Day 13 - Monument Valley (and Toilet Story 2)

Our tour of Monument Valley began at 8:45am. We were the only people on the small, converted 4 wheel drive truck when we set off but the driver stopped to pick up a group of people at Goulding's Lodge, only a few minutes away. The lodge is an alternative for those not wanting to slum it in an RV or a tent! It has its own indoor swimming pool and operates just like a hotel as far as we can see. Fourteen passengers were on the truck by the time we were ready to set off.

One of the great selling points of this tour was that we were being driven and guided by a genuine Navajo Indian, who lives and works locally and knows all the main monuments and sacred sites intimately. Rachel and I speculated on his Navajo name: was it something that depicted his status in local society, like Running Bull or something more mundane, like Sitting Duck? We have to confess that we were slightly disappointed when he was introduced as Robert! Not even Robert Trail Finder or Robert Storm Tamer - just plain old Robert.

Robert gave an introduction to our tour and whetted our appetite with a list of things we would see -things related to film-making (Kit Carsen, Billy The Kid, How The West Was Won, Back to the Future 3, Thelma and Louise etc), monuments renamed by Kit Carsen himself (an 'Indian Fighter') like El Capitan, others named after soldiers serving under Kit like Mitchell Butte and Merrick Butte. Later I looked up the word Butte. It means 'an isolated hill or mountain rising abruptly above the surrounding land'.

We headed down to the junction of the main Interstate, which we came in on yesterday but turned off towards the Navalo Tribal Park. It has an entrance fee but our tour ticket included the entry price. Moments after entering the park we turned onto a dirt track past a sign that said 'Closed'. We wound our way through an increasingly rough and undulating path while Robert pointed out the main attractions along the way. He seemed to take care to point out giant rocks that looked like something else: an elephant, for example, "we call this Elephant Rock" or a face "We call this Alfred Hitchcock Rock". This raised a few chuckles. All the rocks and mountains were either named after someone who lived in the past and had some significance to the Navajo, or looked like something you would recognise, like Totem Pole. Totem Pole was an impossibly thin and tall rock, all that was left after millions of years exposed to the elements.

We made stops along the way, where there were stalls set out with Navajo jewellery: the people who made them were selling them to the tourists. Tables were set up in the desert along the edge of the paths we took and it was clearly a way for these people to bring in a captive audience and make some money. It's interesting to note how the Navajo all look alike to some degree. It's obviously the result of their common genes passed down through the years but their faces are slightly flattened around the nose and eyes and makes for an upright forehead. Some of the children we saw with their parents at the stalls were absolutley beautiful. They helped package whatever jewellery the tourists bought with entheusiasm and must have to spend all day in the desert heat to help their parents. We later wondered why they weren't at school. We never found out.

As is usually the case with Rachel, about half way around the three and a half hour tour she needed the loo. And anyone who knows Rachel will know that that means NOW! This time, however, we were in the middle of the most forbidding desert we have ever seen and so could not just nip into the nearest McDonalds for a wee. She asked Robert if there was a public toilet in this remote forbidding desert and there's no prizes for guessing what the answer was. By now the leg was twitching and panic was setting in. This could get ugly. At the next stop we got out of the truck and Rachel was off looking for the loos. Unfortunately, there was only a few makeshift sheds and an old caravan and a horse, which was $2 to have your photo taken on. This didn't help. By now Rachel was doing a bit of a jig around the site. Robert must have seen that she was beginning to draw attention to herself and was drawing a crowd (probably thinking this was some sort of Navajo weather dance) and suggested she head off into the rattlesnake infested, scorched desert to find a place to wee. Which, rattlesnakes or not, she promptly did. She walked in the most dignified way she could and eventually disappeared behind a clump of rocks.

While Rachel was away I broke the ice with Robert, mainly by making fun of Rachel, and asked him about the Navajo. Turns out that the little money they are able to take from making and selling their jewellery is the only income many of then have. He told me of his earlier life having to travel long distances to find work and hardly ever seeing his family. There are very few jobs in this region. However, I'm not sure about the other 60 million acres that make up the Navajo Nation.

Soon Rachel reappeared and calm returned once more. From now on the Navajo have a new monument - called Rachel's Butte! Within an hour she wanted to go again!

We stopped at a Hogan - a traditional Navajo hut, where we were given a weaving demonstration by an elderly lady sat on some rugs inside. It can take up to five months to weave a rug that would fit in front of your fireplace. Traditions are being revived by teaching children how to do this. She also sang a traditional Navajo song while we all looked on. We learned that the Hogan's door always faces east to greet the rising sun. They believe that you are blessed if you are an early riser. And it's a good tip to look for Hogans if you are ever lost in this desert because you can always tell which direction is east from the position of the door. Next the lady wanted to demonstrate how Navajo women (and men) have their hair done and looked for someone to help her demonstration. Maybe it was because of her immaculate hair or her spiritual beauty (or possibly because whe was in direct line of sight - we may never know), she chose Rachel. She had to sit on the floor and have her hair brushed using straw, bound together to form a brush. We learned that Navajo wear their pony tails long if they are unmarried and bound up short with wool if they are married. Rachel's hair was put into a short ponytail using orange wool.

We stopped to view some stunning rock patterns and formations. Some giant rocks had holes right through them,caused by the action of water millions of years ago. It's hard to believe that this place was once covered with water but the evidence for it is everywhere. They have even excavated the fossils of sea creatures on top of these giant monoliths.

On the way back a stong wind blew up and we were engulfed in a sand storm. Later, when we arrived home, we had a very appealing red spray tan all over.

In the afternoon, after a shower, swim, lunch and sleep we took the shuttle bus to the other half of the Goulding's site, where we watched a very moving film about the area and its people. We visited the 'Trading Post' (shop) and found that a portion of all proceeds go to provide local Navajo children with scholarships. The Goulding's lodge and Trading Post was founded by Harry Goulding and his wife -Mike - in the early 20th century. I know what you are thinking but he called her Mike only because he said he couldn't spell her real name, which was Leone. She was known as Mike by everyone. They built the house that now forms the museum and created the Trading Post where they could trade with the Navajo: buying their jewellery in exchange for other goods.

I've gone on much longer than I expected and must be boring you now. But that's a reflection of the great time we've had here. The Navajo people we've met have been so laid back and gentle. And our camping experience has been really good too.

One final thing I wanted to tell you about. We were chatting to the shuttle bus driver (Navajo) tonight on the way to dinner and asking him about the influence of the Mormons on the Navajo. He said they come knocking on his door wanting to convert him. He offers them is pipe of peace and they refuse it. He said, if his pipe of peace is not good enough for them he doesn't want to know. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned there.

We'll miss this place when we leave tomorrow morning but will take away some great memories.

Day 12 - Moab to Monument Valley

We felt quite sad leaving Moab this morning. It's the sort of place you feel you can spend more time just chillin'. One guide book says it's the only town in Utah were you will not feel you've seen the same people over and over and over again. That is - it's just big enough. It goes as far as to say that most of Utah's small towns, particularly the ones influenced most by the Mormons are downright boring! Well, we can only vouch for Moab -and we think it's great.

The drive to Monument Valley started at 9:30am and we continued south from Moab on the Interstate 191. The landscape became more and more desolate and stark and much flatter. In fact, at one point it became a bit monotonous - the vast plain was unchanging for quite some time. Scrub land, dust and very few signs of life. Then, from time to time mountainous chunks of rock would appear and the interstate would cut straight through it.

We came upon a 'City' called Blanding and we wanted to stop for a rest and pulled into a visitors information centre. It was a sleepy sort of place with Fine Art galleries dotted about. The Navajo influence was creeping in. You could feel it. The galleries seemed to depict colourful desert landscapes and hand made Navajo jewellery was on sale.

The further south we travelled the more we saw road-side shacks with hand-painted signs - 'Hand Made Navajo Jewellery' and a lone man or a couple of women would be sitting patiently in the shade for tourists. A lot of the jewellery advertised seemed to be threaded beads. You got the feeling that these people were just trying to make a living in any way they could.

The next place we stopped at was Bluff, where the first Mormon settlers came to and tried to befriend the indiginous Indians. Bluff Fort is the site of this settlement and we stopped there for a while. We saw the actual house of the Barton family - one of the original and leading families in the settlement. Over 200 people made the original journey south into Utah and, apparently, all survived the journey against the odds, even adding to their number along the way. Rachel got chatting the the gardener, who was tending the grounds of the fort and was given all sorts of advice about where to go on our journey. We later tried one detour he recommended only to find that the road was unsuitable for RVs! We had to back up pretty sharpish!

Not too long after leaving Bluff we saw on the horizon the iconic monolothic structures you associate with this part of Utah. They were just visible in the shimmering heat of the day. The road stretched straight ahead for as far as the eye could see and disappeared into the haze and we noticed a change in the landscape. The land on either side was being farmed - ploughed and tended and there was an increase in the colour green. But this, however, didn't last long but returned to dry dusty desert as the towering structures we had seen crept closer.

Soon we were driving between those structures. They were deep red in the sun and rocks balanced upon thin spires looked ready to fall at any moment. But they had stood like this for tens and hundreds of thousands of years, if not more. We made our turn onto Monument Valley Road and headed for the camp site. As we entered Goulding's Lodge we could see it had it's own gas station, supermarket and two single engined aircraft stood just in front of the supermarket at the end of a very short runway, which was just a dirt track as far as I could see. We stopped to get some supplies for the time we would be here.

Now, I'm not making any judgements here, but Rachel managed to crash the supermarket trolley twice in one visit - not once, twice! In one collision she just nicked the isle with the back end of the trolley (sound familiar?) - the second was a full-on sideways assault! All I can say is I'm grateful she has no desire to drive the RV! Enough said.

As I write this we are sat in the RV on the camp site. It's a real step up from the last campsite for sure. A nice indoor pool, gym, launderette etc and tours of Monument Valley available at the front desk. Some of the other RV's are like houses on wheels. Also, enourmous de-mountables dragged by tank-like 4x4's. Our neighbour also has two Harley Davidsons - his and hers!

But there is no beer! Can you imagine not being able to buy a beer in the USA? Well, in Navajo law it's illegal to sell alcohol on these reservations. You can bring it in with you but there's nowhere to buy it when you are here. Not sure what to make of that really.

Anyway, we have just done the washing and booked our tour for early tomorrow morning. Tonight we will have dinner and sit outside under the awning and watch the sun go down and the stars come out. We are hoping to see some great stary skies tonight. And it's a full moon too. But no beer!

Day 11 - Canyonlands National Park

Our second National Park in Utah was Canyonlands. This was further away than Arches but took only approx 1 hour to get there. Canyonlands covers a very big area and only a part of it is accessible by normal vehicles. To explore most of it you need a sturdy 4x4 and a permit. And you would probably need a couple of weeks.We had less than a day.

We went to the visitors centre and planned our day to make sure we could cover all that we wanted in the time available. First port of call was Mesa Arch - an impressive arch of stone balanced on the edge of a precipice. I tried to get Rachel to stand on top for a photo but she declined! This was no where near as big or impressive as Delicate Arch in Arches but well worth the visit. The temperature was climbing quickly and it was clear that it was going to be extremely hot.

By the way, we (Rachel) nearly ran down a squirrel. However, it was very agile and ducked and dived between the wheels of the car, emerging unscathed before heading into the undergrowth. This is in addition to a near miss with a Jack Rabbit yesterday. This time I was driving. Our current road kill tally is 3 and counting. The last poor thing to bite the dust was something like a Prairie Dog. We have seen many killed recently. They run into the road, stop and when they hear you coming they sit up on their hind legs and look around at where the noise is coming from. And even when they see you they just sit there. It's like they have a death wish or something.

Next stop was The Grand Viewpoint. This is further south again. This was by far the biggest view we have yet encountered -big in the sense that the distances and depths involved are too much for the eye to take in. Looking over the edge the next lowest level is a thousand foot below. Then another step down and it's another thousand foot. And the Colorado River, which could not quite be seen was further down still. And we were stood at well over five thousand foot above sea level. The mountains on the horizon just fade into grey they are so far away. We took a mile walk along the edge of all this and it brought us out at a point of rock. I climbed to the very top and walked to the edge. It was like being in a plane. I could make out no detail on the ground without binoculars. I sat at the edge and was alone for about 10 mins (Rachel didn't want to get that high). I was surrounded by rock and the silence was deafening. I could have stayed there all day. There are not many places in the UK where you can have complete silence, especially not like this. I'll never forget it.

By now we were getting tired and the temperature was approaching 100 degrees. But our final stop was Upheaval Dome - a crater, whos origin is still a debate. Some believe it's the action of salt rising and falling (there are mountains here called the Salt Mountains). Indeed, this is a place where salt is extracted for our consumption. The second theory is that a metiorite hit many millions of yers ago. We saw some photos from the air and it's certainly like a crater. I like this account the most but we may never really know.

We had run out of water by this time and so headed back to the visitors centre. They say you should drink a gallon of water a day here. The trees that are here are in terrible condition, just hanging on to life. Even the Cacti look very forlorn and we were begining to feel the same way.

I should mention that we have seen hardly any animals while we've been here. A few small lizards and a number of birds - mainly very large Ravens. Of course, the rabbits, squirrels and Prairie Dogs we have encountered we've run down with the car or had a near miss. But we have seen no cattle and this land is an open range. And to think this used to be cowboy territory. Luckily we have not seen any Rattlesnakes.

In the car on the way back to Moab the temperature hit 101 degrees so we headed for our favourite bar - Zak's. I had a 22 oz beer (that's a wopper) and Rachel pushed the boat out with a diet Pepsi. This evening we have just sat in the RV, exhausted by the heat but giving me a chance to get up to date with this blog.

Again -apologies for the lack of photos but the internet here is still poor tonight.

Tomorrow we saddle up and head for Monument Valley and the land of the Navajo.

Day 10 - An Evening at Dead Horse Point

Following the morning rafting adventure we got lunch in Moab:

After changing we set off for Dead Horse Point. This is where Thelma and Louise (for those who have seen this great movie) drove over the cliff at the end. If you haven't seen this movie, don't bother - I've just told you the ending! We wanted to see the sun set and possibly do a bit of stargazing. We arrived at about 6pm and there were very few people there -perfect!

Then, just as the sun came just below the cloud-line (it had been quite an overcast day) the vista began to take on a warm, orange hue and the detail began to show up. If you've ever seen such an immence expanse of land you'll know how hard it is to gauge just how far it really goes on for. But as the slanted light hits the mountains it brings it all into better focus. It was another 'Wow' moment, when all you can do is stand and stare in awe. But then there was an 'Oh No!' moment when a coach-load of tourists arrived. Although it was no longer quiet there was an added bonus. One of the guides on the coach used to be a scout for film-makers and he scouted the location for Thelma and Louise and wason first name terms with the film's director- Ridley Scott. He was talking about how they made that last scene where Thelma and Louise drive off the cliff. It was shot right here at Dead Horse Point. He pointed out where the camera was placed for the last shots and how they used a car tied to a wagon for the stunt. The rope from the wagon to the car was pivoted around a pole driven into the ground near the point at which the car would go over the edge. The wagon dragged the car at up to 65 mph until the car was flung off the cliff. They had two cars just in case, but the first shot was a success so they used it. Within half an hour a helicopter and divers were brought in to get the car out of the Colorado River.

It's difficult to see just how wide and deep this view is (below) but you can see the track (bottom rtight) where Thelma and Louise's car ran over the cliff.

Day 10 - White Water Rafting on the Colorado River

We arrived at Drift Adventures at 8am and were given life jackets and an army-style metal can to keep our belongings in. We were then loaded onto a bus that looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, with hippy-style painings all over the inside.

Brant (how perfect is that?) was to be our guide for the day: a young 20 something, fresh out of college, far too good looking for his own good, so much so that one of the older ladies in our group (not Rachel) continuously embarrassed him by promising to set him up with a young lady as soon as she possibly could! The other guides were a little hillbilly-like and they acted a bit like the guys on Jackass (for those two have ever seen such rubbish). They looked like brothers with scrawney ginger beards and mustaches and wore their baseball caps slightly tilted back and gave each other high-fives every few minutes. I felt like checking our insurance policy again, just in case.

It took 45 mins to drive the scenic route to the 'put-in' - the place where you put your boat into the water. We were loaded into the large dinghy: 12 of us plus Brant. Brant rowed us down the Colorado River pointing out stuff along the way. For example, the place where John Wayne stared in Rio Grande - the film set is still there.

The views were picture book views. It was exactly as you would imagine - only real. We kept having to pinch ourselves to make sure we weren't dreaming. The water was calm for most of the 7 mile journey and we floated gently around bend after bend between towering rock formations and Brant navigated the occasional rapid, when cool Colorado water would splash over the sides of the dinghy, catching one of us unaware and soaking us. Water collected in the bottom of the dinghy but that didn't seem to matter. From time to time Brant would get one of us to hand out fresh cold water as temperatures were in the 90's.

At one point Brant stood up and stepped onto the edge of the dinghy and promptly backward- somersaulted into the river, leaving us poor punters up the creek without a paddle (or at least a paddler). Maybe they should have checked that none of us had a pacemaker before doing it! But he was back with us within a few minutes.

During the journey we all chatted. Onboard were Americans from various states, some Belgians and us Brits. The American ladies near us were facinated with Rahcel's accent and kept trying to mimick her. They especially like the word 'Puddle' in Rachel's Rochdale accent. One lady, who came from the banks of the Mississippi (somewhere I can't remember) said 'Purrdle' in that wonerful southern American drawl.

We were met by another bus when we reached our 7 mile point and taken back to base in Moab. We made sure we left a good tip at the desk for when Brant returned. He had gone on to another trip and we felt he deserved a 'well done' and they don't get paid much. One day he hopes to go onto teach gymnastics and, judging by his excellent somersault, he should be just fine.

Unfortunately, we didn't take our camera on the rapids for obvious reasons so there are no photos to share with you.

Day 9 - Arches and a Toilet Story

Before I discuss Arches National Park I want to say something about the RV. Compared to the caravans I remember from holidays in Wales as a teenager, this is luxury. Things have certainly moved on for the better. Full Hook-Up means you are permanently on electricity, water and cable TV. But one thing remains the same - the toilet situation! So to develop the toilet theme I should describe how it works in these modern times.

Firstly, there are different types of water. This was news to me. There's Grey water. This is the waste from the sink and the shower. Then there's Black water. Yes, you've guessed it - this is the toilet water (and contents). Both these types of water are collected under the RV in tanks so you can go on the move, if you get my meaning. The tanks will get full eventually and have to be emptied. This is the event I've just had to endure for the first time. Apparently it's a man's job, according to Rachel! Even the cooking is a man's job and very often the washing up too. And after 25 years, Man doesn't argue! (I'm joking, of course- honest!)

Anyway, Man goes ouside and locates the gadgets he needs to complete his task. There's the long flexible tubing (like a slinky from the 70's), a bucket and a pair of rubber gloves. He locates the drain cap in the floor next to the RV and unscrews it, removing it completely. He inserts the slinky into the drain hole at least 6 inches if he wants to retain his dignity once the tanks discharge. Woman is waiting patiently in the RV, waiting to shower before applying make-up and doing all the nice things Woman does. Meanwhile Man must attach the other end of slinky to the RV waste outlet and make sure it's secure. Then Man is confronted with two handles, which he must pulled outwards in the right order. Man can't quite remember which order it is but will certainly not admit it to Woman and will take his chances. How risky can it be? Handle one is pulled and the expected gushing sound is heard. So far so good. The sound goes on for quite some time, which gets Man wondering which tank this could be. When the sound stops Man is ready for handle number two but notices the slinky is still heavy with fluid, and stuff, so has to maneuver its contents towards the drain like trying to get the last bit of toothpaste out...you get the picture. The second handle is pulled and another gush is heard - much louder and stronger than the last time. Man congratulates himself for thinking that this must be the Grey Water. Man's feet then feel distinctly wet! The force of the water has caused the slinky to detach from the outlet and is gushing out onto the floor. Man remains calm and pushes the handle back in. Woman is blissfully unaware of Man's strivings. Man sees that the metal ring should have been tighter on the slinky and is vindicated as this was not of his doing. His dignity is intact! Man can smell the contents of the tank and is thankfull that he was indeed correct - this WAS Grey Water -thanks goodness. Woman will soon find out that, next time, Man will be doing the showering (minus the make-up of course!)

Today was our first day in the National Parks of Utah. First up was Arches: so-called due to the strange arched rock formations. When we arrived in Moab we hired a car to avoid having to drive the RV every day. This turned out to be a good move. We basically drove through the whole National Park, stopping off at view points along the way. We chose one or two locations to stop and walk. The main attraction is Delicate Arch. We parked up and walked the trail to find it. It was a 3 hour round trip and we climbed only approx 500 feet. But it was very hot (in the 90's) and there was virtually no shade to be found. We loved the different rock formations seen along the way and walked across 'slickrock': a smooth sandstone-coloured rock that appears to have been extruded from the earth like children's play-dough.

That's Rachel in the distance.

Rounding the final bend brought us into a great natural amphitheatre and there, centre stage, was Delicate Arch.

It was hard to believe is was natural as the scene was so perfect to show the arch at its best. It was very humbling to see. This rock had been made over unimaginable timescales by forces greater than anything we could ever bring to bear. Yet, it's erosion was rapidly (in geological terms) disintegrating it to form what's left. Basically, it won't be here forever. How privileged we should feel to see it now. That's exactly how we felt.

Our next walk took us to Landscape Arch - an impossibly thin and wide arch, which is now too dangerous to approach, after a sliver of rock fell from it in the 1990's. The next time this happens it may bring the whole thing down. That's the amazing thing about this place -it'sconstantly changing. The evidence is all around. Boulders lay strewn at the foot of each mountain of rock and slivers of rock balance on incredibly thin towers. It's amazing to think that the time will come when it's all gone, clumbled to dust.

In the evening we went to a rodeo in Moab. Quite a spectacle. However, within literally two minutes of being there we both began to feel the effects of the horses as we are both allergic to them. We lasted as liong as we could before leaving early, sneezing, wheezing with eyes streaming. Not the greatest end to an amazing day.

Day 8 - Denver to Moab (Utah)

Yet another early start, but after a chilled-out time in Denver we were quite fresh. We had muffins and Starbucks in the taxi to Aurora, where we were to pick up the RV. Becuase this was RV Day (D Day in military speak!): the bit we were sort of dreading - driving something the size of a bus across stark desert on the wrong side of the road for 8 hours! So, with some trepidation, we arrived at the Apollo RV rental centre and there waiting for us was our RV - all gleaming white and new. First impression was that it was not quite as big as we had imagined (in our nightmares) so we relaxed a little. After the paperwork we had to sit through a video which told us everything we needed to know (so they said). Then we had to inspect the vehicle and the guy showed us all the bits and pieces - basically, all the things that could go horribly wrong - just what we needed! One thing we latched onto immediately was that if you don't turn the propane gas knob to the off position when putting fuel in the RV you can be incinerated and burned to a crisp - I made a note of that one on the edge of my USA Today! Before we left we were given the opportunity to buy various things - a stack of toilet paper - 'special' RV paper. We took two packs just in case. Two bottles of spray to clean the toilet and sink plugs as things "can get a bit smelly" without that. You can see there's a bit of a toilet theme developing here. Maybe more of that later. We turned down the BBQ and the camping lamp (we regretted leaving the lamp later on). Oh, and we hired the GPS (or Sat Nav as the Brits say).

So the moment arrived when there was noting left to do but drive the thing to Utah. The trick, of course, was to look cool about the whole thing and not show ourselves to be what we really were - nervous brits without a clue. The biggest danger was turning. Our hope was that it would be a 300 mile dead straight road without any bends - no such luck. I was to drive first (lucky me) and so, when I could not put it off any longer, I stepped into the driver's seat (looking really cool, of course) and started the engine.

Our first mission was to get half a mile down the road to the supermarket to stock up on essentials. Believe me, it felt like an attempt on the north face of Everest! I know, I'm exagerating - a little - but you can see how I was feeling. The thought of crashing the thing right in front of the rental car park was not a nice thought. Anyway, back to the turning thing. You have to make sure your back wheels are clear of the corner before you actually start turning. You've seen bus drivers do this. Luckily, it turned out to be much easier than I had expected (surprise, surprise) and with stern concentration we set off.

Five minutes later - mission accomplished and we parked up in the supermarket car park, not quite between the lines!! We rushed around gathering all the stuff we would need from a bewildering array of options. I was just day-dreaming about how long I would drive before handing over to Rachel when, completely oblivious to it all, Rachel clipped the end of the isle with the back of her trolley sending the crisps display teetering on the edge of collapse. I knew immediately, in that moment, that I would be driving the whole 8 hours to Moab!!

So, back on the road and really getting the hang of it, I glanced in the mirror only to see blue flashing lights speeding up behind me. It's surprising what goes through your mind in that split second. Images of a cell in a state penitentiary, abuse on a grand scale handed out to a wimpy brit by tough, hard-nosed drug runners and murderers. Does Colarado have the death penalty? I pulled over onto the hard shoulder, turned the engine off and waited. Rachel hadn't believed me when I said we were being pulled over but then what looked like a 12 year old boy in an officer's uniform tapped on the window - Rachel's window and said "Hi, how's it going?". I had one or two answers to that question but thought better of it. All I could see was his head and shoulders above the window line but I knew there would be a gun somewhere. I consciously decided (this is the truth) to make no sudden movements, just in case. He asked us questions about who we were, where we had been, where we were going, did we have ID etc etc. Thankfully, Rachel's story of events matched mine exactly so we were doing good, as they say in these here parts! He said the reason he had pulled us over was because we didn't have a valid tax disc on the front windscreen. Phew, that was a relief. He was right. He showed us a piece of paper cellotaped to where the tax disc should have been. It was a temporary notice that the rental company was waiting for the disc to arrive - ok in most states, but not in Colorado. We acted ignorant (we didn't have to act much!) and he asked for my driving license. He said he would have to "check it out" and walked back to his car. Now, many more things flew through my mind, not very nice things. Had I ever been convicted of anything and not actually known about it? Was that even possible? He took far too long for my liking but eventually came back to our window. "Now I'm not going to give you a ticket or anything like that, but take this", he said and handed me what looked like a ticket! He said we might need it to show the next officer that pulled us over for the same thing, just so he wouldn't have to check us out again. He bid us a safe journey and left. We got back onto the road and, heart rates normalising, we headed for the state border like a couple of outlaws.

Thankfully, the rest of the drive was uneventful, apart from the wonderful scenery we encountered. We drove through the Rocky Mountains. Trust me when I say that they were even more impressive than anything we had imagined. The ski resorts looked almost Swiss-like, with giant timber hotels and lodges with impossibly sloping roofs and ski lifts to the mountain tops. But no snow. We crossed the whole of the state of Colorado and the further west we went the more the scenery became more desert-like - reds and browns against the clear blue sky. It was an exiting moment when we crossed the border, not only because we had outrun the police, but because of the anticipation of the towering spires of rock we has seen only in pictures. However, the country opened out into a vast undulating landscape with only distant peaks visible on the horizon. But it wasn't long before the Utah we had expected began to emerge and we took the first opportunity to stop at a viewing point:

You know that feeling when you know you are witnessing something truely remarkable? This was it. We both felt it. And the landscape kept improving until we reached Moab and the KOA Camp Ground where we were to stay for the next few days.