Day 34 - Royal Adventures: Empty Parks & Full Beers
Oct 22nd, 2025
In the morning, we leave the dusty town of Hanksville, UT and head toward Arches National Park, just outside Moab, Utah—a quick 108-mile drive. The landscape shifts back to that familiar lunar terrain: desolate and eerie, yet strangely beautiful.
Before long, signs for Arches National Park appear, and we wind our way up a steep series of switchbacks into the park. With the government shutdown still in full swing, we breeze right through the entrance again. We’re getting used to this—and honestly, we’re pretty amazed at how empty the park is.
Arches protects over 2,000 natural sandstone arches—the highest concentration in the world—along with spires, fins, and balanced rocks sculpted by erosion over millions of years. The park spans 76,679 acres (about 120 square miles) and sits between 4,000 and 5,600 feet above sea level. It’s vast, dramatic, and incredibly impressive.
Some of the highlights include Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, and the Windows section, all accessible via a scenic drive and a variety of trails for hiking, biking, and sightseeing.
We make our way to the end of the park, passing an EarthRoamer RV along the way. Its license plates are from Sweden—now that’s a long journey. It really puts our road trip into perspective.
After a couple of hours cruising through and soaking in the spectacular scenery, we leave the park and head to our campsite at Village Camp & Luxury RV Sites. We check in and settle into our deluxe spot overlooking the canyons just outside Moab.
Once we’re set up, the Queen takes a well-earned nap while the King heads out for a short hike—destination: Proper Brewing nearby. The beer is excellent, and the people are even better. As it turns out, Phil, one of the bartender-brewers, is from Falmouth on Cape Cod.
“I came out here for a vacation 22 years ago and never left,” he tells me. “I just love living near all the national parks in southern Utah. I miss the salt air, but the year-round activities out here can’t be beat.”
Amen to that. “You’re a lucky guy,” I say, settling my tab.
On the walk back to camp, I pass a fellow traveler crafting art from desert driftwood—uniquely Moab and very cool.
We wind down for the evening with leftovers for dinner, watching the sun dip below the western horizon. Another day’s adventure in the books for the royals. 😎🍺🍀🇺🇸
