Wandering Retirees

Dead Horse Point State Park, Arches National Park and Scenic RT 128 near Moab, UT

 A wonderful day. We hit the road before sunrise to catch the sights at Dead Horse Point State Park. We got there before the gates were open at 6 and arrived at a great lookout just before the sun’s rays hit the canyon walls. Just beautiful. Though much smaller than Grand Canyon, we got the feel of the Colorado River cutting through the gorge 2,000 feet below. The river has been cutting through the rock since the Colorado Plateau was thrust up around 10 million years ago. The oldest exposed rock at the river’s edge is the Rico strata, approximately 275 million years old. Amazing. We overheard many conversations all expressing pleasure at the sight – one in German and another with a woman in a jazzy who wheeled up just in time. We had our breakfast while basking in the early morning light.

We saddle up again and left the Park around 7:30. Still no one at the entrance gate. Guess we got a freebie from the State of Utah. Feel a little guilty. But not so guilty that we couldn’t enjoy going to Arches Nat’l Park. (No one at the gate there either, though we have an annual pass courtesy of a nice Christmas gift.)

We rode deep into the park to visit the “Windows” formations. The lot was already full but there was a sliver of space for the bike. We hiked to the double arches about a ¼ mile away, passing the formations known as the “Elephants.” They are immense and seemingly delicate and so beautiful. Heading back the other way, we saw a cactus coming into bloom, a prickly pear. A pic is attached. We were very fortunate.

A nice hike on a hike “primitive” trail took us across a dry wash and a nice climb over a rock hill to the backside of the Windows. On the way we met the same couple we met in Cortez, Jurdis and Katinka Spork from the Netherlands. We were delighted to meet each other again. Jurdis is a composer of some repute and shares our love of traveling in Germany. The Sporks even have a vacation home in Fritzlar near Kassel where Dave spent his exchange year. We shared contact info and went our separate ways to the wondrous sight of thousands of tons of rock suspended in arches high above the ground. About that time a couple of tour busses let off their charges who promptly charged to the formations. That is to say, it got very crowded very fast. Phew! We took our time though, and Connie got some amazing shots.

We returned to the bike with the intent to visit the Delicate Arch deeper into the park. There was a long line of cars waiting to park in our spot, so we made someone happy. A note: when you visit a National Park, especially in the west, you should go early in the morning, certainly before 11 AM. That way you can get in and find parking. Otherwise, you take your chances.

We got to the area for Delicate Arch but ran into a veritable traffic jam with a Lone Ranger working hard to keep order. By the time we got off the bike, talked to the ranger named Ralph who is himself a biker, and talked with Bob and Peter from Queens no less, the weather became hot, we were out of water and were dubious of a 3 mile hike that lay ahead. Discretion being the better part of valor, we loaded back up and left the Park to get supplies and take a relaxing ride along the Colorado River along Scenic Rt. 128. A gorgeous, easy and fun ride. We had a late lunch at a boat launch site and relaxed. A wonderful day, covering about 150 miles and tons of dreams. Nice.

Tomorrow we head out early for a long ride to Ely, NV, on the way toward Yosemite in California. Looking forward to the ride, and hoping the livestock stays somewhere other than in our lane. Tonight it’s rest and a little Stanley Cup finals. Just a period. Maybe two.

Dead Horse Point

Arches National Park

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Scenic drive along the Colorado River.