sunrise on the west end of the Grand Canyon.  fabulous.

i drive up through monument valley to moab.

willie plays in the Colorado River to cool off.

i stop by the Needles District of Canyonlands and find the fantastic petroglyphs called Newspaper Rock.

i camp in the LaSalle Mountains for a change of weather and it is cold.  still i find a great camp spot and enjoy the evening.  in the middle of the night there is a full domestic situation going on in the next camp over but really?  after Scary Dave i just turn over and go back to sleep. 

in the morning we hightail it out of there and run into some guys who have a bunch [like 20] hound dogs.  i stop to ask why so many dogs and they say they are looking for a bear.  concerned because i've been camping just down the road i ask if th bear has been disturbing people and they reply, 'no, we've just got a bear tag' so of course i obseess for the next twenty minutes over whether they would dare to kill a mother bear for whatever trophy their egos need.  all this while i'm driving in the wrong direction.  it's hard to get lost out here but i've taken a wrong turn and i'm starting to sweat becuase the gas gauge is very, very low.  i come to a cross roads.  two choices, go 20 miles in the wrong direction to Moab where i know there will be gas or twenty miles in the right direction with little chance to find gas.  sitting undecided in the middle of the intersection i notice a woman in the truck who has pulled up behind me.  she's making an exasperated motion with her hands at the huge delay i'm causing.  i jump out ask her which way to gas and after a few minutes of talking about my options i head for Moab.  she [A TOTAL STRANGER] agrees to follow me incase i run out of gas so she can ferry me in the rest of the way.  i live such a blessed life.

the moab detour was necessary not only for the gas but breakfast at the Jailhouse.  this, my most expensive meal of the trip, was $20. for breakfast.  it was good.

no matter how many times you visit Moab it is always a place to go again.  so spectacular and we take the slow road out stopping at putt ins and pull outs so willie can swim and i can dunk myself before we head out to I70 and the drive back to Boulder.