“Are people more important than the grizzly bear? Only from the point of view of some people.”~Edward Abbey Ed Abbey was never one to mince words or hold back on how he felt about things. His uncompromising love for the wilderness and wild things will always be monumental to me. Whether you agreed with him … Read more
The first time through Arches National Park near Moab Utah can be a little overwhelming. There is a lot to see…many formations and arches, and each one uniquely different from the others.
This was a very fast and brief stopover, but it gave us time to look around a little bit and get to know the place better. One of the iconic spots that is very accessible is Balanced Rock. I dare to think how many photos have been taken of this formation but it’s probably 10’s of thousands by now.
The park was first established as a national monument back in 1929, and designated as a national park in 1971. For many years it had a few seasonal visitors but with increasing exposure, much of it coming from Edward Abbey’s excellent book Dessert Solitaire, awareness of the wonders here grew quite quickly. Abbey was a park ranger here for a time and came to know the area well.
The image above was taken pointing west as the sun set. It was the last, and probably best image I got the entire day.