I last wrote from Chinle on the Navajo Reservation – from there I have traveled and hiked (short hip-strengthening hikes) through Canyon of the Ancients, Canyonlands, Arches and Dinosaur Parks in Utah.  All contain some of the most scenic colored sandstone cliffs and formations in the world. In Arches I never had visited the Landscape Arch, longest in the Americas with over 300 feet of opening, nor seen some of the lesser arches at sunrise. I have included a few photos below to give a sense of how awesome some of these formations can be.

Several arches have fallen in the last 70 years, and a portion of the Landscape Arch fell some 30 years ago.  My high-resolution photos of the Landscape show a number of fractures at the thinnest parts of the arch. Arches are created from weathering over millennia, and eventually succumb due to the same weathering.  It is hard for me to believe the Landscape will last another couple of decades.

I had a very strange experience with a planned 2 night-stay in Green River, Utah.  Some years ago I had stayed at the family operated Robber’s Roost Motel; due to many Utah motels being booked on weekends, I made advance reservations online at the motel’s website.  I promptly received email confirmation of my reservation, and a welcoming email with the details.  Upon arrival, I found the property run down with a real estate firm’s signage plastered on walls and windows, and vehicles being repaired on the lot.  Everything was padlocked.  I called the phone number on my confirmation and got the message it was not in service.  Upon inquiry at the nearby restaurant and other businesses I found the motel had been closed for over a year. I was in almost disbelief that the automated reservation system (undoubtedly a third-party site) still functioned and sent out confirming emails.  I had to find another motel for the night, and was told that such reservation systems exist for many small hotels, where they may keep operating long after the business closes.  I have double checked my credit card to make sure no charges appear.

I currently am in Cody, Wyoming, ready to start 15 days in and around Yellowstone. Later. Dave