The Traveller

The Power of Three, October 2007

Stop sign along the road, October 2007

Day 1…

•Tonight we are on the road. We loaded the car with me, Abby, Mitchell, the Chihuahuas Max and Sierra, and all our stuff, and headed west. It was a fairly routine drive, with a couple of thunderstorms on our route, and a wildly windy eastern New Mexico. We are retracing the wedding trip of three years ago. About to sleep. The road awaits.

Day 2…

•We got up in Farmington, New Mexico, to a beautiful sun in a bright blue sky. We had a big breakfast, then headed north through the Four Corners region to a regular stop for us, Blanding, Utah, for our bags of fun free stuff from their welcome center. We drove up U.S. 191 through Monticello, where we stayed twice last year. It’s a lovely small town, and we might have stayed with them again this time, but hunters occupy the Abajo Mountains hunting deer this time of year, and there was no room in the inn. We got to Moab, Utah, by midday, got a bite of lunch, then drove up the Castle Valley highway to Fisher Towers, which our Uutah.com friends recommended as dog friendly and worth seeing. The trail and scenery were nothing short of spectacular.

Abby and Mitchell hike with the dogs

•Abby and Sierra weren’t up for hiking as far as Mitchell, Max and I were, so the ladies found a nice spot to rest and enjoy the sunshine, and Mitch and I took Max on down the trail another mile or so. After returning to the car and driving a couple of miles, we stopped to photograph an excellent golden hour scene of the La Sal Mountains viewed through a canyon with slickrock formations in the foreground. It was an excellent adventure.

Fisher Towers, east of Moab, Utah

Castle Valley Sunset

Day 3…

•Since dogs aren’t allowed in Arches National Park, Mitchell agreed to stay in the motel and keep them company while Abby and I hiked to Delicate Arch. Abby’s knees are hurting her more than usual lately, so we took our time hiking up. It was a perfectly beautiful day, just like the day when we got married. There seemed to be more people there than three years ago, but not so many as to spoil our time. It was a wonderful experience to take Abby back to this place we both love and is so meaningful to us.

With Abby on the trail

With Abby at Delicate Arch

•After lunch, Abby stayed in and Mitchell and I hiked Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory Bridge, which is the sixth longest natural span in the world. It was an excellent hike, and we timed it perfectly, such that we were back at the trailhead right before dark.

Waterfall, Negro Bill Canyon

Morning Glory Bridge

Day 4…

•A word about our Chihuahuas: these two small dogs are full of love and energy, and are very easy traveling companions. In fact, before we left on this trip, a friend of mine asked me how we would manage with the dogs in my car, and I told her that no matter what car or truck we use, the dogs are always in the same place: someone’s lap.

Sierra and Max on the trail

On the trail they are great fun. Since he is more athletic, Max tends to lead the way with Mitchell holding his leash. He seems to understand that he should scout ahead. Abby says that Sierra looks back at Abby, watching where Abby is stepping so she’ll know where to go. Abby says that Sierra even tugs on her harness to help Abby up steeper steps and slopes.

•Stopped to photograph the western tongue of the Bisti Wilderness in northwest New Mexico.

Bisti Wilderness

•We are on our way home. It has been an exceptional third anniversary vacation.

Day 5…

•As we prepared to leave our motel in Moab, Utah, yesterday, Mitchell and I were loading the car when I spotted a plastic bag on the ground in the parking lot. It contained a folded wad of bills, and the visible one was a $100 bill. Of course it was tempting to simply pocket the wad. There might have been $500 or $1000 there, but that was irrelevant. I called Mitchell over and told him, “This is one of those times when we need to do the right thing. Come on.” We took the bills to the front desk of the motel and told them where we found it. I explained to Mitchell that the test for knowing what’s right is to reverse the situation: what if we had lost our vacation money? Would we want whoever found it to return it? Having someone watching your moral fiber for an example of right and wrong has a way of clarifying your actions. I hope I am giving this young man the tools for a happy life.

My amazing wife Abby on the trail at Fisher Towers

See the Power of Three galleries at richardbarron.net HERE.