Canyonlands National Park
Moab, UT

URL: http://www.nps.gov/cany/

Moab is dry and red, just like you might imagine the Southwest. What you might not think of is that there are still artesian wells with potable water springing out of a cliff wall!

Whenever we asked where a good place to fill our many water bottles, we were directed to this pipe, sticking out of a rock, off the side of the road, just off the main drag. We were skeptical, but we went to check it out. We were so glad we did. The water that gushed from this pipe was clean and clear, and tasted better than any water we had tasted in recent memory.

We learned a few other things about the desert on this trip as well. Many of you have probably heard the mantra: "Take only pictures, leave only footprints." Well, all over Moab and other desert landscapes, you are reminded to not even leave a footprint because it may outlast your lifetime. There are microorganisms in the soil that make up this micro-ecosystem called "cryptobiotic soil." This stuff holds water and nutrients that would otherwise just get washed away into the sand, and it takes decades to form.

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From Matt, from David, and from Teddy...

Coming Soon!