Arches, Moab, and The Whole Enchilada

For the second half of fall break, Mike and I took a road trip to Utah.  We left Tuesday after dropping my mom off at the airport and took highway 50 (also known as "America's Loneliest Highway") all the way to Moab.  It took us about 11 hours total driving time.

SCENES FROM HWY 50

RANDOM SAND DUNES (IN THE LEFT OF THE PICTURE) AND
DESOLATE ROAD THROUGH MILES OF ENDLESS DESERT

 We arrived to Moab around 12:30 in the morning.  We didn't have a campsite because all campsites are first come, first served.  We quickly realized that ALL sites were filled when we started noticing camper vans parked in pull outs along the road (obviously camping).  I read somewhere that you could get a ticket for doing that so we took our chances inside one of the campgrounds.  

There was a truck taking up 2 sites, but only one of the campsite posts had a tag on it (meaning the other site wasn't claimed).  We couldn't really pull in beside his truck but we could park just across from the site (near the toilets) and being that it was almost 1:00 am, that's what we decided to do.  

SEE THAT LITTLE BUILDING?
WE PARKED BESIDE IT AND SLEPT FOR THE NIGHT.
WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT AN AMAZING VIEW WE WOULD HAVE
IN THE MORNING! 

 We woke up early the next morning and decided we better start early to find a place to camp for the night.  We headed down the road a little bit... 

THE SCENIC DRIVE WHILE SEARCHING FOR
A CAMPSITE

... and at 7 am, just a few miles down the road, we stumbled across this little gem: 

A RIVERFRONT CAMPSITE!!!  RECENTLY VACATED!

 This awesome riverfront campsite became our home for the next 2 nights.  Super glad we snagged it at 7 am.  As we were getting set up, lots of people stopped to ask us if we were leaving.  Campsites were in high demand. 

SUNSET VIEW FROM OUR CAMPGROUND. 

Having safely secured a place to sleep, we could finally relax a bit and we headed to Arches National Park to begin our adventures.  

IT WAS STILL PRETTY EARLY, AND PRETTY
CHILLY SO WE STARTED AT THE
BACK OF THE PARK TO DO A LITTLE HIKING
TO WARM US UP. 

THE ROCK WALLS ARE REALLY IMPRESSIVE. 

THERE ARE LOTS OF COOL ANGLES AND
THE SUN/SHADOWS ADD A DRAMATIC EFFECT. 

THE HIKE LED US TO TUNNEL ARCH (BEHIND US). 

THE ROCK FORMATIONS WERE JUST AS IMPRESSIVE AS THE ARCHES. 

You may be wondering what forms these arches? 

Well, the park sits on top of underground salt beds.  Water, ice, extreme temps, and underground salt movement are responsible for the landscape at Arches. Well, all of those factors PLUS 100 million years of erosion.  

In order to be designated an arch, the opening must be at least 3 feet wide.  

OUR HIKE CONTINUED TO PINE TREE ARCH. 

CAN YOU FIND ME? 

OUR HIKE CONCLUDED AT LANDSCAPE ARCH... A 306 FOOT ARCH
FROM BASE TO BASE.  ITS REALLY HARD TO SEE IN THIS
PICTURE, BUT IT IS JUST TO THE LEFT OF CENTER.
PARTITION AND NAVAJO ARCHES ARE JUST TO THE RIGHT
OF CENTER (THEY ARE MUCH SMALLER). 

After our little morning hike, we started driving toward the front of the park, stopping along the way at all the scenic viewpoints. 

FROM THE ROAD YOU CAN SEE SKYLINE ARCH. 

FROM A SCENIC VIEWPOINT YOU CAN LOOK DOWN ON
"THE FIERY FURNACE."
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PERMIT TO HIKE IN THIS AREA AND/OR
YOU HAVE TO GO ON A GUIDED TOUR.
THERE ARE NO TRAILS THROUGH THOSE ROCKS AND
APPARENTLY PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN LOST AND DIED IN THERE.  

The next hike we did was a 3 mile hike to Delicate arch.  This is the arch I think of when I picture Arches National Park in my head.  I feel sure it's one of the most photographed.  The hike isn't super easy though.  It's a mostly exposed trail that climbs 480 vertical feet in less than 1.5 miles.  

The view when you get there though:

worth every step in the blistering sun.

THAT'S ME STANDING UNDER THE ARCH! 

MIKE'S TURN TO STAND UNDER THE ARCH! 

AT THE TOP OF DELICATE ARCH TRAIL WE FOUND A SHADY SPOT
TO EAT LUNCH.  IT WAS NOT A BAD VIEW.   

HIKING OUT FROM DELICATE ARCH, WE STOPPED
QUICKLY TO LOOK AT THE PETROGLYPHS.  

We hiked to Delicate arch during the middle of the day; something I imagine might kill you in July or August.  It was warm, but not too hot.  Even though the temp was great, without any shade along the way the sun exposure is relentless.  We kept telling each other how awesome it was that we planned this trip in late October and not during the hottest part of the summer.

Continuing our journey toward the front of the park, we came to Turret arch, the Windows, and Double arch.

TURRET ARCH ON THE LEFT.
NORTH AND SOUTH WINDOWS ON THE RIGHT. 

WITH THE TURRET ARCH BEHIND US. 

MIKE HOLDING UP ONE OF THE WINDOWS.  

IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THESE ARCHES LOOK
LIKE ANGRY EYES??? 

HIKING TO DOUBLE ARCH (BEHIND ME TO THE LEFT)

THIS WAS MY FAVORITE ARCH (OR ARCHES SINCE THERE ARE 2)
 IN THE WHOLE PARK!

THE VIEW FROM INSIDE THE DOUBLE ARCH.

MIKE KEPT SINGING THE MCDONALD'S THEMESONG WHILE WE WERE IN THERE.
Ba da ba ba ba... I'm lovin' it. 

I KNOW I'VE SAID THIS ALREADY BUT...
THIS WAS SERIOUSLY THE PERFECT TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT!
THE WEATHER WAS SPECTACULAR AND THE FALL COLORS
WERE SO VIBRANT! 

QUICK STOP TO VIEW BALANCED ROCK ON OUR WAY
OUT OF THE PARK AND BACK TO THE CAMPSITE. 

Arches National Park is awesome and I highly recommend a visit.  We see everything in the park, but we saw enough of it for one trip.  After a full day in the sun we headed back to the campsite to shower, make dinner, sit by the campfire next to the river, and head to bed because we had to be up early the next morning to catch our shuttle for THE WHOLE ENCHILADA. 

The next day was Mike's birthday and his only request was that I mountain bike the Whole Enchilada with him, and that I do so with a smile on my face.   I DID ride the Whole Enchilada and well, I smiled approximately 95% of the time (and I made sure he didn't see the other 5% of the time).  

The Whole Enchilada is a popular trail in Moab.  It's 30 miles of pretty technical downhill mountain biking over some of the most awesome dirt and rock I've ever ridden my bike on.  There is a reason Moab is popular for mountain biking... that sandstone rock is grippy and FUN to ride. 

The shuttle takes you from the bike shop in town, high into the La Sal mountains and drops you off somewhere around 10,000 feet elevation.  Near the start of the trail is a climb that takes you to 11,200 feet at Burro Pass.  Y'all... my lungs felt every. single. bit. of that elevation.  

It's really hard to push your bike uphill at 11,000 feet in case you were wondering.  I would've pedaled but there is almost 1000 feet of elevation gain in less than 1 mile (that's steep).  

Plus, a lot of the boys were hiking their bikes, so naturally I assumed I could hike mine too!

Notice I said a lot of the BOYS... that's because I was the ONLY girl on our shuttle bus. I did eventually see a few more girls out on the trail but honestly, not many.  

AT THE TRAILHEAD... ABOUT TO START OUR EPIC ADVENTURE

SHORTLY INTO THE RIDE... BEFORE BEGINNING
OUR CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE PASS

I MADE IT!!!
I REALIZE MY SOCKS ARE RIDICULOUS.
I CARE ABOUT COMFORT... NOT FASHION... AND IT WAS COLD. 

OFFICIALLY HIKED MY BIKE TO 11,150 FEET

The Whole Enchilada trail is so diverse.  You start high in the mountains where there are evergreen trees and it's cold and snowy.  Then you ride through a high desert landscape (think sage brush and gray rock).  Finally you end in a low desert landscape (think cactus and red rock).  

SNOW NEAR THE TOP!

THE CREEK CROSSINGS WERE A BIT DEEP TO RIDE... LUCKILY
I HAD A PARTNER TO HELP ME ACROSS.
HE CROSSED THE TREE... I PUSHED THE BIKES TO HIM...
THEN I CROSSED THE TREE.
EXCELLENT TEAMWORK AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE BOTH STAYED DRY!  

RIDING THROUGH THE ASPENS.
WE WERE OBVIOUSLY A FEW WEEKS PAST PRIME FALL FOLIAGE.
ALL THE TREES WERE BARE AT THIS ELEVATION. 

AMAZING DIRT.  NOT THE SANDY STUFF WE HAVE IN TAHOE.
IT WAS HARD PACKED DIRT AND THE ASPEN LEAVES MADE IT
LOOK LIKE A STREET OF GOLD.
PICTURE DOES NOT DO IT JUSTICE. 

RIDING THROUGH THE HIGH DESERT...
LOOKING DOWN ON THE LOW DESERT. 

KINDA FEELS LIKE THE EDGE OF THE EARTH. 

THERE WERE A FEW EASY CLIMBS ON THE WAY DOWN.
NOTHING AS STEEP AS BURRO PASS. 

SIGNS MARKED THE WHOLE ENCHILADA TRAIL

PORCUPINE RIM TRAIL (TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE WHOLE
ENCHILADA TRAIL). 

SUCH AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE. 

The trail was amazing.  My only regret was not getting into better riding shape before riding it.  Despite feeling out of shape, I had a BLAST riding this trail and it's one I definitely hope to ride again someday.  

The trail ended at our campground!  How convenient is that? 

But the truck was in town at the bike shop.  

My amazing husband (knowing how tired I was) insisted that I stay at the campsite while he rode the bike path into town to get the truck (adding another 3+ miles).  Moab is a super bike friendly town with really nice bike paths all along the river.  

Being that it was his birthday, we opted to go out for dinner and when you've just spent all day on a trail called the "Whole Enchilada," you start craving Mexican food.  Naturally, we had enchiladas for dinner: 

YUMMY!

It was an early night to bed that night.  

The next morning we packed up our camp and I played shuttle driver for Mike on one more (much shorter) bike ride.... PIPE DREAM. 

I didn't ride this trail for several reasons: 

1) I was still really tired from the day before. 

2) I completely wore out my brakes riding the Whole Enchilada 

(we're talking metal on metal). 

3) Mike needed a shuttle driver.  I dropped him off at the trailhead and picked him up in town. 

THE VIEW FROM PIPE DREAM TRAIL

While he was riding, I did a little shopping in Moab and filled the truck up with gas so that as soon as I picked him up at the end of the trail, we could start our trek to Zion National Park. 

Blog about Zion coming up next.  Stay tuned.