It was a beautiful morning but hot and dry as we headed to Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The canyon entrance to the park is beautiful with fiery red walls on all sides of the road. We drove 25 slow scenic miles and arrived at the visitor centre.
Canyonlands National Park - Entrance to Islands in the Sky
We were in the Islands in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park. The switchback roads in and out of the canyon are serpentine and make for quite the adventurous ride.
Shafer Trail Through Canyonlands
After a brief stop at the visitor centre, we pushed on to Mesa Arch.
The short .6 mile hike to Mesa Arch is a highlight of any trip and the panoramic view is awesome. Lost in the canyons far below, the Colorado River winds its way toward the Grand Canyon.
Mesa Arch - Canyonlands
View Through Mesa Arch
View From Mesa Arch
Emma and I scrambled about Mesa Rock to take in the view from every angle. Emma's enthusiasm got the better of her and she went for a tumble.
However, its hard to keep Emma down. She bounced right up and kept exploring this magical place.
We continued on to the Willow Flats Campground and secured one of the twelve available campsites. It was a beautiful tranquil campsite with short pinyon pines and junifer trees spread among small bushes and large patches of red soil.
It was still early afternoon so after lunch we doubled back to explore the Whale Rock trails.
Whale Rock Trail
This short one hour hike takes you to the top of Whale Rock where you get a magnificent view of the surrounding area.
View From the Top of Whale Rock
Summit of Whale Rock
Emma Meditating on Top of Whale Rock
Emma really got into the occasion. She assumed a yoga pose and got in tune with the blissful energy of the moment as we gazed out over the magnificent vista.
A short drive took us to our next stop, Upheaval Dome. Emma was ready for her afternoon nap so I left her snoozing in the RV while I hiked to the Upheaval Dome overlook. I intended to stop at the first overlook but curiosity got the better of me and I continued on to the second overlook.
Upheaval Dome is the remains of an impact crater when a meteor hit the earth 170 million years ago.
Upheaval Dome
In the late afternoon, we drove 17 kilometres to Grand View Point Overlook. It was indeed a grand vista. Hidden somewhere in the deeply eroded canyons below, the Colorado River was meeting up with the Green River.
Grand View Point Overlook
Grand View Point Overlook
Grand View Point Overlook - Detail
After a full day of exploring, we returned to our beautiful campsite for the night.
As the pre-dawn light filtered into the RV, I was up, camera in hand and good to go. I strolled through the sleeping campground to the Green River Overlook to photograph the first light to splash across the Green River Canyon.
Green River Overlook
Green River Overlook
We got an early start to the day and headed out of Canyonlands National Park and over to Arches National Park. The two parks are quite close but it always takes time to navigate through the roads in National Parks. Narrow roads combined with the urge to stop at the many wonderful viewpoints and your trip always takes longer than you expect.
Entering Arches National Park
The entrance and visitor centre at Arches National Park is very impressive and well worth a visit.
Visitor Centre - Arches National Park
It was becoming a brutally hot day as we headed up Park Avenue valley toward The Windows.
Park Avenue Valley
Cliff at Park Avenue Valley
The Three Gossips
On the way to The Windows, you pass the impressive geological formation called Balanced Rock.
Balanced Rock
We arrived at mid day to start our hike around The Windows. It was blazing hot so it was a good thing the hike was relatively short.
On exiting the RV, we were first attracted by a view of the Cove of Caves.
Cove of Caves
Emma at start of the The Windows trail
A one mile hike took us through arches called the North and South Windows. It was quite fun to walk through the North Window then walk around and back out through the South Window. Good thing it was only one mile because it was HOT.
North Window
After a refreshing snack and rest in the RV (motor running and air conditioner) we were ready for the short hike to the geological formation called Double Arches. 
Emma at Double Arch
Double Arch
The closer we got to Double Arch the more impressive it became. When we were directly underneath I took a picture looking straight up. As I took the picture I reassured myself that this arch had withstood erosion for thousands of years so it was unlikely I would be unlucky enough to be underneath it on the day it collapsed.
Overhead View of Double Arch
Double Arch - detail
It was quite a vertical scramble to climb up to the second of the two arches but I do like a challenge. 
View from the Top of Double Arch
August 15, Thursday
We slowly retraced out steps out of Arches National Park and drove down to the nearby town of Moab. There we found a nice campground on the banks of the Colorado River.
Colorado River at Moab
In the predawn light, I drove back to Arches National Park as Emma slept in the back of the RV. Due to the boiling hot weather, we wanted to get our hikes in early. Before 8:00 a.m. we were at the entrance to Devil's Garden. Emma was still waking up and wanted to save her energy for later in the morning when we would do the hike to Delicate Arch.
It would take her about 30 minutes to complete her morning ablutions and make coffee. Therefor I had 30 minutes to explore Devil's Garden. I was on the clock so took off at a dead run with both my cameras bouncing at my sides. Not the ideal scenerio to explore one of the iconic highlights of any national park but one has to work within one's constraints.
To know Emma is to know that half an hour means 30 minutes not 30 minutes and 1 second. (Emma's notes: Jim's perception of time is unique. Ten minutes late is okay. 40 minutes, not so much).
Devil's Garden Trailhead
The hiking path through Devil's Garden was quite scenic and I enjoyed the views as I puffed along.
The full Devil's Garden hike is 7.2 miles and takes about 4 or 5 hours. Along the way you will see several arches including: Tunnel, Pine Tree, Landescape, Wall, Partition, Navajo, Black, DoubleO and Private Arches. Given my compressed time line I was focused on seeing the granddaddy of them all - Landscape Arch.
Hiking Trail Through Devil's Garden
This arch was a few kilometres away and after 15 minutes it was still out of sight but I was getting close.
At 18 minutes, it swung into sight.
Landscape Arch
I blazed away with my cameras then wheeled and thundered back down the trail to my waiting honey. Despite my best efforts it was 32 minutes before I came gasping up to our RV.
Salvation! Emma was having a slow start to her day and was just finishing her coffee.
Touring Devil's Garden to Landscape Arch and back in 32 minutes, boy was I parched and a little dizzy.
Hiking Trail to Delicate Arch
We drove on to our primarydestination which was the hike to Delicate Arch. This iconic arch is on all the Utah tourist information as well as on Utah license plates.
We started the hike about 9:30 and the temperature was already hot and climbing. This is a three mile round trip hike through scenic dry desert terrain. Take lots of water.
We made it and enjoyed a quiet lunch under the arch.
Emma at Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch
A couple of Western Chipmunks were working the lunch crowd for treats.
Western Chipmunk
Returning to the RV we had a refreshing shower, snack and noon day nap. For the rest of the day, we leisurely drove back through Arches National Park, stopping at several viewpoints to admire the sculptured beauty of this scenic landscape.
Late Afternoon View of Arches National Park
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