Day 28: Just Ronit, Shlomo & Mother Earth

We woke up to a cloudy day. It had been raining all night and we got up early and decided to skip breakfast at the lodge in favour of making good time to Moab. The day ended up being a day of solitude. We met no one along the way, just mother earth, and it was a truly humbling experience.

After about an hour of driving the clouds cleared up and the sunshine came streaming through. We drove between several different kinds of mountains which were all very beautiful.

We stopped along the way at a small town called Price, for the "best coffee in town" coffee shop, as it was advertised. Unfortunately, we ended up pouring that coffee right out... I'm sorry, we're not THAT spoiled but that coffee was truly ghastly. Thirty minutes later we came across a tiny trail off Highway 6 called County Road 129. It led to a beautiful flowing river in the middle of the desert.

The trail itself wasn't too bad, though it was pretty bumpy and full of ditches, but seemed ok enough for any type of vehicle to drive. We weren't far away from the highway but to us, it felt like a whole different planet. We were so much closer to nature.

We parked the car and finally had a chance to make ourselves some coffee that was actually delicious using the handy dandy Jackery (thanks, Eric!) to power our Nespresso machine. We had a croissant and were fueled up and ready to continue the drive.

Scenic Road 128

As we continued on we ended up on Route 128, a road that curved up and down like a wavy ribbon.

Some hills were so steep that we couldn't see to the other side and as we were cresting the top, the car's gravity went weightless for a second, giving us the feeling of butterflies in our stomachs from the lift. There was little to no traffic around and so the drive was quiet and relaxing.

I turned to Ronit and asked, "How is it possible that during the peak tourist season, there aren't thousands of cars on this road?? It is so beautiful here!". Ronit told me that this is actually not a well-known road to travel along. She explained that none of the tourist books had mentioned it but she had read about it on a Pinterest board. Great find, Ronit!

The House Inside the Mountain

We continued along until we noticed another souped-up Rubicon Jeep with a family of four pulled over. The man was fiddling with his tires so we approached and asked if he needed any help.

He explained that he was fine, and was just letting air out so they could go down some serious trails. He recommended we walk up a trail that was right beside us, as there is a house carved into the mountain down there. We would not have known to take that little trail if he hadn't told us.

So off we went and exactly like he had explained, we saw a now abandoned house carved right into the mountainside. You could see it was partly a natural cave that someone had built brick walls and stairs into to turn into what was maybe once a home.

Now, it was clearly abandoned and the inside of the cave was filled with graffiti, but walking through the site was really cool. The epic scenery of the area just made the find that much more enjoyable.

Dewey Bridge

Still on Route 128, we came across Dewy Bridge. It was the longest suspension bridge in Utah until 2008 when it was burned down during a brush fire. It was also one of only three bridges that spanned the Colorado River in Utah. Nowadays, you can still see the bare bones of the structure, though the bridge itself is long gone.

I had fun taking some "daredevil" photos while Ronit acted as my personal photographer. I let myself dangle from the edges and pulled myself up the suspension cables. Boys will be boys, as they say, even when we are old boys. 😉

Nine Mile Bottom

Our next stop was the Colorado River's Nine Mile Bottom. We were able to get right to the edge of the water as we were standing at the base of the canyon, overshadowed by huge, incredible shaped, rock formations and mountains.

I considered going for a swim. 😉 The "only" problem was that the water was absolutely freezing! Shame, really, because I really wanted to get stark naked and jump right in. Ronit, however, was worried the flow would carry me right off to the Gulf of California, so I opted not to in the end.

Sunflower Hill Inn

At this point in the day, we had reached our home for the night at the Sunflower Hill Inn in Moab. The Inn was a huge cedar structure in the city of Moab but far enough away from the busy city center. The room was well equipped and the grounds had a swimming pool, jacuzzi, den, bar, common area, laundry room and anything you could possibly need.

Two staff members, Naomi and John, recommended that we eat at one of the finest restaurants in Moab for dinner. After we agreed to give it a go, they kindly made a reservation for us at the Desert Bistro. Then they gave us some tips on where to visit in the area.

After speaking with the two for a bit, we learned that John grew up painting and loves creating art. He went to Utah Valley University and studied art, and now continues to create his own artworks as a hobby. He hopes one day he can be a full-time artist, but in the meantime, he splits his time between painting and the Inn.

We had a look at some of his art pieces and were blown away! His artwork is so unique and really captures the essence of the local atmosphere. We loved the vibrant colors and the Utah landscapes. You can check out his website and social media here: https://linktr.ee/unicornartsfactory And you know the drill, if you want to buy some artwork from John, just let him know Shlomo sent you!

Park O'Clock

Following the recommendations, we were off to the parks! There were four main attractions in two parks that we wanted to cover before ending our day. It was quite an undertaking as it required driving to both parks which were in separate areas, plus a 1.4 mile hike for one of the viewpoints. It was 3:00 PM and we needed to make sure we were in time for our dinner reservation at 7:30 PM.

PARK 1 - CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

I'll let the photos speak for themselves here. We made it to 3 different spots and took some truly breathtaking photos.

Sheafer Canyon View Point

The Mesa Arch (1.4 mile hike)

Green River Overlook

PARK 2 - Dead Horse State Park

Dead Horse Point Lookout

By the end, we had managed to complete all the trails leading us to the 4 sites we had wanted to see. It was definitely a tight agenda as we rushed home to make our dinner reservation. Although it was physically challenging, it was also exhilarating and absolutely breathtaking. As you all know, there is no picture or video that can even begin to relay the feeling of awe we felt at the magnitude of mother earth's power and beauty. Dear readers, spoil yourselves and come relive this day on your own two feet. You will not regret it.

Desert Bistro Dining

We had just enough time to get back to the inn and shower before we were off to the Desert Bistro. As we waited in line to be sat, a couple were in front of us asking for a table. They had no reservation and as hard as the restaurant tried to accommodate them there was simply no more space for the evening. We were feeling extremely lucky that the great employees at the Sunflower Hill Inn had made reservations for us. We were asked to wait just a couple of minutes and while we eagerly awaited our table, we saw three other parties trying to get a seat without reservation only to be disappointed.

At this point, Ronit and I had high expectations of this little restaurant given its high demand. Luckily, we were not disappointed! Each dish was exquisitely presented and had a melt-in-your-mouth taste. Sadly though we can share photos with you we can't give you a sample of the incredible aroma and flavour of the dishes. You'll just have to take our word for it that it was definitely a 5 out of 5 star restaurant. If you're ever in Moab, definitely treat yourself and come for dinner here.

We went back to the inn very content with our experience and had a lovely evening before bed.

See you all tomorrow. G'night folks!

-Shlomo & Ronit