Long Canyon via the Shafer Trail.

Potash Road (Route 279) is one of my favorite roads to travel in the Moab area; there is always something new to see. The entrance to the road from Route 191 has changed drastically due to the removal of "tailings" from the area.   What are tailings?  Ok, to be blunt; it's uranium poop; waste from uranium mining that was put into a huge dump.  Anyway, before you would ask yourself, "Where exactly is Potash Road?"; now you can't miss it (all those new road signs help a bit too). Potash Road is not only full of amazing rock formations, but has several areas of petroglyphs; there is "Wall Street" which is a very popular spot for climbers who love the 80 to over 100 foot vertical walls; it parallels the Colorado River; there are campsites either along the bottom of those massive rock walls, or along the river itself, and there is the Shafer Trail which will take you through Long Canyon. Long Canyon is what I'm going to concentrate on in this post, well as much as I can.



Jughandle Arch

So you're traveling along Potash Road wondering where the entrance to Long Canyon might be; there's no sign by the way, you sort of have to know where it is.  Big help, right?  Here is the biggest hint you will need, and it truly is a big one; when you see Jughandle Arch, you're there.  You'll see an opening on the right; just go over the railroad tracks (make sure to look out for any trains as the Potash Foundry still uses these tracks) and you'll immediately be on a dirt road.   The Long Canyon/Shafer Trail Loop is about 37 miles of which 28 miles of it is dirt, rocks and ruts; a 4 wheel drive vehicle is a must unless you enjoy taking your car to the auto mechanic.  Past the entrance you'll see another unusual rock formation leaning against a rock wall; if you pass this formation, you've gone too far.  Think of Jughandle Arch and this other formation as the entrance pillars to Long Canyon.




















What is so special about Long Canyon? I'll get to all that, but it reminds me of the first time Roy and I were out gallivanting there. We had decided to stop and check out a dried out river bed; amongst some boulders were kangaroo mice scampering about, and we simply enjoyed watching them. Suddenly this SUV pulls up and about six elderly women get out, walk along the road and stop opposite us. One shouts at us, "Do you see them?", so we shout back, "See what exactly?". "The petroglyphs" one of the ladies shouts back, "No, no, we're just watching the wild life". One of her companions asked her to repeat what we just said, and I swear Roy and I almost fell down laughing when we heard her yell, "Wild life? What the hell do they want to look at wild life for?". The ladies all got back into the SUV, made a U-turn and headed out of the area. There are petroglyphs in Long Canyon, just farther than they wanted to travel to I guess.

Anyway, let me introduce you to Long Canyon with the few photos I was able to take.  Unfortunately, the weather started to turn stormy and there are many signs along the trail warning of flash flooding.  When we heard the first thunder boom, we high tailed it out of there; no way we were becoming a statistic.  Flash floods are nothing to turn your nose up at; they hit suddenly and if you hear that roar, just like with a tornado, it's too late to get out of the way.  So, the trail through Long Canyon is the Shafer Trail; the same trail that goes through the Shafer Basin beneath Dead Horse Point Overlook.

For a complete description of the route, simply click Here.

Around each corner, the view will become more and more magnificent.  Eventually the road will begin an upward climb on a hill where you'll ride along terraces with views of the Colorado River.

Of course the route is full of amazing rock formations, plant and wild life; you'll be entering the terrain of Bighorn Sheep and if you see any, be quiet, take photos, but don't harass them.  There is no camping allowed along this trail either.

Claret Cup Cactus
 

That takes care of our little jaunt through Long Canyon, cut short by inclement weather; just another excuse to go back, do it again and this time to the end.

Mary Cokenour

Jugs and Mugs, but are they Arches Too?

What exactly constitutes an arch being labeled a natural arch?  After reading several geological definitions, it basically comes down to: A natural arch is an opening in a free standing wall of rock (not necessarily sandstone) which has formed due to weathering, or water erosion.   Hmmm, so if it's not a wall that had a hole punched through it by Mother Nature, then it's not an arch?  Take for example Delicate Arch and Double Arch located in Arches National Park, Moab, Utah. They were formed from Entrada sandstone "fins", well at least one section of Double Arch was, the other part was a giant pothole that lost its bottom. They don't conform to the standard scientific definition, but they are still called an arch. What is a "fin" anyway? A free standing sandstone wall in the shape of a...you guessed it...fin of a fish.  Confused, join the party...and it's going to get more rowdy.





Jughandle Arch, Moab, Utah

Jughandle (aka The Jug Handle) Arch of Moab, Utah is located on Potash Road at the opening to Long Canyon...and you'll see a pattern as you keep reading.  By the way, you can follow the Shafer Trail through Long Canyon and eventually come out onto the Shafer Basin which you can see from the Dead Horse Point Overlook.  The arch is a type of "cliff arch" in which it is not formed through a wall, but on the jutting edge of one; its long, instead of wide, formation making it look like a handle.



Shafer Trail through Long Canyon
 

Now another bit of information I could gather is that an arch is typically a solid formation; but if it looks like an arch, but has pieces missing, its...what?  How do we know it wasn't a complete arch at some time, but Mother Nature decided to take a few bites out of it?  Is it just a "pillar" with bits and pieces missing?  You'll see what I'm referring to as I continue along the "jugs and mugs" path.




Courthouse Rock
 

Still in Moab, lets go down Mill Canyon Road (4 wheel drive vehicles highly recommended) until we stop at the junction of "Mill Canyon" (on the right) which leads to the Dino-Trail and you can see "Determination Towers"; or "Halfway Stage Station", M&M Hiking Trail and Cotter Mine Road (on the left).  Follow the road to the left and head on towards Courthouse Rock, looking on the left side of this formation and what do you see, an arch!  Well, it looks like an arch, but seems to have, at the top, become separated from the main wall by a long crack.  Doesn't fit the typical definition, but....and if you hike the M&M you're entering into a canyon area, so there's that entrance to a canyon pattern again.

Two ways to get to the next mughandle/jughandle arch; continue around Courthouse Rock by following Cotter Mine Road.  You'll pass by the Sevenmile Rim trail which will give you an up close and personal introduction to "Determination Towers"; the trail is considered difficult in 4 wheel drive guide books.  A few more twists, turns and down the hillside before you get back to Route 191; near a parking area used as a starting point for ATVers; also nearby is the entrance to the road up to the Gemini Bridges, or Route 313 to Dead Horse Point and Islands in the Sky.  Anyway, as you come down the hillside and the road flattens out, quickly look behind and right to catch a glimpse of another one of those arches or pillars or whatever they're called by some geologist.   By the way, if you're coming onto Cotter Mine Road directly from Route 191, that's the beginning, and there's the arch, and so goes the pattern.   Technically it's not a hard core pattern; I'm having fun with it though, and so should you be...having fun that is.

Cotter Mine Road, off Route 191
 

One more mughandle/jughandle and this one is located in San Juan County, Utah, down the road from Newspaper Rock on Route 211.  There is sits, on the right side of the entrance to Shay Canyon; looks like an arch with a crack separating it from the main wall, just like the other ones I've written about.  There is a trail that leads into Shay Canyon if you feel like walking to the natural structure itself; it's a bit overgrown here and there, and I highly recommend bug spray or the gnats will eat you alive.


Shay Canyon



So, are all these mughandle/jughandle arches only found at the entrances to canyons? No, just the ones I've found so far, and believe me, there are many, many more to be found throughout Utah. There happens to be one at Harts Point, off the Canyon Rims main road, but you have to walk a trail to see it. I only just found out about it, so missed it when I was in the area before; but now there's  another excuse to go back.

Also, can they truly be defined as arches, or are they just pillars?   Let the geologists hash that question out; I'm just going to enjoy the discovery and views.

Mary Cokenour

Open Your Eyes and See Nature's Surprises.

One warning I always give to visitors of the Southeastern corner of Utah; make sure your head is on tight, or it will spin right off your neck.  Traveling down Route 191 towards Moab,from Interstate 70, and continuing on, you will see sights that will make you truly believe you are on an alien planet.  Look up movies that have been filmed in Moab, Utah alone and the list is long; probably longer for Monument Valley.  Johnny Depp's newest film, "The Lone Ranger" was filmed there, as was an episode of the most popular British television show, "Doctor Who".

I've lived in this area for four years now and I'm still amazed at the new surprises I find.  I can visit a section every day for a week, and every day find something new I had not seen before.  That's the way it is here, and you have to keep your eyes open or risk missing something outstanding.  Let me give you a few examples...


As I mentioned, I've lived in Monticello for four years. We'd only just moved here when one day I heard these "screams" that many a person would assume was a woman, but I'd heard enough of these calls in zoos to identify it...a peacock. Yes, we have wild peacocks in our area, and it is not unusual to see one go strolling down the street. The males are bolder, and the smaller peahen is shy and tends to hide if spotted.  I enjoy taking walks through the neighborhood hoping to spot one of these birds; hoping more to find their beautiful feathers.  In Greek mythology, the peacock belongs to Hera, the queen of the Gods.

Lopez Arch

Traveling South on Route 191, one of the big attractions is Wilson's Arch.  However, did you know there was a "baby" arch just two miles down the road from it?  At mile marker 98 is a parking area; looking East you will see the "baby" arch.  I believe I first noticed it in 2011, but it could have been as early as 2010; I know for a fact that time does fly when having fun in this area of the Southwest.  After taking photos of it, I sent copies to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to inform them of my finding; haven't heard anything yet.  Wouldn't that be something if I had found an unknown arch and to have it named; what a legacy that would be!!!  Update: An agent at the BLM - Monticello Field Office informed me that this is called "Lopez Arch"; so much for having an arch named after me.


Keep on traveling South on Route 191 towards Monticello and eventually you'll see a large, domed shaped, sandstone formation with what looks like a temple on top.  This is Church Rock and the story is that when the Mormons first came to this area of Utah, they used a small cave inside as their first meeting place for worship.  Fortunately the gates to the fenced in land were open one day and visitors were allowed to travel up to the formation.  Indeed there is a small cave like area, but unfortunately it has been ruined by so-called artists and their graffiti.  The next day the gate was once again locked up, but it had been a thrill to have the one opportunity to step inside a natural piece of history.

Update:  July 2015

The 16' x 24' cave that can be seen inside Church Rock was contracted out by landowner, Claud Young.  It was dynamited out in the 1940s, so the rancher could store feed and salt licks for his cattle.  Claud Young was owner of this property during the time that Marie Ogden and her group resided in Dry Valley.  While some like to believe in the theory that Home of Truth members chiseled out the cave by hand to begin creating a church inside; this believe is based on hearsay, not facts.

The story about the pioneers happens to be another legend, and that is all; no truth to it.


Across from the Church Rock area is Route 211 which leads to Newspaper Rock and eventually to Canyonlands National Park (The Needles area).  I had mentioned in a previous post that a jug handle arch was just 1.8 miles West of Newspaper Rock itself.  This was another one of those if you don't pay attention the first time, the second time, even the third time, you're going to miss it.  I don't know how many times we rode past this point and didn't notice it, but one day we stopped to look southward and beyond; there it was!  It is not the typical arch that has been carved out of a sandstone wall by the wind and rain.  It looks to be more of a separate rock piece that is attached to another wall at the top and bottom, but the elements have rounded and smoothed it out to that jug handle appearance.


One of the advantages of riding as a passenger is getting to see things the driver cannot; gotta pay attention to the road you know.  My poor husband knows he better stop that vehicle when I say "Stop!" though.  This formation at the top of one of the sandstone mountains along Route 211 looks almost like a cottage with a chimney at the top; you could almost imagine a cloud floating by as the smoke emitting from it.



I think one of the funniest natural surprises came when I was stretched out on some flat rocks, just enjoying the beautiful day and feeling like a lazy lizard.  When there it was, a brightly colored, collared lizard had decided to join me on the rocks.  Bravely, or stupidly in anyone else's eyes, I put out a finger to touch it.  It flicked its tongue over my finger and then just stayed there; not moving to escape, just resting.  Nice to know I had its approval to be there.


Yeppers, make sure you travel through this area of the Southwest with wide open eyes; never know what you'll miss if you don't.

Mary Cokenour

Newspaper Rock and a Surprise Down the Road.

In yesterday's post about Monticello, Utah, I mentioned that the mountain road eventually loops down and comes out on Route 211.  By the way, the name of the road is called Harts Draw Road; and Indian Creek camping grounds (tent and RV sites available) are nearby also.  Unless you want to do a U-turn and go back through the Abajo Mountains again to Monticello; there are two other options.  Option One: make a right turn and travel East to Route 191; on the way you'll see a small ghost town called "Marie's Place" or "The Home of Truth", but that's for another blog post.  Option Two: make a left turn and travel West going towards Canyonlands; there are many points of interest this way and I'm going to write about Newspaper Rock today.

Abajo Mountains

La Sal Mountains

Traveling West for a couple of miles...stop!  Ahead of you are the Abajo Mountains stretching westward.  Now look behind you to the East; those are the La Sal Mountains in the distance.

 

Newspaper Rock has been dated back about 2000 years and no one really knows the true meanings behind the drawings.  They could be messages, ritual symbols, stories or simply artwork; and which culture contributed which drawings is uncertain.  Unfortunately it has been defaced, as many of the petroglyph areas have been, by, for lack of a better word, stupid people who believe their initials/names and dates are important to the rest of the visitors.  While having a "guestbook" for visitors to sign might be helpful, these idiots would probably find a way to deface that also.

Newspaper Rock
 

 

 

The drawings have been scratched into sandstone walls covered in "Desert Varnish"; a blackish manganese-iron residue that gradually forms on exposed sandstone cliff faces.  Rain water causes exposure while bacteria helps the residue to adhere to the sandstone.


Example of Desert Varnish







Humanoid and animal figures are distinctive; as well as the sun, two figures touching a tree, the spiral, the wheel and the plus (+) symbol inside a circle which many believe represents the element of Earth.

 

 

There are some spectacular views as you look around the area also.  If you happen to be wondering, there is a small parking area at Newspaper Rock with restrooms at one end.  The walk to the actual wall itself is only about 1/10th of a mile; and so worth the minuscule effort.

 

Now when you leave Newspaper Rock to travel further towards Canyonlands, don't be in such a rush to speed down the road.  First off, the surrounding scenery is gorgeous, but secondly is what is waiting to be seen only 1.8 miles down the road.

 



 

Look to your left (South) and you will see a jug handle arch; it is easily visible going West, but coming back East you cannot see it.  There is a small pull in area nearby, but you will still have to walk up the road a bit to be able to take a decent photo.  Now in Moab, Utah there is an arch on Potash Road called Jughandle Arch; I'm calling this one a similar name for want of a better description.  It looks like a jug handle; I cannot find it named on any maps and when I ask about it, no one seems to know a thing about it.  Perhaps everyone is too busy speeding between Newspaper Rock and Canyonlands to notice it, but I happen to enjoy the scenery, so speed to nowhere.

 

Consider this blog post your first appetizer for Route 211; there is definitely more to come.

 

Mary Cokenour