LA to Chicago: Roadtrip Diaries #3 - Eastern Utah

Having had our taste of Moose Madness, we left Hatch on Thursday morning and headed out to Arches National Park, which is just a couple of miles away from the town of Moab, Utah. Arches is known for, well, arches, and window formed by natural processes of erosion over many many years. It is mind-boggling that these breathtaking formations are right there in the middle of the US, right in my so-called backyard.

When the temperature is over 95 degrees and it's really really dry, the best way to see Arches is from your car. There is an 18-mile (one-way) scenic drive with plenty of stops where you can get out and do short hikes to some of the cool sites. Once again, the pictures can do the talking here.

Entering Arches:


Not too hot to smile yet:


Erosion carved out this tenuous sculpture; eventually it will tumble to the ground.


South window from the "primitive trail":


Skyline arch from afar:


Skyline arch from up close and below:


Pine tree arch:


We were pretty tired and thirsty at the end of the day, so we made our way into Moab for the evening. Similar to our trip to the Grand Canyon last fall, the sites in Utah were pretty humbling. Most of the time I try to avoid fading completely into the background, preferring to think that my life will in some small way have an impact on the world. But in ways both temporal and physical, standing in the shadows of these giants made me feel pretty small, just a small speck in space and time.