Moab - Arches National Park

The first thing you notice while driving into Arches is the diversity....hot desert foregrounds, with majestic snow-covered mountain backgrounds, what a beautiful land! The knarled red rock seems to jump out against the whispy white snow...

We arrived in the middle of an overcast afternoon, not exactly the best of conditions for photographing the Park's splendor, but managed to get a few images that will give you a feel for it's majestic character. Balance Rock is a well known feature that one cannot miss along the opening drive into the area.

Landscape Arch is a true example of nature's "work in progress", with chunks falling from it's lower surface almost every year. The extremes of winter combine with water in it's cracks to work at splitting the thinning rock....it's only a matter of time, before the entire structure goes!

My personal favorite was Navajo Arch, a smaller structure, somewhat off the beaten path, but one of the few where you can walk up under it's bridge and get an "up close & personal" experience.... wow! what a chunk of rock!
On our hike to reach Navajo, we discovered several smaller arches, and some very strange & indeed unique "wall art" in the sides of the cliffs nearby.


We ended a beautiful afternoon with this view of Delicate Arch, the Parks most popular, and fond memories of another of this Nation's great treasures!