Spring Canyon Point

Good morning, my friends. By rights I should be buttoning things up, getting ready to head on down the road. Instead, I'm having a cup of coffee with you guys. That sounds much better, doesn't it?

Yesterday's drive took us to some things we've seen in the past. If you've been paying attention, you might have already seen the link from our last trip to these formations you're about to see. We drove over many of the same roads we've previously ridden over on ATV's. It was more fun on the ATV's, but it was still worth the trip out there in the Jeep.

As you can see, the kitties were terribly upset when we left them yesterday. They might have fainted dead away.

Heading north, we turned off from the road that leads to Canyonlands National Park, and headed down this dusty trail.

The bands of color out here never cease to amaze me.

On our previous trip, we used this spot as a staging area. Yesterday, we simply stopped to give you the scale of some things. This is Tombstone Butte.

No matter where we went yesterday, we could still see the same formation. It was somewhat reassuring to know we could find our way back if we took a wrong turn.

We paused here to see this water-carved canyon. The run-off starts higher up, and I followed it along for a bit.

Walking farther down the deep crevasse...

And then over a slab of slickrock to the canyon's rim.

Looking down, it looks like this. It looks as if there is water, but it was dry yesterday.

You can see where the waterfall happens during wetter periods.

Looking back up the crevasse from where we came from...

Heading back to the Jeep, we saw these pretty juniper berries.

We saw at least three of these little speedsters. These are known as the "Least Chipmunk." They're barely bigger than a mouse. They were too fast for me to get a picture, but I found this next one in the public domain.

(Image credit: "(Least?) Chipmunk" by tombenson76 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.)

Often, we came to a wall of rock like this. We needed to know we weren't going to do a "Thelma and Louise," and so one of us would get out and look to see what was on the other side. Most often, it was not nearly as scary as it looked.

The road was marked with signs.

Where we were to get out and walk, it was marked with green blazes.

And here was the first object of our desire...Dellenbaugh Tunnel. The "tunnel" isn't really a tunnel at all. It's a natural bridge.

Standing on the slick rock above, we could see it below us.

We first had to descend these "steps" formed by tree roots.

And then we had to scramble over these rocks to get to the bottom. Just think of us as two septuagenarians out for a morning stroll.

And here, we could pass through to the other side. Mike was pointing at droppings from rodents. The floor here was littered with the stuff. Best to avoid touching it. Rodents can carry hantavirus, and so we kept our hands to ourselves.

From the other side, we had expansive views of the canyon. Looking right, it looked like this.

Looking across, these striations on the rock faces never cease to fascinate me.

Looking left a little more, we could see this huge structure. This is the sort of thing you see in Zion National Park. Also, notice the dark band of color toward the bottom.

If you were standing on the other side looking back at where we were standing, you'd see the same thing.

Turning around, we made our way back to the tunnel along this rock wall. Look about three quarters of the way up. You can see a hole in the rock there. We saw an owl fly out of that cavity.

He flew right over us, but no way I could get a picture. After reading about owls in Moab, their preferred habitat, and their markings, I'm thinking it was a Mexican Spotted Owl. Here's another image I found in the public domain.

(Image credit: "Mexican Spotted Owl" by mypubliclands is licensed under CC BY 2.0.)

Okay, and so we headed back the way we came. It was just a short distance.

Along the way, we noticed some critter has been collecting greenery for the winter. We didn't see any critters in here, but I suspect they are the same chipmunks mentioned above.

Up top again, there's Tombstone Butte signaling the way back.

But we weren't finished yet. We wanted to get back to the Secret Spire. As I mentioned, the road was marked with signs. But what's this? Are there cats this way? Count me in! (Actually, I have no idea why this was here.)

Okay, and with just a little more driving/riding, we reached the Secret Spire. I had Mike stand there for scale.

Standing beside it and looking south, it looks like this.

Looking farther west, it looked like this. We could see for miles. And let me just tell you, there is nothing out here. No power lines. No houses. No pipelines. Nothing.

Okay, and I took a couple more gratuitous shots of the Secret Spire.

Standing beside it and looking up, it looks like this:

And then, we headed back into Moab. It was too late for lunch, and so we had something much more nutritious. Gelato, of course. I had a scoop of blood orange and a scoop of tiramisu. Mike had ice cream: huckleberry and pistachio.

What does it say on my hat? Oh, I'm so glad you asked. It says: "Camping Hair. Don't care."

Okay, so it's our last morning in Moab. Sadie was trying to convince us to stay longer. She tried to entice us with her beautiful tummy.

But our assignment here in Moab is complete. Our next stop will be in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. We'll be driving the same road we took last year at this time with just a few deviations. We drove through the area on our last trip, and I wondered then why we didn't stop. So, we're righting this wrong and spending three days near Lake Powell. It's sure to be a very scenic venue. 

And now I must get on my way. We need breakfast, and then we'll be packing up to go. Have a good day everybody! We'll chat again when we meet up on the other side.