It’s not easy to persuade adult children to vacation with their parents.
How to compete with girls, friends, beer, girls for the company of two sons in their early 20s?
So here was the lure: four days on a guest ranch in Moab in the company of boring parents.
Eureka! Evan and Ethan bit, enticed by the prospect of launching their mountain bikes from red rock heights and kicking up red silt along Moab’s famous trails.
Moab is nirvana to mountain bikers, hikers and white-water rafters, but this part of southeast Utah also has great appeal for anyone who enjoys the grandeur of the American West. This is wild country that looks so different from anything — a flat moonscape of red rock with the occasional butte jutting up like architecture from a forgotten city. Moab calls out to the active set, but it also calls forth the contemplative.
We stayed at Red Cliffs Lodge, a guest ranch 14 miles outside of Moab. It’s newly constructed with plenty of creature comforts and aesthetically appealing Southwest decor in the rooms. I was pleased; a cowboy theme would have put me off. And despite pleasing Mom, the rooms had enough of a rough-and-ready feel to make the boys feel welcome in their red-silt-covered, sweaty biking gear.
Nor did the bicycle boys have to dress for dinner, which we ate in the lodge restaurant on the deck overlooking the Colorado River. Each night, we dined al fresco on steak or fresh-caught trout while watching a subtly changing palette of reds and oranges on the cliffs above the river. Sublime.
Rooms at the lodge — one for the parents, one for the boys — each had a patio. You could step out and commune with the Colorado River, or even jump in. The river wound in a lazy green loop beneath the cliffs, and I found myself just wanting to stare at it. One morning, I crept out to watch the sunrise, and to my surprise found the morning-allergic younger son, Ethan, doing sunrise watch too.
Moab does require an early morning start for the active set. The red rock playground heats up to oven temperatures by noon. Early mornings, the boys took to the bike trails, including the famed Slick Rock trail, kicking up and eating red silt to their heart’s desire.
My husband and I hiked one morning at Fisher Towers Recreation Site, 10 miles from the lodge. We watched climbers ascend the red rock pinnacles with ropes. Crazy. Even crazier when you looked up and recalled that old Mercury Cougar commercial with both car and the live cougar perched atop these very spires.
Hike in the morning and by 11 a.m., you’re baking like a cookie. The rock absorbs heat, then throws it back up at you. Our visit was in August, the hottest month. Afternoons we headed for the pool at Red Cliffs Lodge, or into Moab to poke around.
For the meeker-than-mountain-bike set, a must-do expedition is seeing the graceful rock curves of Arches National Park. Hiking is optional here — a drive wends through the park. Some of the nature-carved red rock arches are just short walks from the car. Others require hiking.
Beautiful and eerie, the arches are dreamy curves that frame the blue sky and the stretch of red rock beyond.
The four of us set off on a late afternoon hike in Arches. We hadn’t hiked as a foursome in years, since the boys were young. The scrambling spirit hadn’t left them; before we knew it, Ethan had shinnied up an arch and was standing atop, the exultant king of the mountain. True to form, his 24-year-old brother lobbed him with sandballs. And just as predictably, mother scolded older brother because “Ethan might fall.”
Some things never change.
Next day, it was off on a trail ride on our trusty steeds Chester, Pete and Dusty from the guest ranch stables. Three of us rode off into the chaparral with cowhand Jerry. A trail ride would not be complete without cowboy tales. We heard a few, including the one about the visiting German who had begged Jerry to take him out in the hills and “lose” him. No surprise there. Europeans, and Germans especially, are smitten with this Western landscape, so unlike any found in Europe.
There is such power in this setting for most who visit. I have made many trips through these parts, and yet the red rock monoliths drift into my mind unbidden sometimes, and I long to return to see these silent witnesses to the passage of time.
We spent our last day in Moab on the Colorado River.
White-water rafting was a first for our family, and we had our thrills. Mention the word “Skull” to any of us now, and the delicious fear returns.
Our trip was a one-day rafting expedition through Westwater Canyon on class three and four rapids. Westwater Canyon is considered one of the premier sections of white water in the U.S. The outfitter was Sherrie Griffiths Expeditions, and our guide, Jesse Atkins, was the man behind the oars. Wearing life jackets and schooled in safety procedures, off we went on a beautiful August day.
The rapids were just plain fun. Amusing little rapids — Bowling Alley bounced us, Sock-it-to-me brought yelps as we clasped edges of the raft and were flung into the bottom and dashed with white water.
Jolly fun, this river.
Then Jesse, more or less musing to himself, said he had been thinking for six weeks about how to get through Skull rapids.
Uh, six weeks of thought?
When pressed, Jesse said that because the water was so low this year, Skull was challenging. The usual maneuvering just didn’t work. In fact, many guides were asking their passengers to get out of the raft and walk on shore while the oarsman took the raft through alone.
The danger of Skull was getting “Maytagged” — as in raft hangs up on rock and you get spun silly.
We all grew quiet at the prospect.
Jesse was especially quiet as he concentrated on his plan.
And then, here was Skull, two rocks, one slightly farther downstream, and a narrow opening.
Suddenly, the nose of the raft bashed up against the first rock, bending our raft over backward. Jesse shouted to get to the left of the raft, then he pushed the raft nose off the rock and we bounced through the narrow, popping through to still water on the other side.
Exhilaration! Laughing and exclaiming, we jumped from the raft and scrambled up a cliff to watch the next raft suffer its way through Skull.
Nose to rock again, raft bent backward. This oarsman got a pretty good knock to the head, which later showed up as a neck injury.
As Jesse said, the river will put it where it wants you.
Our Moab vacation is one we still talk about as a family.
It was a surprisingly harmonious four days in this red rock amphitheater, with nary an argument or tense moment.
Chalk it up to red rocks and Moab magic.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
You can fly to Denver International Airport, then on to Grand Junction, Colo. It’s a two-hour drive from there. Alternatively, fly into Salt Lake city and drive four hours.
WHEN TO GO
Temperatures may rise above 100 degrees in June through September. Summer visitors will want to restrict outdoor activities to early morning or late afternoon.
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
Off U.S. Highway 191. Drive through and stop to view close-in arches such as Delicate Arch, easily reached by a trail with disabled access.
Another possibility is to hike to areas such as the Windows Section, with a one-mile loop trail leading to Turret Arch and the North and South Windows arches. Entrance fee: $5. 435-719-2299; www.nps.gov/arch.
RED CLIFFS LODGE
Located 14 miles from Moab on Utah Highway 128, Moab. Beautiful location on the Colorado River; restaurant deck overlooks the river. Attractive rooms include a kitchenette and cost $169; an executive suite is $269 for two ($20 per person extra, for up to four). Call 866-812-2002, or see www.redcliffslodge.com;
The lodge has a movie museum highlighting Moab’s long career as movie location for Westerns, plus more recent movies such as “Thelma & Louise” and “City Slickers.” Also on the site — Castle Creek Winery, with a tasting room, tennis courts, swimming pool. Red Cliff’s Corral runs half-day trail rides at 8:30 a.m. daily. Cost: $49.95.
WHITE-WATER RAFTING
There are numerous white-water rafting outfitters in Moab. We went with Sherrie Griffith Expeditions, which ran a tight ship in terms of safety, well-trained oarsmen, sturdy craft and a tasty lunch. Most people do a two-day trip through Westwater Canyon, which costs $380 and includes meals. Call 800-332-2439, or see www.griffithexp.com.
Abercrombie & Kent arranges package trips to guest ranches in the American West, including ranches in Moab. The outfitter coordinates white-water rafting, mountain biking, horseback riding, fly fishing — whatever activities a family wants to do, individually or together. Packages range from three nights to seven, costing $590 per person double occupancy for a three-day trip to $2,475 per person for the seven-night package. Call 800-323-7308, or see www.abercrombiekent.com.
— A.C.
