The Rock Stop

I dig rocks. So when I drove through the little town of Orderville, Utah and saw three rock shops I just had to stop. Rock stores are slowly passing away so I figure they need supporting, kind of like geology.

The Rock Stop holds an old Route 66 type of appeal being shaped like a rock.

They sell local rocks and rocks from around the world.

Must be a very ancient place.

I bought a trilobite, a 250-540 million year old fossil.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah

What the.... raindrops on sand dunes. Learn more about the Coral Pink Sand Dunes here.

SWF - Sunset over the Beefalo at Grand Canyon National Park

It must be hot in House Rock Valley to the east, as that’s where the Beefalo are supposed to roam. Cant’ blame them for heading to higher and cooler country where the meadows offer good grazing.

I had posted before about the buffalo at Grand Canyon. But they are really a cross breed of cattle and buffalo left over from early 1900 ranching in the area. They are smaller and have less shag around their necks. I believe the only place you can see the real thing is Yellowstone National Park.

To see more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

What the......?

So I took a little road trip today after getting more work done on my truck. And this is what I saw. What do you see?

Remember Whensday - Starved Rock State Park - Frozen in Time

March 1975
I grew up boating with family on the Illinois River and riding past Starved Rock State Park. When I got old enough to drive I used to take friends to this mysterious place. I was captivated by the sandstone bluffs and canyons and liked to hike them in all seasons. There was always something very spiritual and sacred about this place to me. I just know I called this place home hundreds of years ago.

The name comes from a Native American story of a band of Illiniwek people starved on a 125 foot (38 meter) butte because of a siege by bands of Ottawa and Potawatomi during the 1760s.

Sally from The (Mis) Adventures of Karl and Sally has started a new meme where the past is remembered through sharing old family photographs and this is #9. I love the idea and hope you will too. So join the fun by clicking here.

MWT - Cedar Breaks National Monument - Part 1

Much like driving up to the North Rim of Grand Canyon through spruce-fir forest and subalpine meadows dotted with wildflowers, it’s hard to believe there could be anything called the Cedar Breaks Amphitheater.

Built in 1937 by the CCC
First stop, the visitor center to get my Jr. Ranger book. I collect badges and always promise to do all the activities. (By different ages, kids usually only do a few pages.) I attended an excellent Ranger program about our first impressions of wildlife, specifically the Golden Marmot (which I saw briefly) and a weasel.

View west towards Cedar City, Utah
Then I walked .8 mile (1.3 km) out to Point Supreme, elevation 10,350 feet (3155 meters). The amphitheater is more than 2,000 feet (610 meters) deep and at least 3 miles (4.8 km) in diameter.

View northwest
Magnificent! I leaned on the smooth wood rail to absorb the view of stone spires and columns in layers of colors from the iron and manganese in the limestone deposited about 70 million years ago in a lake bed.

What a pleasant surprise when Gary settled in next me. He and wife Sue were my neighbors last year on the North Rim and now he works at Cedar Breaks. He pointed out this arch.

I spotted this arch, can you?
I didn’t get any farther into Cedar Breaks National Monument until returning Wednesday (and that’s another post) after my shopping trip to Cedar City and camping in Cedar Canyon (see previous post).

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