September 22, 2009

• Landscape Arch

  When we went to Arches National Park, Alice and I were very keen to see Landscape Arch, an impressive 306 foot long slender span of rock. It's located at the end of the 15 mile road that cuts through the heart of Arches National Park. We had covered only about 8 miles of the 15 mile road when it began raining, and more importantly, a lot of lightning strikes, compeling us to leave the park.  We decided to get up very early the next morning (so as not to throw off our ambitious driving schedule) and finish seeing the rest of Arches National Park. I'm so glad we decided to finish seeing the park.  We were rewarded with some very dramatic early morning lighting for some of our shots. Finally we made it to the end of the 15 mile road and then realized we'd have to also make a 1 mile hike (and 1 mile back again) in order to see Landscape Arch, but since it was still pretty early in the morning we were not too tired to make the hike. So off we went to see the spectacular arch.

  

  I think at first sight Alice was a little disappointed in the less than spectacular arch. . . after all, you couldn't even see daylight through it. She even voiced sentiments to the affect that the whole thing might be just an optical illusion.

  

  We got closer and closer, and still no daylight was to be seen through the arch.

  

  I think the above picture was when Alice began to believe it really WAS an arch. You can just barely see a slight sliver of light near the top of the arch.

   

  But as we got ever closer that sliver got larger and larger, till at last we were standing down hill from it and we got pictures of plenty of sky showing through the arch.

  In 1991 a 60 ft long piece weighing 180 tons finally gave in to gravity and fell to the ground leaving the arch even more delicate than it had been before. Up until that time the hiking trail took tourists up the hill and UNDER the arch, but that portion has been closed ever since.

  • 10:46 am
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