Arches

Last week was spring break.  We almost never do anything vacation-y over spring break because until this year we haven't had a spring break from anything.  But this year we went to Moab for three days with Grandma Sue and Aunt Mikayla.

We had a really good time.  We drove down on Thursday morning.  The weather was bad throughout the drive.  In fact, about halfway there, this is what the weather was like.

That's right.  Snow, as we were on our way to hike.  Kent had been somewhat hesitant about going because, as he put it, "Who wants to hike in the rain?"  As I was looking out the window as we drove, I thought, "Who wants to hike in the snow?"  Fortunately, it never rained (or snowed) when we were actually out hiking.  By the time we arrived in Moab, the rain had let up, it wasn't freezing, and the sun even came out.  It was windy though.  I was fairly sure we were going to be blown over when we first got out.  In fact, we just kept laughing at how ferocious the wind actually was.

The children were pretty good hikers.  Apart from a short span when Brandt wanted to be piggy-backed, he hiked well.  Blythe complained a bit and stood in front of Kent and hung on his legs until he picked her up at least three times, but I felt that all in all, we saw quite a bit and enjoyed ourselves.  We saw eight arches up close, four more from a distance, and wandered around Balanced Rock.  We (the adults) would have liked to have ventured out on some of the more difficult or longer hikes, but we were happy with what we saw and with the children's willingness to participate.

In addition to hiking, we swam in the hotel pool.  I selected the hotel based on price, but I made sure we stayed somewhere that advertised a heated pool.  The Moab Valley Inn said they had an indoor/outdoor heated pool.  Personally, I think it was false advertising.  There was an indoor/outdoor pool, but it was not really very heated at all.  It was downright cold.  It didn't seem to bother the children at all, however, who happily swam all three days we were there.  They enjoyed the hot tub too.  I have no pictures of swimming because I was in the pool.

Two room pictures by Blythe.

Looks like a great place, huh?

Funny story about the hot tub.  The first day we were there, upon arrival at the pool, we found only one woman in the hot tub, a mom with two children.  Brandt and Blythe began cannonballing into the hot tub, but she was sitting in such a way that the water was not splashing her in the face, and she seemed very tolerant.  The next day the hot tub was much more crowded, but again, immediately upon arrival, Brandt cannonballed in, splashing five or six people.  I quickly apologized and told Brandt he couldn't do that with the hot tub full of people.  So Blythe did instead.  I told her she wasn't allowed either, but I had to remind both of them again while trying not to see the scowls our fellow soakers were casting in my direction.

Another funny story.  Whenever we go on a longish road trip, I pack road trip munchies, and this trip was no different.  I packed crunchies, cheese and crackers, apples and grapes, graham crackers, fruit snacks, granola bars, and gingerbread man cookies.  The kids were watching as I packed food and they must have asked me six or seven times if they could have a cookie.  For the first five or six times, I patiently told them that they were for our trip, but by the seventh time, in exasperation, I said, "You may not have anything until we are in the car!  Stop asking!"  

They got in the car, I finished packing everything, and we started off.  Before we were even out of neighborhood, before we had even been one minute in the car, before we were even out of the ward boundaries, from the backseat Blythe very sweetly said, "Mom, can we have a cookie?"  

I rolled my eyes and gave them each a cookie.  I did say, however, "Please do not ask for another cookie until we are at least on the freeway.  We are only just barely underway."

We drove through town and as we were merging into traffic on the freeway, again, not even half a mile down the road, Brandt piped up, "Can we have another cookie?"  Needless to say, none of the gingerbread men saw Moab.

For my future benefit, I am organizing pictures by the places we visited.

Balanced Rock

"A loop trail around the base of a fragile, picturesque rock formation." 

When we have an earthquake, Balanced Rock will become Crashing Down Rock.

 

Being blown away--literally. 

 

And me, balancing Balanced Rock on my head.

It was heavy!

Double Arch

"A relatively flat, sandy trail leads to the base of two giant arch spans which are joined at one end."

I like this picture because it shows the development of what will be an arch thousands of years in the future.

When we return here in 50,000 years, there will be another arch next to Double Arch

Someone stopped and asked me to take their picture, which I did in exchange for her taking ours.

Hiking en famille.

This is Kent helping Blythe get the sand out of her shoes.  

We preformed this service many times during the three days we were there.

Scampering about on the rocks.

The views from directly under the arch.

Looking out and looking up.

As Mom and Mikayla and I were talking about who might take our picture, a man speaking French came hiking up right by us.

I said, "Pardonez-moi.  Est-ce que vous pouvez prendre notre photo?"

(Translation: Excuse me.  Could you take our picture?)

He replied, "Yes, of course."

My French was perfect, but he replied in English.

He did take a good picture, even if he snubbed my French.

 

Brandt selected this spot.

He thought the tree behind and the log below together made the perfect backdrop for a picture.

The Windows (North and South) and Turret Arch

"A gentle climb up a gravel loop trail leads to three massive arches (North and South Windows and Turret Arch)."

The people standing by the arch (North Window) asked me to take their picture.

There is more ledge there than it seems.  

Initially, I was standing behind Kent.

He maneuvered around behind me so he would looked taller.

It worked.

South Window

Me and Mom hiking up under Turret Arch.

The wind was howling through this opening.

I thought we were going to be blown over backwards.

Turret Arch

The west view from Turret Arch.

The east view through Turret Arch to South Window.

North and South Window.

Landscape Arch with Tunnel and Pine Tree Arch

"A relatively flat, gravel-surfaced trail (usually heavily populated with hikers) leads to a spectacular ribbon of rock, whose span is more than a football field in length. Short side trips to Tunnel and Pine Tree Arches."

This is a sandy rise not far into the trail to Landscape Arch.

We tried to run up it.

It was much easier to run down.

 

This is Tunnel Arch.  

Well, one of them is Tunnel Arch.  

The other is unnamed.

My mom is in the above picture,

and I am in the below picture because she thought it was important for me to be in a picture too.

This is another little spot where Brandt wanted to have his picture taken.

The family framed by Pine Tree Arch.

So named because of that pine tree growing underneath it.

What happens if the pine tree dies?

Will they change the name to Dead Pine Tree Arch?

Christmas card picture?

More Brandt posing.

 

As we approached Landscape Arch, we stopped and read a placard about a rock fall here in 2001.

A large chuck on the right side of the arch fell away.

I explained to Blythe what had happened, and then she began asking questions.

"Did you hear it when it fell Mom?"

"Could we hear it at our house?"

"Why did the rocks fall?"

"Will rocks fall today?"

"Will we hear the rocks fall the next time?"

She was very interested in how the whole process worked.

Double O Arch as seen from Landscape Arch.

And another view below from a little further back.

Grandma Sue and Aunt Mikayla, waiting.

We wanted the children to pose under this interesting looking tree.

Blythe obliged.

Brandt did not.

 

Kent is "carrying" Brandt's coat.

Sand Dune Arch

Trail leads through deep sand to a secluded arch among sandstone fins.

The view of Broken Arch from the trail head to Sand Dune Arch.

We didn't hike to this one.

Blythe would not smile as she sat atop this rather large rock.

Brandt saw a chipmunk and wanted to catch it.

 

 

There were lots of children playing around Sand Dune Arch.

 

I took the above picture 

and Brandt took the below picture.

He never gives us a "one, two, three," so I never know when he is actually taking the picture.

 

You can't see her, but Mikayla climbed up the rocks and is standing up there, waving.

And intrepid tree growing out of the rock.

Delicate Arch Viewpoint

"In addition to the short accessible trail, another (moderately strenuous) hiking trail climbs one-half mile toward Delicate Arch and ends at the rim of a steep canyon that separates the viewpoint from the arch." 

We only walked the 100 yards or so on the short trail to get a view of Delicate Arch.  We felt the actual hike to Delicate Arch would be too much for the children, and really neither Kent (who had his gall bladder removed the following week) nor Mikayla felt up to it either.  By the time we got to the viewpoint trail, the children were unwilling to get out of the car, preferring to remain in their seats watching Finding Nemo and asking how soon we were going to swim.  I can't complain--they were troopers.