RETIREMENT TRIP #

AUTUMN SHOWERS

                September 2015                       

The sun came in and out behind huge banks of cumulus clouds at 8:30 a.m. when we left the motel in Torrey, Utah.

“Are you anywhere near the flooding?” questioned Drew warily, when we talked to him on the phone this morning.

Outside of Torrey, Utah, the sandstone formations look
like giant castles in stone.

“Yes, but don’t worry,” we promised.  “We don’t drive into dry washes, and we don’t hike specially approved backcountry trails.”

But the storm at Lake Powell just confirmed the immense and sudden power of nature.

Traveling at this time of year has its advantages.  Even though motels in small towns have no vacancy, there are fewer people at the pullouts and almost no children.  Many of the travelers are European tourists—polite and interested.

Even the dark clay of Factory Butte off Route #24 looks
beautiful on a sunny morning.

A sprinkle wet the windshield near Grand Wash, as we drove back through Capitol Reef at 9 a.m., and the main wash of the Fremont River flowed rapidly.  It had collected plenty of runoff from the surrounding area.

We stopped along Route #24 between Cainesville and Hanksville for a picture of Factory Butte.  “We can walk out a little ways so the pictures don’t show electric wires,” suggested Andy.  “Just follow me, and I’ll show you where to step.”

I tried.  He stepped on the clumps of weeds, but mud still stuck in big clumps to our shoes.

A little farther on a section of land had been set aside for all-terrain (ATV) and off-highway (OHV) vehicles.  There we were able to drive and photograph without getting stuck in the mud.  In the other direction the higher peaks of the Henry Mountains were buried under white clouds.

“Up there, it’s snowing,” said Andy. “The news predicted snow above 8,500 feet. Those peaks will be white tomorrow.”

Clouds that threaten rain pile up near Lila Canyon.

Down here it was a pleasant 75 degrees but very windy.

We turned off the main road temporarily at Lila Canyon.  Five miles in was a mine.  “It’s probably coal,” said Andy. “Power plants out here still use coal, because it’s a cheap fuel and it’s available.”

On the fringe of the rain, the temperature read 71 degrees.  Three pronghorn antelope dashed near the road by dark hills, that were devoid of any vegetation. We wondered if the "dark" was coal.

We stopped at a rest area outside of Price, Utah for pictures of the Book Cliffs.  “We’re going to get some rain,” said Andy.   The dark clouds piled up overhead.  The highest close point, Patmos Head at 9,841 feet, was still in the sunlight, but farther east and north Bruin Point (10,285 feet) and Mt. Bartles (10,047 feet) were pretty much cloud covered.

There were no trees at all for the 30 miles into Price.  “We went up in elevation, so it has to be really arid here,” said Andy.

We had the oil changed in Price and then headed north a bit to check out the countryside.

Helper, an old mining town, was dying.  “The miners probably were immigrants, not Mormons, so the Mormon Church didn’t bail out the town when the mines ran low,” said Andy.  That made sense.

Price Canyon Recreation Area in the mountains at more than
8,000 feet offers camping and picnicking for visitors.

Route #191 followed a canyon north.  A few raindrops pelted the roof and the temperature dropped from 74 to 60 degrees.  I thought one raindrop was actually a hail stone it hit the windshield so hard.

“We’re headed up in elevation again,” said Andy, but it wasn’t enough of a rise to account for that much temperature drop.

“Utah’s pretty empty,” said Andy, as we drove back west toward Route #6.

“Empty and chilly,” I agreed, jumping back into the car after two pictures.  It was 62 degrees when we reached the turn to head back to Price.

On the way back we detoured at a sign to Mount Castle Country for views of the Price Canyon Recreation Area.  It was labeled “bear country,” and the oak trees were starting to change.  If the weather clears, we can hike it tomorrow.

Labeled "bear country," the Price Canyon Recreation Area
covers rugged terrain in the high mountains.

“We’re probably at 8,000 feet,” said Andy.  And from the chilly temperatures in the low 60’s, I’d have to agree.

After checking into the motel, we headed back out to explore some more.  In every direction around Price, rain clouds extended to the ground.  In some places the streaks were just drizzle; in others, a black sheet covered sky to ground.

We drove a huge circle outside the city and washed off the car.  For some miles on Route #123 we saw a rainbow, then a double rainbow, before it disappeared and rained a little harder.  By the time we reached the end of Route #123, near the power plant that was 24 miles from Price, temperatures had dropped to 51 degrees, and huge puddles covered the road.

It was time to call it a day and hope for clear skies tomorrow.