Day 5: Arches National Park

Can you hear that?  Listen closely to the sound of joyful cheers echoing across the desert.  Those triumphant ringings come from some over-the-moon-happy Mosley's.  Why you ask?  Because we were NOT spending the day on top of four wheels.  We were OUTDOORS y'all!  For a good part of the day, that is.  

With the brutal heat and full exposure to the sun, we knew we were going to have to hit the park early to: 1) avoid heat exhaustion 2) avoid sunburn on some fair skinned babes and 3) avoid the moans, groans, and grumbles of the littles when the going got tough.  The latter can cut a parent down to a nub.  A slow, painful death of the nerves.  Don't get me wrong, we want the boys to have the characteristic of strong endurance.  However, this playground and time of year is not a good test for such at these young ages.  And yes, my nerves played a biased role in that decision making as well.

The park is absolutely stunning even from the comfort of an air conditioned car.  With every turn and bend in the road, new formations emerge.  These beauties play a great game of hide-n-seek.  You anticipate that they are there, but hidden behind another treasure that has your full attention.  Then, all of a sudden a new gem comes out of hiding with grand entrance.  Their sheer height and triumphant posture fills your mind with wonder and awe.  From the front seat, Brian and I marveled over the gloriousness before us.  Our whispers weren't even spoken to each other, rather praises directed to our Father.  When the beauty is so great and powerful that you can't keep the words in, the praises are spoken.  Gently.  Unforced.  Effortlessly. 

We chose child friendly trails to explore.  The double arch trail is short but gave our boys a chance to experience the nature that will define their new landscape.  Garrison took along his own little camera to play photographer.  Snapping his own pictures of cacti, lizards, and foreign holes in the ground that might be the home to things that would terrify his mother.  The closer we got to the arches, the reality of their enormity set in.  These structures contrast the man-made arch we just visited in St. Louis.  That Gateway Arch was a result of construction.  These arches are results of destruction.  Water erodes the sandstone away, leaving these natural wonders.  Our God's creativity is simply stunning.  His ability to work all these components together to produce this...  

Colossians 1:16-17~For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

This playground of sorts lent itself especially to Garrison.  With no fear and a reckless abandon, he scaled those rocks as if he were Spiderman.  My mommy heart wanted to yell and scream, "Be careful.  Get down from there.  Stop climbing and enjoy the view down here where it is flat."  However, he appeared comfortable and in control as if he were competing in a climbing competition for the Extreme Sports X Games.  The words that left my mouth were difficult, but I let them fly..."Be brave."  

Do you spot Garrison?  Red shorts and gray shirt.

Garrison, the fearless climber.  

Brody, with the ever watchful eye of his big brother, decided that he too needed to join in.  Oie!  Brian was scaling the rocks with them, so I settled in with my camera to capture their testosterone in full force.  

However, my fiercely independent Warner Jude, was not content in hanging out at the bottom.  Chubby little legs began to push themselves up in great determination to climb those heights.  I stood close to see what he could do.  Within minutes, I realized that I would not be comfortably playing photographer.  

Warner kept climbing, with me inches away from his every step.  Me, about to have a small panic attack over my fearless-at-the-moment boys.  Me, gleaming over the fact that they are indeed brave and bold.  I monitored the surroundings and knew we were getting steeper.  My pleas for him to rest with me in “safe” areas worked for, umm, 30 seconds.  Remember, this kid is a strong independent.  Strong willed.  And six years old in his head.  If GL or Brody are doing something, don’t think that Warner can’t do it as well.  At least this is what he thinks!  The area he was wanting to climb had a decent slope to it.  I could have picked him up and scaled it to get to his brothers.  Rather, I pushed him gently to give him reassurance that I was there.  He wanted to make the climb, but realized that it was too steep for him to do on his own.  He mumbled and turned to me afraid and unsure.  I felt the Lord nudge me to keep nudging him.  I gave him a little extra push...one handed, not forceful.  Again, a little extra reassurance that I was there to catch him if he fell.  Doesn’t the Lord do that with us?  He doesn’t pick us up and carry us when He knows that we can make the climb on our own.  He gently reminds us of his presence.  The knowledge that He his our safety net gives us the courage to climb higher.  

After playing Lewis and Clark in the Arches, we decided that a sunset visit was in order.  We burrowed up in the hotel for a few hours to rest and came back for more as the sun began to slip away.  The shadows and breezes made for an exquisite evening.  Yes, I just said exquisite.  Because it was.just.that.

This picture was taken by a lovely couple from Chattanooga who just so happened to pull up the same time that we did!

Trip Advisor’s #1 attraction at Arches is the Delicate Arch.  The trail to get to this one is anything but delicate.  We bantered back and forth whether or not to attempt it, especially with Warner.  We erred on the side of caution sanity with this one and opted to go to the overlook.  This trail, although pretty steep, was not nearly as long or strenuous as the other.  I toted Warner, and unknown to me, he enjoyed picking his nose.  He proclaimed, “eww!” as he stuck his finger out with the evidence of “gold struck” on the tip.  Boys.are.gross.  

Trip Advisor said that the views from this angle were not as spectacular as the main trail.  If this is “not that great,” then I can’t imagine what it is like on the other side…

We sat on top of this enormous rock while the sun slipped down behind the mountains.  The warm breeze picked up and the boys played.  They enjoyed the fresh air, the rocks that acted as Legos, and the solitude of nature.  I breathed it all in.  There, on that rock.  Our party of five rested, refreshed, and bonded.  As I walked hand in hand with Brody down that mountain, he looked up at me and told me he loved me…for the 400th time on this trip.  Our journey across the country is more than a move.  More than a vacation.  It has become a time where the five of us have come together to grow in strength as we settle in to our new normal.