Monday, 21st of May. The night ended for us at about 6 o´clock again because we wanted to arrive at the Arches NP quite early in order to get one of the popular camping sites in the park. We were hoping that the wind drops. However, it was not so. Ronny had to make quite an effort to keep the motorhome on the road. On our way through Mesa Verde we became aware of a squeaking noiseunderneath our RV for the first time. As it seemed, a heat shield that protected the propane tank from the hot exhaust got loosened by the strong winds. Only two of the originally six welded seams were still intact, the remaining had been completely rusted through. This worried us a bit. On the way through Colorado the noise became louder and louder due to the crosswind and we knew this does not hold very long any more. We feared that the shield would completely fall off and would damage the RV from underneath or the tires any time.

However, before we took care of the motorhome, we drove to the park entrance and reserved a camping site for the Devils Garden Campground ($10). After that we called the service hotline of El Monte. We wanted to know whether we could simply tear off the loose metal shield or if we should better take the RV to the garage. But since noone wanted to give us a clear answer, the phone call was of no use at the end, except that we had informed El Monte about that. By a service hotline we actually understand something else. Therefore we went first into the park to the campground. After we had found a nice site amongst rock formations for our RV, we went back to Moab searching for a garage. Simply removing the heat shield was not the best alternative because we still wanted to drive through the Death Valley. Therefore we had it fixed in the garage again. When the mechanic handled a welding device nearby the propane tank, we somehow got an uneasy feeling. The thoroughness which is said to be a characteristic feature of the Germans protected us from an even bigger damage. Due to the welding the cover of an electrical wire had caught fire, which we had fortunately discovered. After this damage was also repaired, we could turn our attention to the more enjoyable things again. After a brief stop for getting gas and buying groceries, we went to eat something quickly (Burger King).

Finally at 3 p.m. we could explore the park. We drove along the street which runs through the park and stopped at the different viewpoints (Park Avenue, Balanced Rock …). On a small hike we then explored the Windows Section with the well-known North Window and South Window and the Double Arch. The highlight at the end of the day was the hike to the Delicate Arch where we were waiting for the sunset. The reddish coloring of the rocks in Arches is particularly beautiful at sunrise or sunset.

The next morning, Tuesday, the 22nd of May, we were glad to be able to sleep a bit longer. At 8 o´clock the sun woke us at 15°C. The campground really deserves the title "one of the most beautiful campgrounds of the USA". After a substantial breakfast we started our hike through the Devils Garden at about 11 o´clock, which was situated nearby our campground. We went past the Tunnel Arch and the Pine Tree Arch to the Landscape Arch, the arch with the largest span width of the world (96 m). The further way to the Double-O-Arch became a bit more difficult. We met hardly any people there. We decided not to go back the same way, but to take the more primitive way which was one mile longer. Anke, who had been in Arches NP before, had forgotten how many ups and downs there were and that one had to take the hands as a help for climbing sometimes. At about 3 p.m. we got back to the campground with our first sunburn and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. That felt so good.