October 2-4, 2010
We woke to another glorious day, full of anticipation and excitement. Once we were on the road, it did not take long to cross into Utah. Driving into Arches National Park was spectacular; a grand display of towering spirals, fins, pinnacles, and of course some of the more than 2000 natural stone arches that the park is famous for. We passed formations called Court House Towers, Three Gossips and Balanced Rock. Although Arches did not become a national park until 1971, its formation began over 300 million years ago from the forces of gravity, ice, and water creating this natural gallery of art.
Bob's brother Dan recommended that we reserve site 52 at the Devils Garden Campground and it was perfect, nestled in some unique red rock formations. Thanks Dan!
After getting settled and relaxing, we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner, a lovely sunset, and a rather boring ranger talk at the amphitheater.
Skyline Arch looms over the amphitheater: it is amazing to think that it started out as a narrow strip of sandstone called a fin. As the water seeped into it, froze, and then expanded, it caused chunks of rock to fall off. Eventually, gravity and erosion formed the arch.
The plan for morning was to leave early for a long hike in Devils Garden. When we got to the trail head, my sister-in-law, Gail asked us if anything looked familiar. As we looked out, she reminded us that the graphics on the side of our Laredo is what we saw before us.
The temperature was just right for hiking but we knew that the sun would be beating down before long. If my memory is correct, I think that we saw 13 arches on the 9 mile hike, including the famous Landscape Arch. One of the longest natural sandstone arches in the world, measuring 306' long and at one point only 6' thick. It is not a place that you want to be underneath; in 1995 a huge chunk fell off and was captured on video.
When we got to Double O Arch, we took a primitive trail that looped back to the main trail. The description described it as “strenuous: expect narrow ledges with exposure to heights, with rocky surface hiking and scrambling on slickrock”. I have to say, it was accurate except for the part that they omitted, “expect a rapid heart rate at anytime” and that did not have anything to do with being strenuous, just plain scared! But it was worth every step.
We were thankful to have a shower to jump into when we returned but not before enjoying a nice cold beer. After a lovely dinner with wonderful traveling companions, we decided to forgo the ranger talk and enjoy the night sky. Arches is one of the Parks that avoids lights at night and as a result, the starry night is breathtaking.
The next morning as I was just getting out of bed, I saw Dan, Gail, Bob and Sue coming to our door ready for a hike. Oops, I thought that we were leaving at 8 am. I got ready in record time while Bob pulled the covers up and mumbled something about, “have a good one”. The trail head was right next to our site and took us to Sand Dune Arch, Broken Arch, and Tapestry Arch.
It was a nice easy trail with rabbitbrush, yucca, and desert sunflowers that looped back to our campground. Bob was outside and I could smell the aroma of bacon sizzling. I count my lucky stars everyday that he is such a good cook! There is not a restaurant that I know of that beats a delicious breakfast in the great outdoors, especially with this view of red rocks, pinyon pines, juniper trees, and our own blue pinyon jay. Our morning was spent reading and relaxing. This is the time that I take a few minutes contemplating and appreciating being retired, healthy enough to travel and really experience the magnificent beauty that our country has to offer. Either Bob or I usually end up repeating our mantra, “this is living”.
In the afternoon, we joined Bob and Sue Hicks for a hike to Delicate Arch beginning at Wolfe Ranch where disabled Civil War Veteran, John Wesley Wolfe and his son settled in the 1800's. Of course, before the settlers, the Puebloan, Fremont, and Ute Indians survived in this arid desert. The hike to the Arch was 3 miles RT but we climbed 480' on slickrock and just before getting to the Arch we had to traverse a rock ledge for about 200 yards. My first thought was that if we had to pass other people, I was clinging to the inside rock wall.
The view of the mesas, Colorado River canyon, La Sal Mountains, and the 45' high Arch was awesome. On the way down, I figured that I had lost count of the number of arches that we had seen but figured it to be over 20...only 1, 980 to go! After getting to our car, we headed into Moab to check out the town and to restock our groceries. Moab is a unique little town with wonderful scenery, including the Colorado River. After getting our groceries, I had planned to visits some of the local shops and galleries but the 85 degree heat and the two hikes changed my mind so we headed for ice cream instead. The shopping will have to wait until next time!
When we got back to the campsite, I jumped in the shower and Bob went outside and started some taco soup for dinner. As he was preparing it, a wind and rain storm came up. He tried to grab as much as he could before the downpour. When I went out later, I found a knife and spoon, onions etc, spread around the campsite. We never did find the cutting board. Needless to say, dinner was inside...a perfect night for soup. Tomorrow, we have to leave for Deadhorse State Park. We could have easily stayed here a week or more. Thanks again Dan and Gail for sharing one of your favorite places with us and for being our fearless leaders.
Please feel free to ask questions, make suggestions, or add your thoughts to the comment section.
Happy Trails,
Judy and Bob
No comments:
Post a Comment