25 July 2024 – Trip Day 116
Today we decided to drive to the Edge of the Cedars Utah State Park. We had seen signs for this park in our various journeys around Utah, but we had a free day, so we decided to go see it.
The park has a Great Kiva reconstruction, which Meagan was very excited about.
This is Randal’s preferred way to start the morning. And mid morning, if he can.
Ducky is right there with him, and is even less inclined to get up and going!
As a prelude to the Edge of the Cedars, I just want to say that for both Meagan and I, this is the best Puebloan / Early American museum we’ve been to. In fact, it is far superior to most, if not all, of the NPS sites we’ve been to on this trip.
There is a massive collection of various artifacts and they are all laid out in context and timeline to help you get a better understanding of the various cultures and time periods that they were extant in.
Below is a selected set of images to showcase what we saw. I have a bunch more pictures of the things on display, but I think this captures it quite well.
The ruins in the back of the museum. You can see the ladder to the Great Kiva sticking out over the walls.
Down in the Kiva, Ducky contemplates the greater mysteries of life. Or he might be ready to go run.
It was very important to him to climb down the ladder and back up on his own!
Out back on the nature path, the museum had this solar art piece constructed to demonstrate marking time by sun location.
Ducky vs the sculpture.
A combined timeline showing the various Puebloan cultures compared to cultures in Europe and when they were extant.
One of the really cool parts of the museum is they had a lot of their pottery pieces in storage or preservation, but they were still viewable. It was really nice to see the wide array of pieces.
Macaw feather sash. When we visited several NPS sites, there would always be a discussion that macaw bones were found and how they were part of the trade network. Edge of the Cedars actually had an intact sash on display!
Hafted knives.
Cottonwood plates. I think reproductions might be available in Pottery Barn or Pier 1.
Some of the cool mugs they had on display. After a couple hundred years, the handles went out of style, though.
A 1000 year old ladder from the kiva.
Loom artifacts overlaid on a photo from the 1800s of a native weaver using traditional methods.
Pueblo III pottery display.
This next part was in a (somewhat) narrow hallway, so it was difficult to get photos. The whole hallway was made up of these panels showing the evolution of rock art over the years. We have not seen as well put together display of the rock art anywhere else.
And so much more. If you happen to make your way out there, try to get there early as you will likely spend most of the day since there is so much to see!
Closing down Edge of the Cedars and getting ready to head back, but first a snack!
On our way back (as well as one the way too, but we passed it) we stopped at a little BLM turn off for the Needles and Anticline overlook.
From the sign board:
“The Needles overlook is located 22 miles from US Highway 191. This overlook offers an outstanding view of the Colorado River, the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park, and the Indian Creek area.”
“Anticline overlook is located 31 miles from US Highway 191. Sixteen of those miles are on a graveled, highly improved road. A walkway leads to an interpretive display and benches. The overlook faces north, and offers views of Dead Horse Point State Park, the Colorado River, and Kane Creek Canyon.”
We made the drive out to the Needles overlook, and we were not disappointed. I kept Ducky close at hand, since the site was very ‘wild’ and, well, it was only a 1000 foot drop or so off the edge.
We were treated to a double rainbow!
After the needles overlook, we decided to press on to the Anticline Overlook. The road was in good shape. I’ll have to put together the video we took out there – the scenery was spectacular.
Anticline signboard.
We took advantage of the extra hours of daylight to fully explore the area, and we were not disappointed with the views or the sunset!
View of the Colorado River, the Anticline, and the potash mining operation.
Evan, of course, was not afraid of the drop. After this we kept him on a much shorter leash.
Kane Creek Canyon (taken not far from where Evan was…grrr)
Exploring the other parts of the overlook, I took a selfie! Didn’t realize it until about 5 second after this picture, as you will notice that my hair wisps are all standing straight out, and not blowing in the wind.
There was a ‘bizzt-crack’ of a nearby static discharge, not a full on lighting strike. After that, we beat feet back to the car before any more discharges or lightning happened!
As the sun set, we got a nice rainbow / fire in the sky effect!
Back at camp, Randal did his favorite thing – act like a big boy and sit in Daddy’s chair!
Thanks for reading!
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