Saturday, May 24, 2008

We went to Arches National Park today. The park was very busy. Despite the heavy traffic we enjoyed ourselves.


I cannot begin to describe the beauty of this land... the colors, the shapes and the sounds... all extraordinarily beautiful. I took pictures, but even though they are beautiful they cannot convey the beauty that we saw.


One of the best parts of my day was seeing a moth lying on a rock. I would probably have never seen him, but I saw a couple and the man was on his knee taking a picture and I had to ask what they had found. It was good to see that others take pictures of something other than the scenic views. I told them of the primrose that was just behind our truck... I looked over a few minutes later and they were taking pictures of it. It amazes me that a creature and a flower can survive in this dry environment... I may not... my skin is so dry. Lotion and more lotion.


The park was so busy that we could not find a picnic table to eat our sandwiches at... so we found a lovely overlook to stop at and had our picnic in the truck.


Our next stop was Dead Horse Point State Park. I know a weird name for a park. Here is an explanation:

"Before the turn of the century, mustang herds ran wild on the mesas near Dead Horse Point. The unique promontory provided a natural corral into which the horses were driven by cowboys. The only escape was through a narrow, 30-yard neck of land controlled by fencing. Mustangs were then roped and broken, with the better ones being kept for personal use or sold to eastern markets. Unwanted culls of "broomtails" were left behind to find their way off the Point.

According to one legend, a band of broomtails was left corralled on the Point. The gate was supposedly left open so the horses could return to the open range. For some unknown reason, the mustangs remained on the Point. There they died of thirst within sight of the Colorado River, 2,000 feet below."


It is a beautiful park. No words or pictures can do it justice. The colors remind me a bit of the Grand Canyon.


Then it was home, showers and soup and sandwiches. I edited some pictures and Frank read... our typical evening :-)