Arches

By wagswildadventureOctober 9, 2013 ( 20 )

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Like a magnet, Arches National Park drew us into its dramatic, exquisite and sometimes whimsical world.  Bold and gracefully breathtaking, this natural creation stole my heart.  One of God’s finest works, in my opinion! 

Park Avenue

   

 

After settling into our new RV neighborhood in Moab, UT we took a late afternoon drive to scope out the park.   

    

   

Our short auto tour turned into a 3-mile round trip hike to the famous Delicate Arch. Dark clouds threatened to let loose as we scrambled up the rock face racing the setting sun. Coming around the last bend on the edge of a cliff, feeling like real explorers, we halted.  Hundreds of fellow arch admirers (yes, hundreds!!) reclined in the natural rock amphitheater and lined up to wait their turn for a “photo opp” under the arch.  People handed cameras to strangers and ran down to pose under the arch, some even turned cartwheels!  The photography challenge:  try to get a photo without a happy face in it!  Moments later, a cloudburst washed away a promising sunset. 

Rainy Delicate Arch

So, we returned the next evening but nature’s drama continued…. 

“It’s as if I am in a Greek mythology movie and the thunder gods are warring!”   The blue skies shrank as cloudbanks from the left and right stormed in.  Roaring at each other and throwing spears of lightening they fought over the lingering slice of blue. Until, they erupted into waterfalls. 

   

 

Scrambling into the car, we continued our drive to Delicate Arch.  While waiting impatiently in the trailhead parking lot, the pounding rain finally stopped and we hiked up.

As sunset approached, the crowds thinned until only seven of us remained.  “Strange, it was packed yesterday…”  As fate would have it, rain flooded the road to the trailhead and the friendly rangers barricaded the entrance.  We thoroughly enjoyed the private viewing of Delicate Arch at sunset and the camaraderie of our small group as we trekked down together in the dark.

Delicate Arch at Sunset

Windows at Sunrise…
Yes, the photographer does do mornings!

So, where are the wandering WAGS now (you may wonder)?  We are in Gold Canyon, AZ (Phoenix area) and we will be here for a few months. I have one more blog post from Moab, UT to catch up….stay tuned.    

Categories: On the RoadTags: arches, arches national park, delicate arch, Greg, Hiking, lightening, moab, national park, park avenue, Rosanne, RV, thunder, ut, wagswildadventure

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