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Show t ' i.'-'iV ,' ''.1 1 " ' ' :'ycv:4:-x-' --rtr -I v ' ;v v ;- . - 'j V" "''a ' 's. ' r- 'Vf' ..'.f V7' : v 1 Jii:tto Castle Valley ncar Moab is a winter treat few tourists . f I I " "t to enjov. Castle Rock guards the valley entrance. Castle I" , a and The Triest and Nuns stand free above a fresh mantle of snow in Castle Valley. The temperature was 15 .above zero, tut the sky was clear . and the air was calm, when this photo was taken. 51 Ain't the Humidity, Buddy, It's the Heat! FRAN BARNES j?:;'.ands country is I""" scorcrin'g. baking. '-:.i:'s f.amir.g. broil-; broil-; it's downright la fact, it's Quito r'J't ak any tourist r: 7s-e'.5 through this '--a of sh canyons, rr: ieserts and red, red j. tTeen rr.id-June September. He'll 3 that all that red, t 'xi'ea its "color frcm hot, not from iron t :.: is Lie sandstone! canyoolands coun- ' j hot, and for a "it's the heat, not h.rihy," to itverse f : : ayhig. But despite 1 ! ; hrsion that sum- nstors may get, I ;:'t ALWAYS hot in I -'idi. Just by coin-J coin-J .:ta. the hottest time jtr in the Colorado land a few other i- tco) happens to srzi with the time :;sp':e take their va-f va-f many because "eirs leave them :"'-"e, some because tive no control over "It 7 cation schedules, -fc"t simply out of :--iy.x. Summer is the -j 'rJ take vacations. ' - those who can't or :- change their vaca tions from the mid-summer months, will simply have to endure a bit of heat cr miss cut entirely on the varied splendor that the Colorado Plateau has to crur. But thos"e who can vary their vacation schedules sched-ules would be well advised to plan their canyonlands trips for the spring, fall cr winter. Much to Offer Each of the three "off seasons" has much to offer, although early spring is probably the least predictable. predict-able. Spring in Colorado Plateau country can be as pleasant as, well as a day in spring! But it can also bring invasions of frigid air from the north, whooping winds frcm the southwest, dreary overcast from the southeast, or threatening threa-tening storms from the west; and northwest. Spring in canyonlands, March, April and May, is a chancy time for weather, but fall, from mid-September through November, is sure to be beautiful. Spring brings the color of endless wtldflowers to the semi-arid canyonlands plateaus, valleys val-leys and canyons. Fall ibiing3 to blossom still other oth-er species of desert flowers flow-ers and shrubs. In fact, some areas are far more colorful tfr .,inuary from The Neck on Island-in-thc-Sky, p v,;;n'ands National Park, the view in all directions is arwl blue and white. The four inches of snow Park road were no hindrance to travel. No in the fall months than in the spring, with vast expanses ex-panses blazing solid yellow, yel-low, waist deep. And in the fall all the deciduous trees that fill the valleys and canyons, that border every' river and stream, that trace every subterranean trickle and surround every tiny-spring, tiny-spring, all blaze with color. Golden Aspen In the higher elevations, aspen first signal the end of summer by turning char-.treuse, char-.treuse, then yellow or amber. Oak bush on ' the mid-slopts of mountain -ranges goes from green to blood-red, amber, orange or yellow, then fades to chocolate choco-late brown. Cottonwobds, sycamores and poplars are next, changing rivers and streams into gigantic lemon-hued serpents winding across the desert or between high cliff walls. Tree-filled valleys val-leys become lakes of shimmering shim-mering gold. Other native trees and bushes turn every ev-ery color imaginable at in-cterrrrediate in-cterrrrediate elevations and (wherever desert tamarisk occurs, the dominent color an amber or burnt orange. ' And in the fall, the canyonlands can-yonlands climate is lovely, with warm, Indian-summer days, cool nights for good sleeping, and virtually no wind or unpleasant weather. weath-er. . - Winter Has Its Points Yes, fall in the canyonlands canyon-lands is best, but -winter has its points, too. December Decem-ber and January can be . cool, even cold, with frosts . common at night, but the days can be miracles of bright, warm sun, with not a; breath of wind blowing, nor a cloud marring the -deep blue sky. Shirtsleeve (weather, tennis weather, as perfect as you could want for visiting canyonlands' scenic cttrc'ons. .' What real winter there is in the lower elevations of the Colorado Plateau, such as Moab Valley at 4,000 feet, arrives in the early part of the new year. JMostly, winters are dry, very dry, so dry that you imight think the relative humidity is negative! No rain falls, and generally little snow, either. But vvhten snow ' does fall on redrock country, what was beautiful before, becomes -magnificent beyond com-, pare ! Little Snow Such snows seldom last Jong. The warm daytime sun sees to that, but while itj lasts, snow transforms' the reds and browns and -ambers and yellows of can- f et chains were needed. The dirt and gravel surface was firm and dry under the show, and the viewpoints- . the road leads to were exceptionally lovely. yonlands sandstone into -richer' hues, and accents the deep blue of the clear winder sky. With snow, encrusting en-crusting its 'walls, -domes, pinnacles, buttes, spires and. ledges, redrock . country coun-try becomes a study in Jpat.riot.ism red, .white and blue and exhibits an aspect that almost none but the few who live there ever know about or see. Yes, it's hot in canyonlands canyon-lands country, but Only in the short summer months. , If you don't care for daytime day-time temperatures in the 90's and low 100's, and don't care to spend your visit there stuck! inside an' air-conditioned car, then try another season. Canyonlands Can-yonlands country has four, seasons and only one is hot. The other three are cooler, and the country is often still more beautiful. |