San Rafael Swell

The Airbnb in Price was very comfortable. The house is situated in a quiet neighborhood not far from the college (formerly College of Eastern Utah, now Utah State University Eastern). We had cold cereal and some of the Israeli melon for breakfast. We were happy that the Israeli melon was as sweet and juicy as we were told at the fruit stand.

The "Little Grand Canyon" in the San Rafael Swell

After packing cameras, binoculars, lunch, water bottles, hats and sunscreen, we left the house at 8:00 AM to drive through the San Rafael Swell. At Castle Dale, we took the Green River Cutoff road to reach the Wedge Road. Many people were camping near the wedge overlook. We had a beautiful morning view of the “Little Grand Canyon” area of the San Rafael Swell. We spent a lot of time taking photographs and looking down the canyon at the San Rafael River over 1200 feet below. Comprised of layers of sandstone, the area was uplifted between 40 and 70 million years ago. Throughout this time, the river has been carving through these sandstone layers to form the canyon. Some of the layers include the red Chinle Formation, the Wingate Sandstone, Kayenta Formation, Moenkopi Formation and the newest layer, the Navajo Sandstone, that includes petrified dunes with cross bedded layers of yellow sandstone.

Pictograph at Buckhorn Wash

A few campers were parked around the wedge overlook, but we saw few people moving about. We returned to the Green River cutoff road to reach the road through Cottonwood Wash and Buckhorn Wash. The pictographs at Buckhorn Wash are some of the best in the area. These pictographs are painted on the rocks as opposed to petroglyphs which are pecked into the rock. Experts estimate that these pictographs are at least 1000 years old. It is uncertain whether the images portrayed actual events or were part of a spiritual ceremony. We continue to be amazed at how well these images have survived here. Another nearby preserved dinosaur track is believed to have been made by a carnivorous theropod dinosaur.

Our lunch as we drove was peanut butter and Ritz crackers, with lots of corn nuts, sesame sticks, mixed nuts and fruit.

We made a quick stop at the Swinging Bridge that was built by the CCC in 1938. Until the 1990s, this was the only bridge across the San Rafael River. We took a stretch break here and photographed some of the formations near the bridge.

Wild donkeys at Jackass Flats

At Jackass Flats we saw, unsurprisingly, a herd of wild donkeys. This group of perhaps a dozen animals has been living wild in the San Rafael Swell for many generations and is quite accustomed to visitors driving by. There were animals of all ages including several very cute foals. They didn’t make an effort to run away when the pickup stopped for us to take photos.

Sandstone formations in Goblin Valley

We crossed I-70 to take Heart of Sinbad route south. This road goes near Swayze’s Cabin. It was a rough drive, so Mark turned around shortly afterwards to take I-70 and UT 24 to Goblin Valley State Park. As we drove the temperature dropped from mid 70s to upper 60s with light rain. We saw much more of the main valley due to cooler temperatures. Mary was fascinated with the green Curtis Formation that covered parts of the red Entrada Sandstone. We all agreed that the landscape was beautiful. We remembered going to Goblin Valley in the 1980s and 90s with the kids and walking through the weird formations of sandstone in the desert.

Temple Wash Pictographs

On the drive back, we headed west to the Temple Panel that includes pictographs and petroglyphs that may go back as far as 8000 BC. There appeared to be a mix of older images alongside more modern petroglyphs that could be as modern as 1300 AD. Unfortunately, evidence of vandalism was visible, including bullet holes that are believed to have been made by cowboys or travelers in the 1800s.

Along the drive back to Price on Route 6, we saw pronghorn antelopes as we had seen them many times when we traveled that road with Sarah and Emily when they were young. Sometimes the pronghorns would be near the road, but they were usually pretty skittish and stayed back further.

We had dinner at dinner at Los 2 Amigos in Price. Like most Mexican restaurants, the food and service were both good, and the portions were large. Mary had shredded beef soft tacos, Steve had a combination platter with a shredded beef burrito and chili rellenos. The homemade flour tortillas were very thick, which made the meal very filling. One way back to the Airbnb and picked up a few things at Walmart.

At the house we watched the second episode of Dark Winds season two.