Capitol Reef National Park

From Green River (where I spent the night) to Capitol Reef NP you take Utah 24 SSW to Hanksville, just over half way, where the highway turns due west. No surprises in the initial route; the view is similar to that between I-70 and The View, save the sun position and the substitution of the Herny Mountains for the LaSals. However, there's a relatively short section of the road starting from the western fringes of Hanksville that's similar to some other rocky areas in Utah which would make great gravel pits, except without any of the charm. I couldn't bring myself to take pictures there lest they wreck my camera. There was absolutely nothing of interest beyond the curious effect of despair the place engenders. I'd hate to spend any more time there than what's required to exit, stage left. Think Mars and take the color out. (It's not just me, the Mars Desert Research Station is 7 miles NW of Hanksville and it's a well chosen site.) . . . << shudder >>. . .

This is the northern approach to Hanksville. The Henry Mountains have dominated the landscape all morning. What's new in this view is what appears to be sandstone fortress walls protecting Hanksville in the distance. The "gate" in the wall is called The Notch on the area's topo map, and beyond the notch is the confluence of the Fremont River and Muddy Creek. The combined waterways become the Dirty Devil River, which makes me laugh and wonder what the story is behind that moniker. Said river then flows SE to its junction with the Colorado (or Lake Powell, I suppose), about 40 miles away as the crow flies.

The Henry Mountains, named by A H Thompson for Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, were the last mountain range to be added to the map of the 48 contiguous states (in 1872). They were formerly referred to as 'the Unknown Mountains' and sometimes as 'First Mountain'. In Navajo, the range is still referred to with a phrase which is translated as "mountain whose name is missing". The Henrys are home to about 500 American bison. The Henry Mountains Bison Herd is believed to be one of only four free-roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America.

Once through The Notch, this bucolic scene is the only one I thought I could photograph in Hanksville that someone might want to see. Having the Dirty Devil River and being watched over by The Henry Mountains are the only two redeeming values I could find here.
(My apologies to anyone who is offended by my comments.)

The main peak of the Henrys is Mount Ellen Thompson, or simply Mt Ellen. The referenced Ellen was Mrs A H Thompson, the sister of soldier, geologist and explorer John Wesley Powell, and the botonist on the second of his four Colorado expeditions. Mr Thompson climbed to the summit in June 1872 and named the mountain after his wife.

These rocks and some others just around the previous bend are the first things I sighted since Hanksville that said, "Get the camera. Shoot me." I thought of two things when I saw them: (1) that they'd somehow been tie-dyed, and (2) that they were likely associated with "agate". I'm pretty sure they weren't tie-died and all the references I've been able to find on agate suggest much smaller formations, more akin to geodes. . . but I'll keep looking.

The landscapes eventually returned to what I'd more or less expected of south central Utah. The color returned to the rocks and the surface between mesas and buttes was covered with a mix of grass and sage. What had been tie-died rocks grew in size till the highway had to weave though more heroic sized formations along the Fremont River. When the flora became more dense and included tree-size specimens, I figured I missed the sign that said I'd entered Capitol Reef NP.

This is still on Utah 24,  east of the Capitol Reef NP visitor center. The view is looking back the way I had come and suggested that my choice of route to Bryce Canyon might have been reasonable after all.

This was more like it. In fact, this particular section seemed more like Newspaper Rock vicinity in Canyonlands or what I remembered the scenic drive into Zion Canyon to be like. That it appeared so soon after passing the surface of Mars made it just that much more impressive. In a few minutes, I'd find another pull-off with its own cliff face petroglyphs, then the visitor center. Feeling the need to streamline my itinerary again (or distance myself from Mars?) I dropped the short scenic drive south from the visitor center and hurried on through northern Capitol Reef, anxious to be on my way to Bryce Canyon. The route, south through the Grand Staircase - Escalante, was thoroughly enjoyable. Utah 12 peaked out at 9600 feet due west of Mt Ellen. A beautiful panorama of the view will be among those presented at the end of this series of posts.

This is the view looking SW from the Utah 12 bridge over the crystal clear Escalante River. This was the last unknown river of its size in the US, discovered by the Powell party during the 1871-72 expedition. During spring runoff and summer monsoons the "crystal clear" doesn't apply and the river's flow may be as much as 100 times larger. I planned this photo op in Austin during my pre-trip research. Google Maps "street view" may be crude, but it's often helpful in trip planning to give the traveler a feel for the countryside he'll be driving through. Once you trust it, it can provide some of the discriminating factors that will actually determine which route you choose.

The rest of the drive to the Bryce Canyon - Panguitch area (the day's destination) was interesting, if not particularly photo-worthy. One part of the drive, near an area that included a place known as "the Devil's Backbone", had what appeared to be 1000 ft drop-offs on both sides of the highway which seemed very interesting and fairly unusual at the time. I found a good 5 minute VIDEO online of the drive in question; I didn't care for the soundtrack, but it didn't make me turn it off. I may have to invest in a Hero3 camera from GoPro for these road trips. It may be overkill since I don't skydive, surf, or do mountain bikes, but they really take great video.

The last part of the drive, approaching Bryce from the east, offered a different point of view - from below the hoodoos - that I felt might add to the appreciation of Bryce Canyon since I don't get to shoot from the trails. So, after spending the afternoon in the park, I returned to to this section and shot additional pictures to include in the Bryce folder. Bryce Canyon in tomorrow's post. More images from this section of the trip are found HERE in my Capitol Reef folder in Flickr.