Sunday, 06 July 2008

• Western USA Road Trip Picture Diary: Day 5 - Arches National Park, Utah

  Day 5 - Arches National Park, Utah -

  Trip duration: 15 days (May 9th to 23rd)
  Total distance: 9000km/5560miles

  Day 5 part 2: Arches National Park, Utah (377km/234miles)

  
  View Larger Map

  Believe it or not, I drove down to Arches National park on a whim. I visited the visitors center in Salt Lake City in the morning in search of free Wi-Fi (gotta have my Li-Ann fix!), and while there I saw postcards of the beautiful Arches NP. So, I had to go... although I was already 2 hrs behind schedule, and this "side trip" easily added 500km(300miles) to the day's driving. But nothing can stop me now, the photographer inside me said GO, so, I had to follow.

   
  Near Moab, Utah

  Expecting the unexpected. Those were my thoughts as I drove by here. It's the feeling I crave so much. Just enough information to fuel my anticipation of what's to come (mmmm postcard), and just enough unknown variables to make it feel exciting (what will I really see?)

   
  Driving south from Salt Lake City... Like a scene out of a classic western movie (thus the corny sepia colors)...

  I had to do it, I turned up the stereo and played "Radar Love" :P (then I blew by the car in front of me, hehe)

   
  The road seemingly shrink
  Against such grand rocks
  
  Beautiful? I would say not
  Just a mind blowing sort of...
  ...slow land rot

  Sometimes, I find it funny how us humans find decaying rock so much fun to look at. What compels us to think that way? Maybe it's just the strangeness and unfamiliarity that we like?

  
  First thing I looked for at Moab, a car wash! The MINI's gotta look good for the pics!

   
  The sweeping landscape of the mid west
  So wide and grand under the mid day sun
  
  Desolate, untamed
  Wild, unchained

  
  And here's a totally uninspiring shot of the famous Arch. It wasn't until I took this picture did I realize that, almost 10 years ago, I had a picture of this Arch as my desktop background on my old computer. That thought made me smile :) I would love to go up there, but since this was a unprovoked side trip, I was in a huge rush to say the least. I had a couple hours in a park that could easily take a day or two to explore.

   
  This place is called the Devil's playground. Too bad the devil had already left, where's my burning sulfur and demons?

  
  Here's my totally lame attempt at giving the MINI evil horns...

   
  On top of the world looking beyond
  At lands largely untreaded upon
  My smallness like a flaky candle at dawn
  
  When I realized..
  Everything will still be here, well after I'm long gone

   
  The little MINI still get looks and questions even after all these years in production. Or maybe, the biker was just looking for an excuse to take a break from biking up this rather steep hill...

   
  Orange rocks
  The perfect compliment for a bright blue sky
  Silently talks
  Of years of wind and rain gone by

   
  This picture makes me think of the word FUN
  Yes, that's what these trips are about. Be young, have fun, just do it, don't wait for retirement age to see the world.

   
  Then million years it took to build
  Layers upon layers of sand and silt
  Now all that remain's a deserted windblown hill
  Waxing and waning but nature's will...

  
  I'm so small
  It's so tall
  I sat in awe
  At nature's core
  
  All the imperfect flaws
  I loved what I saw

  
  This picture made me think of the term PDA. Public display of affection. Although, I guess this is more like public display of lust.

  Hi sky, the land loves you xD

  Fine, I admit it, I have a sick mind... :P

   
  I stood there, and thought. The rocks only seems solid, because of our limited time frame. Imagine, if there's a time lapse camera taking a video of a time span of 10 million years. These rocks would seemingly melt away in front of our eyes.

  It's only to us that they seem to stand there forever.

   
  If I flew planes, I would so fly through this opening. It'd be such a thrill. *makes plane flyby noises ... vrooooom*

  
  The sense of scale is totally lost in this picture. With no reference objects, our brains are absolutely terrible at guessing how big anything is. So, take at good look at approx 70% from the left, the 2 sky arches there that you could barely make out...

   
  And here they are, in close up. Pretty impressive eh?

  This guy made me wish my girlfriend was with me, I'd make her do all these silly poses, and we'll take pictures together, and I'd steal kisses from her...

  Sorry... coming back from my day dream now.. :)

   
  I think this is called the Balancing rock or something.
  And I have this strange urge to push it over with my finger right now poking at the screen.

   
  The walls of rock
  Wearing scars of the past
  Quietly telling me...

  Lucas...
  Nothing ever lasts

   
  And I said goodbye to this dreamland
  Unlike any I ever saw in my dreams
  
  Pale red rocks
  Deep orange seams

  Like a wicked devilish dream

   
  So I left satisfied, with 3 hours of sunlight left. And rushed to Cayonlands National Park nearby.

  Expect the unexpectedly gorgeous sunset pictures from there soon, my dear readers :)

  Go back to previous road trip entries....
  Day 1: Montana
  Day 2: West Yellowstone
  Day 3: Yellowstone National Park 1
  Day 3: Yellowstone National Park 2
  Day 4: Yellowstone/Salt Lake City
  Day 5: Salt Lake City
  Day 5: Arches National Park
  Day 5: Canyonlands National Park
  Day 6: Capitol Reefs National Park
  Day 6: Bryce Canyon National Park
  Day 7: Cedar Breaks National Monument / Zion National Park
  Day 7: Nevada desert and Death Valley
  Day 8: Central California and Giant Sequoia National Monument
  Day 8: Monterey California sunset
  Day 9: San Francisco Sunrise panoramas and wallpaper
  Day 9: San Francisco downtown Part 1 of 2
  Day 9: San Francisco downtown Part 2 of 2
  Day 10: Alcatraz, San Francisco
  Day 11: California Coastal Redwoods
  Day 11: Northern California Coasts
  Day 12: Oregon and Washington
  Day 12: Wayne's house
  Day 13: Pike Place Market, Seattle
  Day 13: Vancouver sunset and night shots
  Day 14: Interior BC and Squilax Hostel
  Day 15: Suqilax Hostel and Alberta

  • 4:00 PM
  • 1668 Views
  • 18 eProps
  • 11 Comments