Islands in the Sky - Part Three.

Well here we are, the third section of Islands in the Sky. You know, even though we were there in September 2013, going through all the photos (there were over 400) enabled me to relive every moment of the time we spent at the Park. All the scents in the air; the sounds; feel of sun, wind, sand, rock; the sites that made my eyes whirl in delight; it all came together to create one spectacular event in my mind...a memory not to be forgotten.


We traveled south towards the first Overlook - Candlestick Tower; this formation was along the way and try as hard as I could, I find no mention of it in any Canyonlands related material; nor any other photo taken by another visitor.  It is a tall rectangular tower, so until I find another name for it, lets simply call it Islands in the Sky's version of "Chimney Rock".




Like the other Overlooks, Candlestick Tower is breath taking; Soda Springs Basin directly beneath while the White Rim stretches across the background.  This desert tower is ahead and to the right; distinct pinnacles creating the illusion of a grouping of elegant tapers.  Directly to your right is another unusual formation; again I cannot find any mention of it in Canyonlands related material, nor another photo.  I have given this formation the name of "Candle Stubs"; seems to fit it well considering the close location to Candlestick Tower.  Walking the area is over rock and sand; there is a ledge that can be traversed which will allow you to climb up onto some slickrock and then loop around to the main viewing again.  The ledge does get narrow at one point, so your body will be hugging the stone wall behind you.

Candlestick Tower

"Candle Stubs"?

Not a surprise Mary is on the edge of a ledge.

Roy decided to try it out too.

Buck Canyon and Orange Cliffs Overlooks are one long stretch that reaches into the Grand View Point Overlook; Buck Canyon can also be seen from Mesa Arch and the Orange Cliffs overlook Gooseberry Canyon.  Between the grazing of cattle and the mining for ore, the canyons below have become pretty much wastelands; hiking in the area is limited as it is hoped that revegetation will eventually take a strong foot hold, or maybe not.



Buck Canyon



Edge of the Orange Cliffs

In the photo above of the "Edge of the Orange Cliffs", you are seeing into Monument Basin which Grand View Point overlooks.  In the cracks and crevices of the intricate canyons, stone pinnacles act as monuments to the gods; another aspect is that they look similar to the Terra Cotta Warriors waiting to do battle for their ruler.  It's all in the way you want to look at it and look you will; finding it quite difficult to simply stand still and not walk the entire boundary of this Overlook.  Caution: there are no guardrails, no low stone walls to keep you from stepping over the edge.

Grand View Point Overlook
 

 

 

Monument Basin

When the first raindrops began to fall, it was time to head on home to Monticello; it was one of the typical "quickie" storms, but this time it left a surprise....a double rainbow.  Now was there a pot of gold at the end of each one?  Or was it a trick; one rainbow led to the gold and one led to a new adventure...now this was going to be a truly difficult choice to make.

Mary Cokenour

Islands in the Sky - Part Two

After Mesa Arch you'll come to a junction; we're taking the right hand way, then a quick left, for our first stop at the Green River Overlook.  The drive to the parking area is scenic in itself, but wait till you lose your breath at the Overlook!


The informational board will give you a good idea of the sites you are seeing directly in front of you, and beyond.  The river directly below is the Green River which, with the Colorado River, carved out the intricate canyons.  The land below is known as the White Rim; the "Mayan" like pyramid formation is Turks Head; Cleopatra's Chair is on a mesa top to the far right of the Overlook.  While we were there, we could see dark clouds forming in the south, and heard thunder rumbling.

The Classic View of the Green River Overlook.

Elaterite Butte (left, rear), Ekker Butte (left, front of Elaterite), Green River, White Rim, Turks Head, Cleopatra's Chair

Cleopatra's Chair

Turks Head

Another Raven Ranger




The nicest thing happened while at the Green River Overlook; besides taking our own landscape photos, we helped several others by taking photos of them with the scenic view behind them.  A gentleman came over to us suddenly and offered to take our photo; we're always so busy gallivanting around, or we're the only people at a location, so have very few photos of us together.  We couldn't thank this man enough!

 

After getting back on the main roadway, Aztec Butte will be coming up on the right.  This is a 2 mile round trip hike over a primitive (non-maintained) trail; there are steep points over rough terrain; rock cairns will mark the trail, but there are very few of them.  The ruin sites are granaries that are in excellent condition; the view, of course, is amazing.

Back to the left side of the road and you cannot miss Holeman Spring Canyon Overlook; well, no, you cannot as it practically sticks up into the sky demanding your attention.  This is about a half mile round trip walk over rocks and sand; a steep decline at the very beginning before leveling out somewhat.  There is no real parking area, but enough room on either side of the road; just be careful of traffic along the road when exiting or entering your vehicle.  Yes, walking out into, or standing in, the middle of the road to take photos is a bad thing!

 
 

It had rained the night before, so the potholes were filled up; they were probably brimming with microscopic life, but too small for us to see.

Mary on the edge, not the first time nor the last.



Steer Mesa

Whale Rock is a series of sandstone domes that stretch out along the landscape; you'll have to get a distant view and tilt your head a bit to get the resemblance to the whale.  It's a one mile round trip hike with, again, amazing views; but the drop offs are steep!  We saw a few people walking along the top and they looked so tiny; we didn't attempt it though, just didn't feel like doing the crab walk up the steep incline.

Desert Landscape

You've come to the end of this section of the Park at Upheaval Dome; a crater so huge that it can be seen from space.  The crater dates back 170 million years and is 3.1 miles (5 km) in diameter; at first it was theorized that a salt dome had been pushed up due to seismic activity.  However, in the 1990s, scientists from NASA did extensive studies and proved that Upheaval Dome was the result from the impact of a meteor; 2008, shocked quartz was found which also verified the meteor theory.  The trail to Upheaval has two Overlook points; the first is only about a quarter of a mile walk; the second is another 3/4 of a mile; two miles round trip for both Overlooks.

There are picnic tables at the Upheaval Dome parking area, so this might be a good time to take a break before heading back to the road junction.  From there you'll be heading through the third section of the Islands of the Sky towards the Grand View Point Overlook.  Until then...

Mary Cokenour