Dan Will Travel

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

One of the most amazing of our national parks. The color, and the quantity of arches, are all just a treat to see. But hot in the summer, so if you go, plan to be up early to see if before mid day and the unrelenting sun.

Courthouse towers area, shortly after you enter the park. So majestic!

I liked this angle on a very famous sight in the park. Balanced Rock. If you like this, get here fast. You never know when it will fall off its pedestal!

As any of you that have been to Utah know, this sliprock is everywhere. I do think this was particularly photogenic.

Right next to the windows, enjoyed here before I later got lost. (read on)

My first hiking stop in the park. Lots of people going up the main path, ‘and a “primitive trail” option to go back around this and back to the parking lot. Like maybe 1/2 mile? So, Dan proceeds to get pretty much totally lost in that famous slip rock terrain of Utah. I think I might have gone around twice? I could almost always see other people, but could not figure out how to get to them. Ranger Dan felt really stupid after an hour or so. I did finally reconnect to the trail which was maybe 100 meters away. You have to keep track of the cairns and if you do not, it quickly all looks the same.

I must say, Utah junipers are far more photogenic dead than alive. This one is near sand arch area.

Easy to access as long as you like trudging through deep sand. Of course, it is named Sand Arch. Great setting inside a narrow canyon less than 3′ wide.

Oh the joys of cheating with a telephoto lens. Only when I got this onto the computer did I see just how many people were there. I sort of like the triumphant one on the right. When I read the description of the 3 mile trail to get to the arch with exposure to heights, I knew I could not do it. So, out with that ridiculously heavy lens! (At least I am being honest. I guess I could have said nothing and you would have thought that I was there too. )

In the interest of full disclosure, this is a bad shot. Into the morning sun without compensating. But, I really like it!

Landscape arch, probably the most famous in the park. Look at it. It really defies logic and gravity to be so long and so thin!

Early morning light on the trail to Landscape Arch.

Tunnel arch along the way to Landscape arch.

Posted: August 31, 2020 by admin

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May 10, 1869

What happened on this date? Actually one of the more important things in American history, the final connection of the country by rail. The Golden Spike historical site at Promontory Summit, Utah commemorates this event. The park includes replicas of the two locomotives at the meeting point as well as an unusual opportunity to drive over 7 miles on the original roadbed as it approaches the joining point of the two lines. We now know that poor immigrants did most all of the back breaking work and this hastened the demise of the native American populations, but it does remain a major engineering achievement and served a special significance in the attempt to reunite the country so shortly after the end of the Civil War.

So, I am on my way down remote back roads to the Golden Spike park and lo and behold, this huge Northrop Grumman facility appears. Heavily secured, for miles on end, with this “park” at the main entrance. God knows what they do here, as it all seemed to be underground, but sure made for a weird stop less than a mile from a major historical site from a totally different era.

Although replicas, these engines still work and are moved a bit each day. I was told that the originals really were this colorful.

The Jupiter was the engine for the Western Pacific heading east to the meeting point.

After driving out 7 miles from the visitor center, you have access to this one way trek back over the original rail bed from 1869.

Along the rail bed is this marker commemorating a really amazing accomplishment for 150 years ago.

Posted: August 29, 2020 by admin

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THE FOUR CORNERS TOUR 2020

Or, staying one step ahead of the virus. (Hopefully)

This year, with all normal travel not possible, it seemed a great time to take a long trip ending up at the 4 corners area. Thus, the title of this series of blogs. Well, if you have not been to this specific place, you can take it off your bucket list. Totally anticlimactic as you can see. But what I was able to see and do before and after made the trip a great one! So, please read on. It gets better, I promise!