July 10, Part II: Hwy 279

July 10 -- Moab, Utah. We arrived early enough in the day to check in and take a short break.



I went in search of fresh coffee.

Moab is like many tourist towns with shops dedicated to t-shirt sales and cheap trinkets to bring home to less fortunate relatives. There are also shops dedicated to some of the area's excellent artists as well as countless restaurants and, within two blocks of the hotel, three coffee shops.

Refreshed and caffeinated, we headed for a drive along Hwy 279 which promised views of the Green River, petroglyphs and Jug Handle Arch. We took in the scenes at a leisurely pace and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.













Along the way, we found a couple of panels filled with petroglyphs. The panel you see here is typical. The petroglyphs sit about 14 to 20 feet above the road and were probably at shoulder height when they were created. This is an area that provides a constant reminder that the rock cycle is ever constant and continuous.













Jug Handle Arch is just as described and doesn't even require a vivid imagination to understand how it was named.

My favorite image from the drive isn't actually listed in any of the guides because it's not an arch,


not petroglyphs, not the river -- just one of the countless elements of the scenery. Isolated, it's remarkable. But, as one element among so many it gets lost and remains unseen. It's like so many things that vie for our attention and lose out because it's not deemed remarkable or nameable. We live in a world that doesn't value humanity so much as it values individuals. We have programs dedicated to these remarkable individuals; their names become household words. People act silly when they encounter these named individuals and the moment becomes a story to tell and pass down or a cherished photo op. The everyday individuals who surround us and make our lives palatable are not treated with the same awe and reverence.

Sometimes I think we have the world turned upside down.