Arches National Park

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2009

I spent a pretty good night, but it was in the 30s, and I was cold in my sleeping bag. It is not a mummy and has seen us on many camping trips over the last 25–30 years, so I guess it is time for a new one. Since the tent is mostly mesh, it is not really a cold-weather tent, either, but I will be using it in cold weather only at the beginning and end of this summer’s cross-country bike ride. The rest of the time I will be very glad it is mostly mesh.

[That ride is over and reported on another blog: http://www.c2cin2009.blogspot.com so I can tell you that I FROZE in Glacier NP; the tent is under 4 lbs, which is great for cycling, but since it is all mesh, I definitely need a sleeping bag upgrade.]

Jess gave me a little down throw to help me stay warm. I was up at 6. Took a fantastic shower, and then when the others were up and ready, we made a coffee run to Moab’s Daily Grind Espresso place. Kim bought a bag of ground coffee and we all filled our thermoses.

 
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

After drinking our coffee and eating our quesadillas for breakfast, we drove up to Arches National Park, the entrance of which is only 6 miles from Moab. Jess and Kim bought a year’s pass to all national parks for $80. Though it was overcast and cold for the first hour or so, the rocks and scenery were absolutely stunning. The guidebook says: “The park lies atop an underground salt bed that is basically responsible for the arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and monoliths of this sightseer’s mecca. Water and ice, extreme temperatures, and underground salt movement are responsible for the sculptured rock scenery. It is difficult to imagine the violent forces or the 100-million years of erosion that created this land. The park contains over 2,000 arches that range from a three-foot opening to the longest, Landscape Arch, measuring 306 feet at its base.”

On the way in we saw Sheep Rock and The Three Gossips, enjoyed great views of the snow-topped La Sal Mountains, and saw the Petrified Dunes. We marveled at the alien beauty, stillness and sweeping immensity of it all. We walked up to Turret Arch and took some pix, then took pix of North and South Window and of the Cove of Caves and Double Arch, walked over to Parade of Elephants and on the way out of that loop took pix of Balanced Rock.

The Three Gossips at park entrance

Balancing Rock

Jess before Turret Arch

Jess & Kim before Turret Arch

North Window framing Jess, Kim, and Peter

Dauta and Mutha under North window

North and South windows

Courthouse Tower

Susan under North Window

Unidentified formation before the Great Wall

Cove of Caves

Cove Arch

Park Avenue (Internet photo)



Though the 4-runner was running on empty (literally), we managed to go to Delicate Arch and get some pix from the lower viewpoint. It was an interesting walk up to the viewpoint, sometimes on petrified dunes and sometimes next to giant rocks that looked like petrified wood. Here we also found stunted lupine and Indian paintbrush in bloom and several very spiny cacti.

Northwestern Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja)

La Sal Mountains from viewpoint

Top L clockwise: Wooly Locoweed Milkvetch (Astragalus); Desert Madwort Alyssum; Northwestern Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja); Plains, Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia)



Jess and me walking up the petrified dunes to get a good look at Delicate Arch



Delicate Arch from the petrified dunes

A closer view of Delicate Arch

Hiking up the petrified dunes

Peter with 4-Runner which is running on empty

The ranger at Turret Arch told us to avoid crushing greenish-black, cryptobiotic soil that covers much of the desert. It is composed of cyanobacteria, lichen, algae, and fungi and combats erosion, absorbs moisture, and provides nitrogen and other nutrients for plant growth.  It looks lumpy and grows near the pinyon and gnarled juniper trees.

In camp and during our morning at Arches we also saw black-chinned sparrows, many ravens, a gray jay, a wren, a black-billed magpie, crows, robins (these cheerily woke us in the morning), cedar waxwings, turkey vultures, and several LBBs.

Raven in Delicate Arch parking  lot

Though we all would have liked to spend more time in Arches NP, the gas tank red light was flashing on and off, and we still had to grocery shop, gear shop, and go to Tex’s Riverways—our outfitter—for dry bags, food lockers, and a cooler, all of which we planned to fill that evening. We decided to return to Arches on the 14th after coming off the river.

After coming down and getting gas, we went directly to Gearhead, an outdoor store where we all purchased items that we needed. Peter purchased a new Thermarest (his had given out) and also a Spork like mine and a plate and cup. He had thought that this was a guided tour so needed these implements for meals.

Jess and I then checked out an alternate for our return night hotel, but decided that the roominess of our original white-bread suite at a Best Western, which Jess had reserved earlier, topped the uniqueness of the hotel we were investigating.

While we were doing this, Peter and Kim began the grocery shopping in a supermarket next door to Gearhead. We two joined them, and we probably spent three hours combined in both Gearhead and the supermarket. We bought $233 worth of groceries for our four days on the river. Many of the items we bought were definitely “non-camp” type fare—Kalamata olives, hummus, avocadoes, flank steak, pork chops, ham, pineapple, etc.  We were thinking to do the ham on Easter Sunday, our third day on the River.

Jessica was thrilled to find a gallon of her favorite Frank's Red Hot hot sauce. She didn't buy it, natch, but happily posed for a photo with her super big bottle of Frank's

Grilled pork chops

Believe me, with caterer Kim on hand, we ate gourmet meals--this one Phillipine Pineapple Pork Adobo, Spanish rice, tossed salad with fresh picked Bergamot, Sicilian Red Wine (Nero d'Adola), following an appetiser of Cowgirl cheeses and crackers; there was a big family camped across the way and those who didn't fit in the tent slept outside as you can see

We returned to the campsite for a quick catch-as-catch-can-lunch, and then Jess and I went to Tex’s Riverways outfitters and brought back 4 drybags (one for each of us), one cooler, and one plastic food locker. We four spent the rest of the afternoon sorting and stuffing. What to wear on the River? What to leave in the 4-Runner?

That evening Kim grilled pork chops, and we had—

· Phillipine Pineapple Pork Adobo

· Spanish Rice

· Tossed Salad with Fresh Picked River Bergamot

· Sicilian Red Wine (Nero d’Adola)

· Crackers and Cowgirl cheeses