Utah - Arches NP - 13 May 2011

Photo 1: Whatever type of bush this is, it has the sweetest smelling flower...wonderful!

Photo 2: What 'Arches' National Park is famous for.

Photo 3: One of the panoramic views through Arches NP.

We had another busy but relaxing day. The sun was shining, it was about 76 degrees with a nice wind, especially up in the mountain ranges in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

If there was any disappointment today, it was that most of the arches are well off the beaten path which means strapping a water bladder to your back and hiking for 3-5 miles in the sun. Well, that wasn't going to happen so I had to be satisfied with the smaller arches that were close to the road. Overall, it was a glorious park and I'm so glad we made the effort to see it.

The most dramatic scenes in the park were the massive boulders and rocks that seem to be balanced so precariously on top of one another and I can't help but wonder what the timeline is for some of these giants to slide off the base they are perched on. In some places you can see large slabs that have fallen and clearly see the area they used to occupy. Most of the large mesas have numerous slabs on each of them that are clearly cracked and it's the continuous rain/freezing/warming /wind that eventually causes them to fall. Had a Ranger been handy, I would have asked if anyone had ever witnessed something like that. Given that these rocks are thousands of years old, I doubt it.

Moab is quite the little town! It reminds me somewhat of Banff...lots of young people and even more mountain bikes, ATVs, hiking boots & climbing equipment stores and bars. The town is completely surrounded by huge red cliffs so sits in a bit of a 'bowl' and the Colorado River runs through it. We made a trek down to see the river...just because we could...and depending on where you see it, it can be a large raging river or a bitty stream. There are so many dams on this river that I'm surprised there's anything left to flow into the Gulf. I think Moab is a major recreation area for northern Utah citizens. I was keeping an eye out for a place to bungy jump over the Colorado but didn't see anything.........

We start heading back South tomorrow and will be spending the night in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Shay). It's a beautiful area with more of those stripped colours all though the hills.

Hope Spring is in full swing when I get home and while I hate to have missed the Tulip Festival, I think the 15,000 tulip photos I already have will get me through. Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx