
Throughout the morning Owen (9) has given his all rock scrambling and climbing the sandstone monoliths on the eight mile trail to and from Double O Arch. Four hours later he is whooped. He chooses to hang back in the car with his Omi while we four (Max, Molly, Tip, and moi) hike the two final arches.

With this being our last day in Arches National Park, we find a parking spot across the road from the trailhead, which leads first to the nearby Sand Dune Arch and then out across the prairie to the Broken Arch.
Mid-day at 6000’ in mid-April 2022, I join the other three on the side trail up a slot canyon (a narrow gorge amid sandstone walls) to the sandy beach of a trail to the Sand Dune Arch.

Wading through luxurious sand, we very quickly find ourselves in front of the aptly named Sand Dune Arch.


On a day going to the mid-80s and with the condo association pool awaiting us 30 minutes away in Moab, we four have a winding one mile trail across a prairie of greening tumbleweed to the Broken Arch.


The Broken Arch isn’t really broken, but a large crack at its top gives it that name. We add this final arch jewel to our charm bracelet of rusty red stone landscapes.


By 2PM we are whooped. Even so, we make one last stop at the Balancing Rock.


Returning to our sweet VRBO for a late lunch, we have a chill afternoon ahead. For my part, I enter first drafts of each of today’s two hikes into my laptop, edit the pictures from my iPhone 12, and then surrender to a quiet bedroom in our now quiet condo.

The others have the Rim Village pool to cool their jets on a mid-80s afternoon. The warm pool and then the even warmer hot tub are therapeutic for what ails Owen and a joy for Max.
A travel tip if you are looking for wine in Moab. There is one small liquor store with hours Monday through Saturday from noon to 6 PM. Snaring a fine Black Box, I was 12th in line at the one cash register open. When I finish on this mid-afternoon Monday, there were 16 others behind me.
With our “grapes,” the adults toast another day in paradise.