Wild-West Road-Trip: Arches National Park, I

After what always seems like not quite enough sleep, we were all awake and eating breakfast. The pantry in the RV is roomy enough to keep most of the things that we're used to eating at home. Owen and Evan had powdered donuts, Addy had a poptart, and Jen & I had bagels. 

When we started talking about this road trip, coffee was going to be a very important factor for me, so I bought a Mocha-Pot online and I've been using it every day for many months. I also got a great hand-grinder for the beans, lest you think that I was spoiled or something ;)

We drove the RV to the visitors center so we could fill up our personal water-tanks (the kind you cary in backpacks), and headed to the first iconic landmark, the Courthouse. Still kinda early in the day, the sky offered plenty of drama (as did my youngest child!).

There are so many features in the park, it's easy to find astonishing displays of geological power.

The boys walked with me for a little while before it was time to regroup.

After the courthouse, we drove a little farther into the park to hike the Delicate Arch trail. It's not an easy trail for kids and about half way up, Jen took Addy and Evan back to the RV to cool off. Owen and I went farther up, undeterred by the terrain.

Owen asked me how much longer we'd be walking before we got to the arch. I told him that I really wasn't sure, but that we'd know when we got there. Sure enough, it was a pretty amazing site.

There were so many people waiting in line to take pictures of their family under the arch. Honestly, I can understand that this is the chance of a lifetime for many people, but I did find it slightly annoying. I just told Owen that we'd get one from another angle.

We also got selfies with my iPhone.

The arch is pretty amazing. It's larger than I think anyone can really expect, but the vastness of the landscape makes it difficult to appreciate the scale. The next couple photos were taken with my 90mm macro lens (more multi-purpose than you might think), and with my 70-200 f/2.8. Do I regret hauling all of this gear on the hike? Not in the slightest.

In order to get pictures without any other tourists in the frame, all you have to do is wait patiently. Eventually, something will open up. 

Thanks for reading this and for following along! We're headed to dinner tonight and I'll keep the snapchat story fresh. Take care:)

- Wayne