ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
While the day was still somewhat cool and the light not yet harsh for taking photographs, we headed just down the road from Moab, Utah to Arches National Park. I had fun with my camera, but there is no way that a few still pictures can give a real sense of what it feels like to be here. There's no substitute for leaning out the car window to look up, the towering rocks revealing their shapes as you move around them. There's no way to convey the smell of the dust, the feel of the hot-oven air, and climbing up gritty boulders. I can't really give you a sense of the grand scale.
Honestly. If you're only going to see one national park before you die, make it Arches.
CANYONLANDS
In the afternoon, we knew Eli would nap best in the car. We put on some cello music -- Yo Yo Ma playing Bach -- and drove out into the area called "Island in the Sky." This long road in Canyonlands takes you out on a peninsula jutting out into deep canyons. The Grand Canyon may be longer. There are places where the Grand Canyon is deeper. I love the Grand Canyon. But this place blew me away.
From my journal today:
Words can hardly express the natural wonders we saw today. I found myself wondering why such landscapes please our souls. People come for many miles through difficult terrain and harsh conditions to reach this place; there must be a reason for it. For myself, I look out at the rugged rocks and get a tiny taste of how old Earth is, how violent (even if slow and quiet) its processes are, and where we as human beings fit in the scale of things. This gives me a sense of perspective and true awe. Like looking at a wonderfully clear night sky, it provides a respite from everyday life and a connection with something far greater than myself. Second, the landscape is a visual feast of colors, textures, and shapes. The desert can be as much of a visual treat as an art museum. Third, as with looking up into a sky full of puffy clouds, I found myself falling into “sense-making,” turning abstract formations into colossal figures, animals, or objects in my head. I saw giant sentinels guarding gateways, gargantuan birds, sand castles twenty stories high, and even a sphinx. The childlike creativity of that is fun. Last but not least, there is also a sense of being in a landscape so vastly different than anyplace I’ve ever lived. One glance around me and I know I’m far from home, know I’m on an adventure, know I’m getting a chance to appreciate something rare.
when i was 17, and fresh out of h.s. i did a 4 week backpacking trip in the 4 corners region. moab, arches, zion, and other sacred spots changed my life forever. or they were part of the divine plane to change my life course. there is something about nature that is pure and real and reflects are essential states. it's wonderful eli is seeing/being with these places. he may not remember mentally but his soul will.
Posted by: anjahni | 05 August 2012 at 10:32 AM
And how blessed we are to have you share the adventure with us!
Posted by: Norma | 06 August 2012 at 02:41 PM