Independent traveler : Southern Utah's golden arches...

Independent traveler

Love to travel, but hate tours? This blog offers insight on how to go it alone, from safe accommodations to seeing the best, and maybe the worst. After all, independent travel is an adventure. Flexibility and traveling on a budget are critical. No five-stars or all-inclusives. So hop aboard. Learn to enjoy travel at your own pace and price. Meet other adventurers like yourself and mingle with the locals. Remember: You may travel alone, but you wonʼt be lonely. gloria.independenttraveler@gmail.com

Gloria Maschmeyer

I've been a traveler since I can remember. I spread my wings as a flight attendant at age 20, then married a traveling man and we've never stopped. While based in Anchorage, we've ventured to India, Peru, Bali, Morocco, Burma, Tunisia Singapore and Ecuador. I love ferreting out places off the beaten path. And when things don't go quite as planned, that's just part of the adventure.

Gloria's photos

PHOTOS

Gloria's photo gallery

See Gloria's photos from her world travels.

READER-SUBMITTED

Vacation shots

That's a tiny Machu Pichu at left. View more travel shots in our vacation gallery.

Submit a vacation photo

Gloria's videos

Floating England's Llangollen Canal

See a little snippet of floating the Llangollen Canal in Western England in a narrow boat.

Fun with Divot

Divot snorkeling at the confluence of Brook's River.

Fun with Ted and Divot

Divot at the Falls and Ted cavorting at the mouth flowing out to Naknek Lake.

Plan your trip

AIRFARES

www.travelocity.com

www.expedia.com

BEST TIME OF YEAR

www.myforecast.com

Click on "almanac," then on "historical climate" and plug in the city you wish to check.

ELECTRICAL CONVERSIONS

www.travel-images.com/electric-plugs.html

For electrical appliances, it's great to know the voltage used in a country and the types of plugs.

CURRENCY RATES

www.oanda.com

For more information on currency exchanges and helpful hints, read my blogs, "Should I change" and "I've decided to change."

TRAVEL WARNINGS

www.travel.state.gov/travel

This site can help you determine the type of crime that goes on in foreign countries against visitors. It also will tell you areas of the country you should avoid.

WORLD TIMES

www.worldtimeserver.com/

Features the current time anywhere and weather. Helpful when you need to call for reservations or want to call back home while away.

WHAT TRAVELERS SAY

www.tripadvisor.com

A favorite sites to see what other travelers have to say about places to stay and visit worldwide

CAR RENTAL

www.hotwire.com

A good site for finding the best deals on renting cars anywhere in the world

TRAVEL INSURANCE

www.squaremouth.com

Web site that compares costs of travel insurance between companies.

Southern Utah's golden arches...

Posted by indietraveler

Posted: October 22, 2009 - 8:08 pm

Delicate Arch, the most photographed in Arches National Park

Alaska has unsurpassed raw beauty, but southern Utah has equally stunning landscape that has been cut to its core for thousands of years.

Today we visited Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah. We hiked three miles round trip to the most photographed arch, Delicate Arch, for sunset photos.

While the sunset fizzled due to cloud cover, the arch did not disappoint. It is mammoth and puzzling to imagine how it formed. Geologists have their theories, but when I look at Delicate Arch perched high on a slick layer of sandstone their explanation doesn't convince me. There must be other forces at work to create something this magnificent.

Delicate Arch is only one of over 2,000 in Arches National Park. There are little ones and big ones carved into the sandstone.

Unlike Delicate Arch, Double Arch offers visitors easy access

While the uphill hike up to Delicate over slick rock and through rocky gullies is taxing, it is well worth the effort. Others, like Double Arch with two crisscrossing arches and its neighbor Turret Arch are easy strolls.

Tomorrow we visit Canyonlands National Park just across the road from Arches where the Colorado and Green Rivers have cut deep gorges and canyons into the desert landscape.