Day 17 - Arches, Bryce, and the Hostel

I've never slept in a Walmart before. I'd considered it a place to stay but hadn't needed to yet with the Rest Areas. Reading about it now, it seems the company encourages allowing people to sleep there with the expectation they'll probably buy something; they're right. I would've felt guilty sleeping there without buying something, so I got a couple things I needed, including 50$ headlight bulbs. That's right, 50$ for two bulbs because I'm so damn tired of driving through dark iced roads and know north Utah may have more of the same. I've also realized one of the reasons I'm not able to see so well; it's not just my headlights but the fact the interstates here don't have reflectors. I'm not sure why (maybe they don't stick due to the weather) but whatever the reason, having experienced both ways first hand, it makes it much more difficult to drive without them.

I go back to the Rest Area to brush my teeth (don't want Walmart thinking I'm stealing a toothbrush and toothpaste) and take 45 minutes to reach the 4 Corners Monument. Arriving, I'm very surprised to find a wall of doors...

There are 4 walls of doors like this, surrounding the monument. I randomly choose a door to park in front of and go in. It's very awkward: I feel like I'm choosing my fate or something. You can see in the picture, past each door is a counter with a gap to walk by it. Walking past it, a Native American woman in the next room over explains to me that each quarter of the 4 Corners Monument is in a different state, so if I walk to another side, I'll be in another state. I think she mistook my confused look about why there were so many doors as a look of having no idea what the monument I drove into the middle of nowhere to find was for. I also notice that in her room, she has many types of beaded jewelry on the counter; now I know what the rooms are for. Looking around, some other rooms are occupied with people displaying things for sale as well. There's not a lot of them, but I imagine in the on season they're full.

The 4 Corners monument is pretty straight forward. As the Native American woman explained, it's the monumentalized location where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. The monument has been moved, a couple times I believe, because the exact geographical location of the meeting of the states seems to always be contested. I still wonder if I can do doughnuts on 3 of the 4 sides of the parking lot and not get arrested as long as I end up in the fourth.

I'm now off to Arches National Park. Arches is where there are, surprise, arches of rock. There's also several other intriguing rock formations, like rocks that balance...

...and rocks, that just happen to look like penises, sticking up in the air...

...as if to say, "Puny human, I am rock, hear me roll."

The point is, there's lots and lots of rocks. Yet, surprisingly, I managed to find a beautiful display of plant life in an area that looked remarkably like The Lion King.

The trail I took was called Devil's Garden and includes several different arches. These are the ones that were easy to get to...

If you're anything like me, you looked at those pictures and thought, "Wow, nature sure does make some weird stuff," so I was excited to find out how the arches were actually made. I can't tell you exactly because some of the parts didn't make sense, but more or less, there's a salt bed underground that thrust up rock. Many of these rock formations are "fins," like these...

...and some of these fins develop cracks in them. Eventually, rain water gets into these cracks and freezes during colder seasons until the area around the cracks breaks apart. Once that happens, it just takes normal erosion to smooth out and then wear away at the broken area until, due to the thinness of a fin, an entire hole has eroded through it.

While visiting the first few arches, a sand storm pops up. Most people start turning around, but I don't feel like going back, so I cover my eyes and between gusts of sand keep walking forward. Eventually, the dust storm passes and it just starts to sprinkle a little.

The first few arches of Devil's Garden are along a designated path; it's not difficult in the least. So walking it, I think, "Psh, this is nothing. They call this a National Park? I haven't felt like I'm gonna die even once yet." Then I see a sign that points forward saying, "Warning: Primitive Trail".

Primitive? What does that mean? For some reason monkeys come to mind. So I look for this continuing, "Primitive Trail." I don't see it. I see a lot of large, dangerous looking rocks but no trail. Then I see a sign with arrows on it pointing up the rocks. That's when I realize, "Primitive Trail," is similar to, "Ramsey Cascades 2.5,": easy mode is off. From here on out, I've got to climb, squeeze, and jump to get to things, not just walk casually.

The very first attempt scares the crap out of me: I've gotta crawl up with my back and feet against the wall and feel like one of the boulders I'm squeezing between is gonna fall. It doesn't help the dust storm and light rain formed a thin mud layer on the rocks. I keep thinking of the movie 127 Hours where the rock climber gets pinned between a falling boulder and has to cut his hand off to survive: maybe I should've brought my bigger knife. I push through though and look down to see what it looks like.

Not nearly as impressive looking from the top, but still more than a maintained trail. Continuing up, the dust storm starts again, but I still capture images of the remaining arches...

I'm headed to the very farthest point on the trail, the Dark Angel. Along the way, I find another spot that looks like The Lion King,...

...a rock that kind of looks like a face,...

...and then, it starts to hail, right as I approach the Dark Angel...

...and this is where I meet Bryce. I'd passed Bryce when taking a picture of the balancing rock and he passed me when walking towards one of the arches. Now, he was sitting at the Dark Angel, eating an apple. We say hi (there'd been very few people to see since climbing the rocks), I take a few photos, and then point out, "Looks like some nasty stuff coming our way."

I speak of the, of course, torrential precipitation headed quickly at us from the Serengeti. He notes it as well and decides to start leaving. Bryce ask me which way I plan on heading back: there are 2 ways. 1 is the same way that you came in. The other is the Primitive Trail. The trail we were already on is considered primitive, as an adjective, but the optional trail is actually named after the word, so no telling how many monkeys are in that area.

I'd wanted to go on the Primitive Trail, but knowing it might rain and the danger involved with rock climbing, I'd been rethinking it. But if Bryce and I go together, the chance of dying has to at least split in half by altering who does dangerous things first, so we agree to take that path together. Better yet, he says this is his second day visiting so he's willing to take the lead: survival rate going up!

Talking along the way, I find out Bryce is a 30 year old from, I believe it was, Santa Cruz, California. That or San Jose. It was "San-" something and not "Francisco". He used to be a tennis coach there but enjoyed traveling quite a bit more, so now that's pretty much what he does: he is a traveler. He finds people to stay with, whether it be family or a host on CouchSurfing.org, and makes his way across the land to see and do whatever he'd like to see or do. And if he needs money, he finds work in a place he knows he can stay a while. This becomes, as the day goes on, a reoccurring pattern.

Asking him questions about how to travel, Bryce tells me about a hostel called the Lazy Lizard here in Moab. It only cost 10$ a night for a dorm style bed; that's where he stayed the previous night. "It's way shady looking on the outside, but it was fine once I got in." I didn't even know there were hostels in America, but I've spent 10$ on worse things than not sleeping in a car and having a shower, so I decide I'll probably try it out.

Taking the Primitive Trail adds an arch to the trip:

We reach a rock ledge of at least 15 feet that appears to have no way down.

"Bryce, how are we supposed to get down this one?"
"Hm...oh, this is one you just side step over like this."

The rocks have a slight, nearly unseeable, indent he steps across. There's no, "just", about it though. Bryce is definitely a more experienced climber than me and trying to ease across like a nervous child, I realize the risk is not worth it on this one. I ease back into safe territory, look down at Bryce, and say, "Well, it's been good knowing ya, Bryce, but I think I'm gonna turn around now." He laughs. After talking about how to find the Lazy Lizard in case I decide to go, he says, "Ya know, we're just about to the end. If you can make it past this you're pretty much there. I can help you with your footing if you want." Bryce comes back up to the opposite side of the ledge and points out a spot I didn't notice before. I throw him my bookbag to lose some weight and give it a try; it works. And so, Bryce became my friend by helping me not fall off a ledge to my death.

Headed back, we get to another grassy overview. Bryce says, "That's so awesome looking. It looks like the type of place one of those huge battles from The Lord of the Rings would happen." I tell him, "Yeah, I was thinking...

...The Lion King."

Bryce wants to see the field for an extended period, so I head back alone from there. Arriving at the parking lot, I notice a very large crow.

Having read a little about crows, I've learned they're very smart. The crows in National Parks give an entertaining display of this. Being a National Park, people here are much less inclined to threaten them, and they've picked up on this, so they don't mind approaching closer than they would on average. People also seem to enjoy feeding the birds (hence the size), so when I go to my car, after taking photos of this one, he hops along behind me. Even after I stop, he continues to hop around, making sure I know he's there; he wants my attention...and my food. I have a little left of my latest Walmart sandwich, and I didn't care for it anyway, so, against National Park Regulation, I throw some to him. This is where the genius really shows: another crow flies over. Now he wants some to.

At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but, to get a little ahead of my own blog, the next day I went to another National Park and a crow performed the exact same begging process. I looked into some nearby grass and saw another crow, just watching our area. 1 crow was going out to test the waters, and the other stays behind in case we actually represent a threat. Once we threw some food out to the first crow the second one, as expected, came over as well. Both times, the crows didn't fight over the food either, meaning it isn't just a case of 1 being brave and 1 being a coward: they're working as a team.

Even before knowing this, I decide clever begging is worth more than just part, so I throw the rest of my sandwich for the both of them to share and leave the park. The sun is bright, so I reach for...the spot my sunglasses used to be. I pull over, look through my car, and finally, curse repeatedly: I've lost my sunglasses. I don't know where I put them, but that's part of the issue with traveling: once you lose something, there's no going back to a place 7 hours away to ask if you left them. They're gone, and now I've got to buy another pair.

I'm also in another bind: before going on my hike I explicitly turned my phone off. This is something I do before every hike to conserve battery in case I need to call for help. Taking the phone out to take a panoramic shot in Arches, my phone was still on with 2 messages displaying, 1 saying, "Are you sure you want to turn your phone off?", and the other, "Battery below 5%, plug in charger." Still trying to take the picture, the phone dies. Getting back in my car, there's now an issue with my charger...

Before going on my trip, I'd found an old radar detector and wanted to find out if it still worked. I found a charger to fit it and went to my car. Not only did it not work, but trying to remove the plug, it yanked the whole socket out of its frame. Since then, I've been worried it would start to die, and this seems to be the time. Having a working charger is a key in traveling: the charger charges my GPS, the GPS gets me to destinations, and the GPS drains my phones battery to an extent that if I don't have it charging constantly, it dies before I get to my destination; I might need to buy a map. But for now, my charger charges my phone, then stops, then charges, then stops, and my phone, which makes an "ERK-ERK" sound when it needs to be plugged in, is constantly going "ERK-ERK", "ERK-ERK", "ERK-ERK", "ERK-ERK", literally every other second. I can't deal with it so I toss the phone aside.

"SHUT UP!"

I wait until I can make adjustments to the charger to get a constant charge and plug it back in. I have to keep the car moving though, so now I'm going up and down Main Street in Moab strictly for the purpose of getting my phone charged enough I can google the Lazy Lizard to see if it's worth going to. After much dangerous googling while driving, I decide it is and head there.

The place-is-sketch: Bryce was right about that; it's an unlit shack located behind a storage facility whose office entrance is located underneath the main house. Going in, there's no one at the front desk, but a blonde woman of similar age sees me looking and says, "I don't know where they are right now, but I know someone's around, so you should stick around before going somewhere else, like a hotel."

Sleeping in a hotel: looks like we've got a jokester here.

I do stick around though and look at the prices. The dorms are indeed 10$ a bed. There are also private rooms and even cabins outside for more, but I'm not willing to spend that much.

I also notice a phone with instructions beside it: "Pick up phone. Dial "(some number)". Someone will pick up." Seems odd, but I give it a try. Picking up the one phone and dialing the number, a phone beside the cash register starts ringing.

Is this...is this a prank? I'm not sure if these instructions were serious or not now. Maybe it's the world's most elaborate version of a call bell and someone will walk up to the front to answer it. Then do I...do I talk to them over the phone when they pick it up or should I talk to them face to face? Or both? I've never done that before, but I'm pretty sure we're gonna have some reverberation issues.

I'm unable to ever distinguish the seriousness of the call phone, but no one picks up, so I hang up and wait around some more. I can hear people talking in the next room. Not officially renting anything yet I'm nervous about going in but eventually do. Walking in, on my left is the blonde girl along with another girl and 2 guys, all of them eating dinner and deep in conversation with each other. On the right, is 1 lone fellow at his computer. As I walk in he looks up, gives a big smile, and says, "Hey!" "Hey," I respond. I sit down across from him; he seems very eager to get into conversation. I learn that this is 23 year old Glen. Glen has a jeep which he uses to drag his, it looked like 7 foot, trailer, which he has been using to live in the desert for, I believe he said, 6 months. "It's pretty cool, but it gets kinda lonely out there, so it's nice to be at a place with people."

"Holy crap," I think. It's no wonder he was so eager to talk. I'm pretty good at being alone, but I still appreciate a little bit of company after being on the road for 2 weeks. I can't imagine how the average person must feel after 6 months in a desert.

Luckily, Glen's very friendly, so talking to him is a pleasant experience. He's the sort of person you just can't stay mad at. He, like Bryce, picks up jobs when he needs money but says he hates being held down, so he spends as much time traveling as he can. He teaches me about all sorts of places you can stay at out in the wilderness, particularly, BLM land: land owned, but unused, by the federal government that people are legally allowed to camp on whenever they want, something I didn't know existed before speaking with him. A TV with the Olympics is on, and I ask Glen what his favorite sports are this year. He doesn't have any he extremely cares for...but not the dancing. "I definitely don't like the winter dancing."

From behind me, a door opens, and a man walks out and stands in front of the TV, his back now facing me. I ask Glen,

"Who runs this place?"
"It's different people, but I think right now it's that guy."
"Excuse me, sir."

The man turns around. He's a slightly after middle aged man with one eye.

"Yeah?"
"Do you run the place?"
"Yeah, do you need to check in?"
"Yes, sir."

I rent a dorm bed and then go to my car to get my computer. Coming back in, Glen and I start to talk about various things and happen to get on the topic of men being more logic minded and women being more creative minded.

"Like this girl I dated, I always used to think my jeep had air conditioning vents, but she showed they weren't air conditioning vents, they were little flower holders, and since my air conditioning didn't work anyway, that was a better use for them."

A little while later, we hear the table of 4 talking about a similar topic, and me and Glen laugh. They ask why and Glen recaps for them. Now becoming a 6 way conversation, I learn about the other 4.

The blonde girl is, I believe, and God help me if I overshoot on this one, 30 year old Jazz. She spent some time doing extra work in Los Angeles, but aside from that I don't recall exactly what she's ever done for work. That being said, however she might work has not hindered her from traveling: she hasn't had a long term home in 2 and a half years. She likes to talk a lot, in which context she reveals the fact that she's been mugged twice, had a cab driver try to kidnap her, had several men try to sneak into bed with her, has 2 gas masks in her car at all times, knives hidden everywhere, and a checklist/kit for being able to sleep in any given country. She may talk a lot, but she is tough: you don't go without home and survive such experiences for that long without being tough. Though she's been without home for so long, she's finally giving it a shot by trying to settle down with her boyfriend in San Francisco. This trip, though involving fun, is actually a moving trip for her.

The brunette across from her is her travel companion, 21 year old Alex. Alex, surprisingly, is a settler. She has a house she actually lives at and this trip is a rarity for her, though she wants to travel more. She has a major in psychology and has been using it to tutor high school students and, if I recall correctly, hopes to go back to school so she can be a teacher. She doesn't talk as much as Jazz but is the only one who can tell Jazz she's wrong and she'll actually believe it.

Beside Alex, is 30 year old Kenji. Kenji is from Japan and here just to explore America...I think. I didn't ask in particular, but that's what it seemed like he was doing. Kenji's trip has something particularly interesting about it the rest of us don't have: he doesn't have a car. He's used public transit, family here in the U.S., and, now, another traveler to get to where he wants to go. It clearly agitates him sometimes to not be able to take off on his own as he's very ambitious to see certain things, but it seems to be the only option he has right now. His English can be a bit broken at times, but he can always find a way to explain what he means.

Across from Kenji is 28 year old Ger, the man Kenji has been riding with for a couple days now. Ger's name looks like it's pronounced either "Grr" or "Gary" without the Y, but he pronounces it "Hair", with Hebrew sounding throat roll at the beginning. Since there's no English representation of that sound, it's hard for me to, first, pronounce it in a way it's not spelled, and then, add a sound that doesn't exist in my language. Since it sounds like "Hair" to me, I decide the best thing to do is just say "hair" and pretend like there's a hairball in my throat at the beginning: this is the closest I can get. Ger is from the Netherlands and works at a University. He was in town for a laser bending conference but delayed leaving so he could explore some of America, and particularly, its culture: he and Kenji seem to have fun pointing out the oddities in it.

There's also another guy there. I forgot his name, but he was a web developer from New York who did work from the road. It was nice to see that sort of potential in a self-employed web developer, to make enough that he could continually travel.

Various topics are talked about throughout the night. Of particular interest is the fact that Glen's jeep boils gasoline. I don't know much about cars so I don't recall the explanation, but apparently it's a regular thing for his vehicle to get hot enough the gasoline boils in the tank. It's these times he has to pull over and look under the engine to fix the issue. At one point, he had a girlfriend who was in the car with him when it happened. The first few times she was concerned, but this time she got out her smart phone and started playing on it. Glen decided it would teach her a good lesson in being appreciative if he slammed the hood and started running away from the jeep as fast as he could. Apparently she wasn't amused, and Jazz and Alex are sure to let him know that is not the proper way to teach a girl something as I tell him, "That's freaking hilarious."

As Glen gives the explanation as to why his Jeep boils gas, Ger points out, "Oh, right, because gasoline boils at a lower temperature than water." This is news to me: "So the next time I boil an egg, I should use gasoline to make it go faster."

At a certain point everyone starts to tell their story for why they're traveling. I tell them about my journey to visit all 48 contiguous states and a surprising amount of interest is shown: apparently a road trip this long is not often taken. The fact that so many of these people, all of them having done more traveling than me, are excited about my trip is almost disconcerting; what DID I get myself into?

At one point Bryce pops in, happy to see I made it. He's staying here another night as well. Conversations continue and eventually it's time to go to sleep. Having never stayed at a hostel, it's been a very good experience. As sketchy as it seemed going in, I've met 6 nice strangers in one night (7 with Bryce), I have a warm bed to sleep on, and I get to take a shower in the morning: it was definitely worth the 10$.