Some of the most beautiful scenery in the country is found at Arches National Park. After camping outside the park, we headed in early to get a good start on the day. Already ahead of us were scores of bicyclist for an annual cancer fundraising ride. The slopes they had to climb up on the way in were steep, but was fun to see them cruising down in celebration on our way out of the park.

We hiked to the Delicate Arch, one of the most iconic sites in the park which is also featured on the Utah license plate. The three mile round trip took us across slickrock and up steep inclines. The final stretch was a narrow pass along the back side of a cliff. The views were beautiful, though it was hard to look down. As we turned around the bend on the narrow pass, we faced a sharp wind and glimpsed the arch for the first time. The sun was high behind it and brave hikers slipped down the slanted rock to stand in the middle. The view was a sweet reward after climbing up 480 feet.

After Delicate Arch we made our way to double arch where a quick hike put us under two beaming arches. The color of the rock with beautiful blue skies and sunshine behind was stunning.