With the workshop finished the day before, I had the whole day on my own.  It was a marathon session starting back at the North Window at Arches National Park to see if a ‘sunrise through the arch’ would be a possibility.  The sun made a gallant effort to peak through the clouds on the horizon.

Next stop was the trail to Delicate Arch, perhaps the most famous of the arches in Utah. This arch is best photographed at sunset but the threat of rain in the evening prompted me to make the hike in the morning, even though the lighting conditions would not be the best. Most people have seen this arch in numerous photographs, but no photograph prepares you for the scene before your eyes as you round the final wall of rock at the end of the uphill hike and come face to face with Delicate Arch.  Everyone that I saw come around that final turn just exclaimed “Wow” as they saw the arch. My photograph only documents that I was there.

The drive  through Arches is one incredible sight after another. A short walk from the road leads to the scene below which is called ‘Wall Street’.

Next, I left Arches and hit the road for Canyonlands National Park. The immensity of this park is staggering.  It almost seems as if you can see forever from the vantage point of the Island in the Sky district of the park.

I ended my marathon day of photography back at Arches National Park to catch the sunset. The image below captures the last light of the day at Balanced Rock, another of the amazing rock formations that make Arches a unique destination.

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