While we spent most of our Utah time in Arches National Park, we took one day to see a portion of Canyonlands National Park.  I say a portion, because Canyonlands is a huge National Park.  The canyons in the middle of the park make it impossible to cross to the other side, so in order to see everything you have to drive all the way around.  There are three entrances, so we visited the part of the park nearest our campground, Island in the Sky.  It is an understatement to say that we were all glad we made the extra drive (about 45 minutes) over from Arches to spend a day seeing it.

We were greeted by signs like this our entire time in Utah.  Yikes.

We took note and drank lots of water.

However, the stunning views of unbelievable canyons and river gorges reached by short walks from the road that winds through the Island in the Sky were worth a little sweat in my eyes.

We stopped first at the Mesa Arch. Blake and Mary Polly are lying underneath it because it drops off so sharp into the vast canyon that we were all cautiously allowing the kids to get close to it.

Taido took this shot from under the arch.

This is about as close as I could get.  Both of our families took pictures under the arch.  We have an extra family member in ours, our sweet friend Jermaine who flew and joined us in Utah (more on her later).

I was so knocked over by the size and scope of this park.  Again, I just had not ever seen anything like it.  Our pictures don’t even begin to touch the way it really looks.

We stopped next at this large round canyon called Upheaval Dome.  It is speculated that a crater formed it but then the rock formations that jut up from the middle of it are a bit of a mystery.

Really, the entire place is a bit of a mystery.

Here, we are overlooking the Green River that slices through Canyonlands and we can see all the way to Horseshoe Canyon, just south of which is the location where Aron Ralston spent his fateful 127 hours.  Questions from the kids regarding some of the particulars of that incident abounded as we walked this landscape.

It is cliche to say that you cannot help but feel small as you explore Canyonlands, but it is true.

Yesterday in church, we were singing songs about creation’s shouting God’s very name, and images of these expansive lands in Utah came back to my mind and heart.

Our visits to this part of the country will forever make up part of the slideshow in my head that reminds me of the vast power and creativity of God.

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One of the reasons I was remembering my friend Laura yesterday is that our families met up this summer in Utah at Arches National Park!

We did this one other time when we were traveling in the Pacific Northwest in 2008 (we like to call that summer Living the Dream).  It’s so much fun.

Our kids get to try to remember each other from their toddler days and discover what new interests they have in common.  The parents get to enjoy catching up on the years that have passed and exchange stories about life, kids, marriage, ministry and whatever else we can cram into a few days.

The best part of our meetup this year is that we also all got to have a new adventure.  We shared the experience of seeing one of the most unique places I’ve ever visited and being in awe at the creativity of our God at Arches National Park.

When I look at these pictures, I still can’t even believe this place was real.

I have experienced desert-like climates before, but Arches National Park was different from anywhere I’ve ever been.

It was so beautifully desolate.

The rocks changed colors all day long, with the clouds and the moving sunlight.

The puffy clouds and blue skies also made the rocks appear different at different moments of the same hour.

When you got closer to a certain formation, you couldn’t even believe it was the same one you were looking at a few minutes ago from far away.

We had seven kids between our two families and they were all troopers as they we walked in the blazing sun to see different arches and formations.

I’m convinced that part of what kept them going was that a child innately loves to climb rocks.

They were all scrambling to the tops of things before I could get there and decide if it was safe.

When we got too hot, we would hide for a minute in the shadow of one of the arches.  I was amazed at the relief this provided.

We went at the hottest time of year in Moab, which we might not have chosen to do without the incentive of our friends’ being there.  However, there were no crowds at the most famous spots.

The visitors’ guide at the park tells you the best times of day to visit the different arches, so a few of us got up to see the sunrise one morning.

When we walked up to the window in the above picture, the view took our breath away.

We watched the light move across this valley and paint the rocks with fire.

Then we wandered in the early morning light to this double arch.

It was also like a huge cave with an opening at the top that kind of dropped off on the other side.

I took my favorite instagram of the trip from about halfway up into this arch.

I’ll leave you with maybe the best series of pictures Taido took of an arch called The Turret.  Each picture gets a little closer to the window of the arch. SO beautiful!

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