Off again at 5:55 AM for breakfast. Our sunrise photo location was Deadhorse State Park. It is a high point of land with the Colorado River 2,000 feet below. It was quite cool because of the wind and there were quite a few clouds in the sky.
It was still amazingly beautiful though, and the sun tried to shine through. The place reminded me a lot of the Grand Canyon and there were lots of wonderful gnarled trees for foreground.
We made a brief stop at the Visitor Center then left the park.
After another turn-off we headed along the Colorado River again to look at ancient petroglyphs. They were quite high up the canyon wall which prevented vandalism.
Further down the road was Jug Handle Arch. It was not as spectacular as other arches but we were close to it.
We ate lunch together at a different local restaurant, then took a break until 3:30 PM. At that time, we drove back to Arches National Park for a one-way hike along “Park Avenue” trail. 1,000 foot towers of red sandstone line the trail on both sides, like the skyscrapers of New York. I must say, this Park Avenue was much more spectacular.
It was difficult getting very far without stopping for a photo. I could have spent triple our allotted time there.
Our sunset location was the iconic Balanced Rock with the beautiful La Sal Mountains in the background. The sun stayed behind the clouds and the wind was bitterly cold. But there was a short break in the clouds just before the sun dipped below the horizon and we were rewarded with 5 minutes of beautiful light.
We put so much into a day, it hardly feels like we’ve only been on tour 2 days. I can hardly wait to have a better look at my photos when I get home. I am sure I will have some prize winners!
