Arches - Part 1

We are spending a few days in the Moab, Utah area.  On our first afternoon here, we took a drive to visit Arches National Park.

Balanced Rock

La Sal Mountains in the background

Pale Evening Primrose

Yellow Cryptanth

Globemallow

Pepperweed

San Rafael Swell and Rock Art

We spent a couple of nights in the town of Green River, Utah, so we could revisit some favorite sites in the San Rafael Swell. The San Rafael Swell is a geological structure that has caused a 30 mile long wall of rock in central Utah.

The first place we revisited was the prehistoric pictograph site in Black Dragon Canyon.

Utah Penstemon

Roughseed Cryptantha

Pretty Buckwheat

Next we drove to the Head of Sinbad 

 pictograph site.

Fremont's Barberry

On to revisit Dutchman's Arch

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel

Rabbit

Driving back towards Green River, we stopped at an overlook where I-70 bisects the San Rafael Swell.

Snow in Torrey, Utah

We spent a few nights in the town of Torrey, Utah, which is just a few miles west of Capitol Reef National Park.  Even though Torrey is at an elevation of about 6,800 feet, we didn't expect to be caught in a snow fall in late April.

Some of the flower buds hadn't even had a chance to open.

The view from our dinette.

Kolob Terrace Road

On our last full day in the Zion area, we drove up the Kolob Terrace Road to Kolob Reservoir.  This road goes up the west side of Zion National Park.

Globe Mallow

Sego Lily

Whitemargin Sandmat

Claret-cup Cactus

White lupine

Lots of bright cactus blossoms

Zion National Park - 2016

We spent one of our afternoons taking the National Park tram up Zion Canyon.

The Watchman

Zion Canyon

The cottonwood seed pods were collecting like snow drifts.