Moab & the Tusher Tunnel

Our first day in Moab we decided to go off-roading along a new trail – one that took us to a place called the Tusher Tunnel.  The scenery was beautiful!  Take a look!

Off the Road

This is the start of today’s journey!  I really like the texture of what ended up being sort of monoliths.  The road led up and around them……and on to……..

Jeff in Tusher Tunnel

A small path (and semi-rocky, but short climb) led us to the entrance to Tusher Tunnel.  Jeff walked in it first, and then lit up his flashlight to show me the tunnel was actually something we could walk in.  Onward!

Jeff & Miki at the end of the Tunnel

Jeff & Miki waited for me at the end of the tunnel, which seemed to promise some really great views….

A Peek

As I got closer to the far side of the tunnel, I could see that it was going to open up to a really wonderful view!  It was rather cool to walk thru the dark tunnel and truly see the light at the end of it!  I think the tunnel was about ¼ - ½ the length of a city block, so it did get very dark when walking thru the middle of it.

Open View

And, here was part of the view!  I have to admit, I was quite surprised when the expanse was as open as it was!  For some reason, I thought it would open up to a smaller canyon or something – not something so open and grand!

Natural Lines

Here’s a view looking off in another direction from the mouth of the tunnel.  We were sort of walking on a path on the edge of the side of the bluff in which the tunnel was formed.  That sounds a lot scarier than it was.  There was no sheer drop off of the path and it was a rather wide walkway!

Hidden in the Tunnel

There was another smaller sort of tunnel or cave that we found walking along the backside of the tunnel, as I think of it.  Inside this smaller tunnel, we found this natural formation of what looked like a perfect circle, created naturally it seems.  We couldn’t figure out how it was created, since the tunnel or cave was dry, with no water or wetness in it to suggest any sort of erosion.  Really interesting and cool!

Miki Leads the Way

Miki grew tired of exploring that small tunnel/cave and was eager for us to move on and explore other things!

Leaving the Tunnel

Here’s a view of Jeff walking back thru the main tunnel to where our Jeep was parked.  This image gives you a good feeling of how dark it was inside the tunnel.  Before I stopped to shoot this image, I was walking with my hands up around my head, so I didn’t accidentally hit my head on the side of the tunnel.  It had a very slight bend in it, and I would have clunked myself on the head had I not done that!  But, time to move on to the next adventure!

Enjoy!