So many Arches !

 Hello again!

We have spent the past couple of days in Arches NP.  We started on Thursday night, arriving in time to see the sunset from an arch.  We then parked the car at Panorama Point and did some star-gazing.  It was super neato!



Friday we got to the park early (7:23 ish) ... I was a bit grumpy so Carsten made a game of it - for every Arch we spotted we got a kiss!  Did you know there are over 2,000 Arches in this wonderful, amazing park?!?!?!?  What a great day!!

We first went to the Northern-most point in the park to start our day.  Our first hike was in Devils Garden to see Tunnel, Pinetree and Landscape Arches (in order):



Next up, Skyline Arch (are you counting kisses yet?)... 


Followed by a hike to see Sand Dune, Broken and Tapestry Arches...

Broken Arch (... it's not really broken in my opinion) - note Carsten waiting patiently for his "arch" kiss!
Sand Dune Arch was extra cool because we hiked through a small canyon to get there....
...small canyon...
here you see Tapestry Arch from underneath. Notice how thin the arch is... but still worth one kiss!

Down the road was Fiery Furnace Viewpoint:


Next stop - Upper and Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint.  We were stinking tired by this point.  It was hot, hot, hot and we had already made 19,427 steps so.... 

This was the last hurrah of the day ....

We managed to stay awake until 9:30 then slept like the dead.  So many arches... so many kisses!  It was a good day.

TODAY - Saturday 9/26

Carsten informed me first thing that Arches still were worth a kiss.  I love it!  We got to the Park in time to see the sunrise!


First hike was in the Windows area.  This area has North and South Windows, Turret Arch and Double Arch.

Double Arch

South Window
Turret Arch with North Window in background (and the sun still coming up...)

Up the road a piece was the Balanced Rock.


 ... and Garden of Eden

Park Avenue is a canyon trail that is surrounded by tall rock walls that resemble high rises in a city block.
Finally Three Gossips:
Step count today:10,675.

So that is our adventures in Arches NP.  We had a nice stay in Moab, enjoying the town, trying some BBQ (we were unimpressed), shopping, etc.  Tomorrow we head to Capitol Reef NP.  Two down, three to go!

Take Care,

Sheri & Carsten





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