The on-line definition according to Wikipedia of "Potash" is "..the common name of potassium carbonate and various mined and manufactured salts that contain the element potassium in water-soluble form..."
Potash Road (UT 279) begins 4.1 miles (6.6 km) north of Moab off Highway 191. Going about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) the road enters the deep gorge of the Colorado River then at 4 miles (6.4 km) start looking for rock climbers on the cliffs along the section locally called Wall Street. At 5.1 miles (8.2 km) you'll see signs for Indian Writing; there are pull offs on the left-side of the road, be careful as you are likely to encounter heavy trucks on both lanes of the road as they tend to drive fast.
There's plenty to see and do along Potash Road. Further down the road from the rock art are more pull-offs and parking lots offering views of "Dinosaur Tracks" and another petroglyph panel. There's parking further down the road for trailheads leading to Corona and Bowties Arch.
The paved road ends at the Intrepid Potash Mine. While we continued on for several miles we did so in our jeep; while 4-wheel drive isn't a requirement (unless it rains) you really should have a high-clearance vehicle; tow companies make a lot of money pulling out 2-wheel drive vehicles and it's much cheaper to rent a jeep for a day than to undergo that expense.
While we continued on the road past Dead Horse State Park into the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park we're only going to show the petroglyphs from the first part. We'll be sharing images from further down the road where we stumbled on the set of a Microsoft commercial as well as one featuring a remake of Thelma & Louise that includes several police cars and the T-Bird. We took the road to Musselman Arch before turning around and taking the road through Shafer Canyon before entering Canyonlands near the Island in the Sky Visitor Center so please stay tuned for that installment.
We hope as always you enjoy the images all of which were taken with the Canon 1DsIII and 28-135mm lens.
Sandy & Don
We couldn't help ourselves so here's a teaser for the next edition...
Are those at eye level or high up? I passed by those on Potash Road but it was sunset and I couldn't find them. I kept looking all around near the sign that said "Petroglyphs". I was sad that I couldn't find them as it got darker and darker. I really wanted to see them.
ReplyDeleteThese are about 50' above the road. You'll need a medium to long lens to capture them with any detail. If you're in the area take a drive south on the 191 and visit Newspaper Rock which is ground level. Very neat..
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