A rubber strip around the windshield started coming out and rather than having this thing flapping in the breeze, we purchased the solution to many of life’s problems—duct tape.
Having solved the problem we continued our journey to Arches National Park near Moab UT. Upon entering and saving another $20 (!) we watched an orientation video at the Visitors’ Center, then proceeded to the Delicate Arch trailhead. In the park there are over 2,000 documented arches, some formed up to 100 million years ago. On the road to the trailhead we passed a number of interesting rock formations.
The Organ
The Three Gossips
and the Balanced Rock
The trail to Delicate Arch was moderately difficult but well worth the effort. A lot of the trail was over “slick rock,” which was smoothly eroded rock and was sometimes “slick” from dirt or sand. Here are a few shots of the trail up to Delicate Arch.
Susan on the slick rock portion of trail. Note the trail is marked with stacks of small rocks called cairns.
Near the end. That’s quite a drop off to Susan’s right. Maybe that’s why she’s hugging the other side.
Our effort paid off in these spectacular views of Delicate Arch. To give some perspective, the arch is 52 feet tall. The arch is on the brink of a canyon with the La Sal Mountains forming the backdrop.
Less spectacular
On our return hike we viewed the Ute Indian petroglyphs carved on the side of a cliff near the trailhead.
After Delicate Arch we hiked to a number of other arches, including. . .
Pine Tree Arch
Turret Arch
and Landscape Arch. Landscape is 306 feet long from base to base and is 6 feet thick at its narrowest point. In 1991 a slab 60 feet long and 4 feet thick fell from the underside. Needless to say, tourists are no longer allowed to walk beneath Landscape Arch.
The thinnest section—6 feet thick
This is going to fall one of these days
Another section of Arches National Park we didn’t have time to visit was Fiery Furnace which you can see in the background of this photo.
As the end of day approached we were at the North and South Windows Arches and got a few photos as the sun set. Note the changing colors of the rocks.
The sun was setting as we left the Windows Arches area and it was the end of another great day.
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