Arches National Park, Utah–another bucket list item

Our next stop was Moab,Utah – the drive there was nice and had some great scenery.  There were a couple of rough grades but my cousin who is a truck driver had given Fred some tips on how to handle them and he did great.  The worst was at Mexican Hat which was a 9% grade that made a sharp right turn at the bottom of the grade across the Colorado River.  If you did not slow down from the grade you ran right into the mountain, needless to say it was exciting!!  The rest of the drive was nice and beautiful.

Drive to Moab VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

When we got to Moab, UT we stayed at Moab Valley RV Resort & Campground.  This location put us on the outskirt of town right at the Colorado River, one mile from Arches National Park and close to all we need or could want in town.  Great park with all the amenities that you could want.  After parking we headed to town to get some lunch and look around.  Moab is a very unique place and is well known for 4-wheeling, biking and hiking.  Lots of interesting places and great places to eat and enjoy.  After lunch we headed to the park . . .

After we stopped at the Visitor Center we headed up the mountain to view all that the park had to offer.  This has been one of the places that had been on our bucket list and we were not disappointed.  The initial drive up into the park was steep and we were unsure as to what the rest of the drive would reveal. 

Entrance VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Once you make the climb you are on top of a mesa and for the most part things are leveled out with some specular view out over the valley all the way to the La Sal Mountains.

 

 

 

 

                  La Sal Mountains

 

The uniqueness of the mountains and God’s hand in shaping them never ceases to amaze me  . . . . .

First stop – Park Avenue:

 

Sheep Rock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

          Three Gossips

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left side is called the Tower of Babel and the right is The Organ

 

 

We then found I could not get away from the “Courthouse”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Petrified Dunes:

 

 

 

 

 

Balance Rock:

 

 

 

 

Garden of Eden”

 

                            Mother with child:

 

 

 

Elephant Butte:

Next area was the The Window Section were there were numerous windows in the mountains.  Very unique:

The Window Section VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Panorama Point:

Then of course what just about everyone that goes to Arches wants to see and one of the main sites I wanted to see:

Delicate Arch:

Further up the Mesa was the campground and other arches but Delicate is the cream of the crop.  Plan on taking two to three days to explore the park as there is so much to see and lots of hiking trails from easy short trials to strenuous trials over seven miles.  We really enjoyed our time here and one day plan on going back, but there are other bucket list items to cover first. 

Here is an album of all our pictures- hope you enjoy!!

Arches National Park VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Monument Valley

Our next stop was Monument Valley, Utah near the Pueblo Indian
Reservation.  The RV Resort we stayed in was in the middle of the area and was the location where the John Wayne’s movie “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon was filmed.

Lots of great amenities, with a good restaurant, indoor pool, hiking area, large gift shop, camping/grocery store, gas/propane, and even a hotel. 

The four views from out coach -

The valley and all the mountains were very unique.  There have been a number of movies that have been made in the area over the years.  Some recent ones you will recognize are Back To the Future, Forest Gump, and The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp. 

Moab RV Resort VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The view of all the mountains aka monuments were just amazing.  We did not take a tour as the cost, to us, was not worth it as you could see just as much by making the drive yourself around the area.  We missed the stories of the Navajo tour guides and going into the reservation, but we felt we got what we wanted. As you make the drive there are lots of “pop-up” native Navajo trading/gift centers; we took advantage of stopping at some of them and got lots of history and stories by just talking to them, as they loved to talk about their land.

The drive is 17 miles and all the different monuments have descriptive names to their structures.  The names are said to have been given by early settlers and/or have a spiritual meaning to the Navajos.  Just to name a few - The East and West Mitten Buttes look like hands; Merrick Butte and Mitchell Mesa are named after two prospectors; Elephant Butte, imagine a gigantic elephant in the southwest desert; The Three Sisters is a formation of Catholic Nuns; Camel Butte a parade of camels; Totem Pole, this spire monument is an example of what erosion does to a butte and the Thumb is a free standing spire.

Monuments VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

This was truly an amazing place and wondrous of all God has created for us to enjoy. 

In town at the local Burger King is a memorial to the Windtalkers of WWII.  For those of you that remember your history this was the Navajos that were in the military that worked in communication using their native tongue.  The Japanese has figured out the code the US was using so they were brought in to communicate with troops using their native language – it was a code the Japanese never learned.

Next stop–Petrified Forest and Painted Desert

While we were stating in Homolivi State Park we took a ride down to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert.  What a interesting place.  It is amazing to us the things have developed over the thousands of years and what has been left behind.  The land here was once a vast river/flood way and over the years the fallen trees were washed down the river, were covered with silt and petrified.  Then over the years chemicals such as iron and magnesium colored the petrified wood. 

Along with the trees from the forest there were thick layers of sandstone and conglomerate that formed what is called the Rainbow Forest.  These was just as amazing as the petrified logs themselves.

 

There are a lot of stops along the way as you drive the park, each have their own amazing views and story.  Here are few:

Agate Bridge – petrified log across a stone ridge that is nature made.

 

 

 

Blue Mesa Loop is really something that is unique and has a trail that you can hike down to the valley. 

Blue Mesa VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Tepees

 

 

 

Newspaper Rock is another unique site as it is the location of the 600+ petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

r From there you come to Puerco Pueblo, one the largest prehistoric site of a ancestral Puebloan village.   The area has been partially excavated and you can see from here the layout of the village.  There is also more petroglyphs along the rock cliffs that are very visible.

Puebloan Village VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

From here your drive continues over I-40 into the Painted Desert; you get two parks in one during this drive and can enter from the Painted Desert area just off I-40 or enter from the Petrified Forest area just east of Winslow.  Either way is is a very interesting drive and one that is worth the time.

Painted Desert – depending on the time of the day or evening you enter the area looks different and the colors vary.  Late evening the best time to visit.

Painted Desert VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Painted Desert Inn is now a visitor center and snack area.  At one time I can see it was a great place and a wonderful place to have visited sitting out watching the sun go down over the desert.