Technology, Books and Other Neat Stuff

The southern Utah stretch of US-191 is a spectacular road.

The long run from Monticello to Moab runs past two major mountain ranges, and across plains ridged with eroded red sandstone ridges. In winter the bright sun reflects off the snow, sharply defining the horizon and outlining the peaks of the La Sal mountains.

It's hard to keep to the speed limit as you glide down the long hill to the plain.



The straight road runs past the lone monolith of Church Rock, a giant stone beehive - straight off the state's road signs - that dominates the plain.



There's nothing to tell us what the mysterious cave at its foot contains.

A few miles further and you're threading through gorges and over rolling hills. Suddenly a red rock bridge is at the side of the road, with a waiting turn off. This is Wilson Arch, a sign of the erosion that's shaped the land over millions of years.



US 191, Utah
January 2009