Sweet (?) Moab Water

To the casual Moab tourist, this freshet seeping out of the canyon wall doesn't merit a second glance. Locals and long-time visitors know about it though. For years they've been stopping at Matrimony Spring to get a taste of cool clear water, filtered by hundreds of feet of ancient sandstone. According to one legend, those who drink from the spring will be spiritually "married" to the Canyonlands. They will always return to renew their bond to the magical lands of the Colorado Plateau. TSG might be considered living proof of that, having come back several times over the last two decades.

However,  there is a less appealing story to go along with the legend.  Back in 2008, the Utah Health Department ordered the spring closed after two water samples were found to contain traces of total coliform bacteria. The closure did not go over well. The locals remain unconvinced of the health risk; people still stop and fill up mutli-gallon water jugs for home and camp use.  Not usually a risk taker, TSG decided to tempt the fates this afternoon.  The water sure tasted good...and who knows...we survived the end of the world last week, why not roll the dice again?