Another Day, Another Canyon!

Day 5 began as we headed toward Canyonlands National Park.  Quite a bit of the day was spent riding on the bus, taking in the amazing scenery that seems to announce itself at every turn.  This part of Utah is desolate, hot, dry and thinly populated (for good reason!).  Yet, it is also stunningly beautiful and awe-inspiring in the true sense of that word.  On our way, there were a few stops of local interest.  The first was in Hanksville, a wide spot in the road whose claim to fame seems to be that a general store and gift shop (and flush toilets) have been sculpted inside a rock.  Everywhere in the store are T shirts that say: "Where the hell is Hanksville?"  I looked but could not find any T shirts that said: "Who the hell cares!"  If one had been available, I think they may have made a sale!

Enough said!

After another fairly long bus trip, and a lecture in route from Dave about the naming and misnaming of the Grand/Green/Colorado River, we arrived at Green River to peruse the John Wesley Powell Museum.  JWP was a civil-war hero who did not let losing an arm as the result of a gunshot wound, stop him from  being a kind of rough and tumble Renaissance man.  His list of accomplishments is impressive, including being a professor at Illinois Wesleyan College, leading the first and second expeditions to explore the Grand Canyon, becoming the a lobbyist for western exploration and mapping and being the first director of the National Geological Department.  The museum is dedicated to river exploration and adventures, and was of little interest, over all to me.  I did like the statue commemorating the first expedition

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 John Wesley Powell and company.

We entered Canyonlands National Park, but the tour seemed focussed on getting us to Dead Horse State Park which abuts the national park.  My impression is that Canyonlands is best viewed from above, and I believe we were directed to a spot that adequately introduced us to its wonders.

View of what I take to be Canyonlands National Park

Arriving at Dead Horse State Park, we did have a clear view of the park's namesake, a distinctive white formation in the shape of the horse.  The main reason for all the excitement, however, is that this is the site of the famous concluding scene of "Thelma and Louise," a movie of some years ago that made an strong feminist declaration of independence at the time.  Western movies seem to have been an integral part of life in this part of Utah in the last 80 years.  We are frequently told of television series and memorable westerns that were shot and frequently peopled with extras from the local population.  Each of our tour leaders have tales of involvement with or relatives who were involved with some entertainment enterprise.

The namesake of Dead Horse Point.

Of somewhat more interest to me was the overlook of the Colorado River meander flowing toward Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon.  Unlike many of the "rivers" we see or pass over, the Colorado, at this location looks like a river and not a creek.

Colorado River meander from Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park

Island in the Sky is a large Mesa which stand above the canyon floor, some hundreds of feet.  Hence, it also offers impressive views of the canyon vista.  Our final stop was on the Island in the Sky at a stone arch called Mesa Arch.  In addition to being the first true arch we have seen on this trip, (we are assured that there are many more to come), this arch offers a view of  another arch which can best be seen through the big arch.

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park

Washer Woman Arch as seen through Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park.

Back on the bus for another hour to our final destination for the day, Moab, Utah, on the outskirts of Arches National Park, which is the destination for tomorrow.  

The motel in Moab is poor and has no dining facilities.  The decore is late sixties, commercial, and we will be here two nights!