2021 Utah Autumn Colors

UTAH UTOPIA

Author: Lois Olive Gray Photos: Kay Ellen Gilmour, MD Website: www.kaygilmour.smugmug.com

October 24 to October 29, 2021 Cathy and Gordon Illg, Owners Participants: Kay, Lois, Betsy and Suzanne

INTRODUCTION A wonderland of beauty, humbling geography and geology, and a fall festival of color were our rewards for breaking out of Covid Confinement to fly into Utah meeting with 4 other intrepid travelers to join Cathy and Gordon Illg, our efficient and fun guides on this short but full photographic safari. Having travelled with this special couple twice before, we knew we were in for a marvelous adventure and that indeed was borne out.

ORIENTATION: So exactly where is this photo paradise? Both Capitol Reef National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument are in Southern Utah near Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park.

One of the positives of these two areas is that they are much less visited than the other four just mentioned. However, both are marvels of nature and well worth visiting on their own merits. Both areas are easy to reach and contain excellent road systems.

Though they are served by smaller towns than those around the more well-known parks, amenities such as hotels and restaurants are plentiful and attractive.

OUR DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY: 

First Day Travel o

Arrival in Grand Junction, Colorado (nearest airport serving Capitol Reef NP); night spent at a Holiday Inn which was clean and comfortable, with a good restaurant attached.



Four Days - Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument o

Sunday: picked up by Cathy and Gordon for the 4-hour drive to Capitol Reef. Along the way, we saw the area between Boulder Mountain and the Castle. Some brief photo stops. Stayed that night in Escalante, Utah.

o

Monday: In Escalante National Monument - hike into both branches of the Big Horn Slot canyons.

o

Tuesday: In Escalante National Monument - hike to Calf Creek Falls.

o

Wednesday: In Escalante National Monument - explore Spencer Flat Road with many photo stops, Moqui Marbles, Harris Wash, and Devil’s Garden.



Two Days - Capital Reef National Park o

Thursday: Capitol Reef National Park - hike along the Escalante River Basin, and explore the Burr Trail with lots of photo stops at spots like The Gulch, Long Canyon slot, Deer Creek, Chimney Rock and Twin Rocks and Panorama Point at night for photos of the night skies.

o

Friday: Panorama Point at sunrise for photos before heading back to Grand Junction, CO, for flights the next morning

WHAT WE SAW AND EXPERIENCED Though we came for the fall colors (which were grand) the most overwhelming experience on this visit was seeing and photographing the magnificent geology everywhere we went. Just like the leaves glowing in their fall foliage, the hills, mountains, buttes, mesas and cliffs revealed the multicolored layers of Navajo Sandstone. Each of these layers told the story of the geologic history of Southern Utah.

Our professional guides chose the perfect times of day for viewing and photographing these formations. The sunlight revealed every shadow and texture to our eyes and camera lenses. Our local guide, Shawn, informed us that the latest research into the sandstones on display here had had their birth from sand and dust sweeping across the country from the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern USA. Quite a revelation and hard to believe as well. But we are dealing with millions of years for their creation.

Photographs of these diverse formations will reveal their colorful beauty better than mere words. Some formations were more outstanding that the bluffs and mesas and long walls. Chimney Rock was quite impressive as were the Twin Rocks. The Devil’s Garden in Capitol Reef was strange and haunting because the multiple formations were hoodoos. Hoodoos are freestanding pillars which have been eroded away into multiple different shapes. Some look like Easter Island Moai and others seem like sculptures of animals and human faces and figures.

Chimney Rock

The three slot canyons we visited were: Big Horn, West Fork and the one we called C&G canyon for Cathy and Gordon because there is no official name for it. All the canyons are especially dramatic because of the openings at their tops which allow the sun to shine down inside creating new lines of color against the canyon walls. The brilliant blue skies above were utterly amazing to see. They are shorter than the more famous Antelope Canyon in Arizona and the patterns created by the sun on their walls are not as enormous, vibrant, and gorgeous. But they are still thrilling and great rewards for the long hikes to reach them.

Twin Rocks

Devil's Garden

Our walk to the "Moqui Marbles” was not long or difficult even though we were at altitude. These little formations (not always round but also flat, elongated and ovoid) are intriguing because geologists are not sure how they form. They are not rocks but concretions composed of mineral matter in concentric layers around a nucleus (usually of sand). Present thinking is that they formed one grain at a time over millions of years utilizing iron oxide as a “glue” Even more intriguing is the fact that these little formations are also found on Mars.

If examination of the extraterrestrial marbles reveals any microscopic activity, it could be a sign of ancient life on our sister planet. Another big puzzle concerning these little balls is that their ages are relatively young (from 2 to 25 million years) compared to the 190million-year-old Navajo Sandstone cliffs, mesas and mountains surrounding and towering over them. This phenomenon is more complicated than this summary so I suggest that if it piques your interest, go to Sir Google and you will find lots of discussions from geologists and scientists.

Our hike through Harris Wash was longer and hotter than the earlier walk to the Marbles. It was not difficult walking, and the rewards were present all around us through the entire distance. The huge sandstone formations lined the “Wash” with their beautiful colors and textures changing with the ever-altering sun rays.

There were green shrubs along the watery creeks and dead and spiky branches which tore at our clothes as we passed. There were evergreen trees at higher elevations offering distinct colors in the background. Some flowers were still present even if they were in their last fall cycle: Indian paintbrush, though straggly, still showed off its red petals. Little purple blossoms also defiantly showed off their tiny blooms. The goal of this hike was to reach a pond where the photographers could work with reflections.

At the end of the hike were some deep potholes which proved to be impassible safely.

Thus, the determined Photo-fiends had to climb a steep slick rock hill to get to the pond.

But they brought back some excellent pictures, so they were happy. For me, the best part of the hike was seeing a Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit coursing away from us as fast as his strong back legs could propel him. No one stopped him in flight even with their fastest ISOs. The other creature we saw in the middle of the Wash was a formidable looking but somnolent tarantula: Aphonopelma Iodius. Since most people do not like spiders, I thought his name with “iodius” attached was apt. He was obviously sunning himself so he could move more easily. He was not menacing anyone though when some photographers got too close, he was able to rear himself up in a defensive posture. So, we walked on and left him warming up in peace.

UTAH PARTICULARS As usual, Kay’s photos will clearly replicate the amazing geological settings we were admiring all through this trip. But perhaps a little explanation of Utah’s wondrous geology can be squeezed in here too. Briefly speaking, the area is the gift of 200 million years of depositions ranging from sandstone, limestone, conglomerates, silts, volcanic ash and even plants.

The sediment is over 10,000 feet (nearly 2 miles) deep. The layers are being worn away through wind, water, and extreme temperature changes. The result of this erosion are the formations we saw such as mountains, buttes, cliffs, plateaus, and hoodoos. The layers allow geologists to determine the age of sedimentation periods. Unless we are geologists ourselves, what most people see and enjoy are the immensities of the formations, their curious shapes, the diverse colors, and their essential beauty.

Some essential and interesting facts about Utah include the following facts:



It is the 2nd driest state



On average, it contains the highest mountains peaks.



There are 5 National Parks within its territory.



In area, Utah is the 11th largest state.



It was admitted to statehood on January 4, 1896.



A population of 2,817,222 people at the 2010 census making it only the 45 th in population size.



Some people wonder where the name of the state originated. The accepted origin of the state’s name comes from the name of one of the eight Indian tribes living in Utah, the Utes, which means “people of the mountains.”



Its nickname is “The Beehive State.”

TRIP CURIOSITIES Some curiosities we observed during our visit to Utah. The most peculiar thing we saw occurred on the Calf Creek Falls Hike. We were sitting beside the trail taking a rest and photographing the huge chasm below our trail filled with colorful lemon-yellow cottonwood trees and spun gold aspens.

Passing us on the trail was a man and his wife with an accompanying dog. Not too surprising, you might say; lots of people take their dogs on walks. But here’s the surprise: on his shoulder the man was carrying a bag containing their house cat who was peering out over the top of his container. He did not appear to be frightened or surprised at whatever fell under his view.

Another unexpected occurrence we all enjoyed was watching a cattle drive down the main street of Torrey, a small town in the environs of Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument.

We were seated in the Pioneer Kitchen having breakfast when outside the big window dust rose and car horns blared. We all rushed to see what was going on. There were cowboys on horseback waving their Stetsons and hollering while cattle came streaming down the road. The animals moved at their own stately pace heedless of the noise around them. The drivers had a choice: get off the road or wait patiently for the parade to pass by. The photographers did not want the scene to end before they got their pictures. Actually, the “drive” did not last overly long, so probably no one was very unhappy over the phenomenon reminiscent of the Old West.

TRANSPORTATION Planes, trains and automobiles. Wasn’t there a movie by that name? Anyway, though we had no truck with trains, we did have some adventures with planes and cars. Cathy and Gordon provided two vans, one of which they owned. It was a Suburban and was comfortable. Kay, Betsy, Suzanne and I rode in this car with Cathy driving. Gordon drove the rental van and the other family rode with him. Our car gave no troubles whatsoever, but the rental car had low tire pressures the entire trip. Sometimes these occurred at inconvenient moments forcing Gordon to find rare gas stations where he could pump up the tires. When we were at the Harris Wash, the car’s tire was exceptionally low but luckily, our local guide, Shawn, had a compressor that accomplished a refill. It didn’t take much time at all. How lucky we were that Shawn was so prepared.

The trouble with planes started on the second leg of our return trip to Jacksonville. We knew had a two-hour layover in Dallas before the Jax flight, so we weren’t worried for a while as we sat in waiting area at our gate. But then the trouble started: new gate assignments for our flight kept being announced. We walked up and down the corridors several times moving from gate to gate. Our instincts told us that such gate changes often presage flight cancellations. And sure enough, we did experience a couple of flight delays. We had already seen a huge line of people at a customer service podium and knew that those people were having to reschedule cancelled flights. At the last announcement of our flight’s delay, we were informed that there was no first officer available to fly the plane. Now we held our collective breaths, assuming that the next announcement would be cancellation. But we were so very lucky! No cancellation, just an hour and half delay in departure. Later we learned that American Airlines cancelled over 2000 flights during the Halloween weekend! But not ours.

DINING PLEASURES Despite our late in the season visit to Utah when many tourist amenities are already closed or are about to close, we were all relieved that Gordon and Cathy found good eating for us. Most of the motels and lodges where we stayed had interesting dining options. Two of them deserve special mention.

The first was the Kiva Koffeehouse in Capitol Reef. Not only are the breakfasts varied, interestingly different and delicious, location was spectacular. Cars go up a short winding road to reach it and park on top of the restaurant. A short walk down a set of stone steps arrives at the restaurant door. In the parking lot were many puddles from rain and dew.

The vista view of the autumn colors from the parking lot were stunning.

The photographers were also delighted because the puddles allowed for wonderful reflections of the mountains and trees all around the site.

The second memorable meal was at the Boulder Mountain Lodge. The owners are Buddhists, and the food reflects their philosophy for creating meals from farm to table.

The setting was beautiful and the menu really inviting. The fresh food came the farm “over the mountains” explained one of the young waiters. The meals were the star, but what made the experience really different was that we sat outside around a long table and dined al fresco.

All the while we were being buffeted by strong and cold winds. Each course served had added garnishes of autumn leaves and twigs blown on the winds. We were provided with Afghans and throws to stay warm and there were tall heaters standing behind each side of the table. Neither of those helped very much and we had to eat each course rapidly because it cooled down so quickly in the wind. Then next night, the four of us decided to do “take-out” which the kind restaurant workers accommodated, and we ate in our comfortable and warm room. Food tasted even better there.

DARK SKIES The Piece de resistance: the final night provided what the photographers had been anticipating through the entire visit—Night Photography! The days leading up to that last night had been disappointingly cloudy and overcast. Cathy and Gordon kept reassuring them that a clear night was coming. And once again, they delivered.

We gathered early on Panorama Point so the cameras could “warm up” shooting sunset photos. The glorious light “Played Tunes” on the monumental mountains and cliffs visible 360 degrees around the Point. Some stunning pictures were obtained during that magic hour. Finally, complete darkness fell on us, heralded by two bright spots in the sky: Venus and Saturn.

Then came the “big show” --millions of stars sparkling and twinkling above our heads.

The Milky Way was ablaze in the clear sky. All the experienced photographers knew beforehand that night photography of the sky is the trickiest kind of all and that most people do not get it right their first time out. But these intrepid and happy folks used everything they knew and gathered in the suggestions from Cathy and Gordon enthusiastically.

The diamond bright stars continued their roles in the show until the photographers had to “holler uncle” because their arms, eyes and legs were exhausted. The night sky continued its brilliance as we drove back to the Lodge.

WILDLIFE Two wildlife photo coups that must not be forgotten. While we were at the Capitol Reef Visitor Center, we all wandered off in different directions marveling at the geological magnificent circling the Center. Cathy walked out into a forested area and brought back pictures of a Pygmy Owl! How everyone wished they had followed her, especially me because owls are my favorite birds.

Some people had gone in another direction and found a mule deer doe which they tried to capture among the trees and bushes. Some got a rear view and others just a bit of body, and a couple even got a partial head shot. She quickly disappeared into the deeper woods. But everyone was excited to know there was wildlife in the area.

On our last day in Capitol Reef as we were driving back towards Grand Junction, CO, we saw a tiny herd of Mule Deer on the roadside. Three, maybe a family, a stag, a doe and a young one. They quickly ran up the hill and disappeared among the trees. More proof of the persistence of nature, even in this hostile environment.

CONCLUSION This short photographic visit to Capitol Reef and Giant Staircase/Escalante areas of Utah was a real winner for everyone. Cathy and Gordon Illg are excellent trip organizers, guides, and professional photographers. They are good teachers as well as enjoyable trip companions. I think everyone who joined this outing with them was completely satisfied with their experiences.