2001: Heading to Moab for the first time

My first trip was driven by my desire to see Arches National Park, which is just to the north of Moab. It seemed like a good place to go for a long weekend. I know, it's a bit far, but I've never let that stop me before. I found decent air fare, and decent connecting flights - Boston to Denver, Denver to Grand Junction. Everything just clicked, so the planning continued...

I started looking for a place to stay in Moab. I was leaning toward a B&B, and I really wanted the place to be in walking distance of the center of town. Even though I would have a car on this trip, I like to be able to walk to get food. I was also looking for a place that was reasonably priced, and many of the B&Bs were outside of my target price range. There is a hostel in town, but I wasn't in a hostel mood... I found a funky sounding hotel that turned out to be wonderful - the Hotel Off Center. The name is a bit odd, but the place was wonderful. The owners are very friendly, and very bicycle oriented. Unlike other hotels in town that don't welcome bicycles, the Hotel Off Center welcomes bicycles in the rooms along with their owners. The rooms - well they are definitely interesting. Each room has a theme - one looks like a beach, one like a mine shaft, one like... well, I'm sure you get the picture! The bathrooms are down the hall - and they turned out to be spotless, with extra towels waiting to be claimed. Guests generally sat in their rooms with the doors open, leading to many conversations...

When I called to make a reservation for 5 nights I found that the Hotel Off Center had a room available for the first 2 nights and the last 2 nights that I needed, but not for the night in the middle. Hmmm... what to do? If this was a tour I'd be moving every day, so I decided that switching hotels wouldn't be too much of a pain. I took the 4 available nights and reserved a room in a more standard hotel for the missing night. I asked to be notified if there was a cancellation, but as it turned out I did have to move out for a night and then move back in. The plus to this hotel movement was that I got to experience two different rooms at the Hotel Off Center!

Update on November 5, 2006:The Hotel Off Center changed hands a couple of years ago, and along with new owners it also sported a new name. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any reference to the old hotel. And based on this article, this wonderful property appears to be gone. The linked article references some other motels in Moab that are bicycle-friendly.

OK, that's it. Plane reservations, a place to stay, a rental car, it's time to pack my bike and take off.