Fantasy Canyon

Clark's brother, Mitch, and his family were in town for the weekend. Saturday morning, 26th, we invited them to go on an excursion with us to Fantasy Canyon. We put some cold drinks in a cooler and headed out of town. Fantasy Canyon is a really interesting place to go. It is less than an hour from the center of town and yet it seems so very distant. It is just a small area that Mother Nature has turned into a Fantasy Land. Lots of sand stone shaped by the wind and rain over the years.

We weren't the only family out and about on this day. This group of antelope was by the side of the road and seemed content to watch us as we watched them.

This is the sign at the parking lot of the canyon. If you look really close you will note that it says pygmy rattle snakes have been seen in the area. We can verify that. I did not see it. Clark saw it slithering up the gully and take cover under some brush and overhanging rock. Faye heard its faint rattle. When I found out what Clark was trying to see under the rock, I became fleet of foot and disappeared. Fortunately for us it was a smart snake and stayed under cover.

Beverly, Faye, and Emma. The girls pretty much hung together but the two men and their cameras each went a different direction and we met up again when we all were thirsty enough to head for the car.

As an Eagle Scout project many of the carvings (I guess that is what you would call them) were named and a post with a metal disk with the name and approximate location from where you are standing stamped on it are placed throughout the area. I don't remember what this one was called, but it looks something like a flying witch to me.

Clark was walking through the bottom of the canyon looking for a geocache. The cache turned out to be a vein of gilsonite running right on the top of the ground. Lots of cool stuff in this little area.

Here we all are at the end of the day. We really like the little remote picture taker for Clark's camera. You don't have to run and hope you make it in time to be completely in the picture.

After Fantasy Canyon we rode toward Ouray, UT. Back in 1890 there was a unit of black cavalry that had a fort -- Fort Valentine -- in this location. Funny that I didn't notice the shape of the heart while I was there. I had to come home and look at the photo before it clicked. The lines on top are Troop USC9th 1890. I'm not sure when, but the students from West Jr. High put up a sign explaining the purpose of the fort. "To patrol the eastern perimeter of the Indian reservation and to settle disputes between Indians and non-Indians.
We had a great time and look forward to Mitch and Faye's next visit for another super adventure.