Dinosaurs and more!

Day 16, April 27, Moab, Utah ... We were told that arriving early at Arches National Park was best to beat the crowds. I didn’t expect too many crowds this time of year, but we were in line to get in at 9 a.m. We waited over 30 minutes, creeping up one car at a time. The wait was worth it – the park was amazing.

Between the three of us we must have taken over a hundred pictures, so I have to be really choosy what I post for you. This park is one of the few places that has naturally created arches. We saw bridges a couple days ago, made by water erosion through rock. Arches are formed by wind erosion. There are over a hundred arches in the park, but only a dozen or so are named. If they are named you cannot walk on them. If they are not named, and if you have the nerve and goat-feet, walk all you want.

The stacked-looking rock is called Balanced Rock and it is the size of three big school buses!

Most of the great views are visible either from a viewing site off the road a few yards or after a short and easy (so they say) hike of less than half a mile. I did not see anything too easy about them, but with a bit of pushing behind and pulling up front, I made a couple of them. Bear in mind the hike was over rocks and roots and sand, up-hill then down-hill. It is not for the faint-of-heart, but I was determined!! Hiking sticks are wonderful things.

We packed a lunch and ate in our car at one of the viewing sites. We drank LOTS AND LOTS of water. Paul brought red licorice. “Liquid energy” he claimed, but I’m not sure how that works. We didn’t see any wildlife other than a lizard or two and a couple of birds.

The BIG ADVENTURE came after we left the Arches National Park. A gentleman that works where we are camping had a dish of small dinosaur bones for free. Of course, the dino-lover in me took some to share with my grandkids. But he also told me of a place nearby that has dinosaur bones imbedded in the canyon wall. So after the serious hiking, we went to see the dino remnants. The foot prints were not impressive, but I loved the bones! Amazing! The pictures are a leg bone and a vertebrae.

We ate supper out. No way did any of us have the energy to cook after our long day. Someone at our last stop recommended Moab Brewery. Paul likes micro-breweries so we stopped there and had a great steak dinner, and gelato!

Moab is a busy little town, very much a tourist place. Sorts is the name of the game with water rafting, biking, off-road four-wheelers, rock climbing, hiking, etc. It is an old city full of young people. Nate, you would love it here.

Ambling on, Regina