Another Giant Hole : Utah Lotsa Parks, part 2

Day 3 : Arches National Park

We got our Camelbaks filled (they recommend 1gal/per person a day) and headed out to Arches. It was a hot, amazing, and WINDY day. Forewarning, this post is image heavy. I got seriously trigger-happy.

Dan’s either keeping count or throwing up gang signs.

Moooooooooooon!

 

 

 

Art lesson time! Do you know why pictures like this, where the red-orange earth is framed by the blue sky, look so dynamic? That’s because orange and blue are on opposite sides of the color wheel and are called complementary colors. The edge where the two colors meet will look sharper or even 3-dimensional. Art science!!

Our first hike of the day. It’s called Park Avenue because walking among the towering stones reminded early visitors of the New York skyline.

 

 

The big rock balancing up top is called Queen Nefertiti.

 

Obsessed with these twisted husks of trees.

 

Ob. Sessed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The collection of large rocks on the left is called “The Three Gossips.” The lil’ guy on the right is called “Sheep Rock.”

 

Windy!

https://www.youtube.com/v/SBGb-rOug78?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata

 

Back on the scenic drive. The little spires are called “hoodoos.”

 

Petrified sand dunes.

 

Looks familiar. Also, that little book was SO helpful during out trip. Thanks Lonely Planet!

 

 

 

 

The Windows Section. We did a quick drive thru to check out the logistics, etc with the thought that we could come back after our hike to Delicate Arch. Well… we didn’t go back. So all we have are shots from the car (couldn’t find a place to park). Alas, I guess I’ll have to go back.

People are crawling all over the place like ants!

 

Delicate Arch hike. First you clamber up slickrock, then wind around a sandy canyon. The final portion you’re on a ledge, all the while you never see the actual arch until you’re at the very end of the trail. It was one of my favorite hikes on the whole trip, even though flies were biting, it was insanely hot and, oh yeah, the wind gusts were 50MPH!

 

Ute petroglyphs.

 

You can see the trail on the left. It climbs up that light tan area, which is the slickrock. As it was dry, dry, dry, the rock was the farthest from being actually slick.

 

Looking back down the trail from the slickrock.

 

Starting the ledge part of the trail.

 

Aaaaaaalmost at the end of the trail.

 

Once you turn the corner, boom. There it is. Such a nice surprise.

 

How the hell does it not fall over?!

This is what’s on the other side of the arch. Nothing! Just one doozy of a first step.

 

The lay of the land: In this first shot I’m standing next to the arch and looking back across “the bowl” toward the trailhead and the ledge you have to scramble over to enter the bowl area. One of those people over yonder is Dan, who understandably had a hard time making it over the ledge with the wind blowing like it was. I on the other hand was acting like a mosquito to a bug zapper and lost my brains. I had to walk under the arch!  In the second photo I zoomed in so you can see Dan, the ledge, and everyone’s hair blowing around.

 

 

In love. It’s like someone forgot to pick up their toys and it’s just sitting there.

 

 

I could’ve stayed there all day, wind or no wind.

Back on the scenic drive. We made our way to the Firey Furnace (a maze of slot canyons that you can take a ranger-led hike thru) and down the road to Broken Arch. Our journey stopped there for 2 reasons. First, the rest of the road was closed, so no Devil’s Garden hike. Dan thinks it’s a government conspiracy. Second, the wind had gotten so bad that we were losing layers of skin the longer we stayed outside. Just a few more things that will have me wanting to go back for another visit.

Firey Furnace.

 

Broken Arch and the field of Sandblasting-You-To-Death.

We then backtracked out of the park, marveling at how the stone structures changed in the late afternoon light and made our way back to Moab. We got a room at the ohsocharming Adventure Inn (solid wifi so I could watch the season finale of Game of Thrones! Priorities.) and had a delicious meal at the Moab Brewery. Triumphant!

Delicious, albeit low-alcohol-content, rewards.