Temple of the Sun/Moon

I am so thankful we get to travel around and experience life. Today was awesome. We’re still taking it easy to let my back do it’s thing (hopefully heal) so we drove out and hiked around Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon.

We drove out to Cathedral Valley on a dirt road off the highway. Charles Kelly, the first caretaker and superintendent of Capitol Reef, named the area “Cathedral Valley” because the eroded sandstone shapes reminded early explorers of ornate Gothic cathedrals, with fluted walls, alcoves, and pinnacles. The landscape is mesmerizing with softly-contoured, banded hills in varying hues of brown, red, purple, gray, and green. From a ways a way we could see the massive monoliths named Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon.

These two monoliths formed 160 million years ago during Jurassic times when mud, silt, fine sand, and volcanic ash were deposited in swamps and lakes. They jut up from the floor and tower above everything. We hiked out and around them to get different views and marvel at their uniqueness.

It’s hard to drive very far around here and not find something marvelous to see. On the way back we stopped several times and walked around to check out the views. Caineville Mesa was a highlight indeed. The eroding mountains and mesa’s have cut ravines that fan out dramatically at the base and are captivating.