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Red Cliffs Resort (outside Moab, UT)
Rustic. Fences are made of logs. Cowboy motif [horseshoes] in the décor. Gravel roads. Very self-sufficient culture here. Horses walk up to patio to beg for an apple (or other treat). The really big shock happens when one first walks out of the hotel room in daylight. (We arrived very late at night in a rain storm with brilliant lightning.) The Resort is sandwiched between tall red cliffs along the Colorado River. I felt small when I looked at how Mother Nature had twisted this geography.
We arrived around midnight on the night before the tour officially began. At 6:30 AM the following morning we discovered that we were already too late to book horses for the 3.5 hour exploration of the wilderness. Attractions are very popular here and we should have asked Tauck to reserve ponies for us.
There are few planes traveling to this location. Our incoming airport (Grand Junction, CO) was 115 miles from this place. When we arrived, we heard that the flights out of Denver were delayed due to thunderstorms; we used the SLC to GJT connection and arrived OK.
Without horses to distract us, we tried the Lodge's "BBQ luncheon," but it was mostly kiddie fare -- chicken, burgers or hot dogs cooked on a grill accessorized by the fixings (onion, lettuce, tomato, bus) plus cold beans, cold pasta, bags of chips, slaw, potato salad, cookies and lemonade, iced tea or water. (There's an extra charge for soft drinks and or beer -- and they are not offered at the luncheon location anyway.)
For all of you insect lovers, I can report that there are indeed flies when one eats breakfast on the patio. I killed a big moth in my bathroom on the first night. Bring your bug repellent (and sunglasses).
We arrived around midnight on the night before the tour officially began. At 6:30 AM the following morning we discovered that we were already too late to book horses for the 3.5 hour exploration of the wilderness. Attractions are very popular here and we should have asked Tauck to reserve ponies for us.
There are few planes traveling to this location. Our incoming airport (Grand Junction, CO) was 115 miles from this place. When we arrived, we heard that the flights out of Denver were delayed due to thunderstorms; we used the SLC to GJT connection and arrived OK.
Without horses to distract us, we tried the Lodge's "BBQ luncheon," but it was mostly kiddie fare -- chicken, burgers or hot dogs cooked on a grill accessorized by the fixings (onion, lettuce, tomato, bus) plus cold beans, cold pasta, bags of chips, slaw, potato salad, cookies and lemonade, iced tea or water. (There's an extra charge for soft drinks and or beer -- and they are not offered at the luncheon location anyway.)
For all of you insect lovers, I can report that there are indeed flies when one eats breakfast on the patio. I killed a big moth in my bathroom on the first night. Bring your bug repellent (and sunglasses).
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Thank you for your info about the Lodge. We are booked for the Sept. 19th small group trip and are also going a day early. I used to ride horses, but I don't any more because of back pains, so we can't do that on our extra day. We fly from Miami to Dallas on American Airlines and from there to Grand Junction on American Eagle. We arrive in Grand Junction at 3:40 PM, so we probably won't reach The Cliff Lodge until after 5:30 PM. However, we will have the next day free until the Welcome Dinner.
I viewed the Lodge's Website and it looks like the scenery is outstanding. I'm sure that we will find plenty to do during our free time. Thanks for giving us a "heads up" about bringing Bug Repellent. The experiences that Tauck provides for us at the lodge and after, sound wonderful.
We've been watching reports of the fires in Utah and hope that they will be under control before our trip starts.
We are looking forward to this trip (our 12th one with Tauck) and even though we have been to Bryce, Zion and the North Grand Canyon rim, we know that we will enjoy seeing them again.
Please let us know if you have any other useful info about this trip.
Thanks again.
Bev
The rest of the trip also sounds exciting. Before Ken Burn's TV documentary of the National Parks was aired, He personally gave a talk and preview of the show at the University of Miami to our educational TV program members. We were lucky to have a seat at this event and he mesmerized the audience with his gift of speech. He spent a lot of time answering questions and we all looked forward to seeing his documentary. With the knowledge that he teamed up with Tauck to plan this trip assures us of the fantastic experience that we will have.
Thank you all for the info in the Forum.
Bev