Left Salina early this morning with the threat of thunderstorms all the way through southern Utah. Went east on I-70, which "overlaps" US50 from this point to Grand Junction. The scenery along I-70 was really spectacular, and you can see why this part of the country is blessed with such magnificent and beautiful natural wonders such as Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Capital Reef National Park, and Zion National Park (in the southwest corner of Utah). Anyway, to give you an idea of the scenery in this part of our country, here are some shots taken at various places along I-70:
I know I could have taken pictures along 100 different spots between Salina and Green River, Utah, but this'll give you some idea of how beautiful the ride was.
I went down to Moab, Utah to visit Arches National Park, where Pat and I had visited once about 30 years ago. The Park is absolutely a must-see and is truly unique.
Near the entrance to the park, and about a mile past the visitor's center, is the area known as "Park Avenue" with some beautiful stone formations:
A couple miles up the road is the area known as "Courthouse Towers" with some truly beautiful formations of its own:
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The formation on the left is known as The Tower of Babel. The formation in the center apparently doesn't have a name, or it's a state secret.
The formation in the center is known as "The Three Gossips."
A bit further up the road is the area known as "The Petrified Dunes", which are actually ancient sand dunes that were subsequently buried by silt and solidified:
The next section a couple miles up the road was known as "The Windows". Here I saw my first two arches:
Here, also, was "The Parade of Elephants":
(I guess you have to use a little imagination.) There was also this view from The Windows:
Further up the road, I got the the "Delicate Arch" area:
If you enlarge the picture, you can see people milling around the base of the Arch itself. Unfortunately, about this time, here is what the horizon looked like to the West:
The forecast had been for intense thunderstorms in the afternoon, and after waiting as long as I could, I headed back to the Visitor's Center where I waited out the storm for about two hours. Consequently, I didn't get to go the remainder of the distance to some of the more famous arches, including the most famous one of all, Landscape Arch. We'll put that on the list of unfinished business.
After the rain and thunder quieted down, I headed up Hwy 128, which follows a canyon along the Colorado River. About 10 miles up the road, it became impassable due to mud slides (!) and I turned around, headed back to Moab, and then back the way I had come to I-70. From there it was about 80 miles to Grand Junction.
I've made the decision that it's about time to head home, so tomorrow I'll be shooting east on I-70 thru Denver and beyond. Not sure how far I'll get tomorrow night, but it's time to call this excursion a done deal. Miles today: 336. Total to Date: 10,416. And about 1,700 more to go!
