Today was a spectacular day. Cloudless, blue skies, lower winds, rising temperatures, a perfect day for exploring. And we were so close to the best exploring site – Arches National Park. For those who have not been – if you can get here, I highly recommend that you do.
We packed up the car and left the VRBO. This is the view from the driveway.
Arches National Park has over 2000 natural stone arches, hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive rock fins, and giant balanced rocks. Rod and I spent four days here last summer were here -we could have spent a month. We knew we only had 3 1/2 hours so we needed to make every second count. We decided that instead of going on one long hike, it would be better to take the scenic drive and stop at some highlights.
Park Avenue trail is a hike through a soaring rock “skyline” of massive fins and curiously carved towers.
Often, formations are named for how they look. The Three Gossips are below
Sheep Rock
At this point, we had collectively said “Wow” more times than we could count.
Balanced rock is a show stopper. The rock atop this formation weighs an estimated 3,600 tons- as much as 20 blue whales. And it is slowly eroding to the point that it will eventually fall off of its pedestal. The sandstone is softer than granite or other material that makes up large boulders (I am not a geologist), so that when this rock falls, it will shatter upon impact. I would recommend not being around it when that happens. It had a side-kick, “Chip off the Block” which was made of even softer rock and crumbled into rubble in the winter of 1974.
Lisa and Becky helping the rock stay upright.
In the Windows section of the park, are a few fabulous arches that we hiked to see. Turret Arch,
North Window,
and Double Arch.
You are only able to hike into the Fiery Furnace, a labyrinth of narrow sandstone canyons, with a permit or a guide. But it is amazing to see from the lookout point.
At this point we knew we needed to head to Park City, so we reluctantly reversed course and headed out of the park. The “Wows” continued all the way back to the entrance.
The changing landscape on the 4 hour drive from Moab to Park City was remarkable to see.
Thank you Bridget, for taking all of these pictures from the car!
We arrived at Lisa’s condo in Park City where we will stay until Monday morning. What a beautiful location and beautiful home! We ate appetizers while Lisa and Bridget made dinner and then we ate and talked and shared stories we had never heard. Bridget is my sister-in-law and I have known her for over 33 years and I am still learning things about her. We finally remembered that tonight we “ Spring Forward” and thought we should turn in.
How lucky I was to spend International Women’s Day with this amazing group of women. And how lucky I am to know the women in our book group that are not on this trip – we miss you!
WOW!
What’s In Between 