August 28, 2019
It seemed as if the entire world had been reduced to the endless desert outside of our car window. When it had first been suggested, and even when we had first left California, the idea of a cross-country road trip had sounded reasonable – even adventurous. But going from California to New Jersey by car… it would definitely be a once in a lifetime trip… because I wouldn’t agree to a repeat!
But despite the seemingly endless hours stuck in the car, our family had decided to make a vacation out of the inevitable. And so, instead of speeding through the country as fast as our energy and the law would allow, we stopped to visit and admire national parks and memorials. After our visit to the beautiful Antelope Canyon, next up was Utah.
Monument Valley was another park that was run by the Navajo Nation. After following a long and winding road to even arrive at the entrance, we were unsurprised to see that the sand and wind continued into the park. It was suffocatingly dry outside and the brightly colored sand blew ceaselessly, relegating us to view the impressive rock structures from within the comfort of the car.
Upon arriving inside, the visitor’s center hosted a small museum that, in all honesty, we explored to savor the air conditioning for as long as possible. But there was one exhibit that caught my eye – Code Talkers in World War II. The exhibit was fascinating, as well as inspiring to see that people who had been treated as second-class citizens by the government had decided to enlist and serve in the war.
As we were unwilling to brave the twists and turns of the road within the canyon – it looked like something out of the Cars movie – we settled with seeing a glimpse from the entrance of the canyon. The sheer size of the stone structures was staggering – and some of them were shaped strangely enough that it was hard to believe it was shaped by nature.
After a great deal of picture-taking and admiring from afar, we quickly left the park. Our car had undergone the opposite of a carwash and was now covered with the distinctive red sand of the park. An unexpected souvenir, I suppose.
August 29, 2019
Standing at the edge of the towering mountain-like rock, I was sure that a gust of strong wind would blow me over the side and to an untimely death. But the view was so beautiful – and the pictures so tempting.
We were in Arches National Park – a park that is largely overshadowed by the more famous national parks of California. It had almost been overshadowed enough to be passed over, but we had wanted one more stop before the vast expanse of the American midwest left us nowhere to visit and explore.
The stone structures were elegant in a way that was strange – they were giant rocks, after all. But their sheer size, and the knowledge that they had stood for centuries – and would remain so – was heavy and impressive.
The towering mountain of Park Avenue viewpoint seemed to be a site more friendly to mountain goats than people. But of course, my younger brother chose to ignore this observation and scamper up the side. With a grin, I joined him, until we returned to continue our exploring – but not without some photos!
The balanced rock point was unsettling – it looked like it might tip over at any point, but of course, it didn’t. In the shadow of the great rock, there was a fairly flat expanse where kids were running around.
And while I had tentatively climbed up and sat at the edge of the cliff, my mom was much braver and posed.
At my dad’s urging, we continued on our way and found ourselves at the famous double arch. The arches were a lot wider than I had thought but were very imposing. It felt surreal that nature had so carefully crafted the delicate balance necessary to maintain not one but two arches in the same space.
Following the upward moving road, the next stop was for the Delicate Arch – the most famous arch in the world. That may not ring any bells, but if you can remember what the Utah license plate looks like – it’s that one. It was also very far away. To get a better look (and better pictures), you had to endure a 3.5-mile trail. On a different day, I may have ventured to try. But it was above 90 degrees outside, I had been stuck in the car for hours, and was not overly enthusiastic about an up-hill hike. We decided to admire it from afar.