Midwest Motorhoming Trip - June 8th

June 8^th:

Arches!!! Arches National Park!

I got out of bed about when I woke up, because there would be no sleeping in today! We were set on spending all day in the park, as we paid for another day here in Moab. We’ve spent a lot of time on the road anyway, a day to walk and rest and enjoy some sites was much needed.

At 9:30ish we made it into Arches and right away it was magnificent. Just expansive and mostly untouched. Rock formations and plants and space as far as the eye can see. There were not many roads throughout the place, mostly just one with several loops. Would be easy to get lost and never found in there, if one wandered off. Still, with the impressive arch landmarkers, it would be hard to stay lost. Just walk towards one and there is sure to be a trail. Every single arch seemed to have a name.

We stopped at a scenic spot and this was our first of three run ins with a nice young guy named James. There were many people I saw multiple times through the day, but James was the only one with which we made conversation.

Between each scenic spot we took a rest of various lengths, were we nibbled on food and hydrated.

North and South Windows was probably the highlight of the park for us. My second post card of the day (my first was at Courthouse Columns or something of that nature) was in the shade of North Windows. They were the perfect balance of hike and view. Some things that were obviously pretty required a heck of a trek (the iconic Delicate Arch was a three mile hike which we did not take).

After Windows we had sandwiches for lunch and then walked down a ways to see some more sites.

Balancing Rock was neat, though a lot smaller up close. We walked around it and took pictures. I’ll upload pictures of the trip at the end. I ended up with about 50-60 pictures from today alone.

Dry heat is nice because you don’t get so sticky with sweat, but it is also really easy to get dehydrated. And the water tastes funky in Utah. Not nice Pacific Northwest water.

We trekked the Delicate Arch viewpoint, which gives a nice view of it from the distance. I did my third postcard there. I used sun block consistently; Dad did not and ended up with a red neck. Mom slightly did, but is still a bit pink in spots. I think I got some color but I’m not burnt, all though the back of my arms are a tad pink. Because I worked with my back to the sun, they were the most exposed.

I wore sneakers so I didn’t have to worry about my tattoo getting exposed. Gotta take care of that. It is almost fully healed.

At the Sand Dunes Arch, I sat on the sand and made my fourth and final watercolor post card of the day. A cute little girl named Anya was playing in the sand. She was very pleasant.

We took a small section of the Devil’s Garden hike. There were some Austrian biker men on the path, that was neat. Such great views. I wish I could spend more time painting them. Too bad it was easily 90 degrees. But I did quite well with the heat, all things considered.

All in all, Arches is very beautiful. We spent eight hours exploring it, which seemed to be just the right amount of time. Took many breaks and didn’t push ourselves. Just allowed enjoyment of the natural beauty of the world.

I got a “you have a real talent” and a “that’s no paint by numbers!” in regards to my postcard making. Love it!

We returned at 6:30 and promptly took a dip in the pool. Dinner was burgers, vegetables, and rice pilaf. Delicious! I gulped down juice. We followed it up with an episode of Last Chance to See, hosted by Stephen Fry. Tomorrow we leave Moab and go to Canyon Lands!

Today’s Portrait is: Tim Minchin