SketchTravel in the Southwest – Canyonlands
SketchTravel in the Southwest – Canyonlands
From Canyon de Chelly to Canyonlands – #4 of 4
From my journal…
We drove north from Canyon de Chelly under gray skies through Rock Point, Mexican Water, Bluff, stopping at Blanding. Reading about Navaho witchcraft. On to Canyonlands, where I got a book on Everett Ruess’ letters and blockprints of the Southwest at the Needles, Canyonlands visitor center. Currently reading a book on Navaho Oshley, as well as Masked Gods by Frank Waters.
Cave Springs
Took a short hike at Cave Spring through low sandstone rocks with wide overhanging capstones. We saw some plants with large white flowers and dark green leaves that looked like Datura, but we weren’t sure. From the high points we saw black thunderheads releasing their curtains of rain to the southwest and east. The Needles were bathed in sun to the north. We made a mental note to be careful of canyons now since the rain from far away can flood through these small canyons unexpectedly. It cleared later that night.
Island in the Sky
We awoke to clear skies and warm weather. Drove to the north entrance to Canyonlands, hiking to Upheaval Dome, Mesa Arch, Murphy Overlook and Grand Viewpoint. Then north to Green River and southwest to to Goblin Valley. Spent a short time walking around those strange mud hobbit shapes that looked like melted chocolate snowmen. There are no trails to walk on since nothing grows here but an occasional weed. We also stopped at the trailhead to Wild Horse Canyon and Bell Canyon, taking a hike into the very narrow slot canyons for a while. They were so narrow my day pack scraped on both sides. A long day of hiking. Stopped for a dinner of local trout and rattlesnake cakes at some diablo restaurant. Burned a little wood in the fireplace that night. A nice ending to a great trip.
Please look for my other posts of sketch travels in the Southwest here as well.
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My southwest posts:
#1 – Moab, Arches National Park
#2 – Arches, Arches National Park
#3 – Cliff Dwellings of the Southwest
#4 – Canyonlands
Dear Artzonian, thanks for using the #ArtzOne hashtag. Your work is valuable to the @ArtzOne community. Quote of the week: Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics. -Victor Pinchuk
Thank you @artzone!
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beautiful, beautiful
i love the rocks, the shading and the formation ! so wonderful !
thank you @veryspider. They have strong shapes and shadows for sure.
So creative! Most of people take photos but you make paintings of what you've seen! Great job!
Thank you @delishtreats. It is always fun to come away with some drawings from my travels. But often I see something to draw but nowhere to sit, or too crowded, or lightly raining etc. So when it works out I am happy!