Heading northwards along a dirt road in the northern portion of Capitol Reef National Park (actually, this is probably outside the park boundary, maybe on private land or BLM public land), is this abandoned drilling rig. I think it was a water well rig. It reminds me of the old cable tool rigs used in the very early days of oil well drilling, with its wooden mast and wooden flywheel.
Desert Grafiti, iPhone Photo
The old truck body has been used as an artist canvas and for target shooting by someone or someones.
There was a watering facility near this old rig for a local cattle herd. Some of the cattle watched me as I watched them to be sure none of them took exception to my presence.
One never knows what one might find in the great open spaces of the western U.S.
Desert Overlook, Capitol Reef National Park, iPhone PhotoDesert Overlook, Capitol Reef National Park, iPhone PhotoPainted Hills, Capitol Reef National Park, iPhone Photo
My readers have already seen many photos of some of the fantastic, massive geological features in the Cathedral Valley portion of Capitol Reef National Park. The long loop road through this area passes many such features. We did not have time to explore around all of these and certainly not time to visit each area for golden hour sunrise or sunset photography.
But we did stop and walk around at some of the more easily accessible areas near the roadway. Often, I would use my iPhone camera to capture the scenes, rather than lugging around a heavy DSLR and lens.
Magic Seeker, iPhone PhotoDesert Vortex – Sky and Earth, iPhone PhotoRock Power, iPhone PhotoCommander/Tower of Power, iPhone PhotoDesert Sentinels/Commander and Sidekick, iPhone PhotoCathedral Valley Scene, iPhone PhotoSky Partitioner, iPhone PhotoDesert Sun, iPhone PhotoSerpent Sky, iPhone PhotoHalo, iPhone Photo
I know these photos are similar, but those clouds that seem to be emanating from the monolithic rock, emphasizing its powerful magic had to be captured in numerous compositions (I have even more, that I will not impose upon the reader).
One of the most fascinating areas in Capitol Reef National Park is Cathedral Valley, located in the northeastern portion of the park. There are two access routes into/through this area from Utah Highway 24. The access closest to the visitor center requires a river ford, while the other, nearer Hanksville, does not require a river ford and gets into the most scenic portion much sooner than the river ford access point.
The geology in this area is varied and great for photography. We visited numerous times and only scratched the surface of the photographic opportunities here. I will devote a number of post to this area.
Cathedral Valley
Initially, we hit the most popular areas in this very large valley and scouted for the places we wanted to get to at golden hours, which was a challenge, given the many miles of driving to get here from our lodging and the limited time we had to work this very large area.
Cathedral Valley MonolithsCathedral Valley Monoliths
I see opportunities to organize my photographs of this area into themes, but rather than take the organizational time required for that at this time, I’m posting images in the order that they were taken.
Desert Shadows – Black and WhiteDesert Sand, Vegetation and Shadows – Black and WhiteDesert Life – Black and WhiteDead Grass and Shadows – Black and WhiteSunburst – Black and White
Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is a narrow, but long park. During our first visit here years ago, we saw a limited portion of the park centered near the most visited area around the park headquarters. We were determined to see more during this visit and consequently had to spend much more time driving many miles to and from others areas of the park. So much of our time here was spent in a scouting mode, rather than being in a particular place at the best time for landscape photography.
Strike Valley, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
This view of Strike Valley is in the southern portion of Capitol Reef National Park, accessible via a 3 mile, rocky, 4 wheel drive road, followed by a 0.3 mile hike through forest and over slick rock. The photos taken here were during a scouting visit, when it was mostly overcast with rain threatening, so the light was uniform with interesting clouds.
Strike Valley, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
I paused along the quick hike back to the trailhead to snap photos of the clouds overhead with occasional drops of rain coming down.
While examining a digital satellite map image of the forested area near my operational base in Indiana, I noted one area designated as a wilderness, so I decided to drive into that area and check it out.
All of the photos in this post are via my iPhone.
Almost Peak Color
I pulled off of the forest road through the Hoosier National Forest on my way to check out the Charles C. Deam Wilderness area at a camping/picnic area to look around. There were restroom facilities, shelters, picnic areas and a few visitors. I noted a hiking trail that went into the forest from here, but I did not take time to check it out. There were a few colorful trees in near peak fall color, so I made a few iPhone images, with the one above the best.
I continued down the forest roadway, spotting a number of “No Parking” signs along the way.
Steep Fine, Gentle Hillside
This roadway is narrow, so parking along it would impede traffic and probably would create a danger, since visibility over hills and around curves is limited and one could easily crash into a parked vehicle that appears suddenly in the narrow roadway. The $80 fine seems steep, but maybe necessary to discourage parking here.
I found a parking lot just off of this roadway at an old fire lookout tower that is no longer in use, but open for visitors to climb.
Descriptive Sign, Hoosier National Forest, Oct 2021
Apparently, there were farmlands in this area at one time, but those have been taken over by the forest, after this area was designated a wilderness area.
An old fire lookout tower, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana, Fall 2021
I chose to climb the 133 steps to the top to get an overview of this area. As I started up the first flight of stairs, I had second thoughts about my choice as the stairs wobbled with each step. After a brief hesitation, I continued the climb.
Note on stair rail
Near the top of the tower, I noted that someone else had the same reaction as I did to the wobbly stairs.
A view from an old lookout tower, Hoosier National Forest, Fall 2021
I shot a few iPhone photos from the observation floor of the tower. Being above treetop level, I had a good overview of the vast forest around the tower.
A view from an old lookout tower, Hoosier National Forest, Fall 2021A view from an old lookout tower, Hoosier National Forest, Fall 2021A panoramic view from an old lookout tower, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana, Fall. 2021Top flight of stairs of lookout tower
After enjoying the view, it was time to descend the “sketchy” stairs and get my feet back on firm ground.
Wilderness Marker
I saw a trailhead marker near the tower, so I walked over to check it out. I was not prepared to hike in this wilderness today, but I decided to come back another day for more exploration.
Near a trailhead into the Charles C. Deam Wilderness, Indiana, Fall 2021Information Sign, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana, Fall 2021
There was an old road beginning at the end of the tower parking lot that was blocked off with a steel gate. I walked over to take a look down the roadway and found this sign about an old cemetery that was apparently here prior to the wilderness designation. There was no indication of how far it was to the cemetery, but I decided to walk the roadway, hoping to find something interesting.
I found remnants of old structures that were mentioned in the information sign at the tower and continued to walk the roadway for awhile. I never found any indication of how far it was to the cemetery and I eventually turned back, since I did not see any noteworthy reason to continue.
A view into the Wilderness
This final image, looking into the wilderness woodland, was taken somewhere along the route.
