 Dale Sievert | Part 1: Utah & Arizona--November 2021 |
You might be thinking, "Haven't I seen this one before?" No, not quite. Yes, I was in Utah and Arizona in January 2021 and posted a Gulliver's Travels of that trip. But there is so much to see in Utah and Arizona that I thought it warranted another trip, so here it is.
It will be presented in three parts, each appearing in separate postings. This first part will be of Utah, and it will have two sections, the first of Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon and the second of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The five red dots show where the five locations are that I visited and will highlight with photos.
Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon, Page, Utah
A so-called slot canyon is a narrow channel cut through rock by a river. The river channel is usually devoid of water, only wet after rains. Utah and Arizona have many slot canyons of varying lengths and depths. They invariably twist and turn due to the tremendous force of the rushing water and accompanying rocks and other debris that transform the relatively soft sandstone into intricate and beautiful formations. As they are always narrow and steep sided, they are deadly when flash floods occur.
A so-called slot canyon is a narrow channel cut through rock by a river. The river channel is usually devoid of water, only wet after rains. Utah and Arizona have many slot canyons of varying lengths and depths. They invariably twist and turn due to the tremendous force of the rushing water and accompanying rocks and other debris that transform the relatively soft sandstone into intricate and beautiful formations. As they are always narrow and steep sided, they are deadly when flash floods occur.
The entrance to the slot canyon
Dale NOT ready for a flash flood
Ancient Indians carved footholds for climbing the canyon walls.
Closeup of the Indian footholds
The exit from the canyon
Banded coloration of rocks near the canyon
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
This area is part of the huge Colorado Plateau, sandstone formations created over a 90-million year period in shallow seas. Tectonic forces forced it to rise up to two miles in height 15-20 million years ago. The Grand Staircase refers to a series of five smaller plateaus, each higher than the next, the first one being in northern Arizona and the fifth one being the Paunsaugunt Plateau, which contains Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah.
This area is part of the huge Colorado Plateau, sandstone formations created over a 90-million year period in shallow seas. Tectonic forces forced it to rise up to two miles in height 15-20 million years ago. The Grand Staircase refers to a series of five smaller plateaus, each higher than the next, the first one being in northern Arizona and the fifth one being the Paunsaugunt Plateau, which contains Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah.
The variation of colors and rock types stem from millions of years of depositions of varying types of materials over millions of years.
Whitish rocks lack the iron compounds of the more common reddish rocks.
Voodoos are strange rock formations with harder, slower-eroding rocks on top of softer, faster-eroding rocks.
Part 2 and 3 of Utah and Arizona will follow in subsequent weeks--so hold your horses.
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