Boxcar Bridge
We hadn't even been over in that area south of Moab so we were looking forward to checking out the scenery. We also didn't really know what to expect from the trail. It was going to be a good start to a fun week in Moab.
Mark and Robert had been working on their Jeeps for awhile, long enough to fall off of the "current members" list for the group. Both of their Jeeps started out as fairly standard YJ models but ended up with lots of modifications. This was the first trail run for both of them since doing all of the upgrades, and both were pretty excited to see how their "new" rigs would do on the trails.
Andrew had driven all night from Texas, arriving in Moab early that morning. We hoped he wouldn't just pass out on the trail.
The trail started out on an easy dirt road where we aired down to smooth out the bumps. We stopped at Looking Glass Rock and almost everyone hiked up into the arch. Everyone had a grin from ear to ear. That's a good way to start the trip!
We ended up starting the network of trails at the end of the trail, running the rest of it in the opposite direction. It would have been a bit more fun running it as it's described here on the Web site, so we'll do that next time.
That meant that we hit the wash right away instead of at the end. It was very green, especially for Moab. We stopped for a little bit to enjoy the shade and the scenery.
We had a marker on the GPS for Boxcar Bridge, but we didn't have any idea what it was. Was it a natural bridge or something man-made? Was it something made out of a boxcar? We got out of the Jeeps and looked all over the place, but no one found anything. It was disappointing.
Soon after looking for the bridge, we stopped for lunch. We had a nice, leisurely lunch, and as we were packing up we spotted Boxcar Bridge up on a ridge. It was just a coincidence! It turned out that it was a natural bridge.
We cut through a ravine soon after lunch, and that was pretty fun. Soon after that, the trail became very straight and easy. We turned to stay as close to the mesa's edge as we could, heading for what we hoped was an overlook.
We found the overlook, but we couldn't get as close to the edge as we'd hoped. Still, the views were good. Mark and Robert tested their flex by driving up on each other's tires. Everyone was impressed. Wow!
We soon found our way out and we were on the gravel road. We headed out to Anticline Overlook to do the Canyon Rim Overlooks trail. Boxcar Bridge ended up being a fun trail.
