Arches and Monument Valley

One of the more fantastic and uniquely southwestern geologic regions lies on the route between Arches National Park, UT and Monument Valley, AZ.   My recommendation for those of you who are musicians is to grab your guitar, ukulele, harmonica or whatever you play and find a campsite along Hwy 128 just south of the park.  It sits right on the banks of the Colorado River with incredible scenery and a beautiful orange glow that fills the canyon and reflects off the canyon walls at sunset.  If that doesn't provide inspiration for music, I don't know what will... The unique nature of the sedimentary rock layers that lie within the Colorado Plateau in this area provide for an absolutely fascinating landscape. Here are a few glimpses into this area from my stops.
How did the Arches form you ask?
Right here:
Role of fracture localization in arch formation at Arches National Park, Utah
Unweaving the joints in Entrada Sandstone, Arches National Park, Utah, U.S.A.
Development of natural sandstone arches in south-eastern Utah- Robert Blair (1987)


An animation of Arch formation within Arches National Park:
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1601/es1601page01.cfm


This video attempts to show how the "monuments" of Monument Valley have formed:
Monument Formation ...Although I don't agree with it... As one of my professors once told me, "It has a lot more to do with down-dip cuesta scarp retreat." So, this animation is just a little too simple...but not bad.

Oh, and make sure to stop at Moab Brewery. Pretty refreshing!!!!
My music choice for this road trip from Hwy 128, to Arches, to Canyonlands, to Monument Valley?
Mumford and Sons (never a bad choice!), 1, 2, 3
Trampled by Turtles, 1
Old Crow Medicine Show, 1
Avett Brothers, 1, 2