The View

There are only a few places I've come across in my travels that provide a "perfect view" - a view so impressive you probably couldn't improve it. I described one in my post on Yosemite. I think there's another attribute, however, that's even more important. The view has to be so good you probably can't screw it up! (I say "probably" only because some people can screw anything up.) On this trip I found another "perfect view".

I even provide a Treasure Map so you can find it next time you're out driving around near the Colorado/Utah border country. It's a Google Map, of course - I bless Google every day - and I've added some notations. First, in the upper right, I show where UT 128 joins the Colorado River and the canyon starts, because I mentioned that in yesterday's post. Then, I added a blue sight line to show the canyon is perfectly aligned with the peaks of the La Sal mountains, 16 to 18 miles south-southeast. Finally. I labeled three viewpoints in the two and a half mile long canyon and the closest peak of the mountain group.

Now, the real Treasure. . .

When I rounded the curve the view took my breath away and I stopped as soon as I could find a wide enough shoulder to pull off on. As soon as you're past the immediate valley, the successive layers of varied geology lead your eye to the snow-capped peaks of the La Sals. A Perfect View. But, like Lays Potato Chips, one just won't do. You don't want to get back in the car and you don't want to stop taking pictures - just in case.

So, your zoom lens lets you vary some details, but the "Perfect View" still holds.

It's a good thing traffic on 128 is so light. Every time you glance at the road, then look back at "the View", your car seems suddenly, of its own accord, to veer to the side of the highway and come to a screeching halt. Better get out and take a few more pictures; some of the nearby details have changed, obviously, and could give you a better shot. But "the View" is the same.

If your purpose for being there is to take pictures anyway, you may as well give in to the urge and take every opportunity to shoot as you and the Colorado make your way down the valley.

I generally like to crop this type of picture to eliminate "cultural features" (e.g., roads, signs, buildings, etc.), but even the highway and a Land Cruiser can't screw this up. It may or may not be as good as the one before or the one after. . . but it ain't bad.

As much as I've gone on in previous posts about the clouds and "interesting skies", I have to confess that, "if I'd had my druthers", the skies would have been a bit less interesting this particular day, at least till I'd cleared the valley.