San Rafael Swell, Utah, Part 1 - April 2, 2007 (Re-run)

 The San Rafael Swell is a huge tract in the Utah desert, some 3000 square miles of mesas, gorges, spires, canyons and other incredible land formations.  It all started 60 million years ago, when a geologic uplift created an anticline shaped like a dome, which early settlers referred to as a "swell".  Water and wind have been doing their magic ever since, slicing and dicing the sandstone into what it is today.  This area has all the features of the five Utah national parks, but somehow manages to fly below the radar.  While many Utah residents take advantage of its recreational opportunities, not that many others are aware of it.  Consequently, one can do and see things here like in the national parks, but without the crowds, lines, reservations, etc faced in those parks.

Interstate 70 runs through the Swell, which explains why it was the last built, and most expensive, section of the original interstate system.  In my opinion, it is also some of the most beautiful interstate highway.  Other trails and roads provide access to the far reaches, but much of it requires 4WD or at least high clearance.  Evidence of several early cultures can be found throughout the region, where some of the most significant rock art adorns cliffs and boulders.  In the 1940s, America's thirst for uranium led numerous miners to this region to mine the precious metal, and remains of such activity are scattered about, adding to the historic value of the Swell.

Since this was my first time exploring here, I hardly knew where to start, but somehow got onto North Temple Wash, used as a "road" by those vehicles able to travel it.  In addition to amazing scenery, such as North Temple Mountain itself, we found old shacks and automobile ruins, abandoned years ago by uranium miners, as well as beautiful pictographs left behind by ancient cultures.  Unfortunately, the art has been vandalized to an extent by cowboys using the images for target practice, and by more modern people who couldn't resist adding their mark to history.