When I was visiting Mark and Bobbie, of Box Canyon Blog fame, in Moab UT, I was surprised to learn how far back their familiarity with the region went. They were here when Edward Abbey was. They liked the area better than I did, so I tried to let their attitude rub off on me. But it wasn't easy. I had to pass through the town of Moab on my way south, hoping to beat the snow in Monticello UT; maybe I should stop in Moab to do laundry?
In tourist towns it's always wise to get one block off the main drag. A traveler always goes into a laundromat with some trepidation; it really is my least favorite part of traveling. But this place seemed good for some reason. Management was new, the machines were in good repair, and -- most astonishingly -- they weren't charging tourist prices.
A bicycle touring blog expressed it this way after visiting Yellowstone or Grand Teton national parks and the towns that service them: he felt like a chicken going through a modern poultry processing plant. That is just what I expected from Moab UT.
The owner of the store had been outside and saw my rig. On his own initiative he mentioned that he and his wife had an RV and sometimes desired a free and safe place to park when traveling. He told me that I could stay in their parking lot for the night if I wished. In all my years of traveling, that is the first time I received generosity like that. And in Moab of all places!
In tourist towns it's always wise to get one block off the main drag. A traveler always goes into a laundromat with some trepidation; it really is my least favorite part of traveling. But this place seemed good for some reason. Management was new, the machines were in good repair, and -- most astonishingly -- they weren't charging tourist prices.
A bicycle touring blog expressed it this way after visiting Yellowstone or Grand Teton national parks and the towns that service them: he felt like a chicken going through a modern poultry processing plant. That is just what I expected from Moab UT.
The owner of the store had been outside and saw my rig. On his own initiative he mentioned that he and his wife had an RV and sometimes desired a free and safe place to park when traveling. He told me that I could stay in their parking lot for the night if I wished. In all my years of traveling, that is the first time I received generosity like that. And in Moab of all places!
Comments
I have a story about that. Six or seven years ago I was coming through Moab and needed to do some wash. I was dragging a fifth wheel and there was no place to park that in front of the laundry. Next door was the movie parking lot, but I was nervous about using that too. Then I spotted street parking up the hill behind the theater. So I parked up there and walked with my dirty clothes down to the laundry.
After I got them loaded I went back to kill some time in the trailer while they did their thing. In that short time two cops had appeared and were walking around my trailer. When I walked up and asked what they wanted they said there had been a complaint of somebody camping on the street, which was illegal. I told them my story, and they laughed and said to go ahead, just don't spend the night. It seems their off duty sargent lived right across the street from where I parked and immediately called me in when I parked there. It couldn't have been more than 20 minutes past.
When I went back to put things in the dryer, I stopped at the movie house and asked if I could park in their lot overnight if I went to the movie. There wasn't enough daylight left to watch a movie AND find a camping spot.
He said sure. So I slept there, on private property, in full view of what must have been a hyperactive but frustrated police sargent.
There's all kinds of people out there. Take care.
Bob
Bob, I never refer to specific site on this blog because I worry about contributing to their demise, but you would be familiar with the laundromat in question.