Moab Part Two

In the spirit of keeping up with blogging, I need to wrap up Moab because I ain’t in Moab no more. So, when last we spoke, I was on the mend from a wee spill I took on my wee bicycle. I realized shortly after my last post that I would need a few more days to heal before getting back on my bike, so I packed up my wee little tent and my great big air mattress and hit the road. But, before I left, I had one more night in Moab.

There’s a joint on the Arches National Park end of Moab called “The Atomic”.  To me, it appeared to be a little burger joint. But it was right next to my campground and I was curious to see what it was about. From the outside, it looked like a restaurant from the opening credits of the Jetsons. But on the inside, it was a hip little place. There was a small dining room area and a bar. I sat at the bar and ordered a “Polygamy Porter” (It’s Utah. I get the feeling that the beer brewers here have a contentious relationship with the Mormon dominated government and vent that angst through their often hilarious beer names).

I struck up a conversation with the gentleman serving me, Michael. He was part owner of the establishment and after a few words, he asked me if I wanted a tour of the place. He’d just become an investor, canceling his plans to move to St. Croix to instead try his luck as a restaurateur in Moab. He walked me around to show me his work in progress, which was a large outdoor bar in the back and a big patio area. 

Michael at The Atomic

The best part about the place was the menu. The other owner (erstwhile solo owner, and now partner with Michael) is a gourmet chef named Tim. As Michael showed me around the place I notice photos of people like Anthony Bourdain and Emeril standing next to this guy I didn’t recognize.  I then found out that the guy in the pictures was Tim, the other owner.  Their menu had some incredible looking stuff. I went for the “buffalo meatloaf and pasta”. They know what they’re doing.

They had a band that night. An Americana style quartet that the aforementioned owner, Tim, played harmonica in. I’d eaten good, I’d gotten a tour. And then I met these fellow travelers who turned out to be knuckleheads like myself. Their names are Bill and Randy, but by the end of the night their names were "Anthrax Bill" and "Woody Harrelson with a Smaller Head".

Bill and Randy

So, it was a fun last night in Moab. Even though I didn’t get to do all the riding I had hoped to do, I still had a lot of fun here. As I've said before, the best part about traveling like this is all the people you meet. If you ever visit, do not miss The Atomic and say hello to Michael, and definitely eat something.

The next morning, I hit the road again. My ultimate destination was a 14-hour drive, but I split it into two days to give myself an extra rest day. I spent a night at the halfway point, which was Elko, NV. Not much to speak of here, unless you like Casinos. The drive itself was beautiful, but really windy. I passed the Great Salt Lake and many miles of desert and salt flats. My little car was getting blown around a bit, so even though the speed limit for much of the drive was 80, I was going granny-speed. Then, the following morning I headed out to my new home for the week, which is the coolest little town I think I’ve ever been in. I’ll tell you all about it next time. Thanks for reading!

The Great Salt Lake. See the people waaaay out there?