Arches No. 1
Day three of travel brought heavy rains in the morning and scattered throughout the day. For this reason, we took our time getting ready. We headed out around 10:30a to downtown Moab to look in shops and grab some lunch. I get a magnet from everywhere I go and t-shirts and stickers if I find some that appeal to me. Of course, I found all three! After shopping, the rain let up so we stopped at Quesadilla Mobilla, a food truck on the main street, and sat outside at the tables provided. I got the Sweet & Spicy - Per their website, “This vegetarian quesadilla might even make carnivores think twice! A plentiful layer of fresh spinach is covered with our delicious spicy roasted sweet potatoes, sautéed red bell peppers, black beans and green chile, all fused together with cheddar/jack cheese.” - it was delicious and I’d definitely recommend.
After filling our bellies, it was time to head into the park. Due to the questionable weather, I figured we wouldn’t have an issue with the park being full. There were a few cars ahead of us waiting to get in so it took no time to pass through the gate. We grabbed our map and set off toward the back of the park. Our first stop was Sand Dune Arch, followed by Broken Arch. The hike to Sand Dune Arch is a very short and is hidden within fins of of red sandstone. If it were sunny and hot, it is a great place to seek shelter from the hot Utah sun. I find this arch whimsical and dreamy, tucked away in a matter that makes you feel like you’re the first to discover it, especially when you’re one of very few in the tiny canyon.
After hanging out in the tiny canyon, we continued down the trail to Broken Arch. It passes through beautiful desert landscape filled with Sagebrush, Juniper and more of which I don’t know the names. The contrast of the cloudy sky, shrubbery, grass and red sandstone just fill my soul with happiness and once again, leave me in awe of how amazing nature is. The trail continues through the arch, so you scramble up some rocks and can continue to Tapestry Arch if you please. For us, we chose to have a snack on the back side of the arch then return to the trailhead. The clouds were growing dark and we could hear thunder in the distance. It was time again to seek shelter.
We continued on the road to the back of the park but unfortunately, the heavy rains returned. We saw what we could from the car and when there were breaks in the rain, we stopped at the Delicate Arch viewpoint - we take this hike later in the trip - Balanced Rock and a Park Avenue. Despite the weather, we were able to see and enjoy some great views in the park. We weren’t too concerned, as we knew we’d be back!
