VivaLaVida!

A journey to meet the planet and its inhabitants...

San Rafael Swell

Continuation of discovering this region less known and yet not far from Moab.     1. VivaLaVida on a little-used trail that circumvents Temple Mountain.       2. They are many old uranium mines in the area.       3. They are of course closed.      Read More…

Ruins and canyons

At a small meeting with Tom, aka Zeta on Sportsmobile forum, he advised me to visit the Hovenweep National Monument, a site where are grouped different Anasazi ruins. When I went there, it was raining but I still visited seven different sites.     1. The Twin Towers, on theRead More…

Sandstone around Moab

  Leaving the Beef Basin, I had the good surprise to find a message from Hans, a Swiss who lives here with his wife Madeleine for 35 years. I was greeted like a king by this adorable couple, not forgeting to specify that Madeleine is fine cooker. 😉 They explainedRead More…

Still in Beef Basin…

    1. It begins with a blurry picture! 😉 Just to show that it was chilly that morning…       While I was getting ready to break camp, I noticed a young stag who seemed a little nervous. I decided to approach it to try to photograph it.Read More…

The journey map is available again!

Thanks to Christine that noticed the issue, it should be fixed now. 😉

Ruins in Beef Basin.

Despite snow announced in the mountains, VivaLaVida headed south of Moab in the Beef Basin, an area which was the wintering place for Atabascan Indians between 2,000 and 700 years ago. It contains many relics like ruins and petroglyphs or petrographs.     1. Some tracks that VLV borrows areRead More…

On the left bank of the Colorado…

Near the end of the White Rim, I hiked to Fort Bottom, in the middle of a meander of the Green River.     1. Remains the “cabin” on a river bank. It is almost 200 years old and housed tuberculosis patients who were sent here to end their days…Read More…

Still Canyonlands…

No way to risk to stay stucked in so much snow, I preferred not to cross the pass that would lead me to the other side of the La Sal Mountains and went to Warner Lake driving around the mountains. I already discovered this little mountain lake in a previousRead More…

In Canyonlands area…

I went to see other places in Canyonlands NP, first in the beautiful Lavender Canyon.     1. The access road goes nearly 20 miles up in a wash. There is some water, partially frozen in places, witness of the recent weather disturbance (the one I had at Black Rock).Read More…

Back in Utah

I met Nick and Kim in Moab. I met Nick in North Carolina. He also owns a Ford van, two-wheel drive and shorter than VivaLaVida but well equipped for two. He’s traveling for two and a half weeks with his friend Kim who discovers the West for the first time.Read More…