Astounding Awesome Arches

We took a trip to Arches National Park, getting an early start to beat the crowds.  It was breathtaking!!  I need a thesaurus to come up with enough words to describe what we saw. The park covers 76,500 acres and is a collection of amazing rock formations.  There are fins, pinnacles, arches, bluffs, mesas, spires, petrified sand dunes, etc. etc.  We were struck by the variety, the size, the beauty, and the views provided in the park.  I was excited to be able to use my Senior National Parks Pass for the first time…(one of the benefits of being old) but it was so early, they didn’t even check it…just sent us through.

The park was the setting for the opening scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, and  “Mission Impossible II” had scenes filmed at Arches.  There are so many beautiful pictures, I can’t include them all. We took a drive through the park on a paved road with several sharp switchbacks as the road wound through the park.  There are several overlooks and pullouts.

The sheep rock is a remnant of an arch that eroded, and just the sides are left.  It looks just like a sheep!Balanced Rock is also a well-known icon.  The rock on top weighs as much as 10 school buses!

“The Windows” are also regularly featured as a landmark of Arches. That’s me standing in the center with my arms out!

They say there are 2000 arches in Arches National Park, and that 43 arches are known to have collapsed since 1977.  There is a double arch in the above picture.

Delicate arch is also a well-known icon in the park.  We hope to be able to make a 3 mile hike to the arch tomorrow for a close up view.

 

 

 

The rock formations are made of sandstone and the erosion creates a layer of fine sand on the ground that is just like walking on the beach!  We hiked a short distance on the “beach” to see Sand Dune Arch nestled in the big rocks.

 

What a spectacular display of the earth’s natural beauty, and what a treasure this national park is for all of us!             Herbert Hoover signed the first proclamation creating Arches National monument in 1929.  Then in 1938 Franklin D. Roosevelt enlarged the area of Arches.  LBJ also enlarged Arches in 1969 and Nixon named it a National Park in 1971.  Thanks to these Presidents for creating a place for all of us to enjoy!