Awed by Sculpted Rock

We left Clifton, Colorado just before 8 AM in the morning.  We headed west on I-70 then south on US-191.  It took us about an hour and a half to get to the Arches National Park, Utah just ouside the town of Moab.  The terrain completely contrasted the lush and verdant mountainsides of Rocky Mountain National Park.  At Arches, the landscape was dry but the reddish sandstone formations were awesome in their own right. 

After the obligatory photo with the park entrance sign, we drove up Arches Entrance Road.  While driving, I attempted to take photos of the landscap...the photos were either hits or misses.  The first notable and distinguishable rock formations that we saw were the Three Gossips, Sheep Rock, and The Organ all near the Courthouse Towers area.   Further up the road, past Petrified Dunes, The Great Wall, and Rock Pinnacles, we jumped out of the car again to walk around Balanced Rock. 

Rather than turning off to drive through The Windows Section of the park, we stayed on Arches Entrance Road until it split off in the direction of Delicate Arch Viewpoint.  After parking at the viewpoint lot, we hiked less than a mile to get to the viewpoint.  My cousin and I scrambled  over rocks to get a closer view of Delicate Arch. 

From Delicate Arch we got back onto Arches Entrance Road and quickly stopped at Fiery Furnace Viewpoint.  Unfortunely we didn't have time to take the guided tour. 

Further up the road as Arches Entrance Road looped, I turned off the loop and drove down an unpaved road and stopped the car near Skyline Arch.   I hiked in closer to the arch to get a better look while Mar rested in the car.  It is remarkable how water, ice, heat, and wind have eroded and sculpted the rocks into their current formations. 

A little ways down Arches Entrance Road, we stopped at Devils Garden Trailhead for one last hike before leaving the park.  A quarter mile hike led us to Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch.  We actually hiked to the base of Pine Tree Arch and walked in the shade that it cast.  While hanging out at Pine Tree Arch, we encountered a French photographer cursing, obviously in French, because people kept getting into her shot.  Important tip...if you want to get good photgraphs, get to the locale really EARLY in the morning or really LATE near closing time, to avoid crowds!