ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Landscape Arch, worth viewing after an up-and-down 1.6 mile trek

Yesterday we made a day trip to Arches National Park. The park entrance is only a couple of miles north of Moab, where we are staying at the Moab Rim Campark. What a beautiful park this is, full of so many different colors, textures and rock formations, including 'petrified' sand dunes.

There are numerous turnoffs and viewing areas throughout the park.

Landforms like the one at the left are sticking up all over the place. On one of them we saw a climber at the very top! Ellen jokingly said that that was something son Matt would do. Probably so, except that he would skydive or hanglide down!

The weather was perfect, but honestly, when we were done, we both felt pretty gritty and sandy. It was the best workout we've had in quite a while.

Throughout the park it was amazing to see so many different license plates from the US and Canada, and to hear so many foreign languages. This photo was taken by a guy from France.

Here is Ellen smiling in front of Tunnel Arch, and then me under Sandstone Arch. Some of these places are really hard to get to because of the fine and deep sand...it is much like trudging along a very sandy beach--without the water as a coolant!!!













Finally, what makes Moab look like a lot fun to be at are the inordinate number of 4x4's and ATVs and offroad bikes. There are scads of them. At our RV Park two out three RV's are toy haulers!Next time through we might just have one of our own to explore the natural beauty of this corner of the Beehive State!