canyon hike in Arches NP and it is neither well-known or well-traveled.  We could always find the trail but it isn't marked and disappears from time to time.  You're in a canyon, though, so there's no way to get lost.

Busy beavers

The water in the wash was moving right along and everything was green and lush (for the desert).  We heard canyon wrens and saw fish, lizards and lots of birds.  There were deer and raccoon (beaver?) tracks in the wet sand and we saw plentiful beaver sign, some looking fairly recent.

Tiny trees: about three inches tall

This is a beautiful, relatively easy hike with negligible elevation change but as I mentioned, the trail is not consistent and we both got pretty scratched up on our arms and legs from pushing our way through the willows.  We also crossed the wash at least ten times but managed to keep our feet dry until the end.  We only saw a few people too: two solo day hikers and a family group of backpackers - although we have no idea where they might have overnighted.

A in the wash

After getting back and cleaning up, we basked in the sun some more while we ate some lunch, and Milton debuted his new dog goggles.  He put up with them much better than we thought he might, wearing them for about fifteen minutes before he'd had enough.  We'll have to try them during a hike next time - perhaps he'll be so distracted that he forgets he has them on.

New shades

As if to make up for the nice sunshine we'd had, our drive home was through black clouds, cold temperatures and a fair amount of rain.  That was okay.  We'd been to the desert and stocked up on some vitamin D.  A little rain couldn't wash that good feeling away.