I’ve wandered through diverse landscapes this summer – from attending a wedding at Boston’s Harbor Islands, to discovering a miner’s cabin high in the Hunter-Frying Pan Wilderness. I enjoyed painting the Crystal River near Redstone, CO at a Plein Air Festival, and outlining Mt Sopris from Red Hill, above Carbondale. Here is a sampling of watercolors:
A Cottage Garden in Glenwood.
Pinks and Blues.
Sweet Saxifrage.
Cactus Flowers with Bees.
Many surprises shelter below the rims of Cedar Mesa canyons. Water sources are especially magical for their life-giving qualities.
On Cedar Mesa, natural rock walls, floors and ceilings, provide shelter, and are an integral part of canyon living. Images pecked in stone tell stories, address spirits, map routes, and mark people passing. Painted pictographs abound; many are of hands pressed to stone. Indentations in the rock might be painstakingly tooled moki steps, sharpening marks, or hollows for grinding corn.
The alcoves reveal many scales of construction, from remnants of crumbling granaries, to fortified structures that are almost palatial.
Flowers of the desert provide alluring colors and tantalizing textures. They might be the beginnings of edible fruit like prickly pears, or provide medicinal qualities.
Stone-walled structures in seemingly inaccessible places blend lizard-like into the towering cliffs. Where do man-made impressions end, and natural surfaces resume? In some places, the two sing together as one.
The sun sets, the land darkens, and we wonder how many more mysteries are embraced by the canyons below.
With a five-day window for a solo hiking trip, I decided to explore the outer reaches of Capitol Reef National Park. Capitol Reef is a spectacular area that encompasses the Waterpocket Fold. This giant rock “wrinkle” in the landscape provides stunning scenery, interesting geology and a diversity of wildlife. I would certainly not be the first person there; for centuries, the area has invited human occupation.
My first excursion showed signs of people from much earlier times having passed through. I located a scenic ridge for my camp. It commanded great views in all directions.
The creek was flowing full. I crossed it several times as I wandered downcanyon, and then returned back upcanyon to camp.
Watching the changing light is one of my favorite past-times at camp. Here’s a sequence from sunset to sunrise:
I lingered awhile, then wistfully packed camp. It was time to explore my way back to my car and head to a new camping destination.
On my way to the next canyon, I enjoyed a quick uphill hike to see the Golden Throne, as well as large complex rock formations, and distant views.
It had already been quite a day, and I had a little further to go. I descended between sheer canyon walls en route to the next camp.
It was a bit of a blustery night, but morning dawned clear and still. There were many sweet secret spots to discover.
Besides the wondrous rock formations, there was the magic of trees and shrubs that were just beginning to bloom.
I rounded a curve in the canyon to find two young bighorn sheep browsing. I kept very still for a long time. Afterwards, they didn’t seem to mind me passing by.
The canyon continued to provide tantalizing twists and turns.
I lingered as long as I could. I hope to return to this wondrous area soon!
Remote and awe-inspiring, exploring the Maze District of Canyonlands is a great adventure!
Dramatic drop-offs, fantastic formations, and traces of people past, were all part of this six-day backpacking trip. Initially, water was scarce, but we were treated to a magical rainstorm in the desert, followed by full waterholes and alluring pools.
The vastness of these canyonlands as experienced from the upper elevations, contrasted with the intimacy of inner narrow canyons. Surely we were experiencing four-dimensional space, or more!
