Moab or Sedona?

I've got a new quilt pattern over at the Moda Bake Shop today, this one called Moab or Sedona.



Jelly Rolls are a great way to get a wide variety of fabrics for a single project, but the 2 1/2" width is wider than the itty-bitty pieces I like to work with. So why not cut them in half lengthwise? The strips on this Courthouse Steps quilt finish at 3/4" of an inch, which is even small enough for me! It's not a difficult quilt, but it's definitely not a quick project.

Why that name? Every year when we start to talk about travelling, it seems like we're deciding between Moab and Sedona. Something about clambering over the rough sandstone calls to all of us. As I was assembling this quilt and trying to think up a name for it, the colors started to remind me of the sandstone fins and the dark shapes of the scrubby little trees against the rocks as the sun goes down...and I started to wonder which destination we'd wind up in on our next trip... Moab or Sedona?

Here are some of my favorite things about both places...


Moab

The big draw for us is Arches National Park. We discovered that one when our oldest was just a toddler and since then we've been back many times. I think we've hiked just about every trail, which range from easy 1/4 mile walks to the Dark Angel trail, which just about does me in. (I just looked it up and it's only 4.9 miles round trip -- I'd have sworn it was longer!)

Those specks climbing up to the arch -- yup, they're all four of my kids! And as soon as I was done taking the picture, I was up there too. There are fossilized shells embedded in the rock.

The Devil's Garden campground is gorgeous, but we did find scorpions under the tent as we packed up from our last night there. The ranger says they don't find those very often. I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or not.



Back when we had the SUV for it, we also headed off into into Canyonlands National Park. This picture was taken at the Island in the Sky entrance, which you can get to with a minivan. The really fun stuff required four wheel drive.



I think I might be just a tiny bit grateful that the Lion's Back is now closed. We went once and just watched them driving up it. I held my breath the whole time. There's a You Tube video that will show you why (but don't read the comments - they're just obnoxious). I don't think my husband would do anything like that, even when he gets his baby rebuilt, but just the thought of it would keep me awake at night...

Sedona

We love Sedona! I think I might love it just a bit more than Moab, but that could be because on the past few trips we traded our timeshare points and spent a week in a condo almost the size of our house. Even the campgrounds there can make me forget how I feel about sleeping in a tent with four kids.

On our first trip, we camped in a gorgeous tent site by the creek, close to spigot that was fed by a natural spring. All night long, cars would stop and people would get out and loudly fill their water bottles. So we came to the natural conclusion that it's "magic water" and only works if you collect it by moonlight. Every trip since then, we've stop to fill our water bottles. During the daytime.

Oak Creek Canyon is one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been. Call of the Canyon is a We took a helicopter tour a few years back, which was just amazing. And when it gets too hot to hike, there are a ton of gift shops and art galleries to wander through.

The petroglyph panel here, at the V Bar V Ranch, is actually a calendar. When the sun hits a certain spot, it's time to plant crops. The whole thing just boggles my mind.



There are amazing ruins (Montezuma's Castle, Montezuma's Well, Walnut Canyon, and others that I can't name off the top of my head) and the winding, curving road south to Jerome. The drive and views are spectacular on their own, but I love wandering through the town.



And of course I can't forget to mention that there's a fun quilt shop in Sedona!

This post is linked to Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Natural Suburbia.