|
|
1997 West Vacation -- September 13 through September 27, Part 6
Index
 |
| My 1997 West Vacation. 14 days, 5440 miles. |
In my opinion, it's one of those scenic rivers that rivals the best. I've been down the Northwest river system (the Lochsa, Snake and Clearwater), the Central river systems (the Missouri, Mississippi and the Ohio) but none are as scenic, or as used, as the Colorado River.
We followed Utah-279 for a few miles. We were going to take a backroad through the backdoor of Dead Horse State Park, but we found out it was a four wheel drive road, and had to double back.
Utah 279 / Colorado River
Back to Top
Canyonlands is a relatively new park, established in 1964, and sprawls for 527 square miles over the Utah desert. It averages less than 6 inches of rain per year, and there are 30 days in July, and 26 days in August that are over 90 degrees. This Park is the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers, breaking the park up into three sections: the Island in the Sky, The Maze, and the Needles. The Island and the Sky district of Canyonlands, is the closest to any form of civilization, so, well, that's where we went.
Just to the South of Canyonlands, is the Glen Canyon NRA, and shortly beyond that is the Grand Canyon. So Canyonlands is sort of the Grand Canyon Lite...
Canyonlands National Park
Back to Top
By this time in the trip, I thought I'd seen a lot, but Arches National Park was something just...alien. It isn't just the arches that make this place weird. Almost everything here is red, except for the plant life, which is usually green-brown because of the lack of water and soil.
Water erosion has left odd formations all over the park, some recognizable as familiar creatures, some standing upright like unfinished statues.
Of course, this place isn't called Arches for nothing. There are more than 1600 cataloged arches within the parks boundaries, the greatest density of stone arches anywhere in the world. This is probably one of the premier National Parks in America, and definitely in my top 10.
I was also back in 2005 Desert Southwest Vacation, just to take some panoramics and video.
Arches National Park
Back to Top
Utah-128 is one of those legendary places that probably looks familiar to
everyone, but no one knows why.
There were litterally hundreds of movies shot in this area, from Rio Grande to Thelma and Louise. Utah-128 starts in Moab, Utah to I-70, and is one of the few roads that follows the meanders and curves of the Colorado River. It's a magnificent drive, full of history and unending vistas.
(If you ever watch Rio Grande, Maureen O'Hara describes a spring just outside of Moab, that they would visit every day to and from the set. It's still there.)
Utah 128
Back to Top
About a hundred miles down the Road from Arches National Park, is Colorado National Monument, the edge of the Uncompahgre Uplift. Wind, rain and frost eroded canyon walls, leaving magnificent vistas, deep valleys, and unusual rock formations.
A guy named John Otto first came to the Uncompahgre plateau in 1906, and was convinced that the area should be a national park. He built miles of trails, and started an endless campaign to get the land recognized by the politicians in Washington DC. All without any personal gain.
The park did become a National Monument in 1911, where Otto was named the park's caretaker, where for the next 16 years, he worked for a dollar a month. He may not have done it for money, but he did get into the history books.
Colorado National Monument
Back to Top
About 2 weeks after first being in Rocky Mountain National Park, I was there again, only this time entering the park from the Grand Lake side. It had snowed since I was there last, letting me know that life is quite different at 10,000+ feet. It was a perfect opportunity to sit my butt down on Milner Pass...
Rocky Mountain National Park (Part 2)
Back to Top
One of the stops we made on the way home was in Abilene, Kansas, the birthplace of Dwight Eisenhower, and one of the West's most notorious cattle towns.
On the road home...
Back to Top
End 1997 West Vacation Part 6
Go to previous part
|
Go to next part