The contrast between Durango and Moab is great. Durango's temperatures were moderate during our stay and peaked at about 80 degrees F. The campground elevation was in the 6,500 foot range. Moab is located at an elevation of 4,500 feet. The drop in elevation has caused an increase in the temperatures. At 5pm, the official temperature was 97 degrees (my thermometer read 104). The forecast for the next few days has the temperature exceeding 100. What makes this contrast even more dramatic is that the travel distance between the two points is only 160 miles (straight line distance is even less).

The countryside could not be any different than what we had in Durango. This is red rock country with thousand of different formations all over the place. In the next few days we plan to visit Arches National Park, which has more free standing arches than any other place in the world, and Canyonlands National Park. People come to Moab from all over the world (our immediate neighbor is from the UK) to drive four wheel drive vehicles and mountain bikes in the parks. Two days to see both parks is nowhere near enough to see all the sights, but we will do the best we can.

Looking out the trailer window to the southwest, we have a red rock wall that is hundreds of feet above us. To the east, the formations are not as dramatic, but still interesting. As I sit writing this, I am periodically looking out the window at the rock wall and watching the colors deepen. The picture I took of the wall shortly after we arrived was with the sun high in the sky and it wipes out the details. Now, the deepening shadows bring out the detail. We have quite a bit of haze in the air which, according to news reports, is the result of wildfires burning in Utah, Nevada and as far a way as Southern California.

We spotted this formation about 30 miles south of Moab