We got up at around 7:45AM to start our day. Our hotel didn’t serve breakfast, so we decided on Moab Diner primarily because it is cheaper than most all other restaurants. It was busy when we got there but even busier when we left. I got an omelette and Sharon got pancakes and bacon and eggs. Since Sharon was sure she couldn’t finish her pancakes, she gave one to me and I gave her my hash brown that came with my omelette.

Table service is a bit lacking. Last night was difficulty getting the check so we could leave. Today was getting a refill on getting water. But they were really busy so I’ll give them a pass.

Then it was off to Arches. There was a line getting in. After about 10 minutes of waiting we got in. We visited the gift shop at the entrance at the bottom of the hill before heading on up to view the rocks.

We stopped and took photos of the Gossips (three rocks resembling figures coupled together) and the organ (large foreboding rock). We then went to the iconic balance rock, which looks like a nuclear mushroom cloud or Toad from Mario Brothers, depending on your perspective.

We drove into the Garden of Eden which is a rock garden of sorts. We found some rock climbers out. I’m not sure what the park considers appropriate when allowing rock climbers on some rocks, but not the others. I guess there is a rule on rock climbing somewhere but I’m not privy to that information.

Next was the Windows Arches. Parking was at a premium. I saw lots of cars but I’m not sure where all the people were. I guess it might be trailhead somewhere. I walked up to the most prominent arch and took some photos of it. I remember visiting this arch with Mark and Megan in 2011. I did my best to recreate some of the photos.

Sharon and I decided to have lunch. We found a place at the Panorama Point. This place is used to star gazing, and has limited picnic tables. We had lunch in the car. Moab Diner sells a boxed lunch which consists of ham and cheese sandwich, bag of plains Lays chips, an apple, bottled water, and a Snickers bar. We paid $8.99 for it which I think was a bargain considering all the food entrees.

Next we decided to go to Delicate Arch. I had missed seeing Delicate Arch in 2011 with Mark and Megan and I was determined to see it this go around. It was a 3.2 mile hike mostly up hill. I passed by a historic cabin and some petroglyphs. The petroglyphs were surrounded by what appeared to be school children on a field trip. I decided to see the petroglyphs on the way back.

A unique feature of the hike to the Delicate Arch is that the trail leads up the side of a very smooth rock uphill for part of the time. Also it leads on the side of a cliff. I imagined all these photographers who take photos of the Delicate Arch at sunset. Eventually they have to walk down these ledges and smooth rocks in the dark. It was no easy feet.

Finally after climbing past the trail on the cliffs I reached the Delicate Arch. The position of the arch is awkward. It’s on the side of a bathtub shaped canyon. Most people sat on the rim. Then came the Instagram shots. People would wait to get their photo – or photos for some people, underneath the arch. The only thing is that it disrupted my shots. I like for no people to be in photos, as if I just stumbled upon this arch in the vastness of Southern Utah where absolutely no people are around. This is of course a fantasy world….somewhat like the fantasy world that some aspiring models are living in when the pose at Delicate Arch. It was just strange to see people, who had it been 30 years before, might not have posed so goofy. But with he advent of social media, specifically Instagram, people can’t just go up to an arch to admire it. Instead they must pose beside it and then post it to social media proving to people that they were there. All the while it disrupts my photo taking. I did get some good deserted photos of the rock, but it took a while.

After hiking back I made a detour to see the petroglyphs…of Native Americans on horseback. Since historians are pretty sure when horses were introduced to North America, they can pinpoint when the petroglyphs were painted.

Next was the cabin. Sharon had read about the cabin in the pamphlet. Apparently it was abandoned, but the cabin was built sturdy enough to remain standing after it’s owner had long abandoned it.

Sharon and I had decided to view more arches. We went to Sand Dunes Arch which was inside a group of tall rock, almost like a fortress. It was tight squeeze but I made it in. Inside sand is everywhere.

Sharon and I then decided to walk to Broken Arch. The trail to it is deceiving. It looks closer than what it actually is. Plus the trail takes the long way around. When we got there a nice man offered to take our photo. We were burning daylight and walked back without stopping.

I really wanted to see Landscape Arch, so I walked the mile to see it, while Sharon stayed in the car. On the way I fell skinning my knee and tearing my jeans at the knees. I was alright, but briefly thought about turning around since it seemed like my ankles were weak. But I did continue on and made it to Landscape arch. It was in the shadows as the sun was setting. I took a few photos before heading back.

Sharon and I decided to get a Pizza Hut pizza (with a 50% off coupon) making our large meat lovers stuffed crust around $10, a bargain for Moab’s restaurant prices. I briefly chatted with the Pizza Hut employee who suggested we visit Oregon’s coast on a future trip.

We had supper in our hotel room before going out again to Arches National Park for some night shots. Sharon had wanted to see the stars, specifically the Milky Way, but the 93% waxing moon prevented this, but instead it gave us the option of shooting photos using a night shot with our phone cameras. We shot several park landmarks with this shooting mode. I tried shooting this with my Nikon camera, but I couldn’t get it to work :(. This figures. I buy a moderate end DSLR camera which I don’t know how to use, and therefore it is useless for night shots. Meanwhile any novice with a night vision cell phone camera can take good shots of night scenes.

We decided to sleep in tomorrow as it is a 2 hour drive to our next destination and we don’t have anything planned for the day.