Hello Everyone. A belated Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all from here in Fillmore, Utah. I’ve spent this last week cutting across the central part of the state, checking out petroglyphs and dinosaur fossils in the east, cruising down the beautiful agricultural region of the Sanpete Valley and finishing up here in Utah’s first territorial capital. It’s been windy out here this week, but the temperatures have been pleasant and the rain and snow have stayed away, which was a good thing as some of these high mountain passes have taken me up above 9000’. Central Utah is definitely a less-visited part of the state, but it has a lot of cute towns, friendly people and plenty to keep me busy. I’ve been moving fast this week because there’s a powwow I want to get to in Salt Lake City this coming weekend and these are all places I wanted to hit before heading in that direction.
When I left you last week, I was out in Grand Junction, Colorado after a quick visit to Colorado National Monument. After I wrapped up my newsletter, I made a beeline back to the Beehive State and headed straight to Green River. I wanted to get there with enough time to see the John Wesley Powell River History Museum. If you don’t know of him, Powell led the first expedition to float the length of Grand Canyon. A retired U.S. Army Major, he had lost his right arm due to a gunshot through the wrist he received during the Battle of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest and most fascinating battles of the Civil War. After the war, he went on to become the curator of a small natural history museum in Illinois and went west to gather some samples for the museum. While there, he became fixated on the idea of exploring Grand Canyon and collected a rag-tag crew of mountain men and explorers to come with him. It was quite the adventure and this museum does a good job of documenting their trip and providing some great information on Powell himself. There are also displays on the geologic and human history of the Green River (which joins the Colorado River in what is now Canyonlands National Park and which Powell floated to get to the Colorado on his journey). In addition to the permanent gallery…
Hello Everyone! It’s been an amazing week out here on the road in southern Utah. I’ve seen some absolutely beautiful country, driven some spectacular roads and visited some amazing archaeological sites. I did have a bit of a stomach bug midweek which wiped me out for a couple of days, but it seems to have passed. The weather has been amazing, the photography opportunities plentiful and it’s just generally been a good week all around.
I left off last week in Panguitch, a cute little town about half an hour west of Bryce Canyon National Park. When I finished up last week’s post, I wandered around town for a bit and then made my way on into the park. I’ve been to Bryce at least 50 times in my life and it never ceases to amaze me. The view from one of the many overlooks on a sunny day will rival any view, anywhere in the world for natural splendor and beauty. It truly is nature’s little fairyland. The sandstone spires of Bryce, called “hoodoos”, are mostly the result of the extreme temperature fluctuations Bryce sees during the year. Located above 8000’, it’s not unusual to have freezing temperatures any day of the year, but it can be sunny and warm and beautiful any day as well. It’s the cycle of freezing and thawing which has helped shape the landscape more than wind or flowing water. Bryce Canyon is named after Ebenezer Bryce, who you may remember built the Pine Valley Chapel which I wrote about two weeks ago. He and his wife homesteaded in the area in the 1870s and he spent many months digging a canal to funnel the water to the valley below. When asked about the canyon which would forever bear his name, Bryce was once quoted as saying “it’s a hell of a place to lose a cow”. It most certainly would be. It was quite icy out on the trails this time through, so I settled for a few nice views from the rim. After the sun went down I enjoyed a warm seat by the fire out at Ruby’s Inn, just outside the entrance to the park, where I read my book for a while before calling it a night.
Goblin Valley is another of Utah’s incredible fantasy landscapes. It’s a place that quickly captures your imagination and leaves you smiling the whole time you are there. Located in a remote part of Emery County, you have to make an effort to get to Goblin Valley, but you’ll definitely be glad you did. The “goblins” are technically hoodoos, made of soft lower layers of sandstone and capped with a harder layer which causes water to erode them from the outside in instead of from the top down. The main amphitheater has thousands of goblins and is an incredible place to just wander, especially during the edges of the day when the low light illuminates the goblins and cooler air prevails. Beyond the amphitheater are other dream landscapes to explore, including the caves known as the Goblin’s Lair and the Goblette’s Lair, the Toadstools, beautiful Wild Horse Butte and the amazing Wild Horse Slot Canyon. Most people spend about an hour in Goblin Valley, but the longer you spend, the more you’ll find to keep you busy. Thanks to the prompting of my friend, Jack, I spent the whole day there and was definitely happy that I did. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Goblin Valley - Magic in the Red Rocks of Utah.
Snow Canyon State Park is one of the most stunning state parks I’ve ever seen. When I was considerably younger, I dated a woman who was an identical twin. When I met her sister, I could obviously tell that they were twins, but they were also completely different. Having spent many months of my life in nearby Zion National Park, driving into Snow Canyon felt much the same. The scenery looks so familiar to me, but it was all totally new as well. I loved it.
Located just north of St. George, Snow Canyon is a part of the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve. Much like Zion, Snow Canyon rests at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, the Mojave Desert and the Great Basin, exhibiting characteristics of all three. The rock formations are composed mainly of sandstone. The red formations contain iron while the white cliffs do not. Unlike in Zion, there are also cool volcanic areas including several lava tubes.
Human history here stretches back over 2000 years. Ancestral Puebloan cultures passed through the area often, and later, Paiute Indians would come to Snow Canyon. Mormons arrived in the area in the 1850s. One of Utah’s first state parks, it was originally called Dixie State Park and was later renamed after local Mormon pioneers Lorenzo and Erastus Snow. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, definitely come check it out. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Snow Canyon State Park.
Hello Everyone!
It’s been an interesting first week here in Utah. I’ve visited some absolutely beautiful places, learned some fascinating history, and generally had a really good time. Utah is a tremendous contrast to Nevada in so many ways. The landscape is on a smaller scale with more canyons and valleys, buttes and mesas and fewer vast stretches of open desert surrounded by imposing mountain ranges. Culturally, Utah is a predominantly Mormon state so it is more modest and conservative than Nevada (in a cultural sense, not necessarily a political one as Utah is also very conservative politically). Mormons are also very serious about preserving their culture and history, especially from the pioneer days which they consider pre-1869 which was when the railroad across Utah was completed. Because of this there is a tremendous amount of information available and the Daughters of Utah Pioneers have some wonderful museums to display items from Utah’s history. Bars are few and far between and with the exception of a few drinks on Mardi Gras Day, I’ve been sober since I arrived in the Beehive State which is a good thing. But also, I haven’t been bored as there are actually things to do at night here which don’t involve alcohol which I’ve really been enjoying. The weather has gone from hot and sunny to blustery and snowy and I haven’t traveled in more than about 60 miles from the border where I entered the state. All in all, it’s been a fascinating week which has really reinvigorated my journey, so let me tell you all about it.
