San Rafael Swell

My introduction to the geology of the Colorado Plateau came during STRETCH (field camp) in 1979, when we traveled to Utah to watch thick layers of red and buff rocks dive in and out of a landscape of canyons and mesas.  Unlike New Hampshire, where the rocks were messy and covered with trees, the geology here looked like the pictures in the text books. Actually, these were the pictures in the text books.

One of our stops was the San Rafael Reef, where Interstate 70 cuts through the steeply dipping beds on the east side of the San Rafael Swell, a large asymmetric anticline west of Green River.  For those unwilling to leave the Interstate, this is a great preview of the country you're missing.