Day 3

The third day I headed out to the Island In The Sky section of Canyonlands, which is where I had been intending to get to the previous day. It was a lot closer to Moab than the Needles section. I had done my long hike the previous day so this time I wanted to do a few shorter ones, like I had done at Arches. I got some suggestions from the helpful girl at the visitor's centre, which was quite busy, and I continued into the park.

The first trail was an easy 0.3 mile roundtrip to Mesa Arch, a small arch with views beneath it across a vast landscape. Immediately my 'best view in the world' from the previous day was challenged by this amazing new vista. Since this viewpoint was swarming with other people I left the title with yesterday's view since I enjoyed that all on my own - in fact I may have been the only person looking at that view at that time.

The next trail was less busy but still popular, up to a viewpoint overlooking a dome where, for reasons not known for certain, the ground pushed up and a section of rock normally found at a lower level was raised up into a dome shape. Hence the name Upheaval Dome. I went on a bit further to a second viewpoint and there only passed two people coming the other way. At the end I stopped and listened and I properly realised for the first time that these places are so peaceful. The only thing I could hear, above my own breathing as I caught my breath back, was the occasional cricket chirping or fly buzzing around. Otherwise it was dead still. It was great!

I got even more of that on my next trail. When I got to the parking lot it was deserted and on the whole 3.6 mile roundtrip I didn't see or hear another person. The views were quite good but it was getting hazy towards the west as the sun started descending.

Luckily the next trail made up for that. If you remember from my previous description of this park it's split into three sections in a Y-shape. This part of the park is the top bit that points downwards and is bounded by rivers on both sides. The previous trail went west but this next one headed east since the land was fairly narrow by this point.

When I got to the end of the trail it ended at what was essentially a series of precarious-looking rocks. I assumed they were safe but I did give some of them a gentle prod with my foot to see if they were okay to step on before I jumped on and plunged a few thousand feet with no-one around to see. The view was spectacular - I had almost 360 degree views around me, with only about 45 degrees behind me taken up by where I had just come from. Since this faced east the view was crystal clear with no hazing as in the west. I soaked up the view before carefully picking my way back to safer ground and my car.

The final trail was to be the most spectacular as it led to "Grand View Overlook" but in fact it was just more of the same views. The west was looking different now as the sun descended about an hour or so before sunset and it was very hazy and looked slightly eerie.

That evening I returned to my favourite Italian restaurant/bar in town but the old barmaid who took care of me and gave me my own TV wasn't there. I asked if it was her day off and was told she no longer worked there. I explained about the TV and, luckily, the new barmaid was nice too so I go my own one again. The guy next to me started talking to me and he seemed nice. He sounded very camp but I didn't want to be judgemental. Plus he managed to drop into the conversation his girlfriend from dental school. I told him all about my trip and asked him about his life - the usual kind of way conversations go. He said he was going white-water rafting at the weekend with a friend and it was a shame I was leaving before then or I could have gone along for free. That would have been good but I needed to be across the state the next day so I couldn't take him up on the offer. Then he said he was so impressed with my trip he offered to pay for my dinner, unless I was offended by that. For a moment I was dumbstruck. I wasn't offended and I didn't know how you could be offended by that, but I did think it was a little weird or over-generous. So I said it was very kind of him but not necessary.

He left after a little while and I still wan't sure if I'd been chatted up by a gay guy or not - he had just been to Vegas to see Cher recently so it was hard to tell. He was much more subtle than the weirdo I spoke to as I was leaving the Taos Pow Wow a week ago. As I was walking out to my car a guy coming the other way asked me what was going on. He was kind of... weathered, like a farm worker, and dressed in typical western clothes, including a hat. I told him what was going on, but privately wondered what he was doing here if he didn't know why he was here. I told him it was going to get better later on. He asked where I was from and I kept trying to end the conversation and get to my car so I could leave. I told him to enjoy it and he just blurted out "You gay?". I replied "no" and he said "Okay" and carried on. He was very odd. But as I walked to my car I did look at what I was wearing just in case I was looking a bit gay. I decided that my pink hot pants, tankini top and feather boa were just fine and hobbled in my stilettos to my car where I reapplied my lipstick and left.

I'm leaving Moab now and heading across the state to Cedar City, which will be my launchpad to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. I'll blog more from there.