We woke early Sunday morning (11.28.12) and drove to Arches National Park, which is a few miles outside of Moab. The sun was just rising over the sandstone features. We drove throughout the park, stopping at points of interest. Dogs were not allowed on the trails, so Jane stayed in the car.
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First, we stopped at the aptly named Balancing Rock.
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Then we went to The Windows. We got there at the same time as another person. He was running quickly with lots of equipment. By the time we got close to the feature, we saw why he was running. Twenty or so photographers were there waiting for the sun to rise and peak through nature’s pane. We were careful to not obstruct any of their pictures.
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Look closely (below) to see the photographers.
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The fiery furnace was cool. (It was also the name of one of our sushi rolls from the night before.) Under the furnace were salt hills, which are the remnants from an ancient ocean.
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Delicate Arch is the park’s most famous feature. It is the one pictured on the Utah license plate.
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Like the Grand Canyon, we departed just as the crowds were picking up. We drove into town for breakfast at Eklectica. This restaurant came recommended by locals at the food coop. It was okay.
Before leaving town we went to the local climbing crag, called Big Bend climbing area. The area is scattered with boulders the size of school buses. Bouldering is characterized by scrambling up a giant rock without a rope, as opposed to climbing a rock face or mountain side with a rope. For protection, boulders use a spotter (another person who is there to break your fall and a crash pad, which is a big pillow).We climbed an easy bouldering problem on a boulder called, flat rock. We flashed it, gave each other high-fives, and headed out for Laramie.
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