Travels 2017

Cliff pointing to a Cliffrose plant or bush. Explanation below. This is at Dead Horse Point State Park We were told that we really needed to see this park as it has the most spectacular view of any of the parks in the area. Have a look. Above the potash ponds in the distantce. How did Dead Horse Point State Park get it's name? Not a pleasant story but here it is: The plateau narrows the closer it gets to the point. This created an opportunity for the cowboys in the area to drive the wild horses to the point and then block their escape. The cowboys then selected the horses they wanted. They then, for whatever unexplained reason, left the rest blocked on the point without food or water. The destiny of the horses explains the name. The following photos are of the area around Red Cliff Lodge. This is up river in the valley from Moab. It was discovered by John Ford, the producer of many old great western movies. John Wayne made a few movies here so we ...

Canyonlands National Park. Not too many Photos even thought this was my favorite park. I guess I liked it because it is a plateau situated high above the Colorado and Green rivers. These two great rivers merge at the western edge of this park. This sights at that point are spectacular. The following photos are interesting as they were taken on a road leading to an active Potash Mine. As you can see, the natives again carved petroglyphs in the canyon walls. At the site of the current mine is a memorial to the mines that were lost in a disaster.

On the way from Torry UT to Moab UT we stopped at the Wolverton Mill in Hanksville. Another example of the innovative pioneers that settled this land. This mill was designed to separate the ore from the sandstone. The above photo is the start of our 'Canyonlands by Night Boat Cruise and Light show. It is again hard for me to put into words the awesome sights we experienced going up the Colorado River when it was light and then when it was completely dark and we went back down the river. The lights on the canyon walls gave us a totally new perspective of the beauty in the rock formations. If you are ever in this area do not miss this experience. Everyone was taking pictures of the rock climber below. Arches National Park. This is the favorite of most visitors to this part of our country and the following photo by Linda show the reasons. Don't think I need to add more! This plant will give you hallucinations if you take a...

Capital Reef National Park. Above is the rock that the park is named for. It reminded the President, FDR, of the Dome of the US Capital. The photos above are of the petroglyphs in the park. As we may have mentioned earlier, the Native Americans who occupied these lands had a unique way of communicating. In my opinion they were extremely intelligent. More of the beauty of this park.

Bryce Canyon. The next few pictures are at Sunrise Point--at sunrise. We thought we would be two of just a few! Not so. It was a good group of people albeit many, who just wanted to experience a fabulous act of nature. Enjoy. The beauty of Bryce. Again, hard to describe the wonder of this beautiful country of ours. God Bless the USA. As I am writing in this blog, Linda has asked me to be brief and not boring so I am trying. This is 9/11. Flags are at half mast. Our men and women in the service are serving world wide. They are also heavily involved in the rescue and clean up efforts in Texas and now in the Caribbean, Florida and other southern states. Please keep them in your prayers and the people that are in need of  help.