Spring USA Trip - Day6

Last night we checked in at one of Days Inn, of which the lady owner was very nice. We came to the place quite late, though it was about 60 miles from Bryce Canyon, but it seemed to take forever for me since the road was so winding and twisting. By the time that we reached the place, we were so hungry. We asked to use the microwave to warm our food and the lady was so willing helping us: providing hot waters, no complain that we used her breakfast room for dinner.
Today we continue our trip as planned to visit Arches National Park; of which one of the Arches, Delicate Arch, is on Utah car template.
And I am glad that on the route we follow from the GPS, it passes the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. It is the 3,730 acres of fine salmon-colored grains, surrounded by red sandstone cliffs, and deep emerald forests. Who would think that there would be forests next to the sand dunes. It is a massive playground for hiking, off-highway vehicle riding.


Arches National Park offers a 40-mile round-trip paved road for visitors to visit the major sights, including Balanced Rock, Skyline Arch, Double Arch in the Windows Section, Fiery Furnace, and the park's most famous geologic feature - Delicate Arch.
I choose the easy trail first which is the Windows Section and then the Delicate Arch. The Delicate Arch trail is about 3 miles, of which it take about 1.30 hours walking and for me it seems like 3 miles (roundtrip) by flying, not by walking. The trail slopes gradually upward ,the total elevation gain is only 480 feet, but it seems steeper than that as I climb up the slickrock ridge. There is no shade!!! Steps have been carved into the sandstone to make it easy to get up some steep places. In one spot the trail follows a shelf on the side a solid-rock mountain, a sheer cliff falling off one side.