Boulders and Fractured Cliff. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 26, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Huge boulders lie at the base of a fractured sandstone cliff, Capitol Reef National Park
The rugged sandstone landscape of Utah is among my very favorite, rivaling “my” Sierra Nevada. It certainly exceeds the Sierra when it comes to color, especially in autumn when the yellows and reds of fall colors are set off against the infinite variety of sandstone colors and textures and that beautiful blue sky. The iconic locations are well known — Zion, Bryce, Arches — but off the beaten track there are infinite other beauties to find in places like Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a place that would certainly be one of our greatest national parks by now if not for politics. This photograph comes from Capitol Reef, a park that I’ve been getting to know for the past few years.
I’ve spent a lot of time there, and recently I’ve been looking forward to returning. However, now that I see the Utah politicians mounting a very serious special-interest attack on these great American lands, ranging from new monuments to some of the venerable places, I’m not going to give that state one bit of my business. Several major outdoor equipment manufacturers (Patagonia and Arcteryx as of this writing, with more to come) have dropped out of Utah’s major annual outdoor industry meet-up, and I think that a fine way to remind those Utah politicians that these lands matter — to all of us, but also to their constituents whose gas and food we buy and in whose motels we stay — is to take a No Utah vow until this changes. Perhaps I can get my sandstone fix in New Mexico? ;-)
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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