USRT15 #5--To the Arches

At 5:45 p.m. just as the gift shop was closing on that Thursday night we arrived at Arches National Park. This has been a dream of mine for awhile. The kids were tired of being in the car and wanted to get to that night's destination in Provo, but I couldn't pass this Park. We filled our water bottles and headed up onto the plateau above that impressive butte behind the center.

The dessert was more colorful than I had imagined. The green sage and the blue sky were perfect compliments to the red rocks of southern Utah.  I had a plan to reduce complaining: I bribed my three kids with one dollar for every photo they posed for.
So without further adieu, our children present the awesome formations of Arches. They won't let you forget which stop this was. (I'll come back and insert the names of each formation here.)

2--Organ Pipes

4--Balanced Rock

5--Chimney Arch

J on top of the world

Eli fell just before this shot below, scraping his knee badly, but the first aid kit was in the car a quarter mile away so he had to let it dry and carry on. He was a champion about it.

6--The Windows

9--Double Arch

And finally, Delicate Arch in the background. We took the short hike, not the long one. We were hot. Everyone was hungry. They had done enough and I had my fill for the timeframe with which we were working.

We made it back to Park Avenue as the sun sank. They jumped into this last photo hoping for one more dollar.

We stopped by the visitor center one last time to use the bathroom. I lost my keys. We prayed and then prayed again. And then I found them. In the moment it was terribly frustrating, but in hind site it was just a little bump. We made it onto the highway out of Moab by eight to make the four hour drive to Orem. 

I'll add one more detail on the daily routines of this road trip. This is what dinner preparation looked like. Three kids lounging, open lunch boxes on my seat being filled with veggies and hummus, and Joshua on the phone texting willing correspondents with our updates. I don't remember them ever complaining about the vegetables, but it did take a little more coordination on my part to include grocery store stops and keeps fresh ice in the cooler. I am convinced it kept me feeling well enough to drive the schedule I did without the help of another driver.