Arches National Park

On Thursday, May 13th, the two Jims, Mary Kay, Carol and me visited the Arches National Park just north of Moab, UT.  It is a beautiful park sculpted by God and mother nature.  No need for me to ramble, the pictures will tell the whole story.

At noon we found a secluded little picnic area and enjoyed a nice lunch.

The "Delicate Arch" requires a 3 mile round trip hike and takes approximately 2 hours.  Mary Kay and I decided to do this hike while the rest of the gang toured around the immediate area.

This trail also includes a ledge trail that can be a little intimidating.  Notice how MK is hugging the wall.  I also hugged it.

Just before the ledge trail there is a hole that you can climb up to that presents an interesting view of Delicate Arch and the surounding terrain.  The drop from the hole would be no fun, so you can see from the photos that I did not get too close.

When you negotiate the last 100 yards of the ledge trail you are presented with a spectacular view of Delicate Arch which is standing on a precipice that drops about 500 feet.

Many of the other hikers were standing and taking pictures right under the arch with the cliff just a few feet behind them.  Mary Kay and I could only brave being near the arch where a fellow traveler took this picture.

If you're interested, you can see all of my pictures in this magnificent park at the following link:  Arches National Park

After spending the entire day in the park we had dinner at Buck's Steak House in Moab and celebrated Sharon's birthday.