The Path of Least Resistance – Part 2

Thursday

July 7, 2011

Continued…..

Leaving Fruita with our tastebuds satisfied from the wonderful fresh fruit we head further along Hwy 24 deeper into Capital Reef National Park.  Ever wondered what it would be like to walk on Mars, then this is probably as close as it gets.  The earth here is vibrant.  Hues of purple and red are due to the rains today and is perfect for photographing the rock formations formed so long ago.  We stop and view many of the famous formations along the Hwy such as “The Castle”, “Chimney Rock”, and “The Twins” before heading south on Hwy 12 towards Boulder Mountain.

Boulder Mountain is at an altitude of approximately 9000 ft.  We had heard how beautiful the area was in this region and was not at all disappointed and definitely entertained by the many cows that are left to roam freely to graze here.  We stopped to take a looksey but was given the evil eye by one or two of the herd.  I could just hear them saying…move along…nothing to see here now.  I couldn’t help myself at this point.  I broke out in laughter.  All I could think of was the Chick-fil-A commercials with the cow on top of the car and the cows in the field holding up cards saying Eat more Chicken….

And the view that these cows had…..Wow!

Heading for the final stretch of the day is a stretch in the Hwy that runs the ridge of the slickrock known as The Hogback.  Other than a few feet of grass, flowers, or shrub or two on either side of the two lane road, not much else can cling as the terrain drops steeply off both sides into the canyon below.  Similar to this local, Hell’s backbone was a destination on today’s “To Do List” but we are simply running out of light.  Seeing the road wind out of sight in the distance with both sides of the canyons visible is not for the faint of heart.

One last look before the night’s end.

One last look before the nights end