A Sunrise and A Full Moon at Arches National Park
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Pronghorns grazed along our route
We made our way from the Walmart parking lot in Rock Springs, Wyoming to Karen’s back door in Craig, Colorado. David’s older sister, Karen, is 82, suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, diabetes, and congestive heart disease, and manages to smile and laugh through it all. What a positive attitude! She lives alone with help from a daily caregiver. Though we talk and text frequently, we hadn’t seen her in a while and it was a good reunion. We managed to do a few chores for her, chatted and caught up, took her food shopping, and took her and her caretaker out for a very enjoyable dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. On the morning of the third day, we hugged her goodbye and headed on our way once more.
Scenic Colorado-13 meanders along backroads towards Grand Junction. Autumn colors were in full array… brilliant gold, russet, tawny brown, pale orange, and sage green. Being a native New Englander, the colors are not as vibrant here as I remember growing up, but it was beautiful nonetheless. A vivid reminder, however, that winter is on its way.
Hills of gold
These are ranchlands, horse properties, and open range. Cattle grazed by the roadside and in the road. Neat barns and ranchhouses dotted the countryside.
We hit I-70 west and traveled along the Colorado River, a gorgeous, serpentine section of the highway through rugged terrain of canyons and high cliff walls.
Circuitous I-70 along the Colorado River
We made a quick stop in Grand Junction where we restocked the larder, then headed west on I-70 till it intersected with Utah-689 to US-191, heading south to Arches National Park and the town of Moab. The campground in the park was ‘reserve only’ and full this time, but we did manage to find a $17/night hotel room + hotel points in Moab, about six miles from the park entrance. Cheaper than a campsite in the national park! We weren’t holding out much hope for the Quality Inn Slickrock. Usually, if something seems too good to be true, it’s too good to be true. We were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived to find our spacious king suite ready for us… comfy bed, great shower, excellent hot breakfast in the morning. Wow! Sometimes we’re just plain lucky!!
This very cool Arches National Park Map is available as a poster. Used here with permission, Courtesy of Anderson Design Group
We studied the park map and brochure on line and made a plan. Like several other busy national parks, Arches requires a timed entry during peak times. Entry before 0700 and after 1600 is at will. During the day, however, a reservation to enter is required ($2, made on-line, in advance). Rising at 0400 the next morning, we were through the park entrance by 0530 and maneuvering the circuitous road to watch the sunrise at Arches.
In the dark, we negotiated the uneven, gravel path to Turret Arch and the Windows on foot. A flashlight dimly lit our way. The sky above was velvet black. The Milky Way was clear and the heavens couldn’t possibly have held one more star. It was absolutely stupendous.
It was a little eerie… all alone out there… for about ten minutes, then more people started arriving. About 30 minutes before sunrise, the sky started to lighten up illuminating the nearby rock formations. Venus was bright and the full moon was still shining.
Beginning to lighten up
We watched and waited. The sky slowly began to lighten up. Little by little, we could make out the shapes of the formations. The eastern sunlight began to illuminate the arches and rocks to the west.
As the sun illuminated the rock formations, we could now see the path we had walked.
The south window came alive and shone brightly.
The South Window glowed gold with the sunlight.
People clapped and cheered as the sun broke the horizon. Our mission accomplished, we headed back to the hotel for showers and breakfast.
Sunrise at the North Window
Arches National Park boasts balanced rocks, hoodoos, windows, sandstone fins, towering spires, and more than 2000 arches. The park’s rock formations are ever-changing due to weathering and erosion.
Balanced Rock
To Give you some perspective as to the size of these rock formations.
We had reserved a timed entry and returned to the park around Noon, the only slot available and unfortunately the hottest part of the day. Negotiating the hairpin turns during daylight was a bit easier and certainly more rewarding visually.
Take a look at some of the more interesting rock formations.
Courthouse Towers
A shadowy Park Avenue
Petrified Sand Dunes
Spectacles
We drove the length of the park road to Devil’s Garden with the thought of walking the trail to the Landscape Arch or Double O Arch. The shaded portion of the trail was pleasant, but as soon as we began walking the section exposed to the sun, we wilted. High 80s and dry, this was a trail best walked during the late afternoon or early morning. We retreated to Blanche and, wimps that we are, decided instead on shorter trails while the sun was shining.
Once out of the shade, the Devil’s Garden Trail was just too hot to walk. It is better suited to early morning or late afternoon treks.
We chose the Double Arch Trail… short with a great visual reward at the end.
Double Arch was impressive.
Nearby, the Parade of Elephants was appropriately named and an interesting sight.
By 3 pm, the heat had gotten to us and we once again returned to the hotel to cool down, rest, and rehydrate. We headed back to the park around 6:30 pm, this time to watch a moonrise. We returned to the same viewpoint… the Windows… and positioned ourselves for good views of the eastern sky.
The sunset was gorgeous.
Sunset at Arches national park
The full moon did not disappoint as it rose in the clear night sky, illuminating the rock formations as it shone. Splendid!
Full moon breaking the horizon.
Full moon rising at dusk.
We retreated back to the hotel for dinner in the room and a quiet night. The sun and higher altitude had drained us. We slept well.
Next time… nearby Canyonlands National Park was calling our name. We answered ‘yes’!