Fall Colors and Sandstone Monoliths
I was surprised to find the color this late in the season. Now I know when to go again.
As I headed toward Panguitch from Phoenix, I was struck by how many times I had made this trip in the last ten years. The road was now familiar to me.
I have learned to judge the time between Flagstaff and Cameron by the shape of the hills. I know the cliffs and can see The Gap coming up for miles. Every bump along 89A as we get close to the Vermillion Cliffs.
It is my territory, my ‘stomping grounds’ so to speak.
For some damned crazy reason, I feel more “at home” in this area of the world than in any other area I have ever been.
And yes, that includes Phoenix, where I was born and still live.
I have missed getting up to Colorado and Utah for the peak fall color for two years in a row now.
Last year we had just moved out of our home and it was a bit chaotic, this year it was the beginning of building our new home that kept me close to home.
I knew there would be no color at this late time of the year. It was the last week of October, and the peak color in this area is the first week of October.
But, I also love the mountains when it is cold, jacket weather, and even the tree-bones of Aspens that have dropped their leafy wardrobe.
A single Aspen tree growing over 450 square acres of mountain at an elevation of 10,000 feet is one of the most inspirational places I have been.
Estimates range from 10,000 years old to over a million depending on who you talk to. Even the scientists are not sure.
I will be here next time the colors reveal themselves, but I love these bare trunks getting ready to sleep through to — 12 feet of snow in the coming weeks.
Yeah, I was resigned to bare trees, but it wasn’t a tragedy.
Torrey is a wonderful little town on the edge of spectacular beauty. To the south is Boulder Mountain, West is Fish Lake and the Pando. To the north are the barren badlands of Goblin Valley, and east is Capitol Reef National Park.
The park is vast, covering over 241,904 acres.
You can find Petroglyphs from the Fremont People era and an internationally recognized “Dark Sky” area for astronomy and stargazing. Not to mention the incredible sandstone monoliths that are more otherworldly than you expect.
It’s a diverse landscape with 19 different rock layers and elevations ranging from 3,880 to 8,960 feet — and that is just in the “Waterpocke Fold” feature that runs south of the visitor center.
I love it, although I have ridden it in the summer, and the temperatures are quite hot. Another reason I love to visit in the fall and winter. I get enough of those hot damn days living in Phoenix.
As we entered the park from Torrey, the first thing I noticed was the color in the trees. It was spectacular with a natural back light that enhanced their hues and vibrance.
This area of the park is called Fruita.
The canyon has been inhabited for thousands of years. Recently by the Fremont people from 600–1300 AD. They left astounding petroglyphs for us to gawk at through our iPhones.
(All of the images here were taken on my iPhone 13 Max. I have not edited the imagery from the larger camera yet.)
The orchards feature over 2,700 fruit trees, and visitors are welcome to pick the natural fruits during the summer and early fall.
I am planning to come back to this area next year for a longer experience. Spending the night in the park, arising early in the cold dawn and making photographs that will explore the tension between the plant life, and the spectacular rock landscape.
I will just share a few more photos I made last week.
There were plenty of people in the canyon, most of them hiking the washes and niches along the road. But it was not crowded and plenty of parking was available, many of the pullouts with no one there.
We stopped frequently, and we were there in the late afternoon, and early the next morning. The light was wonderful on both days, but the angles, reflections, and textures were vastly different
Well, there are a few images that I really enjoyed making on this short road trip with wife and daughter.
After spending time in Capitol Reef, we headed for the Escalante and Bryce Canyon. I was surprised by the color still peaking in the crevasses and canyons of the Grand Staircase.
Also on my return trip, I am going to hike back into the Escalante River canyon, and grab some closeups of these magnificent scenes.
The photo above was taken from the Kiva Coffeehouse, along Highway 12 between Boulder and Escalante.
Hi, I’m Don Giannatti, a photographer and mentor for up-and-coming photographers. You can find me on my website, Don Giannatti, and at my Substack site, where I also publish for creative people.
