Day 20

Arches National Park & Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Weather: Day 87 Night 51

The campground here on the point is SO quiet! There was absolutely no noise last night, and even upon waking this morning-very still. We could see the sun break over the ridge from our bedroom window.

Dennis and Eric had a quick breakfast and then went out for a mountain bike ride. The trail leads off right from the campground, and they did the 4 mile section called the Pyramid Loop. They were pretty much the only ones on the trail, and it was moderately technical-some steep areas, some rocky areas-but they had fun navigating and doing some rock jumps. They saw what looked like some mountain lion tracks and also saw a rabbit and 4 mule deer! Just a little bit of wildlife viewing up here.

Bay and Leah got some time to play with their camping toys outside in the sand and dirt (which they love doing) we got packed up to do our day hiking trip. We headed down the mountain to Arches National Park. The temps today were expected to be in the high 80’s, and so we wanted to get going on our hike before it go too hot. We started out at the Windows area of the park. There was a short hike up to 3 different window arches. We learned that for a formation to be classified as an arch, it must have an opening at least 3 feet in any direction. A window is nothing more than an arch that seems to have a view when looked through it. Seeing the window arches from a distance was really neat, but there was something awe inspiring to get right up underneath them and see them up close. We found ourselves just standing and contemplating  at each one. The beauty and magnificence of the arches and how they are just suspended over air was beautiful. God’s creativity and flair for the extravagant was evident in each formation. The kids asked several times, “Who made these arches?” It was a different type of experience for them-looking at Mt. Rushmore, we can see that man carved those images out of the stone. Looking at these formations, it is clear that only God could have carved such exquisite and lavish stonework using his instruments-sand, wind and water.

We drove through to the very end of the park where the Devils Garden formations are. Here, the heat of the day was starting to bear down on us, but we had to see the Landscape Arch, one of the more famous of the arches. We stopped at two other arches on our hike, and they were each impressive in their own ways-Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch. Walking on the trail to Landscape Arch were a series of tall up-croppings, called “fins”. Aptly named, they look like huge shark or airplane tail fins jutting up out of the desert. It was pleasant to walk alongside them, as they offered a 10 degree drop in temperature in their shade. After many short stops for drinks of water along the way, we made it to Landscape Arch. This arch spans 100 yards, and is the largest arch in the park. In 1991, a huge slab of rock fell from the arch while some people were resting underneath it. They heard the snapping and cracking of the rock and were able to move out of the way before 180 tons of rock fell to the ground below. Since then, access to the area directly under this arch has been closed off. I can only imagine how scary that must have been!

 The entrance to Arches Park is so dramatic-as in many of the parks. The drive in-many hairpin turns up the side of a mountain with steep cliffs and far views is nearly as great as the park itself!

 One of the many arches

 We spent a good amount of time underneath this arch. The cool shade and views helped foster the contemplative mood.

 Hanging out in the shadow of the arch

The walk up to another arch. The sandstone formations were so bizarre and intriguing all at once.

We left Arches Park and headed into the town of Moab to get a few errands done: ice cream at the end of a long, hot day; a carwash for the Subaru; gas in the car; a sticker for the camper and souvenirs for some; and wi-fi at the local coffee shop to figure out where we are staying next!

Before turning back to the campsite, we decided we’d better take a drive through the upper section of Canyonlands National Park, since our campground is only about 7 miles from the entrance. Canyonlands is divided into 3 sections, and the part that we are closest to and have access to from here is the “Island in the Sky” district. Basically, you drive out on the mesa, across a narrow neck of land and you are on the Island. It is huge and the views are tremendous all around. We drove close to sunset, and so the light was perfect for viewing the canyons below. Canyonlands is named because it is surrounded by deep canyons in the sandstone. We drove to the furthest point, Grand View Point, and got out to watch the sun sink below the horizon. The canyon was magnificent-there are several layers of canyon, each going deeper, finally down to the level of the Colorado River. Of course, this is not the Grand Canyon, but for us, at this point, it was grand to see.

 I love this picture-this was the hottest place we visited on our trip so far-we drank a lot of water and were pretty warm

 A nice family shot!

 Eric in a shady alcove

 Landscape Arch-it is hard to believe that it spans 100 yards!

 Some of the micro-organisms forming a soil base for the plants to form roots and holding the rocks and sandstone together underneath

The kids loved this little canyon. There was a space that went uphill between two tall fins and it was filled with sand. I don't have any idea how it formed, but they had a blast running up and down the hill, carrying each other and falling down at the end. Of course they were covered in sand by the time they were done, but it was hilarious to watch them!

Back at the campsite, we got to grill out for the first time-as charcoal cooking is allowed in their grills! We had a late dinner of hot dogs and brats, and even got to roast marshmallows for the first time! After cleaning up from dinner, we all set up our chairs and viewed the night sky. We saw many constellations, falling stars, and of course the depth of the milky way. It is easy to understand, in ancient civilizations, and even some more recent, how the people were so connected with the night sky. Without lights all around, the sky seems to come alive at night out here, and it could be very easy to become so familiar with the night sky that it would influence life as much as it did. I was thinking back to the book of Job in the Bible; even then, the constellations were named and the stars were a vital part of life.