BYE ANTELOPE CANYON, HELLO ARCHES!

Last night after the tour of the Lower Antelope Canyon we rested a little bit then went to Big John’s Texas Barbecue. We saw a lot of people eating there so we decided to give it a try. we ordered margaritas to cool us off after the tour. I ordered pulled beef brisket sandwich and Trini ordered the pulled chicken sandwich and baby back ribs that we shared. Side orders of Cole slaw and beans. Verdict: Not bad but I’ve had better Texas barbecue. Despite my lackluster review of the food I give them a one thumb up for their hee-haw band. They were good and at times I had to clap and stomp to keep up the rhythm.

We checked out of our hotel at 7:00 am and went to Safeway Supermarket to buy more water and ice and of course, the strong Joe from Starbucks!

My loyal GPS took us to two-laned US Routes. You know you are driving through a rural area when the signs say: “Watch out for deer next 5 miles”, “watch out for cow next 20 miles”, “watch out for animals next 80 miles”! An uneventful driving for almost 6 hours of driving within the speed limit with three rest stops.

We also occasionally stopped to admire the various rock formations along the way – they were truly amazing! It was interesting to see how the landscape scenery gradually changed as we were nearing Utah – from the reddish almost barren soil in Arizona to green vegetation in Utah.

After checking in at the hotel and dropping off our stuff in our room, we drove directly to the Arches National Park (about 3 miles away) since we had a 3:00-4:00 pm timed entry reservation. That’s right, you have to get online weeks if not months to get a reservation for entry. This is to control the influx of tourists especially during the peak months. There was a long line of vehicles but it only took 15 minutes to get to the booths. I showed my digital reservation bar code and my national parks access card (otherwise we would have been charged $30).

How the Arches were formed: The entire region began to rise 15 million years ago, and increasing erosion caused removal of the sedimentary rocks above the Entrada Sandstone. Once at the surface, erosional forces began to act upon the sandstone layers creating the famous arches with the national park. There are over 2,000 documented arches in the park, ranging from sliver thin cracks to spans greater than 300 feet.

The park was not crowded as it would usually be during the summer although the parking lots are almost full wherever you go. We were able to access a few arches by walking a little bit; however, many of the arches were hard to reach – a couple of them you had to hike for a couple of hours! We didn’t do this since we were still tired from yesterday’s Antelope Canyon tours.

We drove to the farthest area in the park – the Devil’s Garden where we had our photo ops near the beautifu arch. The arches were named like Skyline Arch, Tapestry Arch, Sand Dune Arch, Delicate Arch, etc. After admiring these breathtaking sceneries we decided to leave as we were famished. We were sad to leave but leave we must.

We drove through downtown Moab and we spotted a sign that says “Food Truck Park” and we followed that. We ended eating Chinese food for dinner under a huge tent with a mister to cool the customers (I felt it was not necessary as the temperature was in the low 80’s and there was a nice breeze).

After we arrived at our hotel room I immediately changed to my swim shorts and went to the jacuzzi with a glass of cabernet to relax! Aaah, so soothing and relaxing – the place was empty and I savored my solitude…..