It’s been a long, productive day, folks! I am writing this entry at 12:22 AM, so it’s going to be very short. A girl needs her beauty rest. 🙂

A couple of days ago, we visited the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park. Today, we headed to the Island in the Sky section. We were hoping that it looked different than the part we’d already been to and it certainly was! The scenic drive and hikes took us along the top rim of the mesa and provided incredible views of the deep canyons and spires below. It was so breathtaking, we wondered how much more amazing the Grand Canyon will be. Then we learned that the Grand Canyon is more than twice as deep as the the ones at the Canyonlands! It’s almost too much to fathom!

I am standing more than 2,000 feet above the canyon floor. I wish there was a way to convey the sheer magnitude of this place.

Bill acting like being that close to the 2,000+ foot drop off wasn’t bothering him!

Look! A photo of the two of us! We are in front of Mesa Arch.

Mesa Arch, without us taking away from its magnificence.

After our canyon experience we headed to Arches National Park for sunset. Apparently, one of the most popular places to watch the sunset is at the site of Delicate Arch. It is perched on top of a tall slickstone hill and requires a 1.5-mile moderately strenuous hike to get there. The place was crawling with people, but we managed to get some shots of the iconic arch glowing a vibrant orange in the light of the setting sun. We thought about grabbing some Milky Way photos after, but didn’t want to walk back in the absolute pitch darkness that would follow. We walked back to the parking lot, flashlights in hand, and saw a few foxes along the way, their eyes an eerie yellow in the light.

This vibrant orange glow only lasted a total of about 3 minutes.

It got dark pretty quick. Here’s Delicate Arch from a different angle. We left shortly after this photo was taken. By the time we got back to the car, it was pitch black.

Looks like a…bowling pin, right?

We headed to Balanced Rock and shot the stars there. The silhouette of the the stone formation against the night sky is a little…weird. But at least you can see the Milky Way! 😉

Tomorrow we plan on visiting Dead Horse State Park (sounds really inviting, doesn’t it?) and Arches. Stay tuned for even more photos of orange rocks!