This park is what it says. There are 2,500 natural arches here, which is truly amazing. It is a land of naturally sculpted red sandstone, whose present forms are the result of eons of erosion by water, wind, and freezing.
Millions of years ago, this was an ancient seabed in which a thick layer of salt was deposited. Sand was deposited over the salt, and became compacted into stone. The weight of the sandstone caused the salt to flow like a glacier. This caused uplifts which split the sandstone into narrow vertical fins as it was thrust upward. The fins eroded and some became arches that are seen today.
The entire area is a wonder of nature's creation. Some of the stones resemble animals and people. There are mazes of narrow canyons, and arches of all descriptions. There are “petrified” sand dunes that resemble ocean waves.
We hiked to several arches and monoliths today. The weather was perfect, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s. Tomorrow, we will further explore the park, which is only a couple of miles from our RV camp site. (The RV park is really nice. It is situated in a valley surrounded by red sandstone cliffs. Cooper really likes the lush grass lawns, which (hopefully) are tick – free. The Colorado River is right next to us behind a high berm. Yesterday, it was raging after several intense thunderstorms rolled through the area. )
I was able to get the trailer's flat tire fixed this morning, and bought some hardware to permanently fix the brake wire problem, which is presently jury rigged. I talked to the manager of the tire store about which trailer tires he would recommend when I replace mine. He replied, "They are all junk, just like this tire I am about to sell to this gentleman." Not very encouraging. No wonder we see so many destroyed RV tires littering the highways. Buyer beware!!
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