Ever gone on a trip at the spur of the moment? Just pack up the kids and the wife, and drive for six hours. Throw together a "road trip" CD for the family's listening pleasure, gas up the SUV, and just go.

Well, that's exactly what we did this past New Years' Eve. We'd talked about going to Southwest Colorado for a few days with the kids out of school. But the weather looked a bit too grim and we were all a bit anxious to get outside. The option? Road trip to Moab, Utah. Do some hiking and see some sights. Perfect.

So...off we go. Fortunately, we're blessed with three kids that don't mind spending six hours strapped into their car seats. As long as the six hours are filled with some good music, some good books, and several car games - you know, the "Car Color Game" or finding things that start with the letter (fill in the blank).

We arrived in Moab near the end of the day. Time enough to pick up some materials from the Visitor's Center at Arches National Park and find a hotel in Moab. After an evening swim and a good meal, we planned out our New Year's Eve - hiking and pictures in Arches.

Landscape Arch	Landscape Arch

We woke to a cold, cloudy morning. We drove across Arches to the Devil's Garden area. There's a nice hike that goes to Landscape Arch. A favorite of ours. It's an amazing arch that looks like it may collapse at any moment. In fact, not too long ago, a significant slab fell from the arch. Since then, they don't allow visitors underneath the arch - good call. As you can see in the picture, the sun started to come out when we arrived. Very timely.

After stopping to take a few pictures and letting our youngest play in the sand (see below), we continued on the trail towards Double O Arch.

Kids Looking (Feeling) Cool	Youngest Playing in the Sand

The trail beyond Landscape Arch and Wall Arch (not shown) rises and eventually places you on top of some of the "fins" in the Park. This provides a great view in several directions. The trail becomes a bit exposed - as you can see in the picture below. Our daredevil youngest doesn't want anyone to help her and her older sister can't watch :)

We eventually arrived at Double O Arch, took a few pictures, and relaxed (at least for a few minutes). We had hoped to make a loop; however, it was past lunchtime and lunch was back at the SUV. Best to take the shortest, known route. Especially with kids.

Winter Sky	Winter Tree

Fortunately, our kids were great hikers. Only the occassional "discussion" concerning who should lead.

"I want to go first"	Fun in the Sand

After getting refreshed back at the trailhead. We made a quick stop at Sand Dune Arch (not shown) for the kids. (Travel Note) Sand Dune Arch is a great place to take kids - especially during hot temperatures. Of course, it wasn't exactly hot on New Year's Eve...but, we promised the kids we'd stop there.

After that, we quickly make our way to the Delicate Arch trailhead. The goal, catch the Arch at sunset. We left Mom and the youngest (now sleeping) and hurried up the trail. Unfortunately, the skies had turned gray and cold. No sunset pics today. Still nice to see this famous Arch up close. Hope we get some better pictures next time.

Delicate Arch	Sunny Profile

So, not too bad for New Year's Eve. We rolled back into town for a well earned dinner, some more swimming, and counting down to the New Year (at least on New York time - hey, it's late!).

The next morning we drove to the Island in the Sky part of Canyonlands National Park. The weather improved, albeit still cold. We drove down the 4x4 trail to Gooseneck Point for a view of the Colorado River and Dead Horse Point.

We really lucked out with the weather. What's more, we had the whole place to ourselves. We re-traced our tracks back up to the Visitor's Center at Island in the Sky. There are several viewpoints that offer spectacular views of Canyonlands, the White Rim Trail, and the La Sal Mountains.

La Sals from Island in the Sky	White Rim Trail (Road)

We had lunch, and checked out several viewpoints, prior to returning towards Moab. We dropped by Arches again to visit a few more spots - in particular, the Windows Section of the Park. This area offers several short hikes. The Double Arch is an impressive site to stand beneath.

Double Arch	Double Arch - Looking Up

And then? We drove six hours (including through a winter snowstorm in the Colorado Rockies) to get home by 10 p.m. The kids slept most of the way!

Email us if you have any questions or thoughts concerning this part of Utah - a real family favorite.

Lance Livingston