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Category: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

01 November 2011

Completing the Johnson Canyon Road loop

After shaking the sand out of our boots from walking the dunes at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park we continued our drive north on State Route 89 to Glendale in search of the Glendale Bench Road, also known as Johnson Canyon Road.
We drove through Glendale, about five blocks long, twice looking for this elusive road then stopped in at the Post Office and asked directions.  We were told where to turn, that the pavement ends on top and, NOT to turn off the road so we wouldn’t get lost.
Once “on top” of the bench views spread northward to the Pink Cliffs at the southern edge of Bryce Canyon National Park… 
…and east towards the Grand Staircase Escalante.
  After about 15-20 miles of gravel… 
…we rejoined the pavement where we’d turned around before.
Then drove back through the Navajo Sandstone that flanks Johnson Canyon.
   We saw a few cars parked by the old movie set, behind locked gate, and noticed a hangin’ goin’ on.
And Mike spotted the Eagle Arch which we couldn’t find on the last drive.  Probably because it was marked on the wrong side of the road on the map.
We’ve just about exhausted the options of things to do and places to see around Kanab and my truck should be out of the shop Monday by close of business.  Which means, I’m on the road again and heading for Flagstaff.

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Johnson Canyon, road trip, travel, Utah 7 Comments
28 October 2011

Cottonwood Canyon Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Got a rather late start Thursday to Cottonwood Canyon.
Yet did finally go for a drive.
 Thanks goodness the road was dry.
 Seemed very strange to be out driving on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere and have electric lines along the way.  But I guess that may be why the road is there in the first place.
 The Cottonwood Canyon Road follows the Paria River to the Cottonwood River and ends at Cannonville.  But alas due to the late start didn’t get that far, yet still had a great ride.
 Plus stopped and took a walk up a little side-canyon.
The rock is primarily sandstone and shale.  
As the soft shale erodes from under the sandstone it forms talus slopes dotted with giant blocks of sandstone which reveal bedding planes from the originally deposited sands. 
See the stone gargoyle?
Erosion shapes the rock most interestingly. 
Face looking down on cockatiel, frog and raven
What do you see?
 Plus erosion of the sandstone itself shows up close once the blocks roll into the canyon. 
I love to see the way nature sculpts the rocks.
 Enjoyed lunch under the sun and below the spillway at the end of the canyon.
 I am always amazed at the power of water.  I sat drinking water to stay hydrated while looking down canyon at the evidence of its strength to move rock and bend plants… 
 …leaving behind tumbled stone embedded in sand from far away.
Found an arch.  You’ll have to look closely.  OK, so maybe it’s not really an arch but a hole in fallen sandstone.  
Still a few flowers which I didn’t recognize.
Golden fall colors of the cottonwoods and willows contrasted against the dry desert and stark rocky canyon walls.
The road beckoned on but day light waned.  
 Maybe next time I’ll make it all the way to Kodachrome State Park.
 I know this is a long post, I did take over 200 photos, but I can’t help myself.  Would you have taken less?

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Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah 10 Comments
26 October 2011

Johnson Canyon–Welcome to the Wild West

01 Old Gunsmoke movie set Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x409)
Still parked in Kanab, Utah waiting for truck repairs.  Think we’ll be here long?
02 North on Johnson Canyon Road UT (1024x768)
Tuesday we took a drive up Johnson Canyon Road…
03 GRSE sign Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x768)
…which runs into the southwestern edge of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.
04 Old Gunsmoke movie set Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x127)
Along the way we saw this old movie set used for the TV show Gunsmoke starring James Arness.  Kanab is known as “Little Hollywood” and maybe we’ll find time to explore their Movie Museum.
05 GRSE from Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x768)
Following what I thought was a good map we tried to locate “Eagles Arch” and “Windmill petroglyphs” with no luck.
06 View W from Johnson Canyon Rd UT pano (1024x349)
It’s deer hunting season and the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to the west of the road didn’t seem like a friendly place to hike.  Especially as we weren’t wearing orange.07 View E into GRSE from Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x644)
So we basically just drove, parking once in a while to absorb the view.
08 Dried thistle along Johnson Canyon Rd UT (768x1024)
And take photos, of course.
09 Toy horse found along Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x768)
This is horse country.
10 Navajo sandstone cliffs from Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x767)
We drove the rest of the loop another day.

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Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, National Parks and Monuments, Utah Gunsmoke movie set, Johnson Canyon 11 Comments
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Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

I started exploring US National Parks in 1977 and 20 years later became a seasonal Park Ranger.  I’ve lived full-time in a RV for 30 years working summers and playing winters.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow old, other than grow up.

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