Forrest Gump running film set
Restful afternoon
Delicate Arch, symbol of Utah, sunset
Early morning Devil's Garden and Primitive Trail arches
Hummer ride with dinosaur footprints and sunset
Moab Brewery: Dead Horse
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Turns out that the place where Forrest Gump stops his 2 1/2 year running spree was filmed just outside the Navajo Nation. So we ran on the road up the hill and got a photo each.
That afternoon we had a rest in our new campsite at Moab.
In the evening we walked up to Delicate Arch for sunset. This is the symbol of Utah. It's on all of the car license plates
The following morning we would get up early to see the rest of this National Park. This is Arches National Park. It is aptly named- there are over 2000 stone arches in the park. We saw old, new, double, crumbling, and deep arches. We walked amongst them all and over this odd landscape.
Much of this desert area is made up of "fins". These are large long rocks all parallel to one another. Cracks are being eroded between these fins as wind and rain wash away the sandstone's surface. These fins have eroded in certain places, holes appearing in the rock, resulting in the arches.
No ones too sure how the arches are formed. The map for the national park came with one theory that this sandstone is formed on a layer of salt that is unstable and movements cause the rock to crack. This crumbles from underneath forming the arches. However most salt layers I've hear of are very solid and the sandstone erosion looks to be more based on wind and rain converting it to sand than the rock crumbling. I prefer the theory the locals, those who spend the most time on the rock.
The fins have a number of deepening round eroded holes in their sides. These are formed as wind blows between the fins resulting in eddies which wear away a specific area of rock. Over a relatively short time for geology the hole grows and widens. Eventually this either eats through the fin of a crack appears in the fin separating the arch from the fin- an example of which was shown to me later by a local.
Either way the place is filled with many weird and marvellous arches, some slowly being formed, others slowly crumbling away.
In the late afternoon we were riding in a Hummer!!!
To the south of the arches is a petrified desert. Here all of the petrified dunes form a great place for people to show off their off roading skills with mountain bikes, motor cross bikes, converted dune buggies, jeeps, and hammers. On the surface of he dunes distinct black lines appear. This are the main "roads"- tracks left as the rubber tyres gain traction on the rock.
The rock is nicknamed "slick rock". This is a historic name. In the days of carts and horses the carts had metal rims and the horses were all wearing metal shoes. Metal doesn't grip well to the sandstone. However rubber tyres do- they grip to the stone exceedingly well.
This is why the undulating surfaces are so popular. The surfaces we went over with the Hummer were up to 55% but the low pressure specialist tyres kept us stuck to the rock. Our vehicle had 33 inch tyres and the chassis elevated 24 inches. Not only could we go up the slopes but also over the rocks and boulders that litter the area.
There were a few similar vehicles driving around. We got shots of Jeeps going up and over slopes and boulders, as well as converted dune buggies. There were also motor bikes and mountain bikes. It's only $5 to get a pass to drive on this terrain, so it's very popular. There are some minor concerns about the damage that might be done to the land. However people try to stick to the rocky areas-there's no grip in the sand- and in areas that are no longer used the sandstone is eroded away by natural forces that the black tyre tracks disappear within a few years.
It was a great ride although I think the two girls with us were hoping from something a bit faster and exciting. The other guy in our team is a mechanic working on mining machinery so just the Hummer was very interesting for him.
Whilst out we were shown the local rock formations, plants, and the Dinosaur prints. Yes, there are tons of Dinosaur remains in this area! In Moab there are a number of places selling fossils. Many fossils have been found here. Near where we drove, and where we would later watch sunset, there were a selection of fossilised footprints from large and small, carnivorous and herbivorous animals.
That evening we went to the local brewery. Utah is a "dry" state. That used to mean no alcohol. Now it means limits on the percentage alcohol allowed to be bought from liqueur stores (light beers only) and all stores are manned by the police.
The catch to this is that breweries can bottle and sell their own. This means they can brew and sell what every they want. Even 10% beers. So we visited the the Dead Horse brewery. It was a really nice place with a merchandise shop and restaurant attached. We did stick out quite well, but had a couple of beers past our "just a quick one" plan. Great beer, great night out.
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