Day Seven - Cedar Breaks National Monument

I bid farewell to Alan and Angela and left Hanford about 7:00. I figured correctly that Hwy 99 wouldn't be very busy on Sunday morning and I got through Tehachapi about 9:00. Across the Mojave on Hwy 58 and I-15, then through Las Vegas and to Cedar City, UT in plenty of time to do a return visit to Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Cedar Breaks is a wonderful place. I've visited three times and never saw more than a dozen people which, for me, adds a couple of stars to my review. It does, however, present a problem in that it's main attraction - sandstone and limestone cliffs - is similar to Bryce Canyon's and much less extensive. But oddly enough, I found an unexpected feature that thoroughly captivated me and gave me some great photographs to remind me how much I enjoyed this return engagement.

Anyone not paying close attention would glance at this and say, "Bryce Canyon, right?" But it's not; Cedar Breaks is basically a single natural west-facing amphitheater with several overlooks providing some nice vistas. This one is (I think) Point Supreme. All my visits have been in the late afternoon with the sun often proving more difficult than helpful for traveling photographers on a tight schedule.

This was shot at Chessman Ridge Overlook and shows off the landscape nicely. The sky wasn't fantastic at this point but got better. Providing a shower to the north was a nice touch.

This one is from Sunset View Overlook. I skipped it going north, and caught it  coming back, still way too early for any sunset shots. By now, however, you're probably thinking that my surprise focus likely has something to do with the area's Spruce, Fir, and Pine accoutrements. I don't regret stopping here at all, even knowing my first destination on the morrow is Bryce Canyon.

I absolutely love these trees - even the dead  and dying ones! I think their nemesis is some kind of borer beetle, but I'm not sure. There's less snow up here this time than there was when I visited in 2014, but that's okay. The snow's a good accent.

Ah, the sky has decided to help me out too. It was chilly, windy, and the conditions changed continually.

On the right, here, is Brian Head at 11,307 ft. It's just north of Cedar Breaks in the Dixie National Forest. Of course, the Markagunt Plateau about which I've been happily cruising is itself only about 1000 ft lower (e.g., Sunset View Overlook is 10,354 ft). The town of Brian Head is at the western base of the mountain and includes a ski resort. The view from the top was calling, but I resisted the gravel road to the top, having been driving all day.

I headed back to my motel in Cedar City after leaving Sunset View Overlook and, though not actually in Cedar Breaks, the road to and from provides several places to pull off and shoot a few pictures. I take a lot of pictures "on speculation" never sure they'll turn out till I get them back home and get a chance to study them. This spec shot was calling my name. It's peaceful, with change in the offing. At this altitude these trees will leaf out before long and radically change the face of the mountain.

I pulled off the road here - again on spec - before I got a chance to look over the landscape. When I got out to look, the geological mess beyond the plateau struck me as really interesting. It wasn't till a couple nights ago that I located my pull off and tried to see what was going on there with the help of Google Maps and Google Street View. I shouldn't have been surprised to find out "that geological mess" is hiding Zion National Park. The Zion National Park Lodge is there, just about 24 mi as the crow flies.

Thanks for following my travels. I enjoy planning my road trips and the trips themselves. I love taking the pictures and get to stretch it all out with their post processing, which I love as well. But I brought home over 1600 new pictures from this 10 day trip and I'm worn out. I'm going to take a day or two off after this post and then pick up where I left off at a somewhat more leisurely pace. I'll try to give you an idea of when the following post might arrive, but rest assured there are a lot more pictures to be posted over the next few weeks. If you like, just wait till mid-June and check back to see how far I've gotten.