Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Highway 12 and its adjoining roads transverse the last wilderness in the lower United States to be explored by European Americans. The Henry Mountains, the soot-black, bald laccolithic domes that creep across the sea of red solid rock in the frame of the eastbound driver's windshield, were the last mountains on the continent to be named. The Escalante River, which drains the wooded highlands rising in necessary opposition on that sea's far shore, was the last river on the continent to be discovered. The hamlet of Boulder in its pocket of green off the shoulder of those highlands, was once the most isolated town in the United States. To this day, it is possible to find niches and alcoves, narrow canyons and glens which no modern man has seen except from above. This is because the reach of land off Highway 12's southern edge is the most broken-up, inaccessible, intractable, inhospitable country on the face of the earth, and it is unlike anything else on the earth. It is land in the form of a mindscape, a place that shouldn't exist except as a mental contruct.

--Christian Probasco, Highway 12

C. and I are already planning another trip to southern Utah for next October. Anyone else want to go?

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:10 AM

    I'd love to but my congenital bonybuttitis precludes all horsey adventures. Great picture!

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  2. Anonymous6:02 AM

    More than I can say. It is awesome country.

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  3. Hiking, rock climbing (with the gourmet cook who almost had a PhD in history so he's great to talk to), sitting around reading are all perfectly acceptable activities with our outfitters (hondoo.com, check 'em out, they're a great group). You'd never have to touch a horse if you didn't want to. I think it's an incredible spot for a bloggers convention. :) Y'all come!

    And in the butt department, Sylvia, the horse I rode in '05, Roy, had a lot of interesting quirks and issues, so I liked him for that, but his trot was so jarring and obnoxious that my previously broken tailbone hurt until well in the spring. This year I rode Dante who had the sweetest trot imaginable.

    Plus there's a cool bookstore in Torrey--the wrangler works there and makes great recommendations.

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  4. Ahh, so lovely. Maybe someday.

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  5. Anonymous12:25 PM

    Hmm, sitting around and reading sounds like fun. Or at least pretending to read and just soaking in the incredible view.

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