Finishing Arches, off to Canyonlands

Saturday, July 16 2005 Arches and Canyonlands

Headed out of the campground by 8:30, and it was already 83 degrees. After stopping at McD’s for brekky, (the first McD’s we saw since Vegas!) we made our way all the way through Arches to get to Devil’s Garden and to the Landscape Arch trailhead. It was very busy there, although there were still parking spots. Of all the parks we have been to so far, this trailhead certainly had the most people.

(An observation we’ve made on our trip, is that there is an overabundance of foreign travelers! As Americans, we seem to be in the minority, since according to my unofficial calculations, 1 in every 5-6 groups of people around us speak English! There seemed a lot of foreigners in Vegas, but it’s even more apparent at the parks. The trend seems to be to rent an RV. The whole row of RV’s next to us, are being commandeered by foreigners, the most seeming to be German. Mike calls it “European Row”. Must be the Euro is doing well against the dollar!)

Hitting the trail by 10 am, Emma tuckered out ¾ of the way. It’s only .5 miles one way and starts out in the shade. She managed to slog it to a shady spot and waited with Austin while Mike and I went a little further ahead to get a better view. Unfortunately you can’t walk under it, since they closed the trail in the 90’s due to a rock fall. The arch itself is said to be very unstable, and the passage of time can mean two things – that the arch is stable enough to walk under again, or that the stability is even less due to the continued exposure to the elements. Either way, the trail is still closed! The sign near the arch said that people were sitting under it when they heard cracking and popping. They ran for cover, and one person was able to actually get a picture of the rock falling from the right side of the arch.

Somehow I managed to get Emma back to the car, while Mike took one of the spurs to the Pine Tree Arch and the Tunnel Arch. Driving back to the Visitor’s Center, the kids handed in their Jr. Ranger booklets and received their bright and shining new Jr. Ranger Badges, the third of the badges earned. According to the kids, these are by far the best badges yet, since these badges boast a picture of Delicate Arch on them. They didn’t need to say an oath this time, but the Ranger did announce to everyone in the VC to congratulate the two newest Jr. Ranger members, to which Austin and Emma received much applause! This Jr. Ranger program is no small feat. The kids need to complete a certain number of activities in the booklet, based on their age. The activities are specific to the park, so you really need to either see the movie, or go on a Ranger guided activity visit the museum to get the answers. Some activities are easier than others, and they mainly reinforce the park rules, but others are more complicated like word jumbles and crosswords. The kids are even required to pick up trash along the paths, and a parent has to vouch by signing the booklet. The Jr. Ranger program has been my saving grace, as the kids are really learning a lot, and it gives them something to do in those small “down” times we have. Originally my idea was to have them write in a journal daily while we were on the road in order to keep up their skills, but this is working even better than that. They are so into it, and I quiz them on things they’ve learned. Emma is a maniac, wanting to finish every activity (there can be upwards of 10 in a book) and hand it in right away to get her next badge!

Stopping again only for a family picture in front of the Arches sign, we headed up the road to Canyonlands NP.

Canyonlands is divided into 3 separate sections like a pie, the Island in the Sky district in the North, the Needles district to the SE, and the Maze district in the SW.
Arriving at the Islands in the Sky VC by 1:00 pm, we caught the 15 minute movie, got the kids their Jr. Ranger workbooks, and were off to see the sights.

Our first stop was right across from the VC at the overlook there. The vista is incredible. I can see why Bubba loves this park so much, and I wonder if this is the spot where he called me to tell me he was standing on the edge of a 2,000 foot cliff when his cell phone died.

Traveling further south, we passed over the Neck (40 feet wide), through Grays Pasture to the Mesa Arch trailhead. In my opinion, Mesa Arch rivals any of those found in Arches. The walk to the arch is an easy one, through a pinyon-juniper woodland with lots of great examples of the cryptobiotic crust (aka: living soil - the kids could tell you what that is!). When you see the Mesa Arch from a distance it looks pretty cool, but once you’re right up to it and under it, you realize that you are on the side of a cliff and the view you get through the “window” of the arch is amazing. My heart was beating so quickly from the adrenaline, and I kept getting vertigo. The kids didn’t make me too nervous sitting near this arch, since the rocks form a pretty natural “safe” barrier. The kids had a great time exploring the nearby rocks. Since they were easier and safer to climb than the rocks at Arches, the kids were able to explore a little bit without mommy or daddy holding their hand. They were being good Jr. Rangers by staying on the trail and rocks, and being careful not to “Bust the Crust”.

Driving the road all the way out of the park, we stopped at a rock shop for the “free” dinosaur fossil that Austin wanted. The kids got a kick out of all the different kinds of rocks and various fossils, and all I kept thinking was that this is such a scam, being able to get people to actually pay money for rocks.

Being so tired and dusty and sweaty, yet again, we ambled back to the Ranch (KOA) so the kids could swim and I could shower. Neither Mike nor I were in any mood to cook in the 100 degree heat, so we headed out to Eddie McStiff’s for dinner, the incentive to eat there being the free wireless! While enjoying my two glasses of wine, I was able to make a few quick picture posts and added pictures to some previous.