Day 4 - Arches

Today we left Green River Utah and headed for Arches National Park. Another unbelievable landscape. I had some idea of what we would see, but I had no idea of the scale. Ancient people lived on these lands and left their art and pictorial messages. This is a land that requires relationship and respect. It's hard to imagine how the early settlers must have felt looking upon these massive structures. Were they frightened? In awe? Maybe just hot or cold and longing for a place of rest and shelter.

The view from the park to the East. These are the La Sal Mountains.
Dwayne wore his dirt shirt from Kauai and blended right in. When we drove through Moab, we saw that they have many shops selling Moab dirt shirts.

Balancing Rock.

One thing that struck me during our "walk in Nature" is that here, just like in the Lehman Caves, the stone is alive. Stone comes into being and erodes, all in relationship with water. While we didn't see any rocks fall, or even move, we could see evidence of this movement all around us. The stone eventually crumbles onto the desert floor where microscopic bacteria, fungi and lichens grow and create a delicate webbing that holds the soil in place. For this reason, visitors are urged to remain on the established paths.



My indoor husband seemed to really enjoy this "walk in Nature." We both commented that we are happy we decided to get into shape this winter. This time last year we would have been huffing and puffing!

I spotted this miniature lupine near the path. It was like running into someone from my hometown. The desert has been alive with wild flowers. I took so many pictures that I decided to give them a separate post. Unlike some places in California, where the flowers can grow in massive clouds that color whole meadows and hillsides, here the flowers are sprinkled like glittering jewels among the brush.
As we left Arches, we tried to see some of the petroglyphs, but one site was closed for path construction and another was too difficult to find. I found a book with fantastic photos and teachings from the elders of some of the nearby tribes. These will have to do.

The road out of Moab follows along the Colorado River. Again, view after view was stunning.

Here is a view from our hotel in Montrose Colorado. These are the Rocky Mountains. We decided to stop for the night so that we could traverse them in daylight. No food pictures today. We had the cold cereal "continental breakfast" at the hotel this morning, Burger King for lunch, and some very good pizza for dinner. We're hoping for more adventurous foods tomorrow, but it could be we just have a picnic in the Rockies. That should be just fine.