Last of the National Parks, Arches and Canyonlands

Sunday, September 19, 2021
Moab, Utah, United States
Today, we scheduled a tour of Arches National Park with a company that was going to take us to places that we would not likely see otherwise.  Well, they were right!  KJ picked us up at the hotel and the two of us plus two others rode in a 1995 Toyota Land Cruiser which KJ claims is the only vehicle that can take these park roads!  Per KJ, a highway was a one lane that didn’t have any LARGE rocks on the remote roads.
So, we entered the park in the original entrance which meant no rangers and no reason to show our pass.  And, no real “Welcome to Arches National Park” sign. We should have known when KJ asked us if we minded a bumpy ride.  And, he wasn’t kidding.  Check out the video to see what we mean.  Be sure to put the audio on!  This was a road that we figured Alex would like to drive with his Raptor!  In fact, the national park rangers have a Raptor to rescue park guests who get into trouble on the very remote roads.
Anyway, some beautiful rock formations.  And, this is an area that the dinosaurs roamed.   In fact, KJ took us to a place where you could see the imprint of a three-toed carnivore dinosaur.  There’s a lot of evidence throughout the park of dinosaurs.  In fact, the state of Utah is going to take public land next to Arches and create a park called Raptor Park.
We saw Tower Arch, Parallel Arch, and rock formations with names like the Marching Band  and Klondike Bluff.  Some very interesting rock formations.  Different from the other three parks we visited.
After Arches and a drive through lunch, mid-afternoon we headed to Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky.  Canyonlands actually has three districts: Island in the Sky, The Maze, and The Needles.  No road connects the three districts.  Traveling between them takes two to six hours.  We went to Island in the Sky which is closest to Moab and our hotel. Canyonlands is another amazing place with canyons unlike any we had every seen!  Deep, wide, and beautiful!  Here, if you wanted to see any canyon, it was a long hike to the canyon view.   Breathtaking views across from the Visitor Center and at the Mesa Arch.
All these five national parks are different and fit the description of God’s country.    If you ever get a chance, please take the time to visit our national parks.  They are truly our national treasure in my opinion.  Inspirational, breathtaking, grand, and majestic!
For dinner, we went to the Spitfire Smokehouse that KJ said is the best BBQ in Moab.  I tried all five sauces: house, Alabama white, NC vinegar, hot, and mustard.  Liked the house and hot the best.  Since we haven’t tasted all the BBQ in Moab, we can’t agree or disagree with KJ.  But it was really good!  Dick and I shared a half rack, Mac n cheese, and baked beans with pulled pork in it.  I also tried a Bohemian Czech Pilsner.  Wanted to see if tasted like the Pilsner Urquel we had in Prague.  Pretty good except a little more hoppy.  They truly like their hoppy beers here!
Tomorrow, we head home.  From here to Denver.  Thank goodness it looks like I-70 is not shut down because of a flood that closed it down about 6 weeks ago.  If it was closed down, we’d be adding two hours to our drive.
We’re both looking forward to heading home!  So, good night from our last night in Utah!
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