Ron Browne
The SaddleBrooke RV Club is a diverse group of more than 80 adventurers who enjoy traveling in various “rigs,” ranging from small camp trailers to 45-foot Class A motorhomes. Many are “sunbirds” choosing to escape the Tucson summer heat by traveling to cooler locations for the summer. In late September, a group of seven rigs enjoyed near perfect weather to visit some of Utah’s most spectacular scenery.
After months of planning by “wagon masters” Ron and Vicki Browne and Tom and Janet Kornmesser, the group met up at Portal RV Resort in Moab, Utah. As with most of the club’s rallies, the group of 13 convened at one campsite for a potluck happy hour get-together, and while enjoying a favorite libation and the shared snacks, we reviewed the upcoming week’s activities.
On our first full day of adventure, the group embarked on a scenic drive up in the La Sal Mountains outside Moab where, at nearly 8,000 feet, the aspen trees were in full color. After a picnic lunch, we returned to Moab in time to prepare for the evening activities comprised of a BBQ dinner and nighttime cruise up the Colorado River where we were accompanied by a guide, who told a historical story about the Moab area, and by a vehicle traveling slowly along the river shining very bright lights onto the tall cliff walls along the river canyon.
The next day saw the group visiting Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse State Park. From high up on the mesa, there was a spectacular view of the Colorado River canyon, which provided ample photo opportunities. After another picnic lunch, the group returned to Moab. A few brave souls chose to take the off-road route via Pucker Pass with a narrow gap between overhanging rocks. Everyone made it back to the RV park safely in time for a group potluck dinner and cornhole game.
On day three several members of the group headed to Arches National Park for hikes, pictures of the arches, and picnic lunches. As with many of the national parks, timed entry reservations are required. Again, we had the usual club happy hour and shared stories.
During the last two days in Moab, some chose to visit Arches National Park, ride bikes along the Colorado River, and take an ATV tour of the famous Moab trails, and one brave camper experienced riding his mountain bike on the slick rock. The group enjoyed a dinner out at Cowboy Grill, situated on the river at the Red Cliff Inn, which also houses an historical museum of the many films made in the area due to the stunning scenery. Anyone remember Thelma and Louise?
Leaving Moab, the group traveled a short 125 miles to Monument Valley and Goulding’s RV Resort and Campground located on the Navajo Reservation. The next morning, we were picked up in an open-air seating truck by our tour guide Johnathan who provided excellent information about Navajo life, hogans, and local knowledge of the many beautiful rock formations. For our final evening together, we elected to have dinner at Goulding’s restaurant. Of course, this author had to have a Navajo taco!
As with many of the club’s rallies, some chose to stay another day, some moved on to other locations, and others chose to come directly home to SaddleBrooke and the triple-digit temperatures. All of us, however, had a great time together and eagerly look forward to our next adventure.
Anyone interested in learning more about the SaddleBrooke RV Club should check out our Facebook page, visit our website at sbrv.clubexpress.com, attend one of our monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the SaddleBrooke One Activities Center, or contact Club President Pat Arruda at [email protected].