Macomb Arch in San Juan County.

Roy and I finally, not only found the road to Macomb Arch, but were able to hike and climb up to it.  Our dog, Jenna, was along with us; she has proven to be, not just a great companion, but excellent climber herself.  I first mentioned spotting the arch when I wrote about Steens Road, but didn't want to ride off into the back country alone. Good thing too, since the road to Macomb Arch does require a wee bit of rock crawling at the beginning; Roy is more adept at that than I am.

I was able to dig up a bit of history pertaining to the naming of Macomb Arch and it has nothing to do with a rancher.  This arch of Entrada sandstone was named after Captain John N. Macomb of the Corps of Topographical Engineers; sent to Utah in 1859 to create maps of San Juan County, determine the potential for mineral mining and survey the course of the San Juan River.



Now for a map, details on finding the arch and a lot more photos.

After turning onto East Canyon Road (CR 105), go 1.8 miles to Peters Wash Road (CR 108) and make a left turn onto it.  After one mile, you'll reach the old windmill and barbed wire/wooden post gate; open the gate, drive through and make sure to close the gate.








Drive one more mile and you'll see a dirt trail leading off to the east; follow it with your eye and you can see how it travels up a small hill and out to Deer Neck Mesa.  This dirt road quickly turns to rocky terrain as you go up and over that small hill.  Eventually it turns back into dirt; and here's a hint to help you find the road...look for the two rock formations that look like two petrified piles of dino poop (that's what they look they to me at least).


Looking back towards CR 108

This entire road to Macomb Arch is only 1.7 miles; at 1.6 miles you'll have to open and close another barbed wire/wooden post gate; park 1/10th of a mile after that to hike to the arch. The hike to the arch itself is about 1/4 of a mile; from the trail and as you walk to it, you'll get different viewpoints of the arch itself.  The climb up to the arch itself is about 200 feet; the sandstone fin is still a slippery walk even though it is dry.








The Views of Macomb Arch



Notice the miniature version of Mexican Hat at the top of the sandstone fin

Jenna and I made the climb up to the arch.  I was going to try and climb up into the arch itself, but even with good hiking boots on, I began to slide downwards.  I turned and plopped on my arse quickly to keep from sliding all the way down into the gully below.

Roy had the same difficulty as I; he managed to walk around to the edge of the fin to see if it was any easier climbing around the other side.  Nope, it was steep all the way around and that gully looked very far, far down.

But wait, there's more!  After leaving the arch, we drove the SUV further eastward on the dirt road and found caves within one of the fins.

Of course I can't forget the beautiful plant life growing within the desert sands.



Colorado Blue Columbine

Pale Evening Primrose

Watson's Slenderlobe (Phlox family)

Yellow Cryptanth (Borage family)



This was a most awesome adventure for us...Victory was ours!!!

Mary Cokenour

Goblin Valley State Park - A Prehistoric Playground

"Magic Dance"
~ Lyrics by David Bowie from the movie, "Labyrinth" ~

"You remind me of the babe. What babe? babe with the power. What power? power of voodoo. Who do? you do. Do what? remind me of the babe."



Formations near park entrance
 

Even though these are the lyrics David Bowie wrote, sometimes the word "hoodoo" is substituted for "voodoo" by whomever is singing them.  Hoodoo?  Why Goblin Valley State Park of course; thousands of hoodoos make the landscape of this park resemble an alien world. 

Wild Horse Butt in background

Unfortunately this prehistoric playground of goblin formations has come into the news (October 2013) due to the destructive nature of three people.  I really do not want to refer to them as "men" as that would be insulting, in my eyes, to the entire male half of the human species.  These "things" pretended to represent the Boy Scouts of America as leaders; they were supposed to teach their charges about nature, conservation and respect for the planet.  Instead they decided to teach the boys under their care to destroy what nature had formed over millions of years.  Though these "things" were dismissed from the Boy Scouts, they should be seriously fined and most certainly given jail time; this is my personal opinion about the entire issue.  Unless you have been living under a rock, no pun intended, here is a link to the story (with video) on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/21/us/utah-boulder-boy-scouts/ , and this photo I'm posting was taken in April 2012 and could be the very formation that was destroyed.

Alright then, lets get back to the park; Roy and I visited in April 2012, spent three hours climbing over, under, around, through these marvelous formations and had so much fun!  It is definitely a playground for young and old alike and should not be missed when driving on Route 24, whether to or from Green River, in Emery County.  The Entrada sandstone dates back 170 million years (Jurassic Period); evidence points to the formations being created by the tidal flows of a sea, rather than just the weather elements alone.  The term "hoodoo" refers to the mushroom shape of many of the formations; a free standing pinnacle with an overhanging cap.  The term "goblin" refers to the spirited, whimsical, perhaps even malign forms of many; I even found one that resembled a whale.

I usually don't post photos that have people in them, but I will today as I want you to get a good perspective on the sizes of many of these hoodoos.

This is a playground where the goblins form little tunnels that an adult can crawl through, not recommended if you don't like spiders, and they can form an excellent framework for photos...the sandstone formations that is, not the spiders.

Take a walk towards the Carmel Canyon Trail and Molly's Castle Overlook; it's an outstanding scene!

Goblin Valley State Park, I don't know how anyone could not have fun here; no matter what age you are, as soon as you see those hoodoos, you will want to play!  Go play, have fun, and appreciate what the natural elements have given you.

Not tired yet after being at a prehistoric playground?  Hope you brought a picnic meal and then after that go work it off at Little Wild Horse Canyon; just follow the sign once you leave Goblin Valley State Park.  Carpe Diem!!!  Seize the Day!!!

Mary Cokenour

Arches National Park - Balanced Rock and Delicate Arch.

In six years, I've been to Arches National Park at least a dozen times and still haven't seen it all.  Of all the national parks in the Southeastern corner of Utah, this is by far the largest and most scenic.  I tell all first time visitors to the area that Arches is a must and requires a whole day.  Seriously, you could spend a week here to attempt to see every aspect of the park; there is so much to see, hike up to, touch and ponder.

My first visit to Arches was in 2006, and since we were only staying a week in the area we stuck to driving the main paved road and the bare minimum of stopping and hiking.  Since then the park has opened up more parking areas, graded more roads and made many of the formations more accessible.  When we visited in 2008, even though we were here for two weeks, we concentrated on only a few areas of the park: Balanced Rock, Delicate Arch and the Devil's Garden.  This is essentially part one of the second visit; Devil's Garden is so extensive that it needs its own post; and we still didn't see all of it yet!





Balanced Rock
 

Side View
 

 Balanced Rock is about nine miles from the start of your trek on the paved road throughout Arches.  The entire formation is 128 feet, but the rock of Entrada sandstone is only 55 feet of it.  At one time you could only see the front of Balanced Rock from the small parking lot, or hike around it over the rock and sand to see the sides and back.  Now there is a pathway that enables anyone to go entirely around the formation.    Carved by the elements, Balanced Rock sits upon stones that could crumble at any time, or stay upright for centuries more.

   

Rear View
 

 

Now something you should stop and take notice of is the infinite landscapes of Arches National Park; the photo heading this travel blog was taken in the park.  Whether it is the La Sal Mountains, another set of formations or just to infinity and beyond; the desire to start hiking is overwhelming.  These two photos are examples of what I mean, and as I write more and more about Arches, I'll include other landscape photos.


On to Delicate Arch; now there is a sort of funny story attached to why we never actually made it to Delicate Arch itself, only close enough to take a few decent shots.  Before making the hike upward, Roy wanted to smoke a cigarette, stupid, I know; well I wasn't waiting for his cigarette, so started out ahead of him.  I did tell him to grab the water bottles, since I was carrying the camera equipment.  3/4s of the way up he finally caught up with me and I was feeling thirsty, so asked for a  bottle of water, to which he replied, "Don't you have them?"  After a few choices words out of my mouth, I needed to make a decision; continue upward and hope I wouldn't become too dehydrated, or take a couple of photos and go back downward to the car...and water.  I chose the latter as being dehydrated up on the hilltop wouldn't have been a smart decision on any one's part.  I did, however, buy a small backpack when I got home; room enough for two bottles of water, a camera, snack bars and wallet.  Not taking anymore chances, and the lesson learned is: smoking depletes brain function.

Once you park in the small parking area, you'll see the trailhead off to the far right.  The paved area of the walkway only goes to the base of the hill, then it's upward the rest of the way over sandstone, slickrock and sand.  The entire trail is 1.5 miles one way, so that's three miles round trip with awesome scenery all around you.  Before I forget, there are petroglyphs located at Wolfe Ranch which has its entrance near the Delicate Arch parking area.  The road was closed the day we were there due to flash floods, so didn't get a chance to see them.


Delicate Arch is the most visited and photographed arch in the park.  It's featured on Utah license plates (tags), on a postage stamp in 1996, and in 2002 a runner went through the arch with the Winter Olympic torch.  It is also naturally carved from Entrada sandstone; oh, and in the summer months birds nest on the top, so you might want to watch for any falling "gifts".


Delicate Arch
 





That finishes the first part of all my visits to Arches National Park.  No matter how long you stay in the Moab area, make sure to visit this park; it's a must see!

Mary Cokenour