Saturday, May 23, 2015

Arches National Park

The drive from Panguitch to Moab was smooth. We did have some significant uphill grades, but downshifting kept the engine temperature within the safe range. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. I grew up in a mid-west city, and spent most of thirty years in the coastal mountains of California. I am awed by the huge rock formations at every turn. 



Our current location at Archview RV Park is close to two National Parks and at least one major State Park. 

On Thursday we headed over to Arches National Park. I could post several hundred images of what we saw there, but I will try to limit it to a few.

One of the many enormous fins of sandstone.  This is several city blocks long.












   Of course I can't have a post about rocks without at least one dead tree.



These are called the North and South Window, but other rock people would prefer to call them The Spectacles.

The more you look at rocks, the more things you start to see.
We called this group the Three Kings:








Then I spotted this grumpy bearded man:



This cloud formation seemed to mimic the rock pile to the left:



It did get a bit stormy for a short while. We stayed in the Jeep and had our lunch sandwiches during a brief cloudburst, but it passed and the sunshine returned.

 Of the "over two thousand" arches in the park, the Double Arch was one of our favorites. Notice how tiny the people look!



Speaking of favorites, I really like this closeup Craig took looking up at the Double Arch above him.



There are many odd piles of rock in the park. One wonders why some tumble down and some stay up. This is the most famous of the balancing rocks.



We will be going back for at least one more day since we still have so much to see, but it probably won't be until next week sometime.

Meanwhile these are a couple of local residents we saw:



As Judy would say: "The End"!


10 comments:

  1. These are just beautiful! Like you, after growing up in California and really not going anywhere else but north, I was amazed at the rock formations in Idaho and Utah. Just amazed! And to see them in person, wow! The red rocks are just amazing, and the formations are endless. Thanks for posting these! :)

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  2. So cool to see this through your eyes...we didn't make it to Arches, but wanted to...just love your photos. How's the weather there as far as temps?

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  3. It really is hard to pick just a few pictures isn't it. There is beauty everywhere you look.

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  4. Great header photo for sure. Have been to the Arches a couple times & only saw a fraction of the true beauty there. Have never understood when some other Blogger folks visited & said they were disappointed. Must have been on a bus tour with the window blinds down on a moonless night in a rain storm!! I think the Arches are a great place..............except for all the darn people all over the place that is.

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    1. Al, you've got to appreciate that 1/8 of all the darn people are attractive young females. Once you can orient your viewing in accord with this observation, the world looks much better!

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  5. We had a lot of photos to go through too.

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  6. Beautiful photos! I've hiked to Delicate Arch a couple of times, but always get a little freaked near the end where there's a narrow ledge with a big drop-off If you're still in the area and want a great burger find "Milt's Stop and Eat!" It's not fancy, but so yummy! Safe travels....

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  7. Love your pictures. Looking forward to seeing the again this year as well.

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  8. Your photos give me a taste of what it is like to be there. One of these years we'll take several months and do the American south west and cover some of your tracks. I'll keep your blog handy!

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  9. Enjoy seeing the huge rock formations after a rain. It brings the brilliant red color out.

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