Cathedral Valley is a sixty mile off-road trail, in Capitol Reef. It begins with a drive down the Fremont River. 

The motivation was two-fold today, for him to have Jeep fun and for me to see the landmarks I had only seen in pictures.   

It’s impossible to capture the true colors of the landscape. And while the hillsides also appear to be hard concrete, they are piles dirt and minerals that seem to melt with a passing rain. Rains also wash away plants that attempt to root, which is why plant life is extraordinary in these parts.

Further down the road is evidence of a not so forgiving place. Flash floods can be commonplace, And while we found an active ranch with cows nearby, this is real life.

We found bones and carcasses all day long. This particular one, elk. The mountain lion footprints and scat surrounding it, made for an eerie walk to the tiny ranch house that was occupied until the 70’s, not to mention the mile walk back to the Jeep.

Up to the summit, we viewed the next stop, The Cathedral.

And on ground level.

Finally, we made the turn to visit the Temples of the Sun and Moon, and it was here we stumbled across Glass Mountain. Again it is one of those times that it is hard to capture in a photo.

I know… looks like a silly mound of rocks. Be reminded…people who live in glass houses… When we pulled up, the entire mound was sparkling like a diamond. It is truly an anomaly.

Truly.

We learned it is a random find of selenite.

Until tomorrow.

Wind Kisses, Donna

More on Cathedral Valley here.