Moab, Utah - May 3- May 12 Part 1

Often the journey affords some amazing sites. It is always nice to see the snow capped mountains as we start heading North!

On our route from Blanding to Moab we chose to drive through scenic Monument Valley.  We had taken this route in the past but didn't realize it was "Monument Valley."   A lot of John Wayne movies were shot in this location!

 

And, here is the stone formation that gives the city at the end of Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, its name.  The stone on top does look like a sombrero.

 While we were in Moab I truly enjoyed the fantastic aquatic center.  It has a huge pool, nice deep water and about 40+ people in the aqua fit classes.  The real highlight was the view of the beautiful "red rocks" that Moab is so famous for.

 

On our last evening in Moab we treated ourselves to a special dinner at Sunset Grill.  The restaurant, set on the high side of a cliff, is the former home of Uranium King, Charlie Steen.  Not my best photo - the restaurant is located at the top of the hill with the blurry string of lights.  Hope you get the idea of the great location.

 

Here is  the must have "we were there" photo and you can see the "red rocks" in the background.  Too bad we didn't think to raise the shade so the view was not blocked.

 

So, here is a shot of the red rocks out the window from our table. In addition to the beautiful red rocks, you can see a building in front with the orange middle section- that's the rec center where the pool is that I spoke about earlier!

 

You can also go outside and have a nice glass of wine on the deck and enjoy this stunning panoramic view!

 

But, it was not just about the views - dinner was delicious but the appetizer we ordered, Wild Mushroom Vol au Vent was "to die for."

The main purpose for the stop in Moab was so that Mark and his hiking buddy, John Golob could hike the Canyonland National Park section called "The Maze."  Part 2 of our Moab updates is all about their A-Maze-Ing adventure.