Thousand Lakes RV Park, Torrey, Utah
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. ~ Proverbs 26:12
Between the two of us, we took over 800 pictures yesterday and today. Now don’t worry, I’ll not be putting them all in the blog. But it’s 800 pictures I have to go through, and that takes a lot of time. When this happens, oftentimes it’s the result of us both being awestruck by the same view, so it’s just a matter of paring them down. Other times, we just get trigger-happy and our fingers take multiple pictures of the same thing. And this is one reason why I get behind on my posting.
This morning, we topped off our Jeep’s tank, washed the windows, and headed into the wilderness. Today’s journey is about the drive, so we didn’t do much walking today. Capital Reef National Park has an 80-mile round trip dirt and gravel road that takes you deep inside the Park, which, coupled with the side trips and driving to and from the campground, meant, we traveled 110-miles today and spent the better part of 8 hours, inside the Jeep. Keep in mind as you view our pictures from today, that many were taken through either the windshield or passenger side window, and because vehicle windows come with some tinting, it tends to distort things a bit. Plus, they pick up sun glare. And the ever-present bug splatter (tiny gnats today) – all of which I try to repair as best I can. What that means is that, while the pictures are pretty good most of the time, they can’t hold a candle to what the naked eye perceives. I think you’ll notice when we step outside.
What a glorious day we had! For the most part, I’ll be letting the pictures do the talking. 😊
It’s 7:50am, so the lighting’s not great for pictures yet, but it won’t be long. . . .
That water’s moving really fast! What do we do?
The Weather Channel voices were speaking loud and clear. “Turn around, don’t drown!”
But he didn’t listen.
If you scroll through the pictures at just the right speed, it’ll seem like you’re riding along in the front seat!
Enjoy!
Google can be a wonderful tool! We came upon this abandoned truck during our drive today. I simply typed “JL Pinkerton Utah” (you’ll see why in a second) in the search box and this is what I found. 😊
This custom drilling rig attached to a 1947 International Harvester KB-6 was abandoned on BLM land on the Cathedral Valley loop. The driver door is stenciled with “JL Pinkerton, GTM-15441A, PUC M-15722, E.W. 7750”. I’ve seen earlier photos with the butterfly hood attached but it is now missing. The area allows for open cattle grazing and the drilling equipment was used to drill for a water source for the cattle.
Wonder what in the world happened to the poor thing?
It had a branding tag on it’s ear, so surely someone missed it.
Guess they decided to just leave it to nature.
(After you learn something first.)
This next section was most incredible!! What a marvelous display God put on here!
I wanted to know what Bentonite was, so I Googled it, found out, and then followed a link to WebMD. This is what I found there:
Bentonite is a very old clay. The fine powder forms when volcanic ash ages. It’s named after Fort Benton, WY, which has a lot of it. But it’s found all over the world. People have eaten bentonite clay or put it on their skin for thousands of years. It’s been used to:
- Clean or protect skin
- Heal skin infections or acne
- Treat stomach gas
- Ease diarrhea
Today, bentonite is used to make medicine and makeup. You can buy it in powder or pill form, too. It’s sometimes used in:
- Shampoo
- Lotion
- Face masks
- Toothpaste
- Dietary supplements
How Does It Work?
Bentonite clay adsorbs and absorbs. That means it attracts particles, like dirt on your skin. It also takes in a lot of water. That’s how it turns into a face mask. Bentonite is what makes pet litter clump.
Bentonite has a high cation exchange capacity. That means clay, which has a negative charge, can attract positively charged cations. Those are minerals like magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Bentonite also has aluminum and silica.
It may also attract positively charged toxins in your gut.
Are There Health Benefits?
Bentonite clay is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. It also has trace minerals like calcium, iron, copper, and zinc. Some people eat it to get these nutrients. That’s called geophagy. But the foods people typically eat already have these minerals.
Most of the research on bentonite clay involves animals. Studies show it may lower the amount of certain toxins in the body, like aflatoxins. They’re made by certain molds and can hurt your liver. Some research shows it may remove pesticides and help treat metal poisoning. But more human studies are needed.
You don’t usually need to clean out your body. Your kidneys and liver already do that. The fiber from fruits and vegetables also helps.
Uses of Bentonite Clay
Skin. Think of bentonite clay as a sponge. It absorbs dirt and oil, like sebum. Too much sebum can lead to acne. The anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties may help your skin heal. Studies show bentonite clay may help with:
- Allergic reactions to poison ivy and poison oak
- Hand dermatitis
- Diaper rash
- Skin infections or ulcers
- Sunscreen protection
Is It Safe?
- Bentonite clay is generally OK to use on your skin and hair. But the FDA doesn’t regulate health and cosmetic products, so there’s no way to know exactly what’s in them or if they’ll work.
- Doctors don’t recommend eating clay. It could cause a blockage in your intestines. And it can affect how you absorb nutrients and electrolytes. Plus, clay or soil can have high levels of harmful germs and heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and mercury.
Talk to your doctor before you take oral bentonite or any supplement, especially if you’re pregnant or take other medicines.
Time to get back in the jeep and take in the indescribable landscape!
but we wanted to see what “Guy’s Reservoir” had in store for us.
We didn’t continue, because it just went down into the valley.
See that ‘vein’ down there?
It wasn’t brown. It was a gorgeous shade of plum! : (
If we were in the green, we’re in the Park. If we’re in the yellow, we’re not.
The road went in and out several times today.
This time, you’ll need your hiking boots.
Those are “The Temple of the Sun” on the left, and “The Temple of the Moon” on the right.
You can just see the Moon’s peak in this picture.
And you can see the road now too. Over on the right side of the Sun?
We actually came in from the top of the picture when we got there.
The lonely trail across the plain.
What’d you bring?
Hope you weren’t too cramped in the back seat!
Could you see out okay??
Ya with us??
Fighting off gnats while I wait.
Where’s the breeze when you need it???
Cathedral Valley was named in 1945 by Frank Beckwith and Charles Kelly, the first superintendent of Capitol Reef. The upward-sweeping, tapering lines, and three dimensional surfaces
reminded the men of Gothic and Egyptian architecture.
fins of black rock that you could see in a line from one side of the road and across the other,
through the landscape.
How do they know the whole place won’t collapse?
I found out that it was caused by groundwater dissolving a buried gypsum plug.
The cavity collapsed under the weight of overlying rock,
and caused the sinkhole which is 50 feet across and 200 feet deep!
No one will tell me when this happened . . .
Kinda cool, but also a reminder that erosion continues.
By the way, in case you’re wondering, that’s Little Black Mountain.
According to NPS, it’s a large, exposed mound of selenite crystals. Selenite is a variety of gypsum in the form of glassy crystals. The crystals of glass mountain are somewhat unusual in size and in the massiveness of the deposit. Glass Mountain formed as a result of groundwater flowing through the Entrada Sandstone. This water carried dissolved gypsum, which started to crystallize, forming what has been called a “gypsum plug.” (remember that from the sinkhole?) This plug is now being exposed as the soft Entrada Sandstone erodes away.
Some shiny, some opaque, and others seemed as though if you took them out, they’d be clear.
I had to be careful though, because they were kinda sharp.
Blaine walked to a sand dune to take the following picture.
This is my hiding place. : )
Especially since apparently no one has ever measured the size of these.
The Moon is smaller than the Sun though – – naturally.
And this is the Moon. So . . . .
the Sun will be much larger than this!
A petrified chicken leg? : )
We were doing well as far as weather was concerned – – it was warm, but there was a breeze and most of our time today was spent inside the Jeep with the air running. But while we were walking around The Temple of the Sun, an extremely strong gust of wind, that lasted several minutes, whipped up the dust and hurled it at us. It eventually stopped, but then kicked back up again. By the time we were able to return to the Jeep, all of our exposed skin (which by the way, was shining from the heat), plus our clothes and shoes were imbedded with dirt. Can someone please tell me how you get grit in your teeth when you keep your mouth closed? Blaine and I are both wondering how that happened. . . .
I was here, waiting for Blaine to take a picture of me,
but the wind was so bad, and we were being sand-blasted, so he gave up.
Here’s a sample of what it’s like to drive in deep sand. : )
Naturally we showered as soon as we got back home, but I could feel the dirt clinging to my head as I washed my hair. This campground seems to regulate their water pressure, so at a time when I could’ve used a firehose, what I got was a sprinkler. If I wake in the morning with dust on my pillow, I’m reasonably certain it won’t be fairy dust. . . .