Tuesday, September 21, 2010

There is more to mountains than meets the eye

From Manila, Utah--

When we left Illinois last September, among the many things we were looking forward to seeing were the mountains out west.  We have discovered that when we drive up and into the mountains that we see a whole lot more than we anticipated.Today's trip into the Uinta Mountains was one of those days.  Viewed from our KOA park in Manila, UT the mountains are not that much to look at, but take Utah Highway 44 up into the mountains and the scenery becomes quite dramatic.  Within the Uinta Mountains is the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.  It is remarkable for its many, many camping and hiking ares, fishing and boating, small lodges, private ranches, streams and stunning rock formations.  We spent a good part of the day exploring a small part of this area.



















We turned off the main highway into Sheep Creek Canyon Nature Trail and found ourselves on a small road with canyo walls on either side.  The rock formations were beautiful to see.


















Can you imagine the forces that created these rock formations?

Aspen trees on a ranch at over 8,000 feet
We saw a few turkeys
And a chipmunk enjoying a warm spot in the sun


We took a hiking trail down into this canyon and then along the beautiful Green River. 
 
We had our picnic lunch looking at the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.  When the dam was completed in 1961 President Kennedy activated the turbines that produce electricity. 
From a scenic overlook we spotted this canyon
It is supposed to rain tomorrow.  We had planned to travel to Moab, but instead will stay here, play games, read and watch TV.  Not a bad life.

Stay tuned.

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