Cast Stone: Great Basin and Capitol Reef

The Great Basin is a mountain-rich ecoregion in the western United States comprising Nevada, half of Utah, and portions of surrounding states.  The wide variation in elevation throughout the area creates a breadth of biodiverse ecosystems, including mountain highlands, forests, and deserts.

For the third and final leg of our summer 2016 roadtrip through northern Arizona and up into southern Utah, my mom and I travelled to the easternmost tip of central Nevada, then back through central Utah, to explore the Great Basin for ourselves.

We crossed into Nevada from Parowan, Utah.  Less than half an hour drive into the state, we happened upon Cathedral Gorge State Park.

Cathedral Gorge State Park is a 3 square mile area of southeastern Nevada featuring a picturesque carved canyon with badland-esque eroded formations.

 The canyon walls are made of bentonite, a soft clay originally deposited by volcanic eruptions tens of millions of years ago.

 By ourselves in the park on this warm and windy day, we made sure to heed this sign.  It reads, "CAUTION: use trail at own risk."

Some bizarre clay formation partway down the descending trail.  We joked that a fossilized sea creature or dinosaur lay underneath - how cool would it be if that were true?

 The walls of the gorge are lined with cathedral-like spires sculpted by erosion.  Please excuse my finger, which sneakily made it into the corner of this shot.

Manmade bridges and stairs enable the exploration of this daunting canyon.

 At the bottom.  This dry riverbed provides a reminder that water played a significant role in the sculpting of this gorge.

 Dramatic cliffs drop straight down in front of the opaque blue sky.

 Wonders of bentonite abound in this Nevada state park.

Content travelers enjoying an unforeseen destination.

We carried on and journeyed further into Nevada, bound for Great Basin National Park.

Great Basin National Park is a 200 square-mile area of eastern Nevada, just west of the Utah border.

Gazing off at the 13,000 foot summit in the park, Wheeler Peak.

Bristlecone pines tower above the mountainous landscape.

Warning: ascending 6,000 feet in one morning and taking a short jog across the road for a photo may induce mild altitude sickness... speaking from experience.

That experience renewed our respect for the impressive effects of altitude.

A very nauseous and lightheaded drive back down.

Happening upon this view at a vantage point on the way was well-worth it.

Seeing snowy peaks in the middle of July was an unexpected treat.  Apparently, at these elevations, snow can remain year-round!

No better distraction when not feeling well than a stellar view and an even more stellar travel companion.

One of Great Basin's key features is a beautiful cave system called Lehman Caves.

Stalactites appear to drip from the ceiling, sculpting dramatic formations on their way down.

Our guided tour of the cave system was a much-needed respite from the sun and high altitude air.

The cool, constant temperature of the cave rests at 50 degrees Fahrenheit year round.

The spectacular formations can hardly be brought to justice in photographs.

The wonderful artwork of dripping mineral deposits.

 We were so grateful that we got to experience Lehman Caves in our short visit to Great Basin National Park.

After drinking some water and resting in the shade, we headed back down to elevations we were more used to.

On our way back into Utah, we drove past a farm with this splendid collection of cows outside.  Being the cow enthusiast that I am (they are one of my favorite animals), we naturally had to stop.

Sweet, curious, gentle creatures.

Interested to smell my hand, the cows gathered as I extended my arm toward their fence.

One of these angels licked my hand.  It was the peak of my existence.

The next day, we fulfilled my mom's bucket list-dream of rockhounding in Delta, Utah.

Due to our car's limited ability to traverse dirt roads, we opted for a site close to the pavement in this very small town.  We ended up at Sunstone Knoll.  Here, my mom holds a sunstone she found.

Sunstones are very small, light yellow/clear reflective stones that are scattered throughout this volcanic site.  Collection of sunstones is permitted and encouraged.

We were simply thrilled to get our hands dirty and find what we could find in this hot, sprawling landscape.

I found some fossilized seashells and was absolutely thrilled.

Remnants of sea snails from long ago.  Crazy to think that this now mountainous desert was once submerged under ocean.

Taking a whack at a big rock to find sunstones embedded within.

We both strained our hamstrings by being in this posture so much throughout this day.

On we traveled, back east and deeper into our favorite state of Utah.

Cows at the side of the road had me shrieking in delight.

What a sweetheart!

We planted ourselves in Torrey, Utah and excitedly prepared to explore Capitol Reef National Park.  We did not plan this visit, but it was absolutely one of my favorite places we have ever been.

Capitol Reef National Park, a 400 square mile portion of the south central Utah desert, features the Waterpocket Fold, a 100 mile long red rock "wrinkle" on the earth.

The spectacular ridge is nearly 10,000 feet high.  (That's almost 2 miles tall!)

Can never get enough of those rusty red rocks.

Blending with desert flora.

And a naked Utah Juniper.

Capitol Reef gets its name from the formation's resemblance to a coral reef.  "Capitol" comes from the white sandstone domes that resemble capitol building domes, two of which are visible in the distance of this photo.

A good session of rock sunning.

One of my favorite spots I have ever been.  Ever.

A perspective I dream about often.

And on we ventured through the park.

Fruit orchards line the base of the reef.  These apricots were simply delicious.

During harvest season, the orchards are open for picking.  Sampling of ripe fruit is encouraged - thank goodness!

Yes, please.

We got ourselves pretty sticky in the apricot orchard.  We also saw a drunken deer sitting on a mount of fermented apricots under a tree, a sight we will not soon forget.

A quick trip down to the river to clean off.

Iron-rich soil dyes the river a silty pink.

 We hopped back in our car to see the rest of Capitol Reef.

200 million years of geologic history before our very eyes.

The sandstone formations of Cathedral Valley.

Incredible.



We saw this monolithic, hole-filled wall from the road and had to stop to examine.

My mom has an affinity for holes in rocks and for seeing what's inside them - or for climbing in and being inside them, herself.

At home in the sandstone.

Classic photo of my mother in her element.

The next day, we headed west.

Cows crossing!

We found some sweet horses by the highway.

Until a year before this trip, I was pretty afraid of horses - or perhaps, afraid of riding them.  As soon as I conquered my fear (based in a fear of heights, I must add), I fell completely in love with these gentle, strong animals.

This honey was so excited to meet my momma.

And my momma was just as excited to meet the honey!

That night, we unpacked our finds from the trip.

We are suckers for anything that resembles a fossil.  Plus, our collection of sunstones from Sunstone Knoll.  The larger rock on the right has a cluster of sunstones embedded inside, my mom's prized find.

A closer look.  Once I started finding seashells, I was in heaven, avidly searching for more.

Homeward bound.  Back through the desert, and always knowing we will return for more.

This concludes our three-part road trip through the American southwest.  Be sure to catch part 1 and part 2 if you want to see more.