A Nice Easter Present

~Sunday, April 17, 2022~

Day 672 (Travel Day)

Happy Easter everyone! 🐰🐣By the time you read this, we hope you had a wonderful celebration being with the ones you love.

We did it!! And what a Happy Easter present for us!! All the stress and worry about leaving a few days early from Canyonlands paid off.

We’re officially at the Goose Island Campground in Moab!! In order to leave bright and early from our Needles campsite, Jeff spent a few hours breaking down camp the night before while I put away some of the inside stuff. The sad thing about leaving this dreamy campsite is it was so deserving of full-on enjoyment with its cozy “backyard” fenced in with gorgeous red rock walls, an inviting picnic table and a firepit we never really got to enjoy. Between the wind and the cold, it just wasn’t conducive to hanging outside.

Getting up before the sun came up was quite unfamiliar, but a welcome change. So this is what sunrise looks like? The morning was slightly chilled, yet not a cloud in the sky and so beautiful! It would make anyone want to switch their late night habits.😉The drive was smooth and stunning and we’re in for better temperatures, with the assistance of dropping 5,000 feet to 3,800 feet. We’ll also be sort of in a valley where the heat pools, giving the trailer’s heater a little break.

Moab was already bustling on our arrival at 9:30 a.m. The Jeep Jamboree was coming to a close with the thrill seekers and their toys making their mad exodus and travelers trying to get to their Easter destinations. We decided to scrap the dump station first idea, thinking we’d make another 7 days with the black tank. After all, we made it 15 days at the Grand Canyon on one tank! Goose Island Campground, as expected, was hoppin’ with campsite exchanges. We met one couple from Colorado, Marcia and Steve, who had arrived at 8:30 and were waiting patiently for a previous RV’er to exit. Theirs was one of a few rigs lined up, waiting to move in. That’s how crazy it is. Marcia and Steve have stayed here before and shared a few interesting stories about the place. Every evening there is a light show in the canyon where a boat travels along the river, lighting up the canyon walls right after dusk. Jeff has seen it before on his earlier travels through Moab and said it really is spectacular. So I can’t wait to see it! The other stories were not as pleasant. The previous camp host was “let go” because of his sneaky ways of doing business. For example, he’d allow people to put their site tags under other tags, up to 2 weeks in advance to secure their spot. What?? If you’re on site, hoping to get a site, that’s one thing. But to leave a tag where you’re nowhere near the place is VERY wrong. There was another story of a woman trying to grab 4 sites on the river (remember there are only 9 on the water), by using different names on the tag. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures for many campers. Currently, there is no camp host on the premises to keep an eye on things. You just hope everyone is honest. When did getting into campgrounds get so crazy?!

We tried getting a campsite right on the river but to no avail. That’s o.k. We’re just happy to be here. It really is amazing how much is packed into this narrow canyon……there’s the river, the campground, the bike path, and the highway all parallel with each other. Our site #14 is towards the end, with a slight view of the Colorado River and honestly can’t believe the timing. Jeff felt defeated after his first 2 loops through the place, seeing a tag on each post which usually means it’s claimed. But not site #14. People don’t always remember to remove their tag when they leave. Site 14’s tag said check out on the 17th!! I wonder how many people before us passed up the opportunity. It definitely pays to “read the fine print”. Our site backs up to the Moab Canyon Pathway and $20/night gets us this amazing location, a handy bicycle trail into downtown Moab, bathrooms and trash dumpsters. And water is only 5 minutes away.

While getting settled in, Jeff took off to load up on water (found out it’s some of the best tasting water around) while I thought I’d take a walk over to the sites across from us. Their occupants were out for the day, but I noted their departure dates. One had a leave date for tomorrow. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to leave a note and ask if we could have their site in the morning. While I drove into town, Jeff was paid a visit by them once they returned to their campsite. Speaking very good English (they’re from France), they apologized for extending their stay until Wednesday. Jeff told them not to apologize and good for them for having more time here. And it’s not a problem for us to put our chair and our new tag at their site the night before. Nice! Let’s hope it all goes smoothly. Maybe it was my smiley face in my note that made the difference!

Jeff found out that just 5 minutes away from the campground, Lion’s Park is the perfect spot for connecting with our peeps and managing our posts for the duration of our stay here in Moab. Lions Park is strategically positioned just south, across the Colorado River from Arches National Park, directly north of downtown Moab. There are a number of direct connections to many paved trails from this intersection. And it also happens to be the location for our 10-day sparkling clean free water supply here in Moab.

All afternoon and all evening until dark, a constant stream of cars rolled through the campground hoping to grab a “golden” site and provide a little light entertainment for us. We felt their pain, believe me. It was nice to take an evening stroll on the now quiet bike trail that on occasion gave us glimpses of The Colorado. It’s so funny that at least where we are, the water appears stagnant, but you know it’s making its mighty way toward Lake Mead to supply water to millions of people.

Jeff made the perfect Easter meal and one we’ve had in the recipe binder for years……Sage, Red Wine, Asparagus and Sausage Penne Pasta. Yum!! Yes, no Easter ham this year.