Always a WOW!

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
May 27, 2014

 Joe and I have made the hike to Delicate Arch 4 times and each time we have the same reaction..."WOW!". It is breath taking to turn the final corner on the last leg of the hike and see this natural wonder. Delicate Arch, towering 80 feet over hikers, is the most widely recognized landmark in Arches NP.

Delicate Arch was not always Delicate Arch. Because of its distinctive shape it was known as "The Chaps" by local cowboys back in the day. Also, this arch was not  even part of the original designated area known as a National Monument established in 1929. It was not added until 1938 when the boundaries were enlarged. Pictures don't capture the "WOW!". It needs to be experienced in person to be really appreciated. 


Our recent hike to Delicate Arch was even more special because Pam and Vic ( Travelin' in the Big EZ) and Catherine and Guy (friends from Belgium) were experiencing this awesome wonder for the first time.

Near the trailhead is the historic Wolfe Ranch. The original cabin was destroyed in a flood; the current one was built in 1906.

When you pass the Homestead, a footbridge crosses over the Salt Wash.

Guy, Catherine and Joe

From there the trail climbs a small ridge that contains colorful boulders.

Pam leads the way!

Then its a steep climb up a mountain of slickrock...the most difficult section of the trail for me. Lots of stops for pictures ( ummm to catch my breath!). The views from here are stunning!

From the slickrock, you can see the parking lot down below...

and a stop was necessary to photograph the Windows Section on the distant skyline. Do you see the arch?

Vic is pausing to take it all in!

It is like being on the moon or another planet when you reach the top...







 The last section of trail is a 200 yard somewhat narrow ledge which was blasted from the sandstone.

And then there is the "WOW!"...


Pam...

Yep, we are patiently waiting our turn...

Its a lot to take in...the arch and miles and miles of beautiful scenery. 

Pam and Vic

Pam and Vic were the first to venture out to the arch...these pictures show how huge this arch is.

Joe stayed behind to take pictures so I ventured out with Guy and Catherine.

 

It was an absolutely beautiful day...well, maybe alittle warm.   We were all smiles though as we drove home. Sure makes one feel fully alive to spend days like this with friends and nature!

 

Our week ended much too soon.

 

Wednesday, Guy and Catherine headed south to Flagstaff. No "goodbyes" said, but rather "until next time". The rest of our morning was full of conversation and laughter with Pam and Vic...

 

Once again...there were no "goodbyes" on Thursday morning as Pam and Vic had to leave early for a long travel day to Vegas. Hugs, smiles...

 

until next time, take care and

 

 enjoy the journey!

 

P.S. Pam left a jar of almond butter with us. We had ourselves a    "day-aaang" good AB&J sandwich for lunch!

 

Fun in Arches NP with Friends!

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
May 26 & 27, 2014

Picking up where we left off...

Sunday turned out to be a mostly rainy day reminding us how nice it is to sometimes just sit and visit. We had a quite a peaceful day visiting with Pam and Vic and then later in the afternoon with Guy and Catherine.

Monday dawned bright and sunny for our planned adventures in Arches NP.  First on our list of fun things was a ride thru Salt Valley via the washboard, gravel road to Tower Arch. Its a beautiful ride thru the valley with scenes of rock formations and the LaSal Mountains. I was surprised and disappointed at the lack of wildflowers. I had hoped for bursts of color in the meadow as a result of recent rains.

Aside from seeing this beautiful valley, Guy wanted to try his hand at the Tower Arch 4X4 trail that leads to the arch and exits the NP via Willow Springs Road. The trail offers a hike to Tower Arch as well as Eye-of-the Whale Arch.  After several valiant efforts by Guy to crawl the steps in his rented Jeep Grand Cherokee, he decided to give it up rather than risk damaging it.  We resorted to plan B.

We returned to the main park road and the public parking access for a very short hike up to the Sand Dune Arch and a bit longer loop hike to Broken Arch.  Public access parking was overflowing but the parking genie (thank you Pam) quickly picked up on our positive vibes and we pulled right into a spot!  Sand Dune Arch is hidden among tall fins and rock formations.

This sandy path traverses thru a narrow slot that opens to a pleasantly shaded "sand box" with an up close look at the arch between two fins. So close, I couldn't really get a good picture.

Sand Dune Arch is probably less than 20 feet high with a scramble up the fin to the base.

 

Some folks...no one in our energetic group...climb on the arch which is against park rules. Shame on them!

Pam, Catherine, Guy and Vic

After back tracking a short distance, we picked up the Broken Arch Trail and were on our way again.

The trail follows a sandy path lined with sage bushes thru a meadow as views of the mountains and rock formations opened up all around us.

 

Pam and Vic

We weren't the only critters on the trail...

    

 

Broken Arch is so named because of the crack in the middle of the arch. The trail continues on thru the arch and requires a short scramble up the slickrock.

Thanks for the hand Guy!

 After "oohs and aahs", some playing around on the rocks, water and crackers, we were on our merry way...

 
 
 
 




















The rest of this almost 3 mile loop trail winds thru pine trees, over more slickrock, around the campground, and descends thru a passageway between several rock fins...  

Thanks for the hand Vic!

 ...back to where we started.

What a great day we had...but it wasn't over yet. Pam and Vic invited us all for Memorial Day dinner.

Pam loves to cook and the end result of her efforts was spectacularly delicious with yummy ribs, her grandmother's German potato salad, beans, a special tossed salad, rolls and grilling cheese.  Oh, thanks go to Guy for tending the grill while Pam did her magic.

Joe and Rico

As Pam put the finishing touches on dinner, I took Rico for a walk and Joe had a minute to visit with him as well.  Rico and  his mom Jetta are lovely Portuguese Water Dogs.  We hope to have time to get to know them better in the future.


I just have to say that Pam & Vic are exceptional hosts.  Pam's engaging personality, obvious warmth and high energy perfectly complemented the delicious cuisine to help create an absolutely perfect evening.

We still have one more day...up next, another "WOW" in Arches NP!

 

Until next time, take care and

 

 

enjoy your journey!