Nathan shared the bed with me the night before and, after a day of eating Halloween candy un-checked, woke up in the small hours with a sore tummy. I gave him a cuddle and told him it would be OK. He replied by vomitting on my face. It was not funny, as he was very unhappy and sore, but there I was with vomit splattered on my face and arms, trying to get my CPAP mask off while rolling him to his side. What a mess. Kieran woke up and helped Nathan to the bathroom. Poor guy.
After things settled a bit and I had cleaned up it was around 4.30am. I had decided the night before that I would get up early to go look at a couple things. Kieran wasn't sure if she would come or sleep in. This decided it. I grabbed my torch and a jumper and jumped in the car. Finding breakfast was tricky, as not a lot was open, but the servo near-by had passable coffee and food.
I decided, since I had extra time, that I'd go check out Arches National Park. This turned out to be a great idea. It was still pitch black when I went through the gates of the national park. The park, like many of the parks here, was open 24 hours, however the visitor centre and gate is only staffed during regular hours. The signage advertised a radio station for info, which I tuned into. I found out that during this time of year you usually have to book your entry slot in advance, due to how popular the park is. They even had warnings to not queue onto the highway. As I was there close to 5.30am the gate was not staffed and I had a smooth entry without seeing another car. As the car turned one of the many corners in the darkness my lights did catch a living soul - a mule deer.
I was talking to Chat GPT to find find out what part of the park was the most unmissible and decided to go to the delicate arch viewing area. I was glad to be able to use Chat GPT, as it explained that there were hiking trailheads and a viewing area. I was not interested in a 5 mile hike in the darkness, so picked for the much more achievable .5 mile hike to the viewing point. The car park was empty, and I got out of the car in the brisk night air, still pitch black. Thankful of my torch I followed the signs to the trail and started up.
I was not prepared for how steep the short hike was and managed to get myself puffed out a couple of times. Luckily I was in no rush and I stopped often to just take in the night and appreciate the solitude. I had been listening to a podcast about a serial killer, and it crossed my mind multiple times that it was foolish to be wandering around in the scrub in the dark, alone and in a foreign country, but the path up to the lookout was sufficiently rocky that I was sure I'd hear anyone approaching.
As I reached the top I could see lights in the distance and hear voice. I guessed (correctly) that this must be from people at the site of the arch. I had remembered to bring my tripod from the car, so I set up to take a bunch of photos and enjoy the night. I only got one half-decent photo, as it was must too dark still. I only managed it because the people at the arch were shining torches into the arch and lighting it up.
I spent around about 30-45 minutes at the arch lookout. I enjoyed playing with the phone photography settings and trying to get a half-decent photo. I was warring with myself, as I couldn't see the arch with naked eye in the darkness and it felt silly to come this far and not actually see it. As the sky just began to lighten I managed a sort of glimpse, and enough from my photos to be sure it was actually the delicate arch. I decided to keep moving, as I wanted to see the dinosaur footsteps and the petroglyphs before heading back to the hotel.
After leaving the viewing spot I drove around the park at whim. I had the most amazing time. As the sun rose I could see the incredible, alien landscape. It was sensational. I went to a number of view points and took advantage of the many pull-over spots to jump out and take photos. It was the first time in a while that I'd been by myself and able to make decisions for myself alone, and in the crisp, morning air, out in the middle of this vast place, it felt like it was my own personal playground. I loved it.
As the sun climbed higher I started to see cars coming through, and by about 8am decided to head out, so I could still see the dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs with enough time to be back at the hotel for our 11am check out. I did make sure to look into the window before I left, as I figured I should see at least one arch while in Arches National Park!
There were two places I was interested in visiting for the dino tracks, one which was "on the side of the road" and one that was a one-hour path. It was the latter that I had planned to see, as I thought we could all go see the former together. As the day was getting away from me, I knew we wouldn't have time to see them, and I now didn't have enough time to complete the hour-long trek. I decided to see Potash road tracks and then head to the hotel.
I found the track parking area easily enough. It was another beautiful drive, though only about 15 minutes from the park exit. The spot was the trail head (if that applies to 4WD tracks) for Poisionous Snake, which is a very popular off-roading track. There were lots of cars in the parking area for Poisionous Snake, but thankfully as I was reading about the dino tracks and wondering where to go a man came up and pointed the right way for me.
I started the climb and was almost instantly glad I didn't bring the kids out here. It was a scramble up a hill/cliff that at times required moving on all-fours or scooting on your butt. The man was there with his partner and two older men. We went up at about the same pace and they were kind enough to take photos for me and keep me company. It was nice to know that if I fell off the side of the cliff (which wouldn't have been difficult) at least there were witnesses.
The tracks on the rock were not what I was expecting. They were a darker shade of rock, rather than indents. Very interesting and the sort of thing that makes you appreciate how little you are in the great scheme of the universe. The petroglyphs (which are carved drawings) were very similar to the type we saw at monument valley. It was a fair distance from there by now, and I wonder, or rather marvel, at how people could traverse such distances so long ago.
I made it back to the car without incident, and drove towards the hotel, back down Potash road. I stopped at some more road-side petroglyhs, although my phone was so low on battery that I had to guess at where the camera was pointed. It died, and I made my way back to the hotel to see how everyone was getting on.
Nathan had had a difficult night, sleeping and waking a few times to be sick, before getting some decent rest from 7am or so. Kieran had broken sleep as a result, and would have been knackered. We packed up our gear and left a big tip for the cleaners.
Our plan for the day was to visit the Moab Giants. I'd been keen on this for a while, and it was the draw card that brought me to the area. We paid for our tickets and made our way into the park. I assume we were in the off-season, but it was almost empty. It was very strange. The models were neat and we had fun doing the dino walk, but it was hot and it wasn't really the most engaging activity, at least for the adults. The kids enjoyed being able to play on the playground and in the dig-pit (sand pit).
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As part of our ticket there was a 5D attraction. We went through a simulated aquariumm. It was a good set up, but for some reason you had to go through with a guide who read facts from his notes. He wasn't great at it, which made me feel awkward. The 'enclosures' were screens playing a 3D clip of various underwater prehistoric creatures. We wandered through then got to the last viewing zone, where a big dino was. It could have been done well, but it felt a bit tacky. The platform we stood on moved as the dino hit the screen and cracked the glass. At some point water sprayed out to the crowd (which was us and the guide's kid). Our kids hated it. Nathan got scared and it was too loud for everyone. Charlie wouldn't hold my hand and by then end I turned and he was standing there crying. It was not a winner.
After the Giants we were in the car, driving through some stunning sites. We debating going to see the Trembling Giant, which is a stand of trees - or rather, tree - which is a massive, single aspen tree/grove in the area. We decided it was too close to night, and after finding out accomodation at Bicknell we had a wonderful dinner of hamburger soup, vegetables and steak. I had a four pie sampler and loved it. It was a really lovely, friendly kind of place.
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