Most people drive across southern Utah looking at large formations, never realizing that they are crossing the site of a gigantic collision of tectonic plates. The San Rafael Swell was raised thousands of feet when the Pacific Plate crashed into the Continental Plate.
In the countless millions of years since, the Swell has been eroded and shaped as you see in my earlier posts over the past few days.
Spotted Wolf Canyon and Black Dragon Canyon mark the spot where Highway 70 soars up onto the Swell:
As we get closer, we realize that the Swell rises sharply above the desert, and Highway 70 has to wind its way to climb those mountains.
A few days ago, I showed the view from the top of the Swell:
Now, on the last day of my visit, I roared up the highway from the Eastern entrance as that truck above did:
Spotted Wolf and Black Dragon Canyons intersect at the top of the long, sinuous climb:
After climbing the eastern face of this glacier of stone, we continue West across the immense highlands of the San Rafael Swell. Along our way, we encounter several high overlooks where we can look out across the top of this colossal raised portion of Utah:
There is more on the Swell, Goblin Valley and my other recent adventures here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Rafael_Swell
It isn't diving with great white sharks, but it is a wild experience!
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