Stop 16: Arches National Park, UT

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We arrived to Arches National Park no earlier than midnight. We had driven twelve hours from Lake Tahoe AND we had lost an hour due to the time change. Even in the dark, it was clear that we had left the colorful terrain common to Lake Tahoe and had arrived in the desert. That night we fell asleep almost as soon as our heads hit the pillow and we didn’t bother getting out of bed until about 1 o’clock the next day. When we did manage to get out of the motel, we grabbed some lunch and walked around the shops of downtown Moab (which was quite adorable!) before driving to the Arches.

The Arches National Park was beautiful. Various red rock formations towered over us as we wound our way up the mountain in our beloved Ford Focus. Brian and I decided to take on the heat and hike to one of the largest arches in the park. It was a short hike, and while we had enjoyed it, we decided to leave the park for the time being and return later on when the sun had gone down a bit, before making the longer, 3-mile hike to “Delicate Arch.”

When we returned to the park around 7:30, we were a little surprised to find the trail to Delicate Arch was almost entirely uphill. Luckily, the view of the arch at the end was worth it. The arch seemed to stand apart from the rest of the landscape. For awhile, Brian and I just sat and admired the arch from a distance, but it’s impossible to appreciate its size until you’re standing directly under it. We had someone take a picture of us underneath the arch and you can barely even notice us waving our outstretched hands in the air. For about an hour, we enjoyed watching the colors on the arch become even more vivid as the sun set, however, it soon became apparent that if we didn't start hiking back to the car soon, we'd be hiking completely in the dark, so we turned away from the gorgeous arch and began walking. But before seriously making our way back, we took had some fun making fun of the many Europeans we'd seen taking pictures as if they'd discovered the place...you know...hands on hips, one foot forward, looking out over the horizon! We also climbed up on some other arches for some pictures. Finally we hiked back (much easier since it was mostly downhill) and headed for the motel.

Overall, Brian and I agree that the unique rock formations of the Arches National Park make it one of the most beautiful and distinctive places in the world. Definitely a must if you plan on traveling out west!

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Comments

[Mac Daddy]

About Time
Well, it is about time you showed the Ford Focus some love. I hope you take it in for repairs immediately upon arriving home and don't "cheap out" when restoring it's beauty from the hard drive you guys have been putting it through on this trip!