Day 23 – Arches

Miles traveled: 160
Hours on Road: 8 (but that includes touring Arches)
States covered: 2 – Colorado & Utah

We got up early because we knew we had to pack. Though our neighbors started packing at least an hour before we did, we were done and on our way to the showers before they had even half of their things in their vehicle. I’ve become very adept at this packing thing.

After showers we had the pancake breakfast that they offer at the camp. Parker got the all-you-can-eat platter, while the rest of us got two pancakes each. He managed to finish off four, and they were big, fluffy pancakes.

By 10 a.m. we were on our way. We stopped in Cortez to get a new battery for my phone, but the first Verizon store we stopped at was closed on Saturdays, the next generic cellphone store we stopped at didn’t carry my battery, the Radio Shack could have ordered me one but I wasn’t staying so the guy suggested we try the first Verizon store we had stopped at, but of course, that was closed. He finally admitted that they aren’t an ATT kinda town, so we might want to try looking in the next town we hit. We just gave up. I’m out of cell service most of the time, anyway.

Well before arriving at Arches we began to see amazing rock formations. The first that really impressed us was one that looked like a giant pot-bellied stove. By giant, I mean hundreds of feet high.

We came across red rock cliffs that contained fascinating shapes; the red of the rocks contrasted perfectly with the green bushes growing on them. Some rocks are green at the bottom, then become reddish farther up, then white with bushes all along them, then white with no bushes, then green on top, where the bushes get much thicker. Along the sides where the bushes are sparse it almost looks as if the cliffs have stubble – a kind of five o’clock shadow.

When we came across Wilson Arch we had to stop for a photo. Wilson is Trey’s middle name, and although Jeff did not want to name him Wilson as his first name, Wilson is what Jeff calls Trey. It was a steep climb for the boys, but since I didn’t go with them, I was none the wiser for it. At the top, they had to wait their turn for posing. I wanted a shot of just the three of them silhouetted against the sky. They waited nicely until the group before them was done, then started to walk out under the arch. Some guy walked out with them and brought his wife and kid along. Way to pay attention to the order of things, dude. We waited and waited for them to leave. I could see Trey go up to him and say something (it turns out, Trey had asked him nicely to move). He stayed. His wife and kid left, but he stayed. So I started screaming, “Wait boys. I want a picture of just you there.” Waving my hand in a motion that indicates MOVE, I screamed out, “I want HIM out of the way!” I don’t know if anyone up there heard me, but everyone in the parking lot did. I was ranting when I looked up and saw that Parker was talking to him, and after that conversation he moved out of the way. I got two great photos of the three boys, but I didn’t get the one Trey wanted of himself out there alone. It was just too much.

Again, we saw a storm up ahead many miles, but when the road curved to the left, we left the storm behind.

We became surrounded by red rock, and the farther we went, the darker the red got. We drove through Moab, which is a cute town, and finally arrived at Arches. The sign at the front gate informed us there were no campsites left. I could have sworn I called here, like I could have sworn I called Sand Dunes, to make reservations, and both places told me it was first come first served. So much for my ability to plan ahead.

It turns out, we were lucky to not have gotten a campsite there. I had to drive Jeff to the airport at 5 a.m. the next day, and the campground was 18 miles into the park. That would have been a big drag.

Rather than tour Arches, at this point we were still determined to find a campsite, so we headed toward Dead Horse Point State Park to possibly get a campsite there. We would also pass Horsetheif campground on the way, and we could see if they had any sites left. By the time we reached Horsetheif, which was 16 miles off the main road, I decided I wanted a site closer to town so I didn’t have an hour drive in the morning. We passed Horsetheif and continued on to Dead Horse Point.

At an earlier campground Jeff had come across a man from Utah who told him that Dead Horse Point State Park is a must-see. He also said that since it’s at a high elevation, it’s a great place to camp because it doesn’t get too hot. I’d already determined that we were not going to camp way off the beaten path, but we still wanted to see the park. What an amazing place. It’s actually where the final scene from “Thelma and Louise” takes place. People assume it’s the Grand Canyon, but they actually filmed at Dead Horse Point. “According to one legend, the point was once used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa. Cowboys rounded them up, herded them across the narrow neck of land and onto the point. The neck, which is only 30 yards wide, was fenced off with branches and brush, creating a natural corral surrounded by precipitous cliffs. Cowboys then chose the horses they wanted and for reasons unknown, left the other horses corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst in view of the Colorado River, 2,000 feet below.” Pretty cruel.

Parker was so excited when he heard that there are 2,000 foot drop-offs at Dead Horse Point he said he was “going to die from pure awesomeness.” Unfortunately for him, he got a migraine while we were still at the Visitors Center for the park, and he never got to see the purely awesome sight.

While Jeff, Trey, and I walked back to the van from the edge, I saw a Japanese lady walking rapidly down the pathway calling out a name. I asked her if she was missing someone (knowing full well she was, but I figured this was a good way to let her know I was aware of her plight). She said she was looking for a little Japanese boy; his name was Kaya (or something like that). I told her I’d search one area, Jeff said he’d look in the bathroom, because that’s probably where a little boy would go. Always the voice of reason, Jeff was correct. I, of course, pictured my worst nightmare in such a high place. I thought for sure he’d fallen over the edge. I had a heart attack for the woman.

When her boy came out of the bathroom, we weren’t standing very close, but we could certainly recognize a lecture when we heard one, even if it was in Japanese. The pointer finger was wagging at him at she went on and on and on. Good for her!!

Because Parker had such a bad migraine, we decided against a campground altogether. We ended up in the Archway Hotel where we left him lying in darkness with the airconditioner on full blast. The best part of the hotel room we got was that it had three queen-sized beds. I’d never stayed in such a large room before, and I wouldn’t have to share the bed with both Trey and Jeff!!

With Parker resting comfortably, the rest of us finally made it to Arches. There is, of course, a steep switchback at the entrance. The formations we were most impressed with were not the arches but the large, slender slabs called fins. They’re hundreds of feet high. We also liked all the balancing rocks. They have one called Balanced Rock, but that wasn’t the most impressive. In fact, Trey was a little disappointed and would not let go of the fact that it wasn’t really balancing at all. It was connected to the rock it sat on – there was no balancing.

We also liked the green that often appeared in contrast to the red. It turns out, the area sits on an underground salt bed that is “basically responsible for the arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths.” It allowed the major shifting of the heavy rock above it. I believe it is also responsible for the green coloring seen throughout the park.

After exploring the park, we went to the store to buy something for dinner. We got all the things Parker would love in the hopes that he’d be hungry, and he was. His head still hurt, but he ate the giant sandwich I made him.

I stayed up way too late catching up on my photo uploading, but I got it all done. I finally turned off the lights around 11 p.m. I’d get six whole hours of sleep before taking Jeff to the airport!

For corresponding photos, go to:
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1893057027/a=2740108027_2740108027/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/