On April 22, 2006, I ate my lunch on a remote and lonely canyon rim 700 feet above the confluence of the Dolores River Canyon and Cottonwood Canyon in Utah, about 15 miles north and west of Gateway, Colorado. It was a beautiful spot and I regretted not having my camera. I could see a road below, a two-track desert road my map indicated ended near or in Cottonwood Canyon. I wanted to ride that road. I did ride it on April 27 and found it very pretty and interesting. This time, I took my camera.

Verle Nelson — Cedaredge, Colorado — April 27, 2006

After clearing Gateway, I saw only one residence, about 5 miles down river. It appears to be a small mobile home and a lean-to shed. But look to the right of center. See the yellow something left of the far end of the mowed grass strip? (Click here for a telephoto shot.)

What lies beyond this closed gate at the CO/UT border? Adventure? Private Property? Disappointment? Actually there wasn't much of anything but pretty canyon and no people. (Click here to enlarge the sign by the gate.)

The Dolores River at the Colorado/Utah border.

Some one once lived here, about 12 miles from Gateway. Whoever it was lived in Utah but could only get here from Colorado. Lovely, lonely place. I wonder why they left?

After the abandoned log house, the road began to fade.

But there was more canyon and more road.

From here, this looks like an isolated butte but in fact, it's the point of the canyon rims between Cottonwood Canyon and the Dolores Canyon. Up there is where I ate my lunch five days ago.

ln fact, I may very well have eaten my lunch while sitting on the rock tongue that protrudes from the canyon rim, clearly visible in this telephoto shot. It's about 90 miles to get there by road from where the picture was taken with most of it unpaved, some 4WD.

From my lunch spot five days ago, I could see that the road below turned up Cottonwood Canyon but I couldn't see how far it went.

Not far. The road ends abruptly.   

I had intended to eat lunch directly below my lunch spot of five days ago but I worked up a sweat turning the KLR around in soft sand and elected to retreat a mile or so to a stream crossing and cottonwood grove.