Hopkins 4K for Cancer

July 11, 2003

Paris, London, New York, MOAB!
Day 41

Day off in Moab, UT



After an early arrival into Moab yesterday, most of us woke up early (6:30 a.m.) and headed out to Arches National Park, which was about five miles outside the city. Despite many of the lazier riders’ objections, Matt decided that the group would hike 3 miles to Delicate Arch (some of us had wanted to do the 0.3 mile, handicap-accessible, paved hike around Balanced Rock). It’s safe to say that everyone who chose to go to Arches was thanking Matt by the end of the day. The hike up to Delicate Arch was very scenic, as we traversed over the smooth, red rock for which Utah is known, but the journey did not compare to the destination. The spectacular arch was larger than many of us expected, and its surrounding landscape only enhanced its beauty. I don’t think I can quite put into words how amazing Delicate Arch is, so I will simply append some quotes I heard from other riders upon seeing the arch: “This looks like something out of a sci-fi movie,” “Holy crap,” “This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen,” etc. After spending about an hour around the arch and taking over 80 photos between my disposable camera and Drew’s digital camera--slept in so I was on photo duty--and meeting other tourists in the process, we headed back.



After we got back into Moab, we decided it was time to fuel the voracious appetites we have developed. Some riders went to all-you-can-eat Chinese food, while myself and some others went to Zai’s Wood-Fired Pizza for their buffet. After eating more pizza than I care to recall, we stumbled over to the Moab Chamber of Commerce for a 2 p.m. reception they had thrown for us. After that, I went back to the church to relax, write postcards, and re-pack my bags. Some of the riders walked around town, while John and Courtney went whitewater rafting (and were apparently mistaken for an engaged couple). At 6 p.m., we were treated with a donated dinner of burgers at Denny’s, and later on in the evening, Meredith, Drew and I went to grab $30 worth of appetizers donated by Slickrock Café for the group. After the late-night snack and a thorough cleaning of the church, van, and truck, we all hit the sack.



Babak Nazer