More Travels 4--Ending on High Note

Ending on High Note

"It goes to 30 degrees below zero here in the winter," said Andy, as we got in the car in Richfield, Utah, this morning.  The desk clerk had told him that they had one day last winter that never went above four degrees below zero. "What I didn't know in planning this trip was that October is one of the biggest tourist months for Utah."

Clouds move out as we head east.

Interstate 70 winds between
mountain ranges.

As we headed east at 9:30 a.m., the clouds parted. The sun drew water in radiating rays over the mountains. "Those are the mountains of the Fish Lake National Forest," said Andy. "There are a lot of peaks over 11,500 feet in there but no ski areas. Imagine the snow!" Yesterday we had snow over the 9,500 foot elevation level.
Outside of Salina, Utah, a sign said, "No bull, no gas next 110 miles." We stopped to fill up--just in case. We didn't need much; good thing, since their gas was 35 cents more a gallon. Actually, Andy just wanted to wash the windshield.

Mountains in the distance that reach more than 11,000 feet
are already snow covered by mid-October.

 Interstate #70 winds between mountains with the summit pass at 7,886 feet. Skirting expansive ranches on each side, the road offers glimpses of peak upon peak in the distance. Utah jumper and red cedar blanketed the slopes with swaths of brilliant yellow aspen and brown oak quivering in the five-to-ten m.p.h. breeze. Tan sandstone outcroppings capped some higher peaks and encircled many lower ones. At times a creek bed followed the highway. Next to it on the adjoining dirt road we noticed Black Angus cows grazing placidly. It was 37 degrees when I hopped out in shirt sleeves to take pictures.
Then suddenly everything changed. On top of the plateau, sage dominated. It was just as cold--43 degrees--but the trees disappeared and rolling black hills and clay riddled badlands slopes took the place of the sandstone.

The highway cuts through the 400-foot
high San Rafael Reef.

Puffy cumulus clouds enveloped the peaks, as we turned around and drove back an exit for pictures and to leisurely enjoy the scenery. Out here one exit was 18 miles one way. By the time we drove back those 18 miles, the cumulus clouds had turned dark underneath and dropped down. "Do you think that's snow?" I asked Andy.
"Yeh," he answered. "Up there they could easily carry snow."

Clouds clear near Miller's Canyon.

As he pulled off the exit at Miller's Canyon for more photographs, he said, "Everywhere you look there's a picture." The dirt road offered no services, but the scenery was amazing.
"This is one gorgeous drive," said Andy. He pulled off into a Rest Area at San Rafael Swell. Navajos sold jewelry and pottery spread out on the ground around the parking lot.
"The pottery looked like the mass produced variety," said Andy, "and you don't need any more jewelry."
"But need and want are two different things," I told him.
He won. I took pictures. 

The pullout at Black Canyon, part of the San Rafael Reef,
includes spectacular views of the canyon walls.

This large geologic anticline is located between Castle Dale, Green River, Price and Hanksville. It began its formation 50 million years ago. Over time the sandstone has slowly been lifted, and through erosion many cliffs and canyons have been carved. Enormous pressures from a deep basement fault have pushed Wingate and Navajo sandstone on the Eastern edge, the "San Rafael Reef," near vertical. 
On the other side of the Swell were badlands in pink and red and green and grey. "The mountains suck out every last drop of moisture. This land gets almost nothing," said Andy, "and from the looks of the clouds behind us, the mountains are getting rain or snow right now." Here it was 37 degrees and sunny.
Black Canyon Overlook was higher with even grander views. But here too Navajos spread their wares. "There will be more," said Andy, "and they all look the same."

Skeletons of Utah juniper trees accentuate
the top of the plateau at Black Canyon.

"Not quite so," I thought to myself. I didn't see the hematite necklace I had admired at the last stop.

Spotted Wolfe Canyon cuts into the San
Rafael Swell, part of the 30-mile reef.

Ghost Rock Pullout was empty of visitors. We photographed the landscape, but the rock itself had been vandalized with graffiti. It's such a shame that people have such needs to leave their marks. And it IS different from the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs. They took time and creative imagination; they are art.

After turning around on the highway
in order to see the scenery, we view Spotted
Wolfe Canyon from both directions.

From the highway the views of the
San Rafael Reef are magnificent.

Spotted Wolf Canyon  Overlook was already a couple miles descent, but the scenic pullout was still incredibly beautiful. I read that construction workers dangled 400 feet down from the top to build this roadway through San Rafael Reef. It was only two lanes wide. It wasn't widened to four lanes until the mid-1980's.

Black Dragon Canyon blooms with
yellow flowers in the mid-October cold.

Black Dragon Canyon on the other side of the road gave us a totally different perspective from Black Canyon. We turned around in a crossover that was not marked "no U-turn" to drive back up the six-mile climb. We had the time, and it was THAT beautiful. "I can see this as another trip," said Andy, "with time to hike and explore. And this is the land nobody wanted!"

Sandstone is lifted in almost vertical layers
at Black Dragon Canyon.

Off to our right, a cloud touched the ground. "I imagine it's raining over there," said Andy.
Temple Mountain Road was our first safe and legal opportunity to head back the other direction. From the sandstone formation, I could see why it was named Temple Mountain.
By 3:01 p.m. we were back in Colorado. "It's still cold," said Andy. The air temperature was 55 degrees.

Leaving the San Rafael Reef, the
skies clear over the plateau.

We returned the car to Budget at the Grand Junction Airport as agreed and walked back to the motel. Never did 30 days go by so quickly. But maybe we won't wait a whole year for our next "Retirement Trip."

Heading Back Home

A record low was tied today at 30 degrees in Grand Junction as we packed up our belongings and left for the airport.
It would be a long flight, but it had been a great trip.