Day 12
Another goal of this trip was to see some of southern Utah. You know, the terrain that looks like it’s in a Roadrunner cartoon. Unfortunately, during trip planning, you find more places you can’t get to the ones you can. Maybe we’ll make Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef etc. on the next trip. But on this trip we’re going to Arches National Park at least.
We got going about 8:15 am. The temp was still in the middle 60’s and I liked that.
Arches is just a couple of miles from the north end of Moab. We had passed the entrance the night before on our way into town.
Just outside the park on the west side is a large fault line causing this wall of red rock in front of us.
The sun was definitely still rising as we got to the first scenic view point.
I failed to mention that once inside the park there is just one main road with a few different branches off of it. Basically, a long dead end.
I know the lights not right but I’m having some fun taking pictures while riding. In the background are the Petrified Sand Dunes.
As we rode through.
According to park literature, the park contains approximately 2000 arches.
Nearing the furthest most point of the park road we came upon Skyline Arch.
This would turnout to be one of my favorite arches, largely due to being so close to the road.
A little closer from near the base.
The next stop was at the Devil’s Garden. This was as far as you could go on the main park road.
The path if you wanted to see some more arches.
This got me to Landscape Arch. This arch is just one of a few, mentioned in the park brochure. 306’ across, it’s HUGE!
There were a few more arches ahead that I hadn’t heard of. It had taken us about 10 minutes to walk to Landscape Arch and the path’s sand was getting deeper. I love my SIDI’s but they will never be confused for hiking or running shoes that’s for sure. So we turned around and headed back for the bike. We have lots more to see today. Did I mention it’s already starting to get warm?
Not far for Devil’s Garden was the road leading to Delicate Arch. Our next stop was in search of the famous Delicate Arch.
The sign told us that the Delicate Arch trail is one and half miles long, much of which is uphill going there. Ok, put our tennis shoes on and left the boots sitting next to the bike. Did I mention it's getting warmer. Oh yeah, I did.
After many minutes of hiking uphill we came to this section. Kathleen said that's it, she'd had enough.
Somewhere in here my new hiking partner (nice fellow going the same way) and I got off the main trail a little bit.
I don't know what I was thinking, you can plainly see the trail in the picture right?
Delicate Arch sits in this large bowel (way up) and we ended up on a tall rock out cropping on on edge of the bowel. Most of the other folks seemed to have better luck than we did and they ended up IN the bowel. Still the view from up there was fantastic and well worth the hike to anyone considering it.
And the closest look.
The view walking back to the parking lot.
Next up after exchanging boots for tennis shoes at the bike was the Windows area and Balanced Rock.
Windows area.
Balanced Rock.
By this point its about 1:00 pm. and we were hungry and hot (97 degrees).
We returned to Moab and had lunch. During lunch we met a nice couple who we saw arrive on a shiny red Gold Wing. We got to talking with them and they told us they only lived a few hours away. The really cool thing was that their adult kids had gotten to together 4 months earlier and purchased that bike for them to replace his 1986 Gold Wing. Show of hands, who has kids like that? Me neither.
Because of the heat we decided to forget about hitting 128 (go up and come back the same way) and just getting to Colorado as quick as we could. Should be cooler there! To use a fishing term concerning sought after roads, 128 was the one that got away.
We continued south on 191 to La Sal Junction. From there we took 46 east and soon found higher elevations and forests. Temps dropped as low as 75 degrees. What a relief!
Utah gave us a little bit of fun before depositing us in Colorado on 90.
Going down please.
No guardrail to hurt us with plenty of run off.
Our first look at Colorado. I think it might change.
90 took us to 145 near Vancorum. 145 turned out to be a fun road as we neared Placerville.
At Placerville we took 62 north. That would get us over to Ridgeway and a few miles above Ouray on 550 (Million Dollar Highway). 62 was another twisty road that provided a lot of fun as the scenery changed.
A picture between Placerville and Ouray.
It was somewhere around 4:00 pm when we got to Ouray. It didn’t look like much at first. A few buildings along with some motels and an R.V. Park was all we saw. I was feeling good and considered going on into Durango 90 miles away but eventually thought better of it. We got a nice room at the newest motel, I think it was the Hot Springs Inn.
I can see why this place is called the Switzerland of the West. There wasn’t a lot of extra room with the mountains shooting straight up on either side of the road.
I asked the lady at the motel where I might get a 6-pack. She pointed in the direction we’d leave in the morning and said just a few blocks that way, in town. When we first passed her hotel the road turned to the left and looked it like civilization had ended. So I turned around before I saw the town. I’d heard Ouray was a small town and landlocked all around. Shoot, I figured I’d seen it all when I’d passed the motel (what a maroon).
A nice 2nd floor room with a balcony right over the river.
Our walk into town for dinner. 2/3's of town.
We had a nice dinner at O'Brians Pub. The Irish Stew was terrific!
On the way back we passed a kid who seemed unashamed to be mooning his friends who were in the park right next to the main road. The kid then suddenly became shy when saw our camera, go figure. And he started giving us some lip even though we wern't having wardrobe problems. I don't know who, but somebody mentioned that his mother must be on crack to raise such a boy. The kid said she didn't use the stuff. At some point he wrongly assumed we were def and finished the conversation in sign language.
Then something really neat happened. A guy came to pick up his daughter at the park. The girl looked like she could play Annie in the musical. But that wasn't the neat part. It was his cool machine!!!
Sign outside the motel.
A beer and a soak in the hot tub at the motel and a another great day came to an end.
Tomorrow's goal, somewhere in New Mexico ready to make DFW the next day. It's winding down but we still have some great roads ahead.
Day's mileage a fun filled 211.
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. IE Cascade Nat'l Park, Yellowstone, Glacier. I too was blown away by the destruction evidence at Mt. St. Hellens.
