28 Aug 2010--Today we took the 70 mile drive from Moab to the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park, and all I can say is that if I die tomorrow, I will have died a happy woman! I almost feel foolish saying this, but for everyone who reads this, my wish for you is that you live long enough to take the same 70 mile drive that Cathy and I took today. I have, honestly, never seen anything so continuously beautiful in my life! Marie, you should have stayed another week with us!
Driving on Hwy 191, we had to stop several times before we even got to the park to get pictures. Google Earth said the drive was going to take an hour and 20 minutes, but because we stopped so many times it took us 2 hours to get there. If you enlarge no other pictures, and I encourage you to enlarge them all, at least enlarge the stitch pics...they are truly beautiful!
About 20 miles from the entrance to the park, we pulled over to see Newspaper Rock...a bunch of petroglyphs etched in a rock at the side of the road. It's interesting to pick out some events on the rock, from the guy on the horse shooting the animal, to what looks like a bull trying to fight off a human.
We are still outside the park.
The Park Ranger told us that Canyonlands is a total of 527 square miles, 5 times the size of Arches Nat'l Park. Most interesting to me was that that while Arches was mostly a mountainous area, and the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands was mostly a "canyonous" area, the Needles section of the park is really a combination of the two.
The 1st spot inside the park that we stopped at is called "Wooden Shoe Arch". I think the name speaks for itself.
As we were heading to the "back" of the park, we had to pass this area...un-named...but beautiful enough to take your breath away! This was the area, along with the area coming into the park, that actually made me fill up with tears! That may sound foolish, but if this is heaven, I am ready to go. And if it is hell, I'll be perfectly comfortable there, too!
These are all pics of the Big Spring Canyon Overlook section, at the end of the park. This area culminates in a canyon where the water from floods rushes thru, making the canyon ever-deeper.
When you climb high enough here, at the overlook, you can see some of the Needles that this section of the park is named after. Those are the Needles in the background...don't they look like the skyline of a big city?
Further down the road we could get somewhat closer pics of the Needles. You can't get really close to them without hiking about 11 miles...there was a road that you could drive a 4-wheeler on, but flash floods washed it out.
These are just beautiful pics as we are driving back out of the park.
And out of the park, on the way home again.
Look how the landscape changes as you drive along the highway. Could it be more different?
A few miles from the RV Park, just off the side of the road, was this formation, called Wilson's Arch.
What a day!!! I am actually afraid that the next few weeks, going to Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon, will be a let down after seeing what we have seen here already. I feel like I need to rest tomorrow, just to absorb everything that we saw today. We leave here Monday, so I will let you know how th eother parks stack up against the eye candy we saw today!
OMG, these were beautiful. I think this should be called God's Country!!! How can anybody wake up to that everyday and be depressed.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about feeling like this could be heaven.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I saw the Grand Canyon it took my breath away. I am by no means a religious person but the feeling was spiritual.
Absolutely beautiful pictures.....
keep them coming.
Fifi
Ellen and Fifi...thanks for getting what I mean about this area! I felt like I could hear the angels playing their harps in the background! "Spiritual" best expresses it, like Fifi said!
ReplyDeleteYou know this is great! I get to see these wondrous majestic views twice. You capture some of the things I saw but did not take pictures of as I was driving. John tried to capture them but he saw different things then I did. Thanks Paula I am experiencing this trip for a second time.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless Americans!!!!! We live in a beautiful country. My favorite of this group is Paula raising her arms to the heavens. She appears to be touching the sky. The closer you look at each picture the more shapes you see. Amazing grace!!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the same as Marie's, Paula raising her arms and preaching again from the Book of Mormon.
ReplyDeletePaula, I believe that heaven is even more beautiful than what you saw. Imagine you probably only experienced a glimpse of what heaven is but how lucky you are to have had the opportunity to see what you saw. My philosophical understanding is "heaven is beyond our comprehension". Isn't that what the good Sisters of Notre Dame taught us?
Enjoy!
Arlene
I think my 2 favorites are the one near the bottom of the blog, before the videos, that has the wooden fence in it, and then the one immediately below that pic. But overall, I just felt like my mind was exploding seeing all of it...God is good to have allowed me this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteArlene, I am not really sure what the good Sisters of Notre Dame taught us...most of that is just a blur! haha
Aren't you glad you have all the time you want to explore the beauty of this country we live in? I really like this place with all the rocks - needles? It does kind of look like a cityscape. Wonder what the early settlers thought when they came upon these places as they settled the western part of the country. Pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad we have had this opportunity, and no more than myself, I am sure these scenes took the breath away of the early settlers. No wonder the Mormons think they are the chosen ones!
ReplyDelete