Capitol Reef National Park - Capitol Reef encompasses the Waterpocket Fold, a wrinkle in the earth's crust that is 65 million years old. In this fold, newer and older layers of earth folded over each other in an S-shape. This wrinkle, probably caused by the same colliding continental plates that created the Rocky Mountains, has weathered and eroded over millennia to expose layers of rock and fossils. The park is filled with brilliantly colored sandstone cliffs, gleaming white domes, and contrasting layers of stone and earth.
The "Tanks" can be accessed via a short side trail off the Capitol Gorge trail. The trail ascends steeply, leading to what is known as the "tanks," aka waterpockets. View On Black
Out of town today & tomorrow on business so sorting through some old favorites and reposting.....as always, your visits are appreciated :-) Have a great Wednesday!!!!
Tags: waterpockets tanks rocks sandstone formations geologic trail landscape scenery reflections CapitolGorgeTrail CapitolReefNationalPark 2009 Utah COTH Damn I Wish I'd Taken That AbsolutelyStunningScapes BetterThanGood FlickrClassique GoldStarAward AnAwesomeShot TheUnforgettablePictures
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Three for Thursday....
#2 - Taken on a short drive outside Capitol Reef National Park. There were aspens & pines everywhere, but for some peculiar reason, this was the only stand of aspens that had already changed color. What a bonus to see in an otherwise stark desert-like landscape :-)
Tags: autumn falll aspens pines golden fence field mountains landscape scenery TorreyUtah 2009
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Five for Friday (albeit a little early).......although wildlife opportunities were somewhat scarce during our trip to the southwest, I took advantage of the opportunity to photograph what was available....enjoy!!!
#1 - While taking an early morning walk along the Freemont River in Capitol Reef National Park, we came aross small herds of mule deer. This little one was a bit more apprehensive than his/her counterparts and was content with hiding out in the tall grass but coming out periodically to see what was going on. The area where we saw all the deer is home to thriving orchards, and it was clear that the deer frequent this area for a bit of nutrition :-)
Tags: mule deer fawn grass wildflowers hiding apprehensive curious wildlife CapitolReef Utah 2009 ALittleBeauty
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#5 of 5: Grand Wash is a deep, twisting, water-carved sheer-walled canyon that offers visitors a small view of what Capitol Reef National Park has to offer. This impressive buckling of rock, created 65 million years ago by the same tremendous forces that later uplifted the Colorado Plateau, is called the Waterpocket Fold. Capitol Reef preserves the fold and its spectacular eroded jumble of colorful cliffs, massive domes, soaring spires, stark monoliths, twisting canyons, and graceful arches.
Tags: GrandWash CapitolReef NationalPark WaterpocketFold deep twisting water-carved sheer-walled canyon landscape scenery Utah 2009
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#4 of 5: View of the Goosenecks of Sulphur Creek - Capitol Reef National Park. A promontory above a deep canyon that is unfortunately difficult to photograph because of the shadows, but it is interesting to note that these goosenecks are cut through the same layer of sedimentary rock as that of the White Rim of Island in the Sky (Canyonlands).
Tags: Goosnecks SulphurCreek CapitolReef NationalPark overlook sedimentaryrock landscape scenery canyon Utah 2009
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