Continued - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

•m .. Cr-
Seldom-seen Angel Arch, one of
the loveliest in the Southwest,
was irreverently called
"Poodle Dog Arch" by one member
of the jeep party.
Arch's brown sedimentary rock is
streaked with rain marks.
Kent Frost examines cm|\
Indian storage bir bin V
near ruins in Horse Canyon.
Door slab fits the
opening so perfectly that a mouse
could not have gained access
to this granary.
/[ Two back-country explorers
V walk down historic
Mormon-built Dugway on
Slick Rock Hill. This rough
wagon trail was blasted from the
sedimentary sandstone.
Trail leads off Gray Mesa.
Pink and White sandstone
spires of Chesler Park
in the Needles.
There are no roads nor
N/' houses in this area.
all of the cold water variety. Tour guides provide everything
except clothing, toothbrush and camera. They furnish
sleeping bags, gasoline, food, utensils, tools and rough
gear to pitch a camp and get out of tough spots. The
traveler brings his own toilet items, tarp for inclement
weather, carrying bags, mosquito repellent (seldom needed)
and sunburn lotion.
On our trip there were three women and eight men.
The oldest "dude" was 70 (he celebrated his 70th in
scenic Squaw Valley!) Kent told me that about half of
his passengers are women, and that about half are retired
people.
The older folks seem to want to travel over some of
this back country before "it's gone and they're gone,"
Kent explained. "On the other hand, we are getting more
and more family groups who want to camp out for a few
days."
Two arms of the Glen Canyon reservoir will one day
border the area Kent Frost now travels. New and better
roads will penetrate the hinterland when it becomes part
of the proposed Glen Canyon Recreational area. The
beauty of the Needles, the grandeur of Gray Mesa, the
colors of Clay Hills, and the historic ruins of Horse Canyon
will one day be regular sight-seeing stops for the fasttraveling
tourist.
In the meantime, the roads are rough, the dust hangs
heavy, the bath water is cold, and the travelers are few.
If you want further information on jeeping trips into
the San Juan or Four Corners area of Utah, write to:
Chamber of Commerce, Monticello, Utah; Chamber of
Commerce, Richfield, Utah; Chamber of Commerce, Moab,
Utah; the Utah Tourist and Development Bureau. Salt
Lake City, or Desert Magazine Travel Guide, Palm Desert.
California.—END
FEBRUARY, 1960 19