Return to Canyonlands

Cathy and I wanted to get back to the Canyonlands National Park. With my cold still in full force, I wasn't eager to do any long hikes. The weather wasn't as cooperative as it has been. It is overcast and cool. No rain is predicted but the winds are supposed to get to the 25 mph range.

When we visited the park yesterday, we didn't have the time to drive out to an area called Upheaval Dome. That's where we are going today. It is an area where a meteor is thought to have impacted millions of years ago. A crater formed, then rebounded, creating the upheaval formation.

Before we got there, we stopped to see the Mesa Arch near the turnoff to the crater. This arch is right on the cliff edge. 

There are several hikes, including an 8 mile hike, that circles the entire crater. We considered that hike, but thought maybe it would be wiser to do one of the shorter hikes. That was the better choice for my cold's sake and with the overcast conditions, rain was not out of the question.

With Halloween coming up, I thought this tree was kind of spooky.

We hiked the red rock to an overlook at the crater's edge. It was a weird view, that can't be photoed very well. The rock has welled up in the middle of the crater in a kind of curving spire. I could not get a perspective that would show it. The rim is too close to get the entire image framed.

The lighter colored rock has "splashed" back from within the earth after the impact.

We explored the area and scrambled on the rock for a while. A year ago, you wouldn't catch me fooling around this close to shear drops at cliff edges. I still get vertigo, but somehow I can manage it much better. We finally headed back to the truck. We took our lunches to a nearby rock for a picnic.

Later, we watched a movie. It was a comedy, Mr. Woodcock, with Billy Bob Thornton we really enjoyed. I stayed up to watch the Discovery Channel's special about the earliest human fossil found.