TRAVEL DAY 11

Odd day of unintended routes. What you see in the above map is literally far from what we had planned... Our  intended destination was actually Moab via Price. But that's a story to get into later. 

So we started from Sandy, where we had had a nice hotel for three nights, and drove south towards Price. At the mouth of the Price Canyon we found something odd: windmills. Odd, in that normally these windmills are high on top of a hill to catch the winds which liven the blades. These were at the mouth of the canyon, on the bottom of the hills (mountain). My in-house electric energy-expert explained that there is a strong wind current at the bottom of openings like this one.

In the mountains on the way  to Price:

Nine Mile Canyon

Near Price is what is called "Nine Mile Canyon," a fascinating place where some of the most spectacular rock art in Utah can be found. I was really looking forward to browsing through this wonderful art gallery. So I did some research and learned, aside from the history of this petroglyph site (i.e., the stories of people who lived there centuries ago), that "nine miles" really is actually 46 miles and "a wilderness area." That was a red flag  for people like us (especial for me, due to my injured knee and leg...) So we opted to delete this site from our agenda. But, as the place is so fascinating,  I will post a couple of pictures from http://www.thelivingmoon.com (under their "Fair Use" agreement).  The Nine Mile Canyon is a unique international treasure.

Drive-through Price

We were hoping to find the old Tabernacle that seemed very interesting architecturally. We figured a building such as a tabernacle in a Mormon town ought to have a prominent site, but after driving around a bit, we decided to stop at the Institute Building on the University campus. We found a bunch of young students in an informal setting and asked them  about the  location  of
the Tabernacle. The answer: it was torn down decades ago... Note to self: do more research before you go diving to unknown places. 

But never mind, we found something to represent a small-town USA (=some nice architecture):

One more example of the wisdom in the above statement. Let's see the route that we thought we were going to follow:

And then the route we drew after the fact that shows our path:

That "detour" added almost three hours to our day, but boy! was it worth it!

The reason for going to Moab was to visit the Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. Without any more information than that they are close to Moab, we took off and were going to play it by ear... Ear out of tune, I guess, for we ended up the road to Hanksville and just followed it. I'm glad we did!

Glen Canyon

We had not planned on seeing Glen canyon because it was too far... but we ended up driving through it. What a celebration of rustic, rugged beauty! "Nature's way of making Liisa happy," said Frosty. 

Glen Canyon is one of Nature's most impressive works involving water erosion over a long, long time—they say "millions of years." It is a National Recreation Area that offers unparalleled opportunities for water-based and backcountry recreation. It encompasses 1.2 million acres of the Colorado Plateau, a vast landscape of colorful buttes, mesas, canyons, and cliffs. Arid to semi-arid, the region supports a complex and often fragile ecosystem. Plants and wildlife have developed unique adaptations to the hot, arid conditions of their environment and contribute to the rich diversity of life in the area. 

Two overall photos of the Canyon:

I am not able to explain every picture I took—hundreds of them—so I will just include several of the trip through the Canyon.

Some fun details, though all may not be in Glen Canyon—I cannot remember all exactly. We were pondering what all the promontories and cliffs etc. were called, possibly named by people who traveled by them, and lo and behold, we found at least these, for example:

The "Salt Box"

"Mexican Hat" (Picture not mine)

"Jacob's Chair"

Natural Bridges

“Three majestic natural bridges invite you to ponder the power of water in a landscape usually defined by its absence. View them from an overlook, or hit the trails and experience their grandeur from below. Declared a National Monument in 1908, the bridges are named ‘Kachina,’ ‘Owachomo’ and ‘Sipapu’ in honor of the Native Americans that once made this area their home.”

These bridges and other similar features present on the Colorado Plateau today were molded by the processes of erosion. The destructive forces of wind and rain, running water, and freezing temperatures attacked the uplifts as soon as all the tectonic havoc started in the Late Cretaceous. (Did you get all that?)

Blanding

Aptly named "base Camp," for Blanding's location is ideal for short trips to National Parks. (We did not stop here. I just liked the slogan.)

Monticello

Monticello is in the lit, for there is an Indian ruins and petroglyphs place nearby called Butler's Wash. Funny thing, but I knew the word in Arabic before I knew what it was in English: wadi, which means wash, as in dry basin or stream.

Anyway, this is what Butler's Wash has to offer. (We did not go there for the reason of my "disability," but I want to include a picture what to had to offer--not mine):

Another notable point of interest in Monticello was the LDS Temple. What a surprise to spot it!

 Seen on the way to Moab (finally).

Moab

The Biblical name Moab refers to an area located on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Some historians believe the town in Utah came to use this name because of William Pierce, the first postmaster, believing that the biblical Moab and this part of Utah were both "the far country." Some of the area's early residents attempted to change the city's name because in the Christian Bible, Moabites are demeaned as incestuous and idolatrous, but it was never accomplished.

Nowadays, Moab is the gateway to a whole host of geological treasures.

GO TO TRAVEL DAY 12

COLORADO: MESA VERDE CLIFF DWELLINGS