Cool stuff I didn't see in Utah

The views from the Bicentennial Highway were spectacular, but the sun went down quickly behind the rock formations and I drove a long way in the dark to my room in Monroe, Utah. It was the worst kind of night driving, the road was peppered with signs warning of "frequent deer and elk crossings next 14 miles." Even worse were the signs that promised fabulous views from innumerable scenic overlooks.

The first, and one of the worst, was Goblin Valley State Park. Thousands of rock pinnacles spread out across the valley, some of them a few metres high. The valley gets its name from the hunched, goblinlike appearance of the rocks, which come from an erosion-resistant layer of rock sitting on softer sandstone layers.

As the road met the Interstate 70 the signs for scenic overlooks continued to flash by in the night. There are views of Capitol Reef right there on the side of the road. Capitol Reef National Park is the least visited of Utah's five national parks, for reasons that are not entirely clear to me. Perhaps everyone passes by resentfully in the dark. The Interstate cuts through the Reef in Spotted Wolf Canyon. From the Spotted Wolf Canyon View Area, several major rock formations of the Reef are visible, unless it happens to be nighttime.

I also passed Black Dragon Canyon, named for a pictograph that resembles a large winged reptile. The pictograph is an artifact left by the Native Americans of the Fremont Culture who lived here between 700 and 1250 A.D. A number of stone granaries, and artwork painted (pictographs) or carved (petroglyphs) on canyon walls are still visible today.

As if that wasn't enough, I also missed seeing Ghost Rock. The rock was named when a rancher saw fog obscure the base and gave the crown the appearance of a ghost floating in the air. Ghost Rock was an important landmark for stockmen, because it often stood out in bad weather.

To the east of these rest areas is "Sinbad Country." It is assumed that the name came from rock formations that reminded someone of scenes in The Arabian Nights.

The view from every one of these overlooks is nothing short of spectacular by day, and incredibly frustrating by night when, let's face it, there isn't any view. I really will have to come back.