Heading west to Utah, I wanted to check out Arches and Canyonlands National Parks before the weather got too hot. Unfortunately, I forgot that it was the start of a nice weekend, so my introduction to Arches was among the crowds. Despite the crowds and the innate starkness of the land, the rock formations were fantastic ... the arches and other forms. I especially enjoyed seeing them in the light of sunset and day break. The pictures are of a distant look at Delicate Arch (opening is 33' wide x 45' tall), Three Sisters taken at sundown, and Balancing Rock.
Canyonlands National Park is close to Arches. It has Mesa Arch, when looking through it I got a spectacular view into a canyon. There are canyons as far as the eye can see. Canyonlands is also where the Green River converges with the Colorado River. Within Canyonlands, you could see 4x4's taking some hairy roads. If you look closely, you can see a white truck taking the road on the canyon wall.
I also took the opportunity to visit Natural Bridges National Monument while in the area. It was a nice hike to view several sandstone bridges below the mesa. Here is a picture of the Owachomo Bridge.
What amazing work wind and water does to rock!
originally posted 5/13/10
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