Arches National Park

A few days before Newel started his new job, we decided to take a short trip to southern UT at Arches National Park.
Newel and the kids at Double O Arch

We had so much fun. It's not your roller coaster, shopping kind of fun. It's more like appreciating nature, the outdoors, raw beauty type of fun.

As we were hiking with the kids, we kept thinking about my uncle Dirk, and how he and Tia Idalia would love this place.
Newel and Maya at Pine Tree Arch.
So, I guess, this is for you guys, and our way of enticing you to come visit us...soon.

A couple of Mondays ago, after I got home from work, we loaded the car and headed to Moab.

Arden and I at Pine Tree Arch.

The drive wasn't too bad. Well, Maya was going crazy, since she doesn't like to sit in a carseat, but we managed. We found a hotel room to stay at, and the following morning...very early, the children woke up, got ready and by 8:00AM we were inside the park.

I knew Arches was going to be nice, but I didn't expect it to almost take my breath away.

There is such a raw beauty about this place.

Arden at Landscape Arch

It's amazing how these arches formed through thousands/millions of years. The landscape is so beautiful.
I feel like none of these photos do justice to the actual beauty of the formations.

That morning, we headed to the Devil's Garden for a little hike.

Hiking the primitive trail on our way to Navajo Arch and Partition Arch.

I was panicking a bit while taking this photo(below) of Newel and Arden. They are at the top of this massive rock structure, and there is a long drop on all sides. No rails or any way to hold on. I got scared.








This view was so awesome. At the top Partition Acrh.

It was too windy to enjoy a picnic outdoors, so we ate our lunch in the car, and got ready for the next adventure: Ranger led Hike at the Fiery Furnace.

This place was amazing.

Once again, it was beautiful.

Arden helping Ranger Bobby with a geology lesson. Arden really liked Ranger Bobby, not only because he was way nice, but because his name was Bobby, like his 'ricket'.

We walked and crawled through some narrows and that was fun.

While Arden wore the ranger hat, he led us through some narrows. Way to go Arden!

The hike was three hours long, and it was pure enjoyment. We were lucky we were in a small group. Counting Maya and Arden, there were seven of us. We had the place to ourselves.

While we would make stops to discuss the land, rest, etc., Arden loved playing with the sand.

The hike was fun. By the end of the hike, our little family was tired, so we headed back to Moab to find a place to eat, returned to our hotel, and called it a night.

We all slept really well, and the following morning, we were all up early. Once again, we got ready and headed out for more fun.

It's a Karen with a cairn (pronounced the same way).

Our final destination for this trip was Delicate Arch.

When Newel told about hiking to Delicate Arch, it didn't sound like a hard hike. It sounded like a fun hike. I thought, we would just walk a little bit and the arch would be right there. Ha!
The hike is about 1 1/2 miles long, and increases in elevation quite a bit. So, I got a good leg work out.

The hike there was still fun, but it was getting colder.
Mayita taking a break from riding in the backpack.

The view, once again, was amazing. I know, I need to expand my vocabulary.

After we finished our hike, we drove back home.

Most of our drive home was in the snow, but it was somewhat relaxing. The drive didn't feel that long, and the kids were pretty well behaved.

Arden and Maya taking a final break before we head back home.