CW: Arches, Arches, Arches! (Part 2 of 2)

This is part 2 of our day at Arches National Park; part 1 is here.

The afternoon heat was peaking as we hopped out of our vans at The Windows. A short, easy trail led to a string of formations; this photo captured only a portion of them.

A sign explained the geological processes that formed the arches.

Climbing the broad stairs to the North Window took little effort.

Almost there.

Inside the North Window visitors paused and snapped pictures. Lots of pictures.

Here's one of mine.

From here there's a great view of The Turret, named for its leaning tower. Note the small window to the left of the main arch.

Joan and I walked over to The Turret, and I took this image from the other side, as evidenced by the placement of the small window.

From here we could see both the north and south windows, a combination called The Spectacles.

The two arches appear more spectacle-ish from this angle. My, what a big nose you have!

It was the briefest of drives over to the Double Arch, but none of us wished to walk in the heat.

It was a short approach to the arches.

This rock tower along the way suggested a human face looking to the right.

It's impossible to capture both arches in one photo. Here is the junction point where they both start (or terminate, depending on your point of view).

On reaching this point most rest in the shade. Joan and I tried to clamber up to the floor of the arch, but it became too steep.

The view back was impressive.

We drank lots of water, keeping up with the heat; there was one more stop to go: Balanced Rock.

As we pulled into the parking area, Joan spotted a blue Tesla Model S pulling out. (There's a SuperCharger in Moab.)

Balanced Rock changes dramatically as you walk around it on an easy path.

At one point the rock looms above. Didn't that sign say that the nearby Chip-Off-The-Old-Block balanced rock tumbled down about 40 years ago?

Then it was time to return to the Red Cliffs Lodge, take a well-deserved shower, and prepare for a wonderful farewell dinner. Yes, this part of our trip was already about to end; many Country Walkers trips are geared to one-week vacations.

At our merry feast we were treated to a performance by cowboy singer Sand. Sometimes we accompanied him on familiar tunes, including "King of the Road," a hit from (ahem) 1964.

There was just time afterwards to catch the sunset, bookending the day's sunrise.

Tomorrow we'll all ride back to Durango, and some will even fly out that evening.

Joan and I will spend much of the following day in Durango, however, before flying out to the next Country Walkers trip in our back-to-back sojourn.