Today is our last day in Moab, vacation over. Sad face. We did a little sightseeing and then headed out to do some light off-roading. I just can’t seem to get enough.
Our first stop, Dead Horse State Park, is one of the most photographed areas of the West. Dead Horse Point is said to be named for the wild horses that perished there. Cowboys rounded them up from the plains and left them corralled too long without water.
In the distance you can see the Salt Lake Company’s potash evaporation fields.
You might think the terrain looks vaguely familiar. This is Canyonlands. Dead Horse Point has views of the canyon that you can’t see from Island in the Sky.
Anyone remember in the movie Thelma and Louise, at the end they drove their car off of a cliff? It was done here in Canyonlands just about at the location of the road down below. Cool.
Speaking of the road down below, we need to take the Shafer Switchbacks to get down into the canyon where Potash Road is located. Yeah that is the road way down there. Looks close to us and appears to be a walking trail huh? Nope the road is so far down it just looks tiny.
Finally, here we are on the canyon floor. Try doing this at the Grand Canyon! Bigness all around us, and now the road looks bigger huh?
The colors of the rock formations are beautiful. We just can’t get enough.
Pair the rocks against that super blue sky and your day is perfect. Time to find a lunch spot.
The air is so fresh, clean and crisp. No moldy / mildew smell. I can take a deep breath and not go into a sneezing fit.
The white substance you see at my feet and covering the pebbles near this little stream is not simply salt, it is potash. Potash is a salt that contains potassium in water-soluble form. It is used mostly in fertilizer to boost potassium deficient soil. It is also used in industrial soaps.
The Colorado River looks really green in through here.
There is a tributary called the Green River that feeds into the Colorado, maybe it is backwashing today?
One of our favorite views from down in the canyon.
As were were exiting the park we got to see some more big horn sheep. The area we were traveling in is listed as a lambing area so of course I wanted to see a lamb….yeah well I guess a heard of females is going to have to do. Though, the one in the back-center grazing…might be a young male. When he picked his head up his horns were thicker and longer than the ladies. Hmmm.
We are on the home stretch now. So into Moab, or home? I vote for home, but I want to take Long Canyon Road home for our last hurrah. Our first time on this trail we were coming down.
This time, I’m driving not John, and we are going up. We have really enjoyed our time in Moab. Perhaps this will have to become a regular stop for us.
We enjoy your adventures. Where are you now? If you are in AZ again, we would drive to meet you for a visit. Fred & Ron