Utah_1

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
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Arches National Park, Utah

	Some 300,000 million years ago, a huge salt bed was deposited on the Colorado Plateau when a sea flowed into the region and then evaporated.  This salt bed is primarily responsible (along with eroding forces, such as wind, water, ice and extreme temperatures) for the arches, balanced rocks, fins, spires, and monoliths that make Arches National Park extraordinary.   In brief, the salt bed was covered with residue from floods, winds, oceans, and rivers.  Over millions and millions of years, these deposits were compressed into rock that may have been a mile thick at one point.  The salt bed underneath this rock was unstable, shifting, buckling, and liquefying under its pressure.  In brief, it jerked the rock upward into domes, and in others, it sank into cavities.  This movement also formed vertical cracks in the rock. Then, freezing and melting water widened these cracks and wind and rain cleared out debris, eventually forming the above-mentioned rock formations, the most predominant being these amazing natural arches that give the Park its name (supposedly, it has over 2,000 catalogued arches).  Since the rock is primarily Entrada sandstone, which is a salmon colored, and Navajo sandstone, which is a buff-colored, the rock formations are varying shades of red, brown, and beige, as is the earth beneath it.  

	We camped in the Devil’s Garden Campground, at the far end of the scenic drive through the park.  Although we went to bed under a clear sky and warm temperatures, we awoke to cold rain.  We managed to keep dry while packing everything up, but the tent was soaking wet.  Determined to explore the park anyway, we set out in the rain, bundled up in our rain gear to view some of the natural wonders.  We started with Broken Arch, which is about a mile and half roundtrip walk from the parking area, and Sand Dune Arch, which is less than half a mile round trip walk from the same area.   We also walked the mile long Windows Loop and the .7 miles to Double Arch.  

	On all of these relatively easy walks, which offer spectacular views of the park and arches, we were careful not to step on the Cryptobiotic Crust, which covers much of the untrammeled desert throughout the Southwest.  This soil is composed of cyanobacteria, as well as lichen, algae, and fungi, and it protects against erosion, absorbs moisture, and provides nitrogen and other nutrients for plant growth.  Without it, many larger plants could not survive in the desert, and without the plants, animals would die also.  Since it takes years to grow, most of the Parks in the Southwest go to great lengths to protect these life-giving organisms.  

	Enough about the soil, and back to us, because it was raining, and we wanted to get to Capitol Reef National Park by that evening, we decided to skip some of the other spectacular sites, including petroglyph and pictograph  panels left by Native Americans who used the area for thousands of years.  Starving, we opted to have a quick lunch in Moab, Utah (about 5 miles South of Arches), and head out.  We chose Denny’s, which we had not been to in a long time, because Mike wanted the Super Bird Special.  Unfortunately, this particularly Denny’s had no soup, apparently an integral part of the Super Bird Special.  To add insult to injury, it was literally about 20 degrees inside the restaurant.  Needless to say, it was not a very enjoyable lunch (although our waiter, Jesse, was great).
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Arches National Park
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