Reminiscing About Arches

As winter begins to wind down and adventure season dawns before us, my mind is wandering to some favorite past trips. This is what I do when I’m itching to travel but not able to go just yet.

The Wandering Canadians’ account of their visit to Utah and Arches National Park made me nostalgic for the glorious week I spent wandering through that area with my western adventure friend. That was back in 2018 and still stands up in my memory as one of my best trips ever.

This place is drastically different from my Ohio home. The red rocks, wide open skies and desert climate are like the surface of the moon compared to the lush, green hills of home. Here in Ohio, forests grow thick and tall. In Arches, the trees are small and gnarled curiosities that have fought to survive each passing year. Arches features spires, giant stone arches, balanced rocks and monoliths.

Maybe it’s the drastic difference in landscape that makes it so appealing. When you find something growing here like a cactus flower, a tree or an insect, it seems so miraculous that anything can survive in the sand and heat of this place.

This is why we travel – to understand the world beyond our daily reach and to better appreciate the places where we do live. It encourages us to ask questions and drives us to seek answers about the world and ourselves.

Traveling feeds a curious mind and a wandering soul. My feet itch just thinking about it!

Arches

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

Image: Arches National Park, 2018.

Beyond The Horizon

We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Desert sunrise, Arches National Park, 2018

Kiss It Goodbye: Summer Vacation Is Cancelled

Summer vacation plans are officially cancelled. It was the right decision but one I kept delaying. The plan was to fly out west, visit with a friend and then road trip home.

Even if COVID conditions don’t worsen, they certainly aren’t going to improve enough to make for a fun, safe trip across six states.

The hope is to try again to see my friend this fall and to plan the road trip some other time.

This year has been a series of disappointments and tough decisions for everyone I know. But COVID knows no age, nationality or gender. Perfectly healthy people are dying and, while I want my freedom back, this was not the trip for me.

I’m still taking a portion of that planned vacation time and hope to do something that is closer to home. We’ll see what conditions are like in a few weeks.

I’m learning to fly by the seat of my pants, an act that I’ve never enjoyed but am trying to embrace. And really, when I look back over the last two years, some of the best experiences have been spontaneous so there’s something to be said for putting down the itinerary and just enjoying the ride.

The above photo was taken at sunrise in Arches National Park a couple of years ago. Plans may be cancelled but the sun will rise again and there will be more adventures on the horizon.

Adventure Is On The Horizon

One of my favorite memories of all time involves a week spent with this gal last year. We hiked in Arches and Canyonlands national parks and had all sorts of fun adventures.

We’ll be up to some more shenanigans pretty soon and I’m sure to come home with fun stories and pictures to share.

Until then – Happy Wednesday, friends!

Sunrise At Arches

Sunrise at Arches National Park. Isn’t it beautiful?

I just had printed a photo book about that trip and had such a nice time reliving those memories that I’m dying to go back. Luckily, another adventure is just around the corner!

But seriously… isn’t it pretty?