It was the end of January and warmer than a Utah winter had a right to be. No snow in the valleys and not much in the mountains.

I took the opportunity to drive down to Emery Utah and then south crossing I-70 Interstate where I picked up the dirt road heading south through North Desert, Middle Desert and then finally into Cathedral Valley at the far north end of Capitol Reef National Park. The roads were all dry, well maintained and I didn’t see another soul all day. Just a pleasant drive to see all the sights again. (Kind of like visiting an old friend after a long absence.)

I visited the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon before driving northwest to the Cathedral Valley area. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky so the winter shadows made all my pictures look like an evening shot.

I then decided to take the high Cathedral Valley road and continue southeast (on the Hartnet dirt road) until I hit the highway 24 between Hanksville and Torrey Utah.

Once I had exited the park boundaries on the Hartnet Road, I took some time late in the day to use my drone to take some pictures in the Bentonite Hills.

That made for a long day and a long ride. It was good to get out and I’m hoping to see more of southern Utah as the days get longer and warmer.