Every Encounter is A Blessing

Aloha Everyone,

One if the biggest benefits of travel is the interesting people you meet on the road. Most are just a brief encounter but these people step into your path to teach you something. Yes, every encounter is a blessing.

Evan brought our lunch order of quinoa salad for me and Spaghetti ala Carbonara with a side order of salad for J.J. I sensed his peaceful soul and in a short period of time while he was refilling our water glasses, he told us that a reason which brought him to Moab is because he plays the Native American flute. Evan also fondly reminisced about his visit to the Big Island of a Hawaii many years ago.

It is very appropriate that Evan works at Peace Tree restaurant.


White smoke in the photo is actually water spray surrounding the outside seating areas providing diners respite from desert heat.

We took highway 191 from Moab to Monticello passing some beautiful and interesting scenic areas.

Wilson Arch just on 191.

Mary greeted us with big smiles and the offer to use clean toilets, free cup of coffee, answers to our questions plus invitation to visit a free museum next door. Mary is a transplant from New York. When we asked her what brought her to this part of the country, she said her husband who is from Moab. Love not only moves your spirit but it literally move you as I did when J.J. and I got married.

Our first destination was Buckboard Camping Ground. J.J. and I went around to take photos then had a leisurely picnic lunch in the Aspen grove before departing for Blanding.

Our healthy lunch consisted of Blueberry bagel, fresh nectarine, baby romaine lettuce, fresh slices of avocado and a bottle of Eldorado natural spring water.

Scenic Blue Mountain Road en route to our next camping ground.

Lynne at Visitor Information at Blanding was also very helpful. We imagine both Mary and Lynne had undergone the same training program.

Inviting architecture of the Blanding Visitor Information.

Nizhoni, Lynne told us, means "beautiful" in Navajo. This camping ground is located in a pine tree forest.

J.J. and I had the pleasure of watching real cowboys with their Border Collies herding cattle.

We had 7 different close encounters with deer today. However they all happened too suddenly and too quickly. The only one we were able to capture with our cameras was this gentle female who seems to be a happy resident of this camping ground.

Honu is settled among pine trees.  It will be a cool and hopefully a very quiet night.

Aloha -- Cathi