Friday night, July 29th, we enjoyed a buffet dinner and a boat ride on
the Colorado River with Canyonlands by Night Boat Tour. This is a family-owned,
all inclusive, tour company that has been providing tours since 1963. It was
the finishing touch on a perfect day. We enjoyed a cowboy-style dutch oven dinner,
including BBQ beef, BBQ pork, BBQ chicken, roast beef, roast pork, cowpoke
potatoes (with chunked potatoes, spring vegetables and cheese melted mixed together), sweet
baked beans, corn, homemade rolls, a full salad bar,
dessert, and endless soft drinks. You could purchase local beers or wines too! They offered
Here are a few ....
The cartoon face
The Canyonlands by Night was not what I expected. There were no colored lights or laser lights, it was an
old-fashioned light show. They recommended to put away your cameras and enjoy the show, which is what we did. They told us, we were welcome to use the pictures from their web site.
Once darkness
settles in, the show began with 40,000 watts of natural light illuminating the
canyon wall. Lights, shadows, music, and narration make the stories of the
canyon’s formation, creation, and history come to life on the walls above the
river. The story told was learned from the early settlers of the area, the
Catholic conquistadors, Native Americans, and Mormon pioneers. The stories
included how the settlers of the area believed the area was created by God.
Nice to see in this day and age. It has been one of the most unique sound and
light shows and a highlight of the caravan so far!
Photo courtesy of Canyonland Tours by Day or Night |
Saturday we toured Dead Horse Point State Park with our
friends from Parachute, Colorado. Dead Horse SP is one of Utah's most
spectacular state parks. The view from
Dead Horse Point is one of the most photographed scenic vistas in the
world. It towers over 2,000 feet above
the Colorado River. All of the overlooks provide breathtaking panorama of
Canyonlands' sculpted pinnacles and buttes. It is hard to believe that years of geologic activity have created
these spectacular views. As one of our friends said, after seeing theses views, even an atheist might change their mind!
The most unique feature was the electric-blue bodies of
water popping out from the red, rocky landscape. They were too perfectly formed
to be natural ponds. Turns out, they are open air Potash ponds in the base of
the canyon to the east. These man-made ponds are for collecting potash, a
potassium-containing salt used in farm fertilizers. The potash is pumped from
below the Earth’s surface into the ground-level ponds, where sun evaporates the
pond water and leaves potash behind. The water is dyed an eye-catching blue so
that it’ll absorb heat and evaporate more quickly, a process that typically
takes about 300 days. Wow, I wonder how far along in the process they were when
we saw the ponds?
The “tourist items that were added include some awesome metal sculptures, the smiley face, the jeep and the bull were my two favorites!
There are some
great neon signs. The Prospector Lodge was erected in 1954 to house the miners in the Uranium boom. It was torn down in 2001.
An “old time mining village” of sorts, a small zoo, a convenience store and gift shop.
Charlie found the jeep atop the rock especially interesting! However, he was not willing to climb the rock to get a better look!
On Sunday, we decided to stay close to home, rest a bit, get
laundry done and do some “Back Road Adventures.” We headed to the south side of
Moab and started turning down streets that looked like they lead into the
rocks. We ended up heading toward the Golf Course on Spanish Trail. We were
checking out the golf course and the homes.
We discovered some petroglyphs on
Westwater Drive. The panel runs from ground level up to approximately 30 feet
on the high rock wall.
The panel is from the Formative Period and you will be able to see human figures, canines, and other animals.
It is just too bad that people feel they need to deface these pieces of history!
The panel is from the Formative Period and you will be able to see human figures, canines, and other animals.
Charlie had a hankering for a Whopper, so we found Burger
King on 191 in Moab. After lunch, we ventured out the back of Burger King onto Kane
Creek Blvd. We followed the road as it curved along and went straight past the
municipal barns at the corner of 500 West.
There is a wetland preserve, yes … you read that right, a
wetland preserve. Arcing around a slow bend of the Colorado River near Moab,
the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve is a verdant haven in the arid, high
country of the Colorado Plateau.
A literal "oasis in the desert," the 895-acre preserve is home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife, including more than 225 species of birds. This watery world of trees and grasses offers the only shelter and forage habitat of its kind on this river system in Utah.
There are no dogs or bikes allowed in the park. The two trailheads provide the major access points to the wetlands. The water levels are variable in the area, therefore, sometimes only the boardwalks will be above water and at other times the area appears dry.
We did much more in Moab, so stay tuned for part Two!
A literal "oasis in the desert," the 895-acre preserve is home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife, including more than 225 species of birds. This watery world of trees and grasses offers the only shelter and forage habitat of its kind on this river system in Utah.
There are no dogs or bikes allowed in the park. The two trailheads provide the major access points to the wetlands. The water levels are variable in the area, therefore, sometimes only the boardwalks will be above water and at other times the area appears dry.
We did much more in Moab, so stay tuned for part Two!
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