The day following the end of our San Juan River trip was a busy one. After a driving tour of the Valley of the Gods, we wound our way up the Moki Dugway, made a short detour over to the overlooks at Muley Point, and visited Natural Bridges National Monument. We then headed east on Utah State Route 95 on our way to Bluff, Utah, for dinner.
Between us and our destination was Comb Ridge, which is a classic example of a monocline, a step-like crease in the Earth's crust. It is a prominent geologic feature, almost 80 miles in length, in southeastern Utah and northern Arizona. While on the river, we had spent three nights camping close to where it is cut in two by the river. Now the highway would have to break through this barrier near its northern terminus.
As the road approached the western flank of Comb Ridge, the setting sun illuminated not only the steeply tilted sandstone rock layers, but also the moon. In the photo above, the gash in the ridge near the center is the highway cut.
We pulled over at this breach in Comb Ridge to admire the view and the sun's handiwork.
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