Accommodation

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Snow is A Four-Letter Word — Into Wyoming

I didn’t sleep as well last night as I did my first two nights at the hostel. I was a little too warm and, of course, I was achey (and forgot to take some Advil before bed). Still, it wasn’t a bad night compared to my normal and I was up around 6:45 — a full hour later than I’ve been getting up. It was wet and miserable out. I just packed the truck, checked out, and went to McDonald’s for coffee (fantastic!) and to do some online stuff, including firming up my route for today. I decided to head for Rock Springs, Wyoming, as that was roughly the halfway point to Cody. I would do a blip through northwestern Colorado, return briefly to Utah, and then cross into Wyoming.

Over the course of the day, I climbed to over 8,000 ft of altitude. I was not in any way prepared for snow even though I knew it was coming!

I stopped in Rangely, Colorado, after a particularly long climb and descent, to top up the fuel and get coffee. The Kum & Go had the best fuel price I’d seen since Flagstaff ($2.29ish) and they had hazelnut flavoured coffee, which was such a treat! I usually put in hazelnut creamer, but that’s sweet. With the flavour-infused beans, I get the hazelnut taste without the sweetness. This was a very good day for coffee!

Some time later, I paused in Vernal for lunch and to book my hotel in Rock Springs. I decided that since I would have spent 80USD on the last two nights at the hostel, I was going to spend that at the nicest hotel I could get for that price for one night in Rock Springs. I got a deal on a room at the Quality Inn, which is high end by my standards. I get the room, good WiFi, a full breakfast, and a free cocktail! The room also has a lovely armchair and ottoman. I may never get out of this chair again. šŸ™‚

Coming into Rock Springs was scary since there was black ice under slush on the road! I had to slow to a crawl. Moya has really good quality winter tires, but she really doesn’t handle well in slick conditions. I was really glad to arrive. Vernal had felt too early to stop, but by the time I got to Rock Springs, I was past the point where I would have wanted to quit for the day because of the tough driving conditions the last bit.

For some reason, I actually took pictures today!

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Impressions of Moab, UT

Moab didn’t make a very good first impression because of the insane cost of accommodation in the town. I expected a hoity toity resort town like West Yellowstone where even McDonald’s jacks up its prices. But my experience in Banff taught me that even such towns can be full of good surprises.

Moab is basically a swell in the highway, with most of the businesses along the main street. In the shoulder season, driving around town hasn’t been an issue, including making copious left hand turns onto the main street and finding parking. But I can imagine that in the height of the summer season, traffic and parking must be difficult.

The town is nothing to look at, from what I’ve experienced. What makes it special is its backdrop of red hills in one direction and snowcapped mountains in the other. The architecture is very ordinary. I didn’t feel a strong urge to take any pictures. I could be in Anytown, USA.

Two very positive things have stuck out for me.

First, the locals are incredibly friendly and welcoming. I’ve been to so many resort towns where the locals seem to resent the tourists that run their economy. Everyone in Moab I’ve spoken to has been very kind, very helpful, and very welcoming — genuinely so.

Second, I can afford to eat out in Moab! I have no idea if prices go up during the summer, but right now, in late April, there is something for every budget. Regular old diner food is exactly what I’d expect to pay for the quality and portion I got at the Moab Diner. Pad thai at Singha was a little pricier than I normally pay, but not significantly so. The only reason I had an expensive meal there is that I splurged on the beer.

Tonight, I had dinner at Sabaku sushi bar, a real splurge only because I’m cutting my stay here short and saving on accommodation. I have had sushi literally all over the US and Canada, in big cities and small. Who would have thought Moab would have really excellent sushi at average prices? $22 before taxes and tip got me two rolls (one large, one small) and a miso soup. If I had been in less of a mood for a splurge, I could have stuck to the happy hour menu and had even more food for the same price or spent less. I sat at the bar and watched my sushi-ya prepare my meal with real care and attention, so it wasn’t just dinner, but an experience.

I didn’t spend much time at the grocery store, but the few things I bought were very reasonably priced, including three large Fuji apples for just 99 cents. Other stores do jack up their prices, though. I priced trekking poles at Pagan’s and the ones I wanted were $20 more than the cheapest price I found online, so I passed.

It’s a shame accommodation in Moab is so terrible. At least, there’s the Lazy Lizard. Even if you’re not a hosteling kind of person, please consider them first as they are the only accommodation in Moab that keeps its prices reasonable while still trying to provide a lot of value. I’m not happy to be in a hostel, but I can separate that from my experience here, which has been very positive. My cabin is very comfortable and conducive to a good night’s sleep (comfy bed, dark, quiet, warm) and the ladies’ bathroom is spotlessly clean. I resent paying 39USD and not having my own bathroom, butĀ they could charge as much as 60USD or even 75 a night for the cabins and still have the best bargain in town!

I’d say that Moab really hasn’t made that much of an impression on me. People don’t come to the area for Moab, but rather for all the outdoor experiences around.

Fun fact: sixteen years ago I worked at a bookstore and a guy came in asking to order a book on mountain biking Ā Moab. After the order was put through and he’d left, the owner turned to me, wide-eyed, and asked, “What’s a Moab?!” I can’t believe I remember that!

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A Sea of Rust and Sage: Exploring Arches National Park

I have mixed feelings about Tuesday. I’ll get the unpleasantness out of the way first. The weather was absolutely terrible and I was not equipped to be out in it. While we did get some patches of sun, most of the day was needling rain and slush. I wasn’t too badly off top-wise, with a good rain coat over my fleece hoodie, but sandals and jeans were not appropriate for my bottom half. I spent a lot of time in my truck looking out a amazing views, only running out for brief(ish) hikes during clearings. Last time I checked the forecast for the week, it was supposed to be sunny and in the high 60s to low 70s. The high today was around 50.

And despite this, I managed to spend six hours in the park and take over 200 photographs! Arches National Park is as amazing as I thought it would be!

I started the day after a second good night of sleep in a row. The cabin was super quiet, the temperature perfect (I had to run an oil filled radiator all night and sleep in fleece pants with socks), and it was dark. So when I woke up around 5:45, I was ready to start my day, which including schelpping down the hill to the bathroom in the dark in my jammies. Thankfully, no one else was up. šŸ™‚

I then came back to the cabin, dressed, and put together my coffee stuff before going to the main building to use the kettle in the kitchen. There was only one other person and she was doing her own thing, so I sat at a table and composed my blog post from yesterday. By the time the dorm started to wake up, Iā€™d done my most pressing online stuff and headed back to the cabin to get ready for my day.

I had picked up lunch stuff that didnā€™t need to be refrigerated, so I was able in the cabin to put together a few peanut and strawberry jam sandwiches (something I can eat several days in row without getting sick of it), a bag of nuts, an apple, and a granola bar, as well as water.

It was about 7:00 when I headed out and just shy of 7:30 when I hit the visitorā€™s centre at the park. The rain was really starting to come down so I made the decision to just drive the entire park road and visit all the view points without committing to any hiking. I had planned to only do short hikes today anyway and then do a longer one on the second and third days.

One thing I was very disappointed about was learning that I would not be able to do the ranger-led Fiery Furnace hike I was so eager to do. I had checked availability weeks ago for the morning hike you could buy online and they were full. The other option was to show up at the park in person and try to join a hike that afternoon. As I understood it, the afternoon hikes were first come, first served. So I thought that being so early today would get me in. Nope. All the hikes clear to next week were booked. šŸ™ Iā€™m just not made for this sort of travel where you have to book six to twelve months in advance. Itā€™s the same thing with the Canadian national parks system.

My tour of the park is below in the gallery. When I was done, coming out of Landscape Arch with needling sleetĀ falling, I’d been in the park for six hours and decided I was done. I went into Moab and found the museum. It’s pretty small, but I learned a lot about the history of the area. Post continued below the gallery.

I went back to the hostel for a rest after and paid for a third night. I think that will be it because today, Wednesday, is the only clear day and it’s back to crud for the rest of the day. Two days in the park is going to be plenty. I’ll decide this afternoon.

Even though I spent a lot of time in the truck yesterday, I also hiked closed to 10KM (it adds up!) and I needed a proper stick-to-my-ribs dinner. I settled on the Moab Diner where I had an adequate hamburger steak dinner at a reasonable price. Service was very fast and very friendly. I can understand why it’s such a popular spot!

Since internet access is dismal at the hostel, even right in the main building, I decided to call it a night early and get up extra early to have breakfast at McDonald’s, where I am now. I’m trying to decide on which of two longer hikes I’m doing today and about to head out. The weather is already lovely at just shy of seven!

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Camp Verde, AZ, to Moab, UT

I had a really good night in Camp Verde, to my surprise, getting a solid six and a half hours of sleep and then dozing for about an hour more. I had a lazy morning and then set out around eight. It was quite cold and very, very, very, very windy.

My first stop of the day was in Flagstaff. I had initiated an INTERAC e-Transfer while I was in Camp Verde so I could make a withdrawal at a Bank of America in Flagstaff. My GPS told me that would be my only opportunity to access a BOA ATM before Moab and I needed cash for the hostel. BOA is part of the same network as Scotiabank, so no ATM fees there. By the time I arrived at the bank, the transfer was done, so I was able to complete my part on my phone and then get in line at the drive-thru machine. I felt bad for the folks behind me because my withdrawal took some time. Like the ATMs in Mexico, the machine would spit out my card and make me start over if I asked it to take out Ā more than I had in my account (sometimes hard to gauge because of the exchange rate).

That finally done, I took off and was pleased to get off the Interstate even if it would be slower going. Olive green hills that reminded me of home slowly turned to rich brown red and that brought the dust. The picture didn’t turn out well, but the clouds were dirt brown. Pardon my gross windshield — no windshield cleaners in the US!

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After several hours, I finally approachedĀ Monument Valley! I have wanted to see Monument Valley since November 17, 1986, at approximately 8:05 PM EST. But I was told by a few friends who have been that the tours are the worst kind of tourist trap and that I will be enormously disappointed. However, readers told me I would be able to see some of the monuments from the main highway. Visibility was poor, but I was ready to stop at pull-outs if I saw anything interesting…

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Monument Valley straddles the Arizona/Utah border.

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Wow…

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And, finally, a bit of a clearing!

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Can you see the utter morons in front of me? They flew past me at the really nice scenic pullout right behind me and then pulled over right on the road to take pictures. Please don’t be like them.

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There was still more to see. I actually have dozens more pictures!

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Happy with my taste of Monument Valley, I pushed on through the very scenic town of Mexican Hat.

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And this is why it’s called Mexican Hat, I’m sure!

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Neat cut straight through a hill:

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I climbed up to 7,000ft during my day and then started to descend to 4,000 feet, enjoying the vegetation changes as I did so, like this contrast of the red stone with the poplars. It got less windy as I started going down and a bit less chilly.

 

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Snow…

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More snow paused at a construction zone.

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Another neat rock formation.

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And my first arch! This is Wilson Arch.

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I pulled into the hostel in Moab around six and paid for a second night since I was immediately not sure I would want to spend five nights there. It’s nothing to do with the hostel — it’s a hostel. I knew what I was getting into and this appears to be one of the good ones. I’m just past the age of living a million miles from a shared bathroom and the wifi only works in the communal spaces. But my cabin is private and the bed is good. So we’ll see how my first day at the park goes.

I went out into town to get dinner. Moab appears to be along a main stretch with a few other roads jutting off of it. There are lots of restaurants. It was fun to look up addresses in my GPS because Utah has a unique addressing system based out of Salt Lake City (eg. 60N 100W Moab, UT). I had a case recently where I learned about this and so it wasn’t a complete shock last night.

For dinner, I found myself at a really good Thai restaurant eating super spicy Pad Thai (I actually requested 3 out of 5 stars!) with a cold Chinese beer. But at 24USD, I won’t be splurging like that every night!

I had an early night since I had no internet access in my cabin and didn’t want to go to the communal space to get online as I was exhausted. I also couldn’t use my phone as a hot spot because I was out of pesos and CIBC declinedĀ my purchase of more money so I could buy a data plan. I’ll try again tonight.

I had a good night’s sleep, but the morning is being trying since I can’t relax in my private space with coffee to do my emails and online stuff. Hopefully, I’ll be less cranky after a day in the park…

It’s almost seven and the communal spaces are getting busy, so I’m heading out.

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TelCel’s New Sin Frontera Plan

Reading Dean asked me about what I’m doing for cell service in the US and Mexico as he is going to be living inĀ Mexico and wants to avoid having both a US and Mexican phone.

Enter TelCel’s brand new “Sin Frontera” plan that letsĀ you use a phone with aĀ TelCel SIM card inĀ Mexico, the US, and Canada at the same rate as if you were inĀ Mexico, as long as you’re on a roaming partner network. In the US, that’s T-Mobile. I’m not sure about in Canada, but it’s got to be one of the big ones. Right now, I’m actually on AT&T and still using up my pesos as though I was back in MazatlĆ”n — that’s for voice, text, and data! You can also call between the three countries at the same rates. I made one call to Canada at three pesos per minute, or 0.23CAD. A long distance call with SaskTel costs me 0.35CAD… Yes, I can call Canada more cheaply from Mexico than I can call Quebec from Saskatchewan!

This plan is brand new, there isn’t much information about it yet online, and not all the TelCel employees are familiar with the details so I feel a bit like a guinea pig.

Now, how does one get onto that Sin Frontera plan?

In my case, I started with an unlocked iPhone. SaskTel gave me the phone back in February of ’14 when I switched to them from Verizon. I paid about $70 to unlock it before leaving forĀ Mexico the first time. This means I can switch out the SIM card and use one from any carrier I want. What I’ve been doing is getting an AT&T Go plan SIM when traveling in the US,Ā and aĀ TelCel SIM inĀ Mexico. That means three different numbers, two of which change frequently since I would get a new SIM for every trip. But at least I’m using the same phone. So Dean, if you love your phone, find out if you can unlock it and then you can use it anywhere.

When I got to Hermosillo last fall and went into a TelCel store, I asked for a new Amigo SIM card. Amigo is TelCel’s pay-as-you-go plan that is very popular. There, I was advised that for a few pesos more (something ridiculous like 50 pesos), my account could be set up with Sin Frontera. That’s it!

The piecemeal rates for an Amigo Sin Frontera plan are:

3 pesos, per minute/MB/text. Which is dismal if you use your phone regularly, I know, but you can get a number of plans at better rates. I’m going to check out the WiFi in Moab tonight and if it’s unacceptable, I’ll get a 3GB package for my phone so I can use it as a hot spot. That will be cheaper than getting an AT&T SIM card and data plan for my current needs. If I needed more data, then I mightĀ have considered going with theĀ unlimited AT&T plan.

Now, this pay-as-you go plan is good for light users. I basically only use it to have data on the go so I can look up things. Yesterday, I was able to research hotels and use Gas Buddy, but I wouldn’t have started watching YouTube! It also gives me piece of mind that I can call out if I have an emergency.

If you are inĀ Mexico full-time, then you’ll want to consider a proper monthly phone plan with much better packages. These plans can also include Sin Frontera. I was going to upgrade my iPhone when I got home, but now that I’m not spending the summer at Haven and firmly intend to move toĀ Mexico next spring, I’m going to wait and get a better deal in MĆ©rida.

I’m going to keep my current TelCel line active for a bit because it’ll be nice to be able to use my phone if I do any runs into Montana this summer before leaving for Europe. And I am also considering considering canceling SaskTel altogether if my TelCel SIM works on their network — but only as I’m heading out to Europe. No sense paying them $80 a month for the next nine months to keep a plan I won’t need anymore. There are lots of possibilities to consider.

The only issue with using TelCel as my main phone while still living in Canada or US is, of course, having aĀ Mexican phone number. But if you’re primarily living inĀ Mexico, then a phone plan that you can use at no extra charge the odd time you’re in the US or Canada makes perfect sense and is the option I will be going with.

I don’t believe that Movistar, TelCel’s competitor, has anything similar to Sin Frontera.

Dean, I have no idea if any of this made sense to you. Please drop me another comment if there’s anything else you need explained. šŸ™‚