Traveling through Utah along Interstate 70 West from a photography trip to Colorado, I was intrigued by the many turnouts featuring overlooks of the amazing weathered sandstone formations in the
San Rafael Swell near Green River. I was on a timeline to return home, but as I took this trio of photographs, I promised myself an extended revisit to Capitol Reef and this part of Utah in the near future. The San Rafael Swell, approximately 75 miles by 40 miles, is part of the Colorado Plateau and consists of sandstone, shale, and limestone that was pushed up to the surface 60-40 million years ago. Since that time, infrequent but powerful
flash floods have eroded the
sedimentary rocks into numerous
valleys,
canyons,
gorges,
mesas and
buttes.
© Stuart L Gordon Photography