Arches National Park

Those who know me well have probably been wondering why there hasn't been a rant yet. Here goes! Having volunteered at a number of public lands locations and having seen what unthinking people can do to the land and wildlife makes us a little sensitive to wanton stupidity. Though trails were clearly marked (several languages) asking people to stay on the trails and not trample the vegetation, we saw a number of people not just get off the trails but stomp through vegetation they could have walked around. French speaking Canadians were the worst and Germans were the most obnoxious. I'll never talk about rude American tourists again. We don't even finish close to the top. Please folks!!! When on public lands, follow the rules. The rules are there to protect the habitat and the animals, and not to make it hard for you. Nuff said!

Okay, I'm using the word "awesome" way to much. Arches is just absolutely mind blowing.
I'll keep the verbage to a minimum and just post a few comments here and there so ya'll will understand what is happening.

Looks like some kid piled up a bunch of rocks.

Then there was the giant balancing act.

We couldn't help making up names for features that reminded us of things from the past. Mr. Magoo.

Then there were plants growing in improbable places.

Rock canyons leading to magical places. No hyperbole here!

Pat on the path to a very special arch.

The deeper we went, the cooler it got and the more magical it felt.

Deeper and deeper into the canyon surrounded by rock walls and embraced by the colors.

Murals painted by wind and water.

Turning to the right, we found it. WOW!

Adding to the magic, we looked up and there was the moon. Totally neat!

I decided to peer into a rock opening since there had to be some little people hidden there.

Coming out we saw this knarled old tree.

Another arch which was a short distance from Sand Arch.

Worth the walk.

Chipmunks which were a bit different from the ones at home.

Actually two arches side by side. You can only see through from another angle.

View of the left arch.

The intrepid travelers.

After leaving Arches, we went along the Colorado River Riverway. Neat but repetitious of Canyonlands.

Canyonland National Park

It was a short drive from Cortez to Moab Utah, but like all of our rides, here in the West, the trip was beautiful and awe inspiring.

Just inside Canyonland is a sign that would have caused the ole sphincter to pucker a bit, if we had been in the RV. Eight per cent grades with twenty mph curves at the bottom are not a great deal of fun.


Approaching Moab, Pat sighted an interesting monolith that unfortunaely was in an area where we couldn't pull over.

Busy taking photos on the run, Pat noticed an opening which looked like a cave and zoomed in for a closeup. We were going back to check on this place but somehow never got back to this interesting bit of geology. We would like to know if it was naturally occuring, perhaps a mine shaft or a dug out Indian dwelling, or just an indentation in the rock wall with good shadow detail.

At times like this, I really admire the skill of photographers like Ansel Adams who toured the West with large view cameras and took outstanding photos which capture the majesty of the Western mountains. Seeing a monolith like the one below and being able to appreciate it's size and total awesomeness is one thing, but capturing it in a photo is something else entirely. Take my word for it. This Mountain standing alone, in the distance, was huge and dominated the space we were viewing. The size, the colors, the depth, the hypnotizing magic of holding the viewers attention made one feel insignificant. It wasn't just us, but every car that rounded the curve and saw this ... this...place!

Just as you get accustomed to one showy natural feature, a pair get your attention.

This place with it's mountains and valleys just will not give up. As an alive being would do, it captures your attention and then makes you wonder about all of the forces that are shaping this land. The carving of rock over millions of years with water, wind and quake has made a truly unique environment which again reminds us how insignificant and weak man is.

As we were getting accustomed to the shapes, size and colors of these rocks our minds shifted to a much more fun game. Like kids laying on a blanket, looking up at the sky and making images out of clouds, our minds shifted into the same gear. Were these carved by some ancient Greek or Roman or by the forces of nature?

Mother Nature wasn't finished with us yet. How about some scallops carved by a curvaceous river?

Just as you have adapted to the mountains, up jumps some knarled old trees which just beg to be photographed since they to are part of this mysterious land.

The chipmunks here are different in coloration than the ones at home, but their antics are pretty much the same.

I just can't get away from sixth graders!









Around every corner awaits another awe inspiring site. Whether looking up from the bottom or looking down from the top, the scale of this place is just mind boggling.

Man's effort to make a guardrail out of stacked timbers is insignificant albeit thrifty.

The final question left unanswered at Canyonland is how can these huge rocks remain balanced? How can they be carved out by wind and water yet stay in equilibrium with the forces of gravity.

The Telluride to Durango to Cortez Ride

The first day in Cortez, CO, we met a delightful lady at the dog park, and she told us about a scenic drive up to Telluride Colorado which was only about seventy five miles.

You may recall that, while in Mesa Verde, we were flirting with the Ute God who stored rain clouds in his pocket and many of those clouds were escaping. On the way out of Mesa Verde it began to rain, then hail and then snow with an ice sheet across the wind shield which the wipers easily wiped off. Once out of the park, we didn't think much of the event because though everything was wet, there was no frozen stuff on the ground. We chalked it up to a freak mixed precipitation event due to altitude.

I took a picture of the Monolith across the way because it looked so neat.

Since the precipitation had stopped and the sky looked promising, we headed into town to pick up
some quick supplies and then head for Telluride. We made a quick stop at Wal Mart and headed back the way we had come when we were slightly taken aback by snow on a distant mountain range.

Here are some of the pictures we took on this almost six hour scenic trip. Colorado is one beautiful state. Counting both Mesa Verde and our side trip to Telluride and Durango, we took almost 700 pictures this day (night). We all, boys included had burgers for dinner. One lesson we learned (should have already known) was to not drive in strange mountains on strange roads after dark.

Here are the pictures without narrative.