According to legend, the park is so named because of its use as a natural corral by cowboys in the 19th century, where horses often died of exposure. It’s a very harsh climate, and plants grow slowly due to the extreme conditions and usually have small leaves with a waxy coating to reduce evaporation.

Also reminiscent of the Badlands in South Dakota.

Some caves? And yes, the sky was really that blue. We had gorgeous weather the whole time we were there.

Boulders and an incredible view.

We couldn’t get over the rock formations.

Everywhere we looked, stunning views.

Such unusual rock formations.

We took a little accidental detour to Manti-La Sal National Forest, which proved to be lovely.

I don’t know the name of this ridge, but it’s beautiful.

One rock formation after another.

And then we stumbled upon dinosaur tracks!

There were signs everywhere to avoid standing to close to the edge. I’m surprised I didn’t get vertigo. It one thousand feet down.

This view was literally heart-stopping.

It seemed to be legit. There is a typo, however: “childern.” Sorry, I used to be a proofreader.

Great weekend, everyone!

{carole}