The road leading out of the Grand Canyon, US 64, provided abundant overlooks of the canyon bathed in the morning light. We traveled via camel back across the lands of the Navajo and Hopi on our way to Utah. Perched atop Gretchen, my camel, we waddled through Monument Valley with its spires, monoliths, and sculptures that erupted out of the Earth.
Our first caravan stop in Utah was Dead Horse Point State Park – a bizarre name for a beautiful place.
High above the canyons of Utah, your breath escapes you in sounds of Ohhs and Ahhs while you try to comprehend the sight in front of your eyes. Panoramic overlooks provide peeks of Canyonland carved by a river over time. The blazing sun cut our time short at the park, and we galloped over to Arches National Park, a red brick landscape sculpted out of the Earth. Enormous monoliths stand guard on the road to precarious arches.
Impossibly balanced boulders sit perched atop spindly stands. We took a short hike through the Windows section of the park, which provided our first glimpse of arches. Wind carved red arches stare back at you, and you can truly appreciate the power of wind, sand, and time. Rain clouds threatened the dry desert, so we packed up Gretchen and headed to town for dinner, comfort food and a reprieve from the desert sun.
Fighting Gretchen’s snorts and snarls, we headed towards Delicate Arch racing the fading sun. The 1.5 mile hike to Delicate Arch was the most brutal hike of the trip, but the reward at the end eased the pain of our aching muscles and burning chests. Splashed in light from the setting sun, the Delicate Arch made dealing with the snotty, slobbering camel all day worth it.
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