Arches in the Day

More of Arches National Park! Cody has raised the bar - no DSLR? I am impressed. My trip was with a new Canon Rebel, and unfortunately only during the day.

Whenever I travel, I look for unique shots. We've all seen the same image of Delicate Arch, straight-on. A quick climb up the ridge lent a broader view to show off the natural amphitheater over which the arch presides.

What amazes me is how much of the park is inaccessible to both roads and trails. This is one reason why I love my camera: the telephoto lenses. The vistas are beautiful and the myriad of geological shapes are doubly so.

Oddly, all of the rangers we heard, as well as the museum exhibits, focused on water as the force that shapes the park. However, the real creator of the landforms is wind erosion (otherwise, all those arches would be natural bridges). While water plays a big part, wind is the uncredited source for the twisted forms of sandstone that we enjoy today. It also pares down the dead trees to the point that many people wonder how so much driftwood can be in such a dry place.

One final picture: Balanced Rock, probably the second most popular (after Delicate Arch) feature of the park. As I circled around the loop, a European gentleman stopped me (apparently I look like I know stuff) and asked what the spiritual significance of the cairns (small rock piles) is. He was disappointed when I said they mark the trail.

Enjoy! -Josh