Carved Cliffs and Red Rock Arches: Day 7 to Salt Lake City

Moab, UT

Day 7 with The Grand Western Tour took us deep into red rock country, and it gave us one of the most memorable rest stops of the trip so far.

We pulled over at Hole N’ the Rock, a quirky roadside attraction near Moab where an entire home has been carved right into the cliff face. We explored a little and got a good look at the giant carving of Franklin Roosevelt set into the rock. Back on the bus, the miles flew by with a couple of rounds of BS and a few newly learned card tricks.

The main event was Arches National Park. We took a scenic drive through to soak in all the incredible views, then parked and set out on foot, hiking up to a couple of the famous arch formations and taking way too many fun pictures while clambering over the big red rocks. Finn found a little hiding hole that was just his size, Miles was always zooming ahead to claim the best perch, and JP even caught a katydid along the way.

We stopped for a picnic lunch in the park, though the wind had other plans and kept trying to carry our food off mid-bite. After a visit to the visitor center, we finished the drive to Salt Lake City and treated ourselves to a really nice dinner at Brio.

On the road, we also spotted smoke from two wildfires off in the distance. It was a sobering sight, and a real reminder of how precious and fragile these wild landscapes are, and of why caring for them matters so much.

From a house in a cliff to arches millions of years in the making, today left us in awe of the country we get to explore, and all the more committed to taking care of it. Onward!