With some extra hours worked and plus some PTO, we headed to Moab early Christmas Eve. H wanted to leave at 6 a.m.; A was leaning towards 7; we somehow split the difference and were on the road by 6:30. Traffic was light, the roads were dry and it was (unbelievably) 64F when we rolled into town around 10 a.m. That's St. George temperatures, not Moab.
Our guests for the weekend, E and K, had laughed heartily when we said what time we were leaving. They left SLC around the time we arrived in Moab, so we had some time to spare. After unloading and unpacking, H did a five mile trail run on Pipe Dream while A and Milton did a 3.25 mile town walk. It seemed quieter in town than it had over Thanksgiving, but it certainly wasn't a ghost town. With the ski areas not having any snow, we figured we'd see more folks in the desert.
E and K arrived mid-afternoon, their three little dogs - 9-year old mix Stevie and 17 year-old mini-dachshunds Oliver and Lily - in tow. Soon there were small dog beds and blankets everywhere, the fridge was full to bursting and the holiday had officially begun. We had pasta with lentil bolognese and a salad for dinner and then, because it was still so crazy warm, we had Christmas Eve champagne around the fire pit in the backyard.
On Christmas morning, we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast casserole that E had made before heading out for a hike. We decided on Corona Arch, H and I figuring that it had been at least a decade since we'd done that one. The trailhead parking lot was pretty full but it didn't really seem like that many people out on the trail.
It was a stunning morning, warm and sunny with a bright blue sky overhead. We did keep the dogs leashed for the most part since there were signs about it and all the other dogs (and there were lots) were on their leashes. When the elderly weiner dogs got tired, the girls just put them in backpacks, although I was amazed at how much they actually walked. There are a couple of spots that the dogs - even Milton and Stevie - didn't love, involving chains and a metal ladder, but there are work-arounds and any fit dog can deal with them.
We did a little gift exchange back at home and went next door to see our neighbor A's brother's family's new puppy. When it got dark, H and K and Milton drove up to Sand Flats Recreation Area: K is a photographer and wanted to get some shots of the night sky. I helped E put together dinner: vegan Wellington with mashed potatoes and gravy.
There were ginger cookies, dog snuggles and lots and lots of laughing after dinner. H even stayed up until 10 p.m.! Happy Christmas indeed.
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