Arches National Park - Moab

Day 6

We’ve traveled from Texas to New Mexico, then through the corner of Colorado and into Utah. So much for escaping the Texas heat, it is currently 103 degrees here in Moab, Utah. But at least we have escaped the Houston humidity. 

Day 3 of our trip was the Fourth of July. We spent the day driving through the various terrains of northern New Mexico: desert lands and arid plains surrounded by mesas and mountains. I decided that taking in some of the country’s scenery was not a bad way to spend our nation’s birthday. 

That evening we, actually I, (Chris was a little pre-occupied with the Astros game) watched the fireworks in Washington DC and New York City on my phone as there were none in the little town of Bloomfield, New Mexico where we had stopped for the night.

We are spending three nights in Moab. After three consecutive one-night stops, it’s nice to stay awhile in one place and explore. Arches National Park is located here. We’ve made three visits to the park over two days. Yesterday morning we hiked up to see the iconic Delicate Arch. It was a fairly strenuous hike with an elevation change of 480 feet. Well worth the climb. We got in line with the other hikers taking turns to snap photos under the arch.

After the hike my cheeks had traces of white salt where I had sweated under my sunglasses. I realized I am not used to dry hot weather that evaporates my sweat leaving a salt residue; in Houston the sweat just stays on my skin.

In the evening, we went back to the park to view the night sky full of stars.

This morning, we made it to the park in time to see the sunrise at 6 am.

Early morning was a great time to hike before the weather got hot and before the crowds showed up. We saw four arches.

Landscape Arch is the longest arch in North America. Makes you wonder if there’s a longer arch on another continent.

 

We sat awhile at Pine Tree Arch in silence except for the singing of birds and a cool breeze blowing. So pleasant.

This is Tunnel Arch:

 

 And Skyline Arch:

Later in the morning, Jack got to go swimming in the Colorado River. He’s been napping ever since.

Tonight we had dinner at a restaurant on a mountain overlooking the town. It’s called Sunset Grill. It was formerly the home of a Texan named Charlie Steen who discovered uranium in Moab in 1952 and became a millionaire. He built his dream home atop a mountain. Now it is a restaurant highlighting the “million dollar view” he created.

Tomorrow we head to Nevada. The journey continues.