Earth Exposed

[LumenLux]

I decided to forgo a macho guys hike and seek out some gentler, kinder routes with my wife. We and another couple had 4 days to explore the 1.7 million acres of Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. Don't worry, I am not going to present a million acres or even the hundreds of photos taken. But I have put together a 6-minute segment, Earth Exposed, which covers only about 90 minutes of our explorations. You can download the presentation here on Beechbrook,where Bill managed to post it before going on an extended photo-shoot himself. Please share your thoughts after viewing. You know - weak points, strong points, enjoyed or ?

[Ken Cox]

Bill is going away for a bit -- he is going to put a notice up shortly

ken

[Rooskidiver]

Very nice presentation! The pictures are just awesome.

I think we're going to see part of that area this month. We're taking a trip in the motorhome to the Grand Canyon and one of the stops along the way is Bryce Canyon at Torrey, Utah. Another couple planned the route and their itinerary says we'll be seeing the Grand Staircase at our stop in Torrey. I guess we won't be seeing all of it!

[frets3]

Hi, Bob,

Your hike at Escalante pleasantly reminded me of my stop there in 1971. Although that visit seems a long time ago, thirty-seven years is but a mere blink compared to the time since these rocks were deposited and are now so beautifully incised here.

The music complimented your photos nicely. Thanks for the show!

David

[TonyFalla]

Beautiful show music and pictures fitted together perfectly and the introduction set the scene.

I do have 2 questions:-

1. What is the music you used.

2. What is the white deposit left by the water in times of flood?

Tony Falla

[LumenLux]

Very nice presentation! The pictures are just awesome.

I think we're going to see part of that area this month. We're taking a trip in the motorhome to the Grand Canyon and one of the stops along the way is Bryce Canyon at Torrey, Utah. Another couple planned the route and their itinerary says we'll be seeing the Grand Staircase at our stop in Torrey. I guess we won't be seeing all of it!

Thank you for your comment on the photos/presentation. I'm sure you will enjoy anywhere in the vast area that you visit. Grand Canyon itself is quite a distance away. However Bryce Canyon is very close on one end of the Grand Staircase National Monument. On the other end of the Grand Staircase area is Torrey. Torrey is a little oasis of a town in this arid land. Torrey is actually right at the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park. If you are going to Bryce and Torrey you very possibly will follow Highway 12, which is a spectacular scenic drive - especially the "hog's back" section between Escalante and Boulder. So keep your head up and enjoy it! I will say though that Grand Staircase is not so easily "packaged" for "stop here, look here, photo here" enjoyment. You will get a much expanded feel for the land if you are able to do a bit of "in the dirt" exploring. It might be compared to my looking at the surface of the ocean vs. your diving in the depths. And when you are home, it would be fun to see here what impressed you.

[LumenLux]

Beautiful show music and pictures fitted together perfectly and the introduction set the scene.

I do have 2 questions:-

1. What is the music you used.

2. What is the white deposit left by the water in times of flood?

Tony Falla

Thanks Tony. The intro music is "Radja Song" from World Mix Vol.6 from FreePlayMusic. The main track is Brian Tyler's "The Ring of Paul" from Children of Dune cd.

Regarding the white deposits - Although I have seen similar deposits, I have never seen so much as I found in the stream beds or flood courses as I found here. We ourselves had more questions about it than answers. My friend's wife volunteered to taste the white stuff as we all thought is possibly was some form of salt. She said it did not taste salty. I did run into a Canadian geologist at another stop. He overheard me asking about it and said it is an "evaporate" and named some of the chemical content (which did not stick in my mind!) The white deposit is not a crystal structure but more like flour consistency. The "flour", even when totally dry on the large boulders, is quite slippery under foot.

I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation - thanks for your comment.

[Rooskidiver]

Torrey is actually right at the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park. If you are going to Bryce and Torrey you very possibly will follow Highway 12, which is a spectacular scenic drive - especially the "hog's back" section between Escalante and Boulder. So keep your head up and enjoy it! I will say though that Grand Staircase is not so easily "packaged" for "stop here, look here, photo here" enjoyment. You will get a much expanded feel for the land if you are able to do a bit of "in the dirt" exploring. It might be compared to my looking at the surface of the ocean vs. your diving in the depths. And when you are home, it would be fun to see here what impressed you.

I think we are following Highway 12. The route is Moab, Torrey, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP, Page AZ, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde NP, and Colorado Springs. I think it all looks good. We've got lots of hiking planned. I figured it would be impossible to see and do it all in three weeks but we'll sure make an effort! I'll let you know how it goes and who knows ... maybe even make a slideshow.

Carol