Starry Night

After visiting the Arches, Jonathan and I got in to a bit of a debate about whether we should stay the night in a motel, or save the money and drive the 120 miles back.  We opted for the latter.   

The sunset on the mountains as we left town was lovely.   The peaks glittered gold, but all below was turning a snowy blue, if you know what I mean.   

We soon regretted our decision, realizing that the dark road was dangerous, isolated, and that if we broke down there might not be any help until morning.  It doesn’t pay to be cheap!   Plus, we were very tired.  Tying his hands to the helm, Jonathan guided the car through the blackness, kept awake only by the strains of Blue Oyster Cult on the stereo.

 It was completely dark by the time we were half-way, and as I was listening to my I-pod, Jonathan suddenly said “Wow!”   I took my headphones off and asked him what was the matter.  He was looking upwards and pointing.  I looked up and we saw the stars.   This might sound like nothing, but out here…it’s something!  We stopped the car and looked at the sky.  Because there are not towns producing light pollution, the stars out on that dark road were beyond anything we’d ever seen in the sky before, absolutely magnificent.   

 Actually, Natural Bridges, because of its remote location, is considered the premier American national park for celestial viewing.  We have an astronomy program that starts in May and we’re looking forward to it.   Seeing the stars on the way home from Moab cheered us up and gave us extra energy for the challenging ride home.

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