Shel: Had a real busy day today. We went on a 4 hour ATV tour through the desert, what a blast. Then got the oil changed in the truck while Geni went shopping. Finally went on a journey through Arches which included a hike out to the Delicate Arch - a strenuous 3 mile hike that gained 480' in elevation - 1 hour up and 45 mintes down.

Geni: We were quite the outdoorsmen today. The ATV ride was so much fun. We spent four hours driving through Canyonland up and down red dirt roads, gravel roads, and mountain roads. It was a whole different feel as we looked up at the mountains rather than from mountain ridges as we toured Canyonland yesterday. We noticed that Canyonland was like Bryce national park as we were on mountain ridges while at Arches and Zion you are on the ground looking up.

We got to Arches late afternoon which turned out to be a blessing because after going to a few viewpoints, we got over to where the Delicate Arch is (which is a famous photographed spot). When we got there, the easy hike to view was closed due to a bit of flooding, so we just started walking up the "other" hike. At every turn we thought we were there. But each long walk and turn added up, We got a pep talk from one couple who were heading down. But they said it was "only" another 20 minutes. Finally, after the steep climb up the mountan, we got to the top. It was spectacular and I'm glad we didn't have any sense of how long and difficult a climb it was because we definitely would have chosen to forgo it. Luckily it was after 7 when we made the trek down and without the hot sun that we had going up and it being pretty much all down hill, it was a pleasant walk back. We got down just before dark. It was 1 1/2 miles up and then back. Going back was real enjoyable!! It was a great day.