Adventures With Nancy: Arches National Park 10/25/2012

AAAACHHKKK! It is so frustrating. I had nearly completed this post last night when, without warning, it all disappeared into cyber space. It was late and I was too tired to redo it.

Yesterday (Thursday) was our last day of adventure in and around Moab. We drove into Arches Park for a hike up (that's UP) to Delicate Arch. This is the arch that is on posters and other promotional literature about Moab.

The hike begins at the old ranch site of John Wesley Wolfe who settled in this remote area in the late 1800s. He built a one room cabin for his family -- the smaller building in the photo. When his daughter came to live there she convinced her dad to build a bigger cabin with a wooden floor -- the larger cabin in the photo. Does not look like much of an improvement, but at that time it most likely was.

John Wolfe's ranch

The trail up the hillside was nicely marked by cairns along the way.

The next cairn can be seen to the left center in front of the guy in the white shirt

As I have mentioned, there are over 2000 arches in the park. Some are small, some large, and some are multiple.

We passed this one on the way up to Delicate Arch. See that person scrambling for a shot of the scenery through the arch -- that is not one of us.

Here is part of our band of hikers making it to the top

Not a very good picture but this is it

Small arch noted on our way down

A view on the way down

After viewing Delicate Arch with a rest, we hiked down for a drive to see Dune Arch.

Linda at the entry to Dune Arch

Some thought this looked like two birds kissing

This is some of our group

Soon it was lunch time. Funny how after a big breakfast you think you will not need to eat again until at least dinner -- and certainly will not be hungry for lunch. Then lunch time comes, activity and fresh air have heartened you, and you are hungry!

After our picnic lunch we drove to a spot to drop off those who wanted to bike. We were told that it would be a good down hill for a few miles, then a three mile uphill similar (and may just a tad more difficult) to the day before, and another exhilarating downhill to the visitor center at the bottom. Two things stood out for many -- THREE MILE CLIMB, EXHILARATING (meaning steep) DOWNHILL. So not many opted for the ride. I did, and it was fantastic.

Our start point for the ride was from Windows Arches

Snow (or is that salt?) capped La Sal Mountains as backdrop for petrified dunes

Petrified dunes

The video at the visitor center was informative and quite worth watching, and the displays in the center were very interesting. After the visit here I biked to town and our motel with Kirk (one of our leaders).

My one regret of the day is, after feeling that the hill was not very difficult, that I did not bike further with Tim who began his ride from the lunch stop. There were a few more hills on his ride that I (of course) worried about being able to do, but I think that was undo worry and I wish I had gone with him. Of course going "with him" means starting with him as he is a strong and fast rider and is always way ahead.

But I had a great day and am pleased that I have ridden every mile of the tour plus added a few of my own at the end of a couple of days. We had a delightful dinner at the restaurant high on the hill that overlooked the town and the burning uranium waste. This town was started during the uranium "rush" in the fifties, and the restaurant is in what was the home of the founder of the uranium mine here.