Our Bikes Enjoyed the Ride
Arches National Park – The California Move Day 2
We drove into Moab, Utah under the cover of darkness the night before then ate a typically awful American-Italian meal with poor wine. I refused to set an alarm assuming I would awaken at 6 to begin our photo tour of Arches National Park.
When I finally looked at the clock it was after 7 and I knew we had to scramble for good light and acceptable temperatures. Juliet and I assumed the park would be cool and interesting. It was in fact far beyond our expectations and we know we will return for a much deeper exploration in the coming years.
The Opulent Streets of Park Avenue
One of the first natural masterpieces in the park is the area called Park Avenue. The rock formations look like shadowy buildings along empty streets and if the namesake street looked like this I am pretty sure I would be pleased to live as a beggar along the boulevard.
Monolithic Red Rocks
These kinds of formations are abundant in the park and actually become easy to ignore. I refused to get beauty fatigue as each of these monoliths have worked for millions of years on their performance and all deserve a respectful study.
Delicate Arch
The compelling arch that draws most people to the park is Delicate Arch. Our tardy awakening forces us to skip the hike to its base (as we had a long drive ahead of us) and so I did the best I could with the zoom. If you click to enlarge you can see the miniature people moving about the arch area.
Schmee
Juliet representing NOVO coffee in the ANP!
Landscape Arch
The light on this morning made it tough to get a shot that did not camouflage the arch a bit and I could not get my aperture setting to allow me to get a foreground person in the shot for reference. This arch is actually quite enormous – some 60 feet across and a 60 ton piece crashed to ground there around 15 years ago so people are not allowed to get under the arch now. I have an iPhone shot that will make a later post that I think is more illustrative of its size.
Balanced Rock (I told you there would be more)
The famous balanced rock of Moab is a bit different from the previous day’s in Colorado National Monument. This one reminds me of some cartoon educational character from my youth. The shot from the opposite side is better I believe but the light would not grant that luxury on this morning.
Balanced Rock to Scale
This place rocks!
TBA in Ghost Rock Canyon, Utah
Our drive out of Utah provided us with another exceptional surprise as we pulled off the highway to find the badlands of Ghost Rock Canyon. This is where Butch Cassidy supposedly hung out and if so he was much more of a bad ass than the film depicted.
Tree View of Ghost Rock Canyon
As always Juliet sees something in a way I could not and it is just compelling on film. What a way to exit Utah!
stay tuned tomorrow for “No Fear and Plenty of Loathing in Las Vegas”
Ghost Rock Canyon and Eagle Canyon were unreal in their raw beauty – both are right up there as far as places I can become “lost” in. Thank you for sharing your pictures!
Beautiful pictures! I’m looking forward to the Las Vegas post:)
definitely post card material!
thanks
I love the red rocks one, but my favorite is the one with the bikes. I imagine that biking through those trails was pretty amazing. Jealous. So jealous
yeah, I dig the bike shot for sure…we finally are getting back on our bikes (which we need very much)
Yeah, alarms are good things..sometimes. This place deserves several days of attention and I am thinking November is the month for that.
How are things in South Tejas?
I am hopeful Schmee will make the big time then perhaps some rogue agent will find my work and then I will be writing episodes of Bonanza 2014
Still hot! Where is winter? Then I’ll be complaining about the cold.
You two are the most talented pair I ever knew. What a partnership! How is the book coming along? I’m eager to see it in print.
Ha! I think I have to finally decide which direction I am leaning with the book. Facts or Fiction? Pieces of both? I am finally getting close enough to a routine of life where I may get this damn thing on paper. We will see
Just get the damn thing on paper!
I don’t have an infinite number of days left here, you know. I’d like to see this thing before I croak…
well, we are not talking years here George…I would be very sad if it were not complete sometime next summer (maybe even before) I have a Thailand trip in March that I need for pieces of this thing and so it will have to be after that. I may be able to send you a complete chapter or more in advance though
Ah, how thrilled I would be to read it!
My cardiologist assured me just today that I am here for awhile yet… I’m still deciding whether to celebrate or lament…
OMG! I am celebrating
Loved it there! It’s so different from any place else and really felt like another planet.
it does indeed..a planet I very much like
You have the coolest posts
. Great shots!
that is quite flattering coming from you. Just happy to be back in the saddle after the long trip. How have you been?
Been well, thank God! Thanks for asking, glad to “see” you back here.
Looks like you guys are doing great
!
Yeah, moving is a bitch…building a new routine even more so. Glad you are well.