Day: May 19, 2017

Pic: Hoodoo? Yeah, you do, you do. Dixie NF, UT

I made an impromptu stop off UT-12 at the Red Canyon Visitor Center in Dixie National Forest. I mostly wanted information about dispersed camping in the area since it is a short drive from Bryce Canyon NP (the ranger suggested an area called Cabin Hollow). I also inquired about a snake discovered in the Moqui Cave parking lot by a woman who seemed surprised that I would run toward a snake to get a better look (the ranger and a field guide agreed that it was a gopher snake).

While I was stopped, I noticed some interesting formations in the nearby hills so I made a sandwich and hiked up Pink Ledges Trail and Hoodoo Trail. In most parts of the world, I’d be content to spend a couple days exploring these features. In southern Utah, this is a quick pit stop between world-famous marvels of geology.

Pic: The Duke by Garth Chamberlain, “self-taught” wood carver. Moqui Cave, Kanab, UT

On the way up US-89 from Kanab toward Bryce Canyon NP, there is a tourist trap called the Moqui Cave. It turned out to be the best $5 I spent during the entire trip. It’s hard to explain why, except to say that it was hands down the best collection of folk art + fossils + Pittsburgh Steelers memorabilia + archaeological treasures + fluorescent minerals + blacklight paintings I have ever seen.

Pic: Fluorescent minerals and also a velvet painting of a horse. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Moqui Cave, Kanab, UT

The young woman who sold me a ticket was also the docent. She explained that original owner Garth Chamberlain, whose family still owns and operates things, purchased the land in 1951 specifically to operate as a roadside attraction. Garth’s career — he played football for the Steelers — and numerous hobbies are reflected in the collection. “For example, he was a self-taught woodcarver,” she said and lead me to The Duke.

“Wow,” I said. Please scroll back up and appreciate it again.

“And he had no formal training?”

“None,” she confirmed.

I’m not here to hate on another person’s hobby. He produced a recognizable carving of John Wayne, something I couldn’t accomplish even with years of tutelage from the world’s greatest wood artists. But you don’t need to tell me that he was self-taught. That is the least necessary disclaimer I’ve heard in at least a week.

Pic: I am nearly certain that this is George Washington. Wood carving by Grant Chamberlain. Moqui Cave, Kanab, UT

Seriously though, if you have a free hour while traveling between southern Utah’s natural wonders, pull over and spend an hour with Garth’s collection of random objets d’art.