Six years ago today we’d spent the night in Moab, Utah, having arrived after dark the evening before. I’d fractured some cartilage in my left knee during an incautious descent down a set of stone steps in the Black Canyon the day before, and because of the constant aching my ability to hike around was (literally) sorely limited—it eventually led to my knee joint being replaced. So we had to restrict our adventures to what we could see from inside, or at least from very close to the car. Our main spot of interest for the day was 
nearby Arches National Park and, thankfully, there were many excellent views, as well as easy parking, to be found along the main road through the park. CD followed a couple of 
hiking trails to get closer to special natural formations, but I had to be content with staying within a few careful steps of the car. From Arches we headed farther west, staying in Utah, 
for a total of 234 miles to the little city of Delta (population 3,500), making only a couple of stops along the way for better looks at the fascinating and changing rugged landscape. 
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krikitarts 
Those rock formations are spectacular. One can’t help but wonder when they were formed and if there was some enormous river or inland sea that formed them.
I like landscapes that make me curious about their existence. The last image looks like there was some erosion by water at some time.
Some 65 million years ago this whole area was a dry seabed. Geologic forces wrinkled and warped it, then the entire region was pushed up to thousands of feet from sea level. Released from compression, the rock expanded and cracked and erosion did the rest. Here’s the fuller story: https://www.nps.gov/arch/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm.
That’s an arch title you chose for this post. Sorry to hear you had a kneed to stay in or near your car, but your pictures show how much can be seen from the road, or close to it. Those rock formations sure are appealing.
I’d sure love to go back now that I’m a lot more mobile than I was on that day. We only had a couple of hours before we had to get back on the road, but I think we made the most of the time that we (and the ability that I) had.
Sorry about the knee, Gary, but you got some wonderful views and cracking photos of your visit. Amazing to think all this was under the ocean at sometime in the past.
Of course, Everything was under the ocean at some time, but it’s still endlessly fascinating what the geologists have learned about the processes that have led to what we see at this moment in time. The knee is much better, and the other one is, too, which I was favoring when I made the bad step (both are now reconstructed).
This brings back happy memories. Arches NP is one of our favourite places in the US, a surreal and haunting landscape, and I know from our own experience that you can enjoy it enormously without straying too far from the car. I trust your new knee is doing you good service!
Both of them are doing just fine, thanks–except that I can no longer be on my knees on a hard floor without serious padding.
Beautiful places. :)
It’s such a treat to visit places like this, especially for the first time.
Oh, what an unfortunate accident! The photos do prove that you found fabulous views without long hikes, but I’m sorry to hear about that knee. Hopefully the new joint is serving you well.
I kept using it as much as it would allow and the discomfort did subside somewhat, gradually but pretty steadily, but it persisted until I had the replacement a month later. And yes, it’s fine now, thanks!
Wonderful iconic images! A shame about your knee the day before. Tricksy things are knees – and ankles!
And hips, and shoulders, and…and…and…yeah, it’s a bummer when your body starts to go. If I’d lived a thousand years ago, my clan would surely have left me behind for the carnivores long before I’d reached this stage.
Ha, ha :-)
I laughed at your remark about being left behind. Clearly, your clan never would abandon you — or at least, they’d only go off temporarily for the sake of some photos.
I’ve never been to this place, and probably won’t get there, but your photos reminded me again that the area’s certainly worthy of being on a list. I’m so sorry now that when I was living in Utah I never visited any of these places. As Schiller once wrote, “Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.”