April 10, 2015. Bustling Moab

CAMPGROUND: Hiltman Bottom Bureau of Land Management Campground. Very primitive.  No water. No dump station.  Gravel sites. On Colorado River. Pit toilets.  $7.50/night. Magnificent scenery. 3 stars. No picnic tables or grill.

LOCATION:  Outside of Moah, Utah in west central Utah

WEATHER:  Cold in AM. warm, sunny in PM...HIgh about 70

We left Green River and had only a 50-mile trip to Moab, home of the next 2 national parks we plan to visit...Arches and Canyonland.  We had been warned that it would be crowded, but weren't prepared for this.  Driving into town, all the many commercial RV parks had "no vacancy" signs.  The town is full of ATVs and jeeps driving around crazily.  The businesses are mostly adventure tours, outfitters, and coffee shops.  We had heard that the campground inside Arches was by reservation only, and filled for months. So, we stopped by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office to see about their campgrounds which we had heard about.  They gave us a map and we were off on our search.

We followed the Colorado River out of town.  There are about 20 tiny BLM campgrounds that are tucked into the riverbanks.  We passed about 10 that said "full" and another 5 that were tent camping only.  We finally found a site, just as last night's camper was leaving.  Yeah!  As I was helping George back in, a German guy walked over and said he had already paid for this site.  Darn!  So, we were off again, farther down the river.  After 23 miles, we entered the next to the last campground.  One site was available and we grabbed it!  It is right on the Colorado River.....

After setting up, we drove back into town to eat lunch at their microbrewery and to grocery shop.  Sitting at the bar next to us, a local guy recommended an RV park.  We stopped by there to reserve a site for Sunday and Monday.  We want some amenities like electricity, to charge things up, and a laundry, before we set off again.  

The campsite does not have a grill, so George made his famous ground campfire with rocks funneling the wind.  

 

We used our tripod to cook dinner.  We watched the gorgeous sunset from our site.

DINNER: I made turkey burgers from a new recipe.  In addition to ground turkey, I added chopped pepperoni and a little Italian sausage, garlic and sage.  (Obviously, I shopped today!).  We topped the burgers with provolone cheese to melt.  To serve, I coated toasted buns with a parsley/mayonnaise sauce, then added a slice of tomato and a lettuce leaf.  This was a winner!