Bluff, UT May 23-30

Southern Utah: GOD's sandcastles

As most of you know, this area of Utah has spectacular landscapes; some have said they should just make all of Southern Utah a national park. The top picture is from an area called Valley of the Gods; the bottom picture is the San Juan River meandering through the rocks, as seen from Gooseneck State Park. You probably can't see the two specks in the river below, but they are rafters; gives you an idea of how high the canyon walls are. There are many national parks here; they are all a little different. The geology that formed these wonders is very interesting.

About 300 million years ago this was ocean; started moving West, leaving salt. After settling, white sand from the West combined with minerals (iron, manganese) flooding in from the mountains, eventually built up about 15,000 feet of multi-colored layers of sedimentary rock. About 15 million years ago most of this area was still at sea level. Then major uplifts and volcanic activity caused the area to rise; much of this area is now 3,000-7,000 above sea level. The salt base has constantly shifted, producing fractures in the rock. The river eroding the rock shown in this picture started about 10 million years ago and the elements, including the rivers and winds continue to this day. The results are spectacular shaped formations and canyons (we haven't even gotten to the Grand Canyon, Bryce or Zion yet).

Our trip from Cortez, CO to Bluff, UT was uneventful; getting the hang of the grades on the roads. Bluff is pretty small, probably 200 people, but the RV park is situated nicely with wonderful canyon walls, a little duck pond (with ducks) and wi-fi. Unfortunately, cell coverage at the park is nil; I wasn't sure if I could handle it (I can), the nearest market (not exactly a supermarket) is 25 miles away and Wal-Mart about 1 1/2 hours away. We are so roughing it!