In this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Lost Angel Travel Adventures" Podcast, travel writer and author Linda Ballou takes us to Moab, Utah, the red-rock gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. She shares how a chance meeting in an airport led to her first kayak trip down Labyrinth Canyon on the Green River, and how much Moab has changed in the twenty years since her first visit.

Along the way, Linda and Lisa explore the scenic drive along the Colorado River to the film museum at Red Cliffs Lodge, the outlaws and moonshiners who once hid in Labyrinth Canyon, and the wonders of Arches, from Park Avenue to the Courthouse and the Three Gossips. They also talk about Edward Abbey and Desert Solitaire, his fight to stop the damming of Glen Canyon, the toll of the uranium mining days, and what a river can teach us about going with the flow.

Watch the full episode below or listen to / download the audio version on Podbean:

LABYRINTH CANYON: AN EXCERPT FROM LINDA'S MOAB GUIDE
By Linda Ballou

The silt-laden river is flat throughout Labyrinth Canyon, so it is best navigated by kayak. The ominous deep red rock walls are glazed with desert varnish (iron oxide) and stained with a dark patina.

If you want to learn more about this seductive region, read my story "Getting River Wise" in my book Lost Angel Walkabout. In it I share how kayaking through Labyrinth Canyon changed my life.

Being on the river with a cooling breeze and splashes from rapids is my favorite way to explore this region, which often soars to over 100 degrees, but there are plenty of options.

Read Linda's full Moab guide, with Arches, Canyonlands, Cataract Canyon, and the film history of the region, at NABBW.com.

Have a Question for Linda? Ask us on our Contact Page.