Vacation 2010 - Day 14

Today we took a trip into Arches National Park. Since we were staying in Moab (UT) we were only a couple of minutes from the park entrance. We started driving into the park and stopped right at the beginning at a point from where have a great look at the Moab Fault. We then continued driving through the park. And the same thing as in Glacier National Park was happening. You see one absolutely great view and you turn around to find an even more amazing view. We got to see lots of a absolutely amazing rock formations. Those have to been experienced personally. Words are just a very inadequate way to describe them.
Our next stop was a point called Courthouse Towers. An absolutely stunning rock formation. Kenny and I took lots of pix and video. Next up was a stop at the Petrified Sand Dunes. As the name suggests that is a rock formation that looks like sand dunes frozen in stone. Again we took enough time to take pictures and video. Up next was the Balanced Rock. This formation features a large rock being balanced on a very small surface. I have roughly an idea how that thing got to be created, but it still looks like as if the rock would be coming down at any minute.
We stopped at a formation called the Garden of Eden. We got out walked a little around and took pix and video. When I looked at the entire formation I really couldn't see how they came up with that name. It looked way more like "Lot's Garden" to me.
Next up was our first real arch. This feature was called Windows. I walked up and took quite lots of video. I got also to take same video of the second arch of the Windows arch feature. Then I walked over to an very cool looking arch, called Turret arch. After I was done taking video I walked back to the car and it was Kenny's turn to walk to the arch to take pictures, since dogs are not allowed on trails in Arches National Park. Next up was an overview point from where you have a very good overlook over the 'Salt Valley'.
Next we checked out the "Delicate Arch". Kenny walked up first and checked out the lower and the upper view point. Turns out that it doesn't really matter which view point you choose, you pretty much have the same view. The only way to get a really good look of that arch, would be to take the 3 mile long hike to the arch, what we couldn't do since we had Daisy with us. So I only walked to the lower view point and took video.
After that we drove further towards the end of the road. This point was called "Fiery Furnace" and is definitely that needs to be experienced in person. I've seen formation like that before, but not in that color and not so many of them all in one place. The next stop was an arch called "Skylight Arch". It's a very cool looking arch. Kenny walked up first to take pictures. Once he got back, it was my turn. I walked up to the arch and took video. I saw some people right inside the arch and tried to find a way up there. But I wasn't successful with that. Either there is an easier way from a different side... as the only way from this side would have been some really serious rock climbing.
Once we were done with that, we drove to "Devils Garden", were the road ends. We took pix and video, but couldn't go up to any of the features since that would have been a longer hike and since dogs are not allowed on trails that wasn't an option. So we didn't see Landscape Arch and a couple of other arches.
While driving back we checked out a dirt road for a very short time. If we had continued we could have checked out Tower Arch and then made the decision to take a 4x4 trail back to one of the first park features we checked out, or continue on the dirt road through Salt Valley and get back to Highway 191. If it would have been solely up to me I would have done that without any question... after all I'm the the one who is always up for an adventure. Kenny on the other hand not so much. So we got back on the main road and drove back to the hotel. So in all it was a really amazing day... a little on the hot side maybe, but really fun!!