Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Dead Horse Point State Park seemed a perfect way to stretch my legs a bit. It's a little over a half hour drive from the motel. There are overlooks, a nice rim trail and plenty of scenery.
From the sign, it's another ten minutes to the overlooks. By the time I had parked, a light rain had started to fall. Fortunately, some of the overlooks are covered. I took an umbrella and my camera and walked up. 
After killing twenty minutes in the visitor center, the sky was starting to clear. So, it was back to the overlooks for some more clear shots.
By now, I was thinking an early lunch. The motel's breakfast buffet was cereal and bagels. Hardly filling. Besides, I had a lot of walking planned for the afternoon. From the drive back towards Moab.
There are two breweries in Moab. The newest one is Proper Brewing. They have food and open at 11:30A. Perfect. I was the first customer of the day and Melissa couldn't have been nicer. She explained some of the more unique beers they had and offered samples.
There was still a half hour until my entrance window for Arches National Park. Lunch had been great and I was just finishing my second pint and thumbing through Twitter when I saw a post about the park and estimated time for the entrance line. I settled up with Melissa and drove right over.
As planned, there was plenty of traffic inside the park, but not too much. And there was always a convenient spot to park. I began in the Windows section of the park. 
They call this formation Elephant Butte, though I always thought it looked more like a horse.
Just to the right of the stone horse is Double Arch. This one was formed from the top down. Water collected in a pool atop the rock. Over time it simple cut its way down and out. 
A different trail led off to Broken Arch. It's on that hillside in the distance.
Without climbing gear, this is as close as you get.
At the far end of he park is the area called The Devils Garden. There are easy trails back to six of them, with steeper, more primitive trails to even more. I was fine with just the six.
Headed in...
First up is Tunnel Arch...
There's no name listed on the park map for that smaller one to the left.
At the end of the side trail is Pine Tree Arch.
Once again, a little patience was rewarded and I got the place to myself, at least for a few minutes.
Back on the main path...
Up on hillside, Partition and Navajo Arches...
And one of the most famous, Landscape Arch...
From the hike back to the car...
While one side of the sky was pretty and blue, the other was starting to get a little gray. I couldn't tell if the rumblings I heard were motorcycles or thunder.
With limited cell service in this section of the park, it rook a while to get the weather radar to load. Yes, a storm was approaching, but it was supposed to clear the park to the north. Relieved, it was time to hit the last trail of the day, the 3.7 mile round trip to Delicate Arch.
The sky in the direction of the trail...
The trail to Delicate Arch is mostly uphill, though generally not too steep.
The sky off to the north was indeed turning leaden. There were a few distant rumbles off in the distance and I saw one solitary flash of lightning. But, it didn't seem to be close enough to worry.
By the time I had worked my way to the final stretch of the trail, it had all but passed.
Around the final corner and...
The was a line of selfie seekers and one by one they took their turn.
After a while, I just called out to the next person in line to wait up. When I told him I wanted a shot without people, he back up. A few seconds later and everyone was happy. 
The arch's shadow...
It was time to pack up and head back down...
Just a few exits west on I-70, I picked up Hwy 191/6 North, eventually towards Salt Lake City. By the time I finally rolled into the town of Wellington, I was thinking about a real breakfast. The cereal and bagels at the motel just wasn't doing it.
Maria was working the counter when I walked in. She's actually from Wellington and loves hearing stories from travelers. The place was quiet and we had a nice chat over coffee. But, it was time to go.
The check in guy at AVIS was great and wrote OIL on the windshield when I told him about the oil change warning I had been getting for a few days. The rest of the trip, just as easy.
Three years ago, Covid-19 shut the national parks down. Places like Arches National Park simply closed their gates. When the parks reopened and so many people just wanted to go...somewhere, the park was swamped. In 2022, the park had a record number of visitors. When the parking lots filled, the front gate was temporarily closed. This caused long lines and frustration. Park Spokesperson Kait Thomas told the Star Lake Tribune they had to close the gates over a hundred times over the summer. She described it as an "unreliable and chaotic system."
This season, they tried a timed entry system. Only a certain number of vehicles would be allowed through during any given hour. Since I booked a little late, the earliest I could get was 1-2P. Sure, I would have loved to spend the whole day. But, it could have been worse. The weekends were full up. More on that later.
The weather forecast called for a chance of rain in the morning, clear by early afternoon. It certainly looked promising when I left the motel.
Dead Horse Point State Park seemed a perfect way to stretch my legs a bit. It's a little over a half hour drive from the motel. There are overlooks, a nice rim trail and plenty of scenery.
From the drive to the park...
From the sign, it's another ten minutes to the overlooks. By the time I had parked, a light rain had started to fall. Fortunately, some of the overlooks are covered. I took an umbrella and my camera and walked up.
In most national parks, I've seen roads like this. I just want to drive them.
That's when I noticed the SUV's driving along. They were all white, so I'm guessing it's a tour company. Something to look into for the future.
After killing twenty minutes in the visitor center, the sky was starting to clear. So, it was back to the overlooks for some more clear shots.
There are two breweries in Moab. The newest one is Proper Brewing. They have food and open at 11:30A. Perfect. I was the first customer of the day and Melissa couldn't have been nicer. She explained some of the more unique beers they had and offered samples.
There was still a half hour until my entrance window for Arches National Park. Lunch had been great and I was just finishing my second pint and thumbing through Twitter when I saw a post about the park and estimated time for the entrance line. I settled up with Melissa and drove right over.
Generally, I get annoyed when people get to the front of the line, then search for their passes. This time it worked in my favor. I crept closer to the front as the clock crept closer to 1P. In the end, I had timed it just right, It was 1:04P when it was my turn.
As planned, there was plenty of traffic inside the park, but not too much. And there was always a convenient spot to park. I began in the Windows section of the park.
Just to the right of the stone horse is Double Arch. This one was formed from the top down. Water collected in a pool atop the rock. Over time it simple cut its way down and out.
Up the road a bit is a smaller pullout and trails back to two more arches. The first is Sand Dune Arch. It's a short walk up a canyon trail.
A different trail led off to Broken Arch. It's on that hillside in the distance.
The next pullout brings you to the trail out to Skyline Arch...
Without climbing gear, this is as close as you get.
From the parking lot...
Headed in...
First up is Tunnel Arch...
There's no name listed on the park map for that smaller one to the left.
Back on the main path...
Up on hillside, Partition and Navajo Arches...
And one of the most famous, Landscape Arch...
From the hike back to the car...
While one side of the sky was pretty and blue, the other was starting to get a little gray. I couldn't tell if the rumblings I heard were motorcycles or thunder.
With limited cell service in this section of the park, it rook a while to get the weather radar to load. Yes, a storm was approaching, but it was supposed to clear the park to the north. Relieved, it was time to hit the last trail of the day, the 3.7 mile round trip to Delicate Arch.
Yes, the rock wall by the parking area is indeed green...
The sky in the direction of the trail...
The trail to Delicate Arch is mostly uphill, though generally not too steep.
The sky off to the north was indeed turning leaden. There were a few distant rumbles off in the distance and I saw one solitary flash of lightning. But, it didn't seem to be close enough to worry.
By the time I had worked my way to the final stretch of the trail, it had all but passed.
Around the final corner and...
The was a line of selfie seekers and one by one they took their turn.
After a while, I just called out to the next person in line to wait up. When I told him I wanted a shot without people, he back up. A few seconds later and everyone was happy.
The arch's shadow...
I really didn't want to leave just yet. I was noticing a change in the colors on the arch as the sun slipped a little lower in the sky. There were some photographers waiting for sunset. I get the whole Golden Hour thing, but the only light I had was the Flashlight app on my phone and didn't want to hike down in the dark.
It was time to pack up and head back down...
Day 11
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Other than the drive to Salt Lake City for the flight home, there was nothing planned. Sure, I could have taken the interstate, but where's the fun in that?
There was plenty of time to make my afternoon flight. But, I left Moab bight and early anyway.
Just a few exits west on I-70, I picked up Hwy 191/6 North, eventually towards Salt Lake City. By the time I finally rolled into the town of Wellington, I was thinking about a real breakfast. The cereal and bagels at the motel just wasn't doing it.
The Outlaw Cafe is attached to the National 9 Motel. Inside, it was exactly what you'd expect.
Maria was working the counter when I walked in. She's actually from Wellington and loves hearing stories from travelers. The place was quiet and we had a nice chat over coffee. But, it was time to go.
Definitely a more interesting ride than the interstate.
The check in guy at AVIS was great and wrote OIL on the windshield when I told him about the oil change warning I had been getting for a few days. The rest of the trip, just as easy.
David 9/2023
PS: As of right now, I have nothing booked, but am planning another visit to see Mom in November. I've been thinking a roadtrip. The only question is, the route.
