2010-06-25: Arches National Park
Arches is a brilliantly colored landscape littered with fins, pinnacles, arches, faults and fossils. Many of the structures in this park have been named. This one is appropriately called "The Gossips". Kind of looks like three women standing together maybe talking about a fourth!
2010-06-25: Sheep Rock
And then there was sheep rock!
2010-06-25: Balanced Rock
This massive sandstone formation is called Balanced Rock. There are several similar to this where it looks like the rock on the top is going to fall off at any moment.
2010-06-25: Double Arch
Even though it was hotter then hot, I just had to do the .8-mile hike out to my favorite arch - Double Arch. I was overheated but it was worth it to once again see this wonder up close. The larger arch has a span of 144-feet and a height of 112-feet. The Entrada Sandstone of this arch was deposited here some 150 million years ago.
2010-06-25: Delicate Arch
Water and time have sculpted Delicate Arch. This freestanding arch has an opening that is 45-feet high and 33-feet wide. All information we could find says that this arch may collapse soon.
2010-06-26: Canyonlands National Park
We also visited the Islands In The Sky section of Canyonlands. Here we were able to see overwhelming vistas deep in the valleys. This is Shafer Valley, named after the rancher who brought his cattle from the valley floor some 1200-feet up to the level where we were standing.
2010-06-26: Mesa Arch
We hiked almost 1-mile and were rewarded with the view of this breath-taking arch. There is most of our group sitting under the arch.
2010-06-26: Juniper
The Utah Juniper has a unique feature. They call it a self pruning bush - what actually happens is if there is not enough moisture to sustain the plant, part of it automatically shuts down so the rest of the bush can survive.
2010-06-26: Mesa Arch
The view of the valley below with its incredible spires was visible through the arch. Although some people walked across the arch, none of our group felt the need or had the courage to do it.
2010-06-26: Mesa Arch
Another wonderful view of this spectacular arch.
2010-06-26: Lunch
We found a nice shaded lunch spot though we were bothered by "no see ums" while we ate.
2010-06-26: Green River Valley
We drove out to Grand View Point. As we looked into the valley we could see the confluence of the Green River and the Colorado River. Water and gravity have been the prime architects of this land cutting flat layers of sedimentary rock into hundreds of colorful canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, arches and spires.