Moab

Earlier, I promised to say something about Moab. Now would be a good time to do so, before I move on to Capitol Reef.

Please know that my observations are tentative, incomplete, and pretty superficial. We stayed in town only two nights and shopped in Moab a few more times. Any other visitor, including myself, might have a completely different experience on another visit.

Downtown Moab

Moab made a poor first impression on me. We arrived on a Saturday in the middle of classic car show that consumed the town. We were lucky to find a RV spot thought by my estimate there were at least 750 sites within the city limits plus all the BLM campgrounds and dispersed camping close by. The crush of people and cars and dirt-crawling machines subsided on Monday, but locals assured us that the next weekend would be just as crazy. So long as the weather stays mild, the people come. And when the heat slows outdoor activities, then the tour buses arrive.

Moab's main thoroughfare, Utah Highway 191

After the crush and congestion, the next thing that impressed me was all the stuff: Mountain bicycles and road bicycles; off-road vehicles and Jeeps; motorcycles of every kind; dune buggies and all manner of ATVs. Throw in a few huge, Frankenstein-like, camping/rock-crawling/desert-rat rigs. And don’t forget the whitewater rafts, kayaks, and canoes. Plus more Jeeps. And hundreds of motor homes, toy-hauling fifth wheels, truck campers, and tents. Rock climbers don’t have an official vehicle, but I did spot their ropes, harnesses, and slipper-like shoes later in the week. There were backpackers with boots and day hikers with trekking poles and view-point pedestrians with long camera lens protruding from their bellies. The only thing missing from Moab is the sedan: Everyone drives a SUV or truck.

More downtown Moab

Except for the dune buggies and monster crawlers, none of this equipment by itself seems bizarre. What is strange is that it can be found all together in one little town—often in the same parking lot. The only the label “outdoor adventure” can capture it all.

Over time, Moab grew on me. We struggled to find good beer; disappointingly, its not at the Moab Brewery. Later in the week we found a pizza place that served a good selection of craft beers. The state liquor store stocked a fair selection of microbrews, too. We also found a local coffee roaster and had a great meal at a new Mediterranean place. This eatery was quiet, and I overheard half of the diners order vegetarian. Earlier in the week, I would not have guessed that there were ten vegetarians in the county. Apparently, Moab’s diversity goes beyond the cacophony of outdoors activities.

The supermarket parking lot on a Friday morning. See any sedans? I saw one.

And this impressed me the most about Moab: it all seems to hang together. Maybe it can be explained by the live-and-let live ethic of the American West. Or perhaps the capitalistic drive keeps a lid on the cultural divisions. Either way, it’s an impressive feat, because what is best for nature lovers is not necessarily what makes for great four-wheeling, and it can be hard to square land preservation with outdoor tourism, and I’ve seen mountain bikers and hikers nearly come to blows. Perhaps these clicks avoid confrontation by doing their things in different places around Moab. But surely the diverse peoples who converge on this town, with their different hobbies, tastes, styles, politics, and values, do sometimes collide.

We didn't make it to this place.

In the end, Moab intrigues me. At a time when the media tell us that political and social divisions have reached a breaking point in the United States, how has this town managed to transform itself into a Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes and hold them together—at least on the surface? What tensions might be seen by a more faithful Moab observer, and how are theses conflicts resolved? Maybe someday I’ll get to hang around longer and listen for answers.  

Moab, like many other towns, has new subdivisions, a brand new medical complex, and a thriving downtown. But not many rural communities have theses things.

Moab, like many other towns, also has trailer homes.

But how many have parks?

There's no shortage of green fescue in Moab. Which is interesting, because I know there's a water shortage in the West.