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| Two very happy campers doing what we love to do! |
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| Double arch magic |
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| Monolithic structures of sandstone dominated the landscape! |
For over a week, we were able to explore the red rock country in and around Moab, Utah including: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Monument, and Dead Horse Point State Park. We were fortunate that MJ and Chris were also able to accompany us on our adventures for part of that time, making those two days even more special and fun.
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| Tapestry rock art w/ curator MJ |
We had been lucky enough to reserve a campsite in Arches (earlier n
January) for five days, so we were able to explore much of the park
easily - on foot. In addition, MJ and Chris were staying for two days at the Gonzo Inn in Moab - a lovely hotel, which had a beautiful swimming pool and hot tub. So after a hot day of hiking and exploring - guess what we all did before going to dinner? Yep - a perfect end to a very hot day!
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| Wolf Ranch cabin - nope, we'll stick with our Casita! |
Arches was stunning...Edward Abbey was right. This is a magnificent park! We were startled by the sheer magnitude of these incredible sandstone formations which rose high on the horizon everywhere we looked. As the light changed in the day from bright white to shadowed late afternoon light - and finally to the rose-red glow of evening we had to stop to absorb the different patterns we saw on the formations. The rock formations changed personality as light passed overhead.
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| North and South Windows |
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| Canyon exploration |
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| Tapestry arch near our campsite |
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| The coolest places were under the arches |
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| Park Avenue at dusk |
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| They won't see me, if I'm very still...Not! |
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| Broken Arch? It looks fine! |
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| The hike to Delicate Arch - Wow! Straight up, straight down. |
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| Balanced Rock of Edward Abbey fame |
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| Delicate Arch - Hmmm, I see cowboy pants and boots! |
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| Landscape arch - rain is coming soon! |
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| Another window arch |
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| Park Ave near dusk |
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| BCE native art at the Colorado River near Moab |
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| Colorado River almost to flood stage |
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| Sunset is near |
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| Shadows creeping up the valley |
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| Guaranteed water - in the wash |
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| Water art on sandstone |
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| Sunset at Park Ave |
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| Hush...goodnight! |
My first thought at Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point - was "please - let's not do a Thelma and Louise!" Sheer, frightening drop-offs on each side of the road provided spectacular vistas of convoluted canyons and spires for miles and miles in every direction. We could see both the Green and the Colorado Rivers and the twisting canyons they and natural erosion had formed over many millions of years. We could see the point where they converged, but could not see their actual convergence from our "moderately low" vantage point. Unless you're in a sturdy 4X4 WD vehicle and equipped to spend many days and nights in the hot desert wilderness - and you're one of the lucky few who are selected to drive in this wilderness - the only way right now to view these parks is by car, from viewpoints, unfortunately. But, they are still incredibly beautiful even though access into these parks is limited by their very nature.
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| Deadhorse Pt Visitor Center |
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| View from Dead Horse Point - Blue lake is Potash plant near Moab. |
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| Colorado River twisting and meandering |
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| Yellow daisy thrives in the heat |
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| Canyonlands vista - How many years did this take? |
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| MJ and Chris - please don't back up! |
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| Ernie firmly on terra firma |
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| The white rim road below is the only road into the wilderness! |
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| Beauty is more appreciated due to its scarcity |
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| MJ standing way back from the edge! |
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| I'd rather not look over the edge! |
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| Nature's fencing |
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| The confluence for the Green and Colorado rivers is out there somewhere. |
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| Upheavel dome - caused by meteor or natural upheavel geologically? |
Kids your bringing back lots of old memories of our visits in Red Rock Country over the years. Always loved the contrast between a blue sky full of big ole white clouds over those red rock terrains.
ReplyDeleteNow we are anxious to see where you have that Casita parked in Ouray Co. Weather looked beautiful there today and perfect temps. Now you have to be sure you check the weather before heading down those backroads as a thunderstorm can turn those back roads into mud holes. Oh, and if you dare go out after sunset ...those deer do not use the cross walks...drive with care.
Have a great weekend....you lucky dogs
Russian River Guys
The thundershowers we encountered on Sunday before we left were tremendous and we were so relieved we were in camp and not out on the trail. Wwe tend to get suckered in by the clear blue skies and warm temps in the morning, then bam -in come the black clouds, win and a major drop in temperature. There's nothing subtle about these storms! We were so glad we could simply hide, protected, in our little trailer until the fury outside subsided.
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