Our final day of our Fall Break vacation was spent at Dead Horse Point State Park. This was a very scenic look at the landscape that had been carved by the Colorado River after centuries of natural erosion. This Point is 2,000 feet above a large goose neck in the Colorado River. It was pretty spectacular to see:
You can see all of the different layers of rock the River has cut away over the years. Photographers come from all over to photograph these natural wonders and beauties and now we got to see it for ourselves! To tell you the truth, I had never even heard of Dead Horse Point until a few years ago when I saw a picture of it on the news or something. I was in awe of this cool view and have wanted to see it ever since. I was not disappointed.
At the State Park, there is a trail that walks along the edge of the entire mesa and you can look out and see all of the geological wonders of this canyon. We loved looking out and seeing everything for miles and miles.
Below are a few panoramic shots that in no way show the entire canyon or magnitude of this astonishing natural wonder:
We just walked around the mesa edge savoring the view and appreciating the beautiful world we have been given to enjoy.
As we were walking around, we came across this fun rock that made us feel like we were on top of the world:
The kids were definitely entertained by this rock and loved climbing all over it. They were pretending to be rock climbers or Spiderman as they scaled the rock. We did have to get after them because they were acting a little too crazy for my comfort right next to the cliff edge. There were no guardrails to save them this time. I was a little freaked out especially when Colby started walking backwards. Yeah needless to say we snapped our pictures and got away from the edge as fast as we could. I know they were just having fun being kids but Russell and I were getting pretty nervous.
We finished our day at Dead Horse Point with a picnic.
The boys found a shady spot under the cedar tree while the rest of us chilled at the picnic table. What a fun sightseeing day we had.
Dead Horse Point State Park was a really nice place to visit. We got to see some amazing sights. Another great blessing for us this day was that we did not have to pay to get into this State Park either! When we pulled up to the entrance booth to pay, the attendant must have seen the Fire Department emblem on Russell's hat because he asked if Russell was a fire fighter. Confused by the question, Russell answered yes. The attendant said, "Thank you for your service and enjoy your day in the Park." Then he let us right in without paying. We were again shocked but grateful! We had no idea first responders got in for free, Russell just always wears that hat.
We wondered why this area was called Dead Horse Point. I mean it is kind of a weird name. So I looked it up and as it turns out, a long time ago, cowboys would use this narrow point as a natural corral for horses. They would herd the wild mustangs to this point and then block them off. The cliff edges on three sides prevented the horses from escaping as they blocked the fourth side with brush and logs. There the cowboys would pick the horses they wanted and then let the others go. Legend has it that once, for some reason, the horses were left corralled and, with no water on the point, the horses died of thirst within sight of the Colorado River below. That is why it is called Dead Horse Point. Kind of sad if you ask me...
We have had a really fun vacation this weekend. We were sad to leave because there was so much more we wanted to do but didn't have a chance to do. This area is definitely on our vacation list of places we need to return to. Next time we come, we want to spend more time in Arches and see more of the other arches and landscape there. We also want to check out Canyonlands National Park and see what is there. There are also some hikes and trails near Moab that we were not able to get to. There was just so much to do and so little time. We can't wait to come back and do more exploring.
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