Arches National Park

Watered, educated, and ready for action

Just when you thought you'd seen all the red rocks there are to see...

Arches National Park is a favorite of the Motorcade youth.  This was trip number three.  We haven't been to the Washington Monument that many times. But then again, the National Park Service won't let you climb on the Washington Monument.

The maps for Arches don't really sell the place, and it has to hold its own with other Utah amazements such as Bryce, Canyonlands, and Zion National Parks.  Well, don't get too hung up on the map (read further). If you find yourself out this way, check out the park.  It's awesome, fun, and you can do it in a (long) afternoon.

First stop is the Visitor's Center.  DO NOT SKIP THIS.  This is currently the ONLY place to fill up on water and you will need it.  Lots of it. Fill those bottles and take a gander at the exhibits to learn some of the complicated geology that created this place.  No, we're not going to explain it here.  Look it up or go yourself.

After several short "ooh" and "ah" pullovers, the first real stop seemed obvious enough:  a quick look at Delicate Arch, the famous icon of this park, and the image adorning most Utah license plates.  Having been here before, it also seemed a fun stop because this arch is crazy far from the road, so it's just an itty-bitty thing unless you really trek out to it.  Given Delicate's iconic status, the view is a bit silly. We parked and piled out and consulted the map.  This map, actually:

Map NOT to scale.

Having viewed Delicate Arch before from the Lower Viewpoint, we thought we'd give Upper Viewpoint a shot.  Look at the map.  The difference to either View Point from "You Are Here" doesn't seem much, does it?  Well, if you READ the map, you'll learn that it's 100 yards (300 feet) round trip to the Lower Viewpoint and 1 MILE (5280 feet) round trip to the Upper Viewpoint.  And that's one mile up steep hills and steps, then back down again.  We did not read the fine print before embarking.  But we did get a better view of this famous landmark.  See?

Delicate Arch.  The little squiggles below and around the arch are people.  

Yeah, well... We still had half of our water left, so it was off to see more arches! First lunch in Devils Garden.  The name makes it sound inhospitable, but it's actually a lovely picnic area, with a fair amount of shaded tables.  Lots of slick rock to climb on, too.  Arches is full of cryptobiotic crust (look it up) which is very delicate.  It's important to stay on trails, or to try to clamber up any slick rock (bare rock) areas you can find.  Everyone did their best to comply.

They're alive!  Lizard on cryptobiotic crust.
Don't step here!

Climb the rocks instead!

After lunch it was to be a hike to Landscape Arch.  This arch is over 100 yards long and it is starting to deteriorate.  A big chunk came off in 1991.  To get to it, you start on a path through some big fins and pass lots and lots of French people. 

Devil's Garden

This hike wasn't terribly long, but it was hilly and it was, by now, very hot.  It was not our best motorcade experience.  We got within sight, snapped some photos and turned back.  Ta-da:

No, it's not a great photo.  But we won't likely forget this hike.

Finally, finally(!) the motorcade turned back down the road and pulled in at Double Arch, our favorite spot.  The Dresen gals had to hang with the Motorcade, but the boys and Aunt Wendy went up and had a blast.  It's a relatively short walk and the views and the skampering/climbing are the best in the park.

The path to Double Arch is easy.

The view from under Double Arch.

We would never advocate just spinning through a National Park, but if you are going to do any one thing here, get out and wander around the Double Arch/Windows area.

Afternoon was turning quickly to evening and the Motorcade had a date with Colorado, so we had to say goodbye to Arches.  A quick final stop at the Visitor Center restored our water supplies.  (Remember, still in the desert.)

To travel east from Arches, you can return up Highway 191 to Interstate 70, or you can take little Highway 128 around the park and up to Interstate 70 farther east.  The locals call this the River Road, and with good reason.  The road hugs the Colorado River for most of the 45-mile trip.  What a serene way to end the day and say good bye to Utah.

Colorado River, desert mesas.  Taken from the car window along Highway 128, Utah.

Utah Rocks

The Motorcade hit it big at the last Nevada casino* and we were on the road to Utah. Although Utah doesn't claim to have "The Loneliest Road," it's still Route 50 and it's still, well, rather spare.

Route 50 through Utah: Party Highway?

Ignore the pick up truck.

The desert and rocks have ways of entertaining travelers. We skirted Sevier Lake for miles and miles.  Sevier is an intermittent lake and we never fully decided if we were looking at a mirage, a salt flat, water, or some combination of the three.  Unfortunately, photos don't capture the phenomenon, so you'll have to go see for yourself (no photo for you!).





After miles of desert mirage, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful city park in Delta.  Lots of irrigated grass, man-made fountains and creeks, and a playground provided a break for the eye and the soul.

Should I?  Or shouldn't I?

To ensure travelers are sufficiently befuddled before returning to the desert, Utah highway planners arranged the road system in a wild zig zag through the state.  To travel from Delta to Green River, to the east, we had to first travel several miles west, a dozen or so north, then south, then west again, then finally onto Interstate 70 headed east.  Properly dazed, we were ready for more rocks and Utah provided, in abundance.

Salt Wash Lookout, in Eastern Utah

The scenery of the Eastern Part of the state is simultaneously jaw-dropping and monotonous.  The lookout at Salt Wash, provides and excellent view of some of the amazing scenery that will blow you away, and is just plain old pedestrian stuff 'round here.

Other state=tourist destination. Here=Ho Hum.

We all have different interpretations of what this looks like.

The sandstone is unexpectedly soft.

Still plenty of red rock formations to see.

Eyes weary from the sunshine and the views, we finally pulled into Green River State Park for a pleasant night of camping and stargazing.  Kudos the the Utah Department of Parks and Recreation for the new restroom and shower facilities.   We were rested and ready for the next day's itinerary of.... more rocks!





*Put $.75 in a slot machine, got back $1.50.  Double money, baby!

The Loneliest Road

Route 50 through Nevada has been dubbed "The Loneliest Road in America" by travel writers, and now even by the Nevada department of tourism.  You can even get a Loneliest Road passport.  This involves collecting passport stamps at the towns along 50, then sending in your proof of travel for an "I survived The Loneliest Road" certificate.  We in the motorcade travelled 50 on a Sunday, and did not get a blank passport until Ely--pretty much the last stop until the Utah border.

So, though we may not qualify for an official certificate, One Van Motorcade did indeed travel the Loneliest Road, and we have a blog to prove it.

Being good Hobbit-types, we first stopped for second breakfast at Mel's in Jackson, CA.  This is on Historic California Route 49.  It was a big day for historic roads.

Silver Springs, NV.
We don't know if these horses are wild, or just free range, but it was a pretty impressive sight, nonetheless.

Sidewalk chalk is an excellent car trip activity.  Unfortunately, this day we had to drive 345 miles before we found a stretch of sidewalk.  Austin, Nevada provided a canvas and we HAD to immediately pull over and DO. CHALK. NOW.

Austin, Nevada

Rush hour on The Loneliest Road.

California and Nevada down; only 8 or so states to go!

Tragedy strikes!

Okay, this is a modern-day-type of tragedy, we confess.

The primary photo and communication device for the One Van Motorcade has taken a bath.  While the Motorcade passengers desperately NEED to bathe more regularly than they do on the road, the same does not hold true for Apple devices.

So, while we work around photo sharing issues, and while the device rests in a container of rice, please be patient.  More pics to come very soon...

Columbia

Today's Guest Blogger: Jason

Jason's in 'da house! I'm going tell all you readers about a place called Columbia State Park, CA. It's awesome and there's a lot to do! I think that my favorite thing is the stage coach ride. It goes for about half a mile until it gets back to the main part  of town. After about three quarters of the way, there's a bandit attack! These people will jump out of the trees with "guns" (they're just fancy candle lighters) and hold up the wagon! They'll ask the driver what's in the wagon and ask you what's in your pocket before letting you on your way (you usually get more attention from them if you're on the driver's seat or roof). Then you can go back to town and get off.

Another one of my favorite things is Nelson's Candy Kitchen. They have a wide variety of delicious chocolates and sweets made in the store.

You can also play bowling there! Technically it's nine pins, but I'm calling it bowling anyway. So it's basically a cracked wooden track of course, with nine pins at on end. You role about a five lb. ball down the wooden track and see who can knock over the most pins.

At Columbia there's a ton of rocks for you to climb. Everyone loves  climbing on the rocks.

 

Oregon Coast

In Oregon, the place where mountains and ocean collide is The Coast.  Calling it the beach or the shore will mark you as an "other" just as surely as mis-pronouncing the state name.  (It's Orygun, by the way).

Looking south from Cape Meares

Anyway, at the coast there are surfers, and large sandy stretches, and even children with shovels and toys.  The thing is, the surfers wear wet suits--always!--and the kids with the shovels are just as likely to be digging for clams as they are to be building sandcastles.  And more than likely, the surfers and the kids go hang out at a driftwood fire to warm up as needed. Most of the Oregon Coast is pretty chilly most of the time, especially in summer.

The Motorcade hit most of the coast from north to south and has the sand in the trunk to prove it. A glimpse of the view along the way:

The Octopus Tree at Cape Meares is a Sitka Spruce that is over 250 years old.
 

The Peter Iredale ran aground here in 1906, and no one seemed to have the heart to get rid of it.

Now it's a cool hangout for beachcombers and barnacles.

See? There's lots of beach.  Looks toasty, huh?

Thousands of people make their home on the coast.  They are probably vastly outnumbered by the other residents: anemones, urchins, sea stars, mussels, and sea lions.

Cape Perpetua is down there somewhere. Gulp.

The Oregon Dunes have to be experienced to be believed. 

Cape Blanco lighthouse.  One of a dozen along the coast.

Cape Blanco is the westernmost point in Oregon.  It's a bit windy.

Things do warm up as you head south.  Just past Gold Beach,  the Pacific Ocean finally got some play time.

The Oregon coast is what the motorcade is all about...it's not the destination, it's the journey.

The Parkers Rock Sidewalk Chalk

In addition to being kind, brilliant, generous, and hilarious, our Oregon hosts, the Parker family, are awesome chalk artists!

Forest Grove hosts a sidewalk chalk festival every fall to raise money for a local art gallery.  It's such an institution that the sidewalk squares downtown all have brass number plates embedded in them, for identification purposes for the festival each year.  As they become available. we'll post some pictures of previous masterpieces.














Groovy Aunt Claire broke out her HUGE stash of sidewalk chalk one afternoon, and opened sidewalk to the young 'uns.  Much creativity ensued:

How awesome is an activity that creates art not only on your chosen surface, but also on you?

THE GALLERY OF AWESOME

Julia

John

Julia + Mom

Claire

Tori

Jason

Coolest sidewalk in Forest Grove--at least until next Festival Day.