May 9 Canyonlands/Dead Horse Point/Looking Glass Arch

38 degrees this morning, and we pass this herd of deer and , a few miles down the road,

we are greeted by a herd of cattle in no hurry to cross the road. 

We have seen a lot of rabbits in this area too. We continue south to Green River.  Some areas are pretty desolate and we wonder how even the free range cattle can survive...

It becomes a little greener near the river and we see occasional herds of grazing antelope. There are many dry stream beds carved through the desert.  Since they get most of their rain in a few big gully-washers during the Summer, the beds are dry the rest of the year. It would no doubt be impressive to see them running full, but there are caution signs at low spots, warning drivers not to enter areas if there is running water.

We take 191 south and arrive at Deadhorse State Park, which has a gorgeous view of the surrounding canyonlands.  Lots of campers here, many with mountain bikes. We are at 6,000’ elevation.

After walking the rim trail, we head on down the road to the Island In The Sky part of Canyonlands National Park.  Established by LBJ in 1964.  Stewart Udall, Secretary of the Interior, was a key architect.  We stop at several overlooks including Grand View where we are at 6,080’ looking down into canyons and the lazy Colorado river far below.  Wow.

Lots of gnarly juniper.

and other evergreens.

Reflections in a pothole

More spectacular canyon land.

 Upheaval Dome is another amazing sight.  No one is exactly sure (meteor? Collapsed salt dome?) what caused this 2-mile wide depression with colorful cliffs and mounds.

We take a short drive into Arches National Park since it is on the way to the Needles section of Canyonlands.  We were here not long ago and enjoy seeing some of the same sights – Wall Street, Balancing Rock, the Windows – but it is crazy busy and we decide to move on.

 We stop for gas in Moab, and continue south looking for a boondocking spot.  There is a lot of BLM land here.  We take a long dirt side road to Looking Glass Arch and decide to spend the night there.   Two guys from Wyoming arrive and do some climbing for a bit (with gear) on the other side, but otherwise it is quiet.  We try to climb up to the arch but are defeated in the last few yards – better not to risk injury at this point.

 

 Instead, Greg does his exercises and I walk, spotting a few rabbits.  This pair took off but then the second one stopped and gave me a good look before continuing on. Perhaps he likes having his picture taken!

 Were hoping for a spectacular night sky over the arch, but clouds are thick, sunset is minimal  and we only see a few stars before drifting off to sleep.