Day 12: Arches

So we may be straying from the itinerary again because apparently the sunsets here are to die for and we may be staying another night- who knows! Update- we are!!!

I started my morning on a little trail heading through some of the rocks behind our campsite. The rock formations here are unique to Utah and to the park but it’s still incredible to see them. It’s a fairly clear morning and the view from the road (where the trailhead leads) is beautiful. I’m glad I got the chance to see something beautiful before I’ve even had breakfast!

After breakfast we moved to our new campsite and got ready for today’s hike: delicate arch. This National Park is really amazing and the hike to the arch was super cool- it was pretty strenuous and steep but it was fun to climb on the rock. The sights all the way up but the arch itself was amazing! The craziest thing is that it’s been carved by the wind, water, and erosion over thousands of years. Being in these parks with all of these formations that are ever changing is so awe inspiring and wonderful. I’m going to be forever grateful for the opportunity to go on this trip and see all of these things.

We’re heading into the town of Moab to check out the stores and restaurant because it looked super cool when we drove through last night. We got lunch at a really cool food truck spot that had tons of options. Afterwords we explored a bookstore and a thrift store before heading back into the park to check out all of the view points. Unfortunately I had some really bad chafing that made it too painful to walk around in the heat so I missed out checking out some of the Arches, but the views from the car were beautiful regardless.

After we made it back to the campsite we walked through the rocks to try to catch the sunset but we were too late. While we watched the sky, we noticed singing deeper back in the canyon. We listened and walked back to the apiece of the music and bumped into two Native American people. We told them that their music was beautiful and asked what they were playing for and they told us that they were trying to open a star gate (!). They told us all about their beliefs and the history of their culture involving star gates and how our generation is going to make the world a better place. It was so intriguing and such an awesome experience that we talked about it all through the evening while cleaning up and watching the stars.

You never know who you’re gonna bump into in the desert man, we’ve been so lucky to come across the coolest people on this trip. Keep room in your mind and your heart for others and their stories, you never know how it’ll change your day!

Stay curious and happy travels!