Nieka and Ken Go West
Day 11: Arches National Park and the Drive to Park City

Delicate Arch from Overlook.

As if to make up for yesterday's lazy start, we set the alarm for 6:00 AM so we could see the morning light over Delicate Arch (the arch that is the symbol of the park and which appears on the Utah state license plates). We arrived at the overlook a bit before 7:00 as the sun was starting to climb over the hills to the east. The sky was already light, but no shadows were cast. We had the overlook almost to ourselves -- one family had walked up the path to the upper overlook, and we could hear their voices, but not see them. We did see several rabbits -- an adult, with black tail and tops of the ears, and a younger, smaller one, with white tail. The arch was a few hundred feet above our elevation, about a mile and a half away.

Delicate Arch just after dawn.

We next drove back about a mile to the trailhead for the Delicate Arch trail. Again, we had the trail almost to ourselves; a large family group was just ahead of us, and a few other couples behind. The trail was about 1.5 miles long, with an elevation gain of about 500 feet, mostly up a slickrock slope. The sun was just starting to shine on parts of the path, but distant mesas cast enough of a shadow to keep us cool.

We soon passed the family and had the trail (ahead of us at least) to ourselves. We walked along quickly and reached the arch in about 35 minutes. The arch itself sits on the rim of an oval depression at the top of a hill, with steep rock slopes leading down to a flat area with trees and standing puddles. We were able to walk along the bare rock to the side, from which point we could see Delicate Arch, the Windows arches, and Balanced Rock on the horizon. The arch was just catching the first rays of the sun as it cleared another nearby rock, and was beautifully lit.

The few other visitors scattered around the area were not at all distracting -- everyone was keeping quiet -- and we felt as if we were the only ones there. Ken went around the rim to the base of the arch while Nieka took his picture, then Nieka went to the same spot while Ken retreated to the safety of the opposite side.

Raven at Delicate Arch.

While we sat at the arch we were swarmed with gnats, an annoyance until a flock of swallows started rushing around our heads, swooping and having their breakfast. It was so quiet and still that we could hear the swoosh of their wings as they turned about to catch insects. The swallows were joined by a single large raven, who sat on the rocks above our heads (near what was obviously its nesting area, based on the droppings staining the rock face below it). The raven made a strange, stuttering cry -- ka-ka-ka-ka-ka -- for quite a few minutes, until it was joined by a second bird, after which all was still again. The abudance of large ravens we've seen explains why they figure so prominently into many Native American legends.

Big horn sheep above our heads, and below us, eating a shrub for breakfast.

Having spent about an hour enjoying the birds and the arch, we began our descent. Another hiker let us know that a big horn sheep was on the trail ahead. The sheep started out perched about 10 feet above the narrow trail, looking down on the handful of hikers with cameras pointed at it. He then came down an almost vertical slope, across the trail, and down another 20 or more feet of nearly vertical cliff to stop just below us. Apparently unconcerned by the sight of us, he moved about 15 feet along the base of the cliff to a shrub and started eating. We got some wonderful pictures while he had his breakfast. At the visitor center on the way out, we asked if sightings were common -- the volunteer there said they were actually fairly rare, although slightly less so in the area where we were. She told us it was a real treat to see one so close. What a way to end our visit to the National Parks!

After returning to Moab, getting breakfast at the Red Rock Bakery & Cafe, and changing into cleaner clothes, we checked out and headed north toward Park City.

Cows along the road.

The drive took us across large expanses of desert and empty land on U.S. Highways 191 & 6. We avoided the Interstate as much as possible, taking the two-lane roads through mountainous terrain and open range. At one point, a small herd of cattle was grazing at the roadside. We, of course, stopped to take a picture; the cows looked imperturbably curious.

We arrived in Park City around 6:00 and checked in to the Park City Marriott (our already inexpensive room was upgraded to a larger one, with a better view). We were last in Park City to see the Olympic aerials preliminary competition. The city looks much different without snow and without the Olympic trappings that were everywhere then. For dinner, we walked into town and up Main Street (about 1.5 miles) to the Wasatch Brewery. (How could we not? Their slogan is, "We drink our share and serve the rest.") After dinner, we walked home, having spent a long day being tourists.

More pictures from today