Utah x2

We spent Friday night and all day Sabbath in Utah....and I mean all day...we crossed into Colorado well after midnight.  But what a full and wonderful day.  Lots of sun and blue skies, but that made things a bit warmer than last week.  Sun screen was the order of the day and we ran into mosquitoes or similar flying pest that leave an itch behind for a souvenir, something we did not have last weekend.
Summer is on the way. Big reason we wanted to get our Utah time in as early as possible.

Our number one goal for the day, Delicate Arch

The most recognized arch in Utah (the one on the license plate) has not been reached on our previous two trips to the park due to time or heat, so it was our priority for this trip.  The one hour hike was not particularly difficult, but adding in the fact that it was our second longer hike of the day and the sun was straight up, we were pretty beat by the time we reached the top.  Worth It!

Needing a break from the sun in a treeless landscape is not impossible. Cool rock below pulls away body  heat and shade above cools the air.  A little reptilian, but it works.

Love this little arch - Sand Dune Arch.  Easy 5 minute hike in and you can get up close and personal.

We left Arches National Park around 3:00pm and headed south.  We stopped and went through the Looking Glass on our way to the Needle Overlook of Canyon Lands National Park.

It looks steep going up, but once through the Looking Glass it really looks like going down a rabbit's hole!  Nope didn't see the Mad Hatter, but felt a little like Alice when I looked over the edge.

Needles Overlook.  The needles and canyons below look miniature from a thousand feet above.

Of course, we had to check out a few geocaches on the way back to Moab, even though it was getting dark.  We grabbed some fries and shakes to go with what sandwiches and veggies we had left in the cooler once we got back into town.  After getting a couple more caches along the highway, it was really late by the time we hit the Interstate and headed east.  We pretty much collapsed when we got home, but really felt good about our 33 hour vacation!