Arches National Park
"I have smelled the silence, and it smells like sweat." - Eric
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Arches is my personal favorite so far. It was more
beautiful, more awe-inspiring and more colorful than I had expected, and I
had high expectations. We spent about eight hours learning about and exploring the park, and it was way too short. At the Visitors Center we watched the slide show about the park and geography. It was not one of the better introductions, filled with odd metaphors and a few mispronounciations. That is where we were challanged to "smell the silence," leading to Eric's quote later in the day. To really enjoy the arches you need to hike. Most of the hikes are really walks, averaging less than a mile, but the temperature again was around 100 degrees making it a bit of work. The photos here are really teasers for the park, none of them convey what it's really like to experience it. |
The Windows
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The Windows is an outcropping that includes dozens
of arches and windows. The most predominant are the North and South Windows,
two large arches side by side as seen above. For scale, you can see Kevin and Eric standing in the North Window on the left. The image on the right is a poorly stiched together panorama of the North Window, looking at Sarah and the boys at the north side of the arch (the bottom of the image) and panning up and over to the other side of the arch (the top of the image). If you look at the top of the image you can see some people apparantly upside-down. They aren't really batpeople, the camera was inverted from the pan at that point. When you stand under the arch and look up there is a huge crack right over your head. Clicking on either of these images will bring up larger versions of them. |
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Also in the Windows section is Double Arch, so named
for obvious reasons. The image on the left shows the two arches. The image
on the right is for scale. Eric and Kevin climbed up into a cave at the base
of the larger arch, the arrow is pointing at them. Again, these images are
linked to bigger pictures. It's worth the download to see a bigger version
of this. Below is the view from where they are sitting though the other arch. In the center of the window is Balanced Rock. 
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Balanced Rock
The Other Arches
We also saw Delicate Arch and hiked into Landscape Arch
just as the sun was starting to go down. Unfortunately, Landscape Arch is
in the shadows of the cliffs, so the pictures aren't that exciting. The 18
mile drive out of the park was wonderful, though, as we were driving out near
sunset. We were heading south and looking east towards the beautiful desert
colors.
Arches National Park is right up near the top of "must see" National Parks. But don't do it in July!
Arches National Park is right up near the top of "must see" National Parks. But don't do it in July!