One place we visited was Arches National Park, in Utah.
It was a beautiful day and very hot! The air was so clear that we could see for miles.
As you enter the park the road takes you up quite a ways into the mountains. From up high we could see quite a storm below us and in the valley right over the town. It was pouring but without lightening. Later we found out that the town did not get a bit of the rain because the air was so hot and dry that it evaporated before it ever hit the ground.
What made me think of this day was the picture of Delicate Arch, which I surfed across on the web. This it the picture included in this post.
we drove quite a ways into the park, enjoying the beautiful country, which was red rock country. We saw a sign pointing to the right indicating a trailhead to Delicate Arch. Well we figured it would be a little hike and were ready to get out of the truck for a while.
We drove to the trailhead and there was a small parking lot and some old buildings of some sort, I can not rememeber what they were now. I think an old cattle ranch or something like that.
We pulled in and stepped out into a dang blast furnace! I forget how hot is was that day but I know it was near 100 degrees. The trail to the Arch was several miles, maybe three or four anyway. There was a trail of sorts and it was a hot sucker. It left the parking lot and went down a ways and started climbing. It was hard to follow when it got up into the hills because it was just rock! People had layed pebbles along the route so we had something to follow but it was difficult in places.
Like I said, it was very hot and dry but Mary was always one to have bottled water along and I was one happy feller that day. We each took two jugs and the sigh reccomended more but I only had a couple hands
The trail was beautiful and the sights were grand. At every turn we saw something that I wanted to study. I wanted to study my arse! I wanted to rest my butt!
There was one gorge we went through that was as hot as hadies. Two ladies that were ahead of us said they had a thermometer and it was around 120 in that gully. We met them as they rested, drinking a beer they had each packed in for just such a rest. They were pretty tough looking babes or I would have taken it away from them about then.
Fianlly the trail started narrowing and it ran along the left side of a rock face. The rock fell away from us on the left and we had to be careful because a fall would have busted us up pretty bad. The busting up would not have mattered because we would have been dead anyway.
We kept trying to get sight of the Arch but we could not see it ahead of us. We were still climbing a bit with the cliff face on the right and drop on the left and it was all bare rock, red rock, as you can see from the picture.
I was in the lead and suddenly I could see the rock face dropping down on the left and there was a low rock ridge ahead of us. I walked up and took a look and there it was, the Delicate Arch. I will tell you one thing! It is breathtaking!
Where it comes in view is from the left of the picture, it is higher there. It is about and I am guessing here, a hundred yards from where you first see it to the arch. You have to climb over a little rock ridge and then carefully walk from left to right on the high ground, just in front of the ridge you see.
You must be very careful because it falls away, as you can see and if you fell you would never be able to stop yourself. There is absolutely nothing to latch onto and it is a long was down. That is to the right, down that slope!
I walked across to the Arch, stopped at the left arch and then carefully walked to the right. Mary took some pictures, which I can not find right now and then came across herself. That dang blonde didn't have a lick of sense because she scared the crap out of me! She came across walking like she had not a worry in the world and if she slipped I could have done nothing to help her except take her money off her dead, squirshed body.
The walk back was murder, it was so hot and we didn't have a dang bottle of beer to look forward to either.
We finally got back to the truck and there was an old fart getting ready to head out. I saw he had no water and we told him that he ought not go out there without any, it was getting late anyway. He said he did not have any and we offered him some but being a dumbassed male, he refused and set out. I have often thought of that fool and wondered if he ever made it all the way.
This was just a quickie story but seeing the picture made me want to share it with you all.
I hope you all get the chance to visit, The Delicate Arch some day. Take water if you do!!!
It was a beautiful day and very hot! The air was so clear that we could see for miles.
As you enter the park the road takes you up quite a ways into the mountains. From up high we could see quite a storm below us and in the valley right over the town. It was pouring but without lightening. Later we found out that the town did not get a bit of the rain because the air was so hot and dry that it evaporated before it ever hit the ground.
What made me think of this day was the picture of Delicate Arch, which I surfed across on the web. This it the picture included in this post.
we drove quite a ways into the park, enjoying the beautiful country, which was red rock country. We saw a sign pointing to the right indicating a trailhead to Delicate Arch. Well we figured it would be a little hike and were ready to get out of the truck for a while.
We drove to the trailhead and there was a small parking lot and some old buildings of some sort, I can not rememeber what they were now. I think an old cattle ranch or something like that.
We pulled in and stepped out into a dang blast furnace! I forget how hot is was that day but I know it was near 100 degrees. The trail to the Arch was several miles, maybe three or four anyway. There was a trail of sorts and it was a hot sucker. It left the parking lot and went down a ways and started climbing. It was hard to follow when it got up into the hills because it was just rock! People had layed pebbles along the route so we had something to follow but it was difficult in places.
Like I said, it was very hot and dry but Mary was always one to have bottled water along and I was one happy feller that day. We each took two jugs and the sigh reccomended more but I only had a couple hands
The trail was beautiful and the sights were grand. At every turn we saw something that I wanted to study. I wanted to study my arse! I wanted to rest my butt!There was one gorge we went through that was as hot as hadies. Two ladies that were ahead of us said they had a thermometer and it was around 120 in that gully. We met them as they rested, drinking a beer they had each packed in for just such a rest. They were pretty tough looking babes or I would have taken it away from them about then.
Fianlly the trail started narrowing and it ran along the left side of a rock face. The rock fell away from us on the left and we had to be careful because a fall would have busted us up pretty bad. The busting up would not have mattered because we would have been dead anyway.
We kept trying to get sight of the Arch but we could not see it ahead of us. We were still climbing a bit with the cliff face on the right and drop on the left and it was all bare rock, red rock, as you can see from the picture.
I was in the lead and suddenly I could see the rock face dropping down on the left and there was a low rock ridge ahead of us. I walked up and took a look and there it was, the Delicate Arch. I will tell you one thing! It is breathtaking!
Where it comes in view is from the left of the picture, it is higher there. It is about and I am guessing here, a hundred yards from where you first see it to the arch. You have to climb over a little rock ridge and then carefully walk from left to right on the high ground, just in front of the ridge you see.
You must be very careful because it falls away, as you can see and if you fell you would never be able to stop yourself. There is absolutely nothing to latch onto and it is a long was down. That is to the right, down that slope!
I walked across to the Arch, stopped at the left arch and then carefully walked to the right. Mary took some pictures, which I can not find right now and then came across herself. That dang blonde didn't have a lick of sense because she scared the crap out of me! She came across walking like she had not a worry in the world and if she slipped I could have done nothing to help her except take her money off her dead, squirshed body.
The walk back was murder, it was so hot and we didn't have a dang bottle of beer to look forward to either.
We finally got back to the truck and there was an old fart getting ready to head out. I saw he had no water and we told him that he ought not go out there without any, it was getting late anyway. He said he did not have any and we offered him some but being a dumbassed male, he refused and set out. I have often thought of that fool and wondered if he ever made it all the way.
This was just a quickie story but seeing the picture made me want to share it with you all.
I hope you all get the chance to visit, The Delicate Arch some day. Take water if you do!!!
