Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Life's for Livin'

Well it's been awhile. Currently I'm actually back on the road... But there wasn't time to write because I packed in so much LIVING!

So I drove from the edge of Colorado (grand junction) to Moab, utah. I headed to arches national park. Canyon lands is also nearby but I had to choose!

Do you know what inspired me to choose arches?!


I wanna DO THAT!
...............................................................

So I'm driving through this "high desert" and there isn't much out in Utah on this highway. There were exits that exited onto a dirt road cattle path. There were a lot of those. There were not many people at all. I started to get down past the halfway point of the gas tank And I began to wonder if people I this highway (if there are any) knew about gasoline powered vehicles...

Luckily it turns out they do, just barely. I was able to fill up at a "gas station" which consisted of not one, but two pumps! It also had what is known as a shed to pay! Thank goodness for technology!

Made it to arches, the most beautiful rock I've ever seen! It's like the red rock area in Arizona, but with amazing and multitudinous formations that make you go hmmmmmmm! Heaven!


Headed to what I like to call the license plate arch. It is located off a trailhead at Wolfe ranch.


Apparently mr. Wolfe suffered from a complaint in his leg (maybe from a war?) and the dry arrid vicious desert agreed with him and his leg. Boys....

So he and his son moved out here to this ranch in the middle of awesome rock and a beautiful stream that looks green from all of the deposits. Probably did look like an oasis when he came to it in his wagon. But driving to it from the visitors center, boy just looks crazy for staying here. And in fact, he did leave after I think around a decade staying there. He returned to the east and promptly died. Guess he was right about the desert after all... 


Hiked the trail. And if I thought hiking in Colorado was tough, I added in heat wind and extra dry air. I'll never leave the car without Chapstick again!


There is a lizard! They are super (still a little Colorado "super" in me!) cute and very skittish!


One more corner! And then there it is!


License plate arch (because its on all the utah plates)  is actually delicate arch. BUT a nice Salt Lake City man informed me that the name of this arch and another in the park were accidentally switched when the map maker came in, SO originally this was called landscape arch. Phew!


Look at these people looking at it from afar. If you know me at all you know I need to touch...


It was a hop skip and windy and I mean WINDY jump over and I'm here!




Gorgeous! A Minnesota lady (retired teacher...like her already) and I just sat and contemplated its demise. How would you like to be stared at, waiting for your end? The arch took it well...

Then this older Asian couple stomped up. This Asian lady was awesome, she made all of the "phews!" And "oooiii" and "hummmppphhhs" she could make about the hike. She did it in such a dramatic but happy way. It was cute. She said "how long was that hike?! It was exhausting!"

Minnesota and I informed her it was about 1.75 miles...

"Oh no...no no, six miles at LEAST!"

Little Asian ladies are so cute. Facts don't matter, what she thinks is what counts!

Checked out the peytroglyphs from the Utes on my way back. Pretty decent art compared to some of their ancestors. Of course they'd probably laugh that it is considered art to people now.

And then that little Asian lady inspired me to take the longer hike to angel arch. I didn't think I had enough time, but there were a few arches on the path, so off I went on the *gasp* 4 mile hike!!!
So I went, and on the way learned that the flakes above could someday become arches. The water gets in between the rocks and makes these flakes. Then wind and water beat them down into different shapes. Some become arches. Cool! Water is so powerful!

I'd love to tell you I made it to angel arch, but I didn't. I'd love to tell you I didn't get lost on the path, but I did. I started freaking out and thinking about those old movies where the actor wanders through the desert begging for water. Well at least I had water...

Honestly I wasn't that far off the path, but ever read or see Into The Wild? It could happen anywhere. Trick is to keep calm and not think about that you drove all the way out to utah by yourself and no one knows what path you even took. You DON'T THINK ABOUT IT!!!

So I was lost for about two minutes. Got back on the path and made it to double o arch:



I'm not dead! Yay! And shortly after I made it, I ran into the Salt Lake City man and we shared pictures and stories. He told me all about his six children and the WHOLE time I tried to use ESP to figure out if he was Mormon. I guess I thought it would be rude to just straight up ask...

I did get some awesome food recommendations and also was told there is good climbing up in SLC area. I have to research that for my next trip...

Peace out arches!


Even the desert scribes my name...

E for Ellis!!



1 comment:

  1. That looks so awesome!. I wanna do it. Yeah, I know....a funny visual! LOL

    ReplyDelete