Alcova Arch

 

About 30 minutes outside of Casper, Wyoming is Alcova Reservoir.  Only a few minutes in a boat will bring you to a beautiful and amazing canyon, which happens to be home to this majestic arch.  I am just going to call it Alcova Arch because I don't know that it has any other name.

On the day we visited, the wind was strong and the waters were choppy, so we didn't dare try to tie up our boat to climb under the arch, but it appears that we could have.  We'll have to save that for another trip!  Also, there are at least two other small arches on either side of this arch, as you can see in the below photo.  I decided to name them Mini Alcova Arch One, and Mini Alcova Arch Two.

The main arch is in the center of his photo but is hard to see because of the trees and rocks behind it, but you can see on the right and on the left two tiny arches (one that I think might be a double arch)

We had heard that there was a map of the United States on the rock wall, and we searched for it but didn't see it.  Another boater stopped to talk to us and said that the map is only visible at 3 p.m. when the sun is shining right on the rock.  We will make another trip back for that purpose as well!  He did point out the Mountain Man statue, as he called it, or Keeper of the Canyon.

As you're going down the canyon you can't see him, but on the way back you can see the profile of this mountain man with a coonskin cap.

I love the rock walls in the canyon, and especially as you're driving down the canyon towards the power plant, if you look up on the left at the tall rock walls with the red cliffs above them, it looks like the red cliffs are about to fall on you and that they're moving toward you as you drive along.  

We saw a bald eagle perched on the rock wall enjoying a fish he had just caught from the water.  We watched him for awhile and he didn't seem to mind the audience.  Our visit to Alcova was on Labor Day, and the weather wasn't ideal.  Storm clouds were blowing in and the wind was strong, making the waters choppy.  We decided that we'd better take our boat in and head for home.  As we neared the dock, a man approached us and asked if we would go help his girlfriend and son.  They had all brought their boat out the day before and it had capsized, losing seats and other essential parts in the water.  That morning his girlfriend and son had taken their paddle boat off into the cove where the accident occurred in the hopes of salvaging some of the boat pieces.  The water became so rough that they were trapped in the rocky cove as well and were afraid they might capsize and drown if they tried to make it to the dock.  We brought the man, who was from Illinois, over to his girlfriend and son and tied their paddle boat to our boat, which quickly spilled all of the salvaged pieces of his motor boat into the water.  He and his girlfriend jumped into the tempestuous water and once again salvaged the pieces of their boat.  Then we slowly drove them to the dock, our boat putting on plenty of water with the high waves.  We made it safely to the dock and the grateful couple and son pulled their paddle boat and boat pieces onto the dock and we were on our way.  We decided that the next time we come to Alcova, we'd better come when the weather is better and the water is calmer, especially because we don't want to lose our boat to the rocks like our new friend from Illinois did.

our first glimpse of the arch after we came around the corner

It would be easy not to notice the arch because of the way it blends in with the rock behind it.

The farther we drove on the water the better we could see the arch opening

You can't tell how steep it is from this photo.  It looks like it would be possible to climb up there, although it would be a little rigorous.  This is the view from the water's edge.

As we kept driving, the arch opening started to disappear.

I wondered if we'd be able to see it from the other side after we turned the corner, but the cliffs behind it keep it from view on the other side.

The Keeper of the Canyon

our new friend the bald eagle who had just enjoyed some fresh fish on one of the cliff walls

He didn't mind us watching him eat.  Looks like he had a couple friends who were hoping he would share.

This was our view from the power plant -- didn't look too passable.  We turned around at the power plant.

the power plant at the end of the canyon

a water storage tank perched on the mountain above the power plant

a quick view of one of the smaller arches that borders Alcova Arch (from the other side)

A view from the opposite side, of Alcova Mini Arch One

Both of the mini arches on either side of Alcova Arch

our view of the arch on our way back up the canyon

It does look like we could climb under it if we'd come on a better day

The arch slowly disappearing as we drove away

our last glimpse of the arch before it disappeared behind the corner.