April 12th to 13th - Moab, UT

April 12th - Thurs - Cortez
It is winter again! Continued wind and some snow mixed with rain yesterday evening and night. Still windy and cloudy in the morning but we decided to go check out Mesa Verde National Park anyhow. Drove through heavy rain but just before the park the rain stopped and it started to clear. This park is noted for the cliff dwellings used by Indian farmers from 1500 to 700 years ago. They farmed on top of the mesas and build their dwellings in ledges in the cliffs. Scientists think they built in the cliffs to protect them from the winter cold and shade them from the summer sun.
The wind dropped enough that it was pleasant to walk on some of the viewpoints and down to the dwelling across from the museum. It ended up being a lovely day. We figured there were probably fewer visitors and less traffic than there might have been if the weather had been warmer.

April 13th - Friday - to Moab, UT
We listened to the forecasts for storms in the Rockies and decided to move on. Short (138 miles) drive to Moab today. The discount park (CampClub USA) was pretty full but they found a spot for us. Made some lunch and left to explore the town. Decided that we had enough time to go to Arches National Park. It was still windy but had warmed up some so I was able to talk Terry into walking on some trails for better views of some arches. Incredible scenery!! The road climbs very quickly once in the park and then winds around for about 13 miles in the park with the return on the same road.
Hit the grocery store on the way back to pick up something to cook inside - still not nice enough for the barbeque.