Day 10:
We got to sleep in a little since we couldn't pick up our rental car until after 8am. We were pleasantly surprised to get a 2021 4-door Jeep Wrangler Sahara as our "economy" rental! We would have loved to do some of the unpaved roads in the area but I think we had almost given mom a heart attack with the Moki Dugway the day before so we didn't torment her further. We headed straight for Canyonlands, which is about an hour away from Moab. Canyonlands is divided into 3 distinct districts by the Green and Colorado Rivers. The Green River flows in from the northwest and the Colorado from the northeast and then they converge in the middle and continue southward from there. The northern district is called Island in the Sky; the southeast district is The Needles, and the southwest The Maze. Both of the southern districts are more remote and "off-road" and require 4WD and high clearance vehicles - the literature said that if you get stuck out there and need a tow, you can expect to pay in excess of $2000! We opted for Island in the Sky, the safe choice. Island in the Sky is considered the observation tower of Canyonlands. It is a mesa rimmed with white sandstone that forms the edge overlooking the canyons and rivers 1200 feet below. On a good day, visibility is over 100 miles. Our first stop was the Shafer Canyon Overlook. I admit I was thinking that after the Grand Canyon, there wouldn't be much here to really impress me but I was wrong. While the canyons were different than Grand Canyon, they were still stunning in their own way. We could trace the path of Shafer Trail Road as it wound down the sheer rock walls to the bottom - what an adventure that would have been, to drive the Jeep on it! After a quick stop at the visitor's center, we headed for the northwest section of IITS. We stopped at Whale Rock, a series of high rounded rock formations that somewhat resembled a whale. Margo and I climbed to the top to take in the view, which was amazing and well worth the exertion. Then we checked out the Upheaval Dome area before heading back and stopping at the Green River Overlook. We took the southerly road out to Buck Canyon Overlook and Grand View Point Overlook as well. From Grand View Point, you can see The Needles and The Maze in the distance, miles away. Once we finished driving all of the paved roads in IITS, we went back toward Moab with a detour onto Potash Road to see some ancient petroglyphs carved into the rock walls. Several miles down the road there is a small sign directing you to pull off the road and a board with a brief description of when the petroglyphs were likely carved. Archaeologists believe that most of the Potash petroglyphs were carved between 600 AD and 1300 AD by the Indians of the Southern San Rafael Fremont culture. Petroglyphs are different from cave drawings in that they are carved or chiseled into the rock walls of cliffs rather then painted onto walls and ceilings of caves. The petroglyphs we saw were etched into the desert varnish on the red sandstone. Microbes and dust blown on the wind interact with the clay, minerals, and metals in the rocks to form this dark coating on the surface, which made the petroglyphs a little easier to see. By then, we were all fried from the 114 degree heat, so we took a rest break in the RV for a while before having a lovely dinner in the air conditioned Moab Brewery.
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