Landscape Arch and Canyonlands Island in the Sky

We started the day yesterday at the Arches National Park Devils Garden Trailhead.  This is at the end of the road farthest from the visitors center and took about 45 minutes to drive there.  As we drove in, we saw a long line of class C (like a truck and camper integrated into one) lined up along the road and 75% of them were from RV rental companies.  A lot of foreign travelers fly in to the US and tour in these RVs.

We had a nice walk to Landscape Arch as the day got hotter and hotter.  By the time we took the side trails to Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch, it was 95 degrees and uncomfortable.  We drove back to the visitor center for lunch, but there were no picnic facilities.  We sat in the truck with the engine and AC running, then went in to the center to buy our souvenirs.  The temp in a black truck in an asphalt parking lot was reported at 118 degrees when we came out, and 98 after we got some air moving around the truck.

We then drove north to Canyonlands National Park.  It is divided into three distinct areas that are not connected by roads.  The easiest to access is Island in the Sky which is on top of a large mesa with canyons cut on three sides by the Green River and Colorado River.  the other sections are Needles (basically hoodoos and fins) that we plan to see today and The Maze which is only 4wd and hiking accessible.  As we entered the park, a rain storm lowered the temperature to 70 degrees.  Nice!  We rented the driving tour CD and completed our tour at 6:06.  Unfortunately, the visitors center closed at 6 so it looked like we "bought" the CD for $10 instead of renting it for $5.  A park ranger opened the door and was kind enough to take the return and give us our $5 refund.  The CD isn't really useful outside the park. 

The temp was back up to 92 degrees without the benefit of rain to keep things cool.  Higher temps are predicted over the next week.

33 new photos posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/rosser.tom/RVVacation2010#