Onion Creek Road

Monday we took Lewis with us for a drive on Onion Creek Road.    I wanted to drive this road the last time we were in the Moab area but we didn't have a high clearance vehicle at that point so I filed this drive away for another time.

The road begins near the famous Fisher Towers area and crosses Onion Creek numerous times (I counted 29 times!).

We wouldn't drive this road if there had been rain recently, or if it was in the forecast but Monday the crossings were shallow and not very slippery.

The road started out relatively flat and sandy running between red sandstone rock formations.

someone has a sense of humor!

Spring seems to have arrived, finally.   We enjoyed small patches of wildflowers as we drove through the beautiful canyon.   There was impossibly green grass along the edges of the road.

The creek and the road soon parted as our track climbed up into distinctive rock formations.

Dave checks the condition of the road ahead before taking the Jeep on a narrow section
(at my "request")

The scenery changed as we drove out of the  deep cut part of the canyon.   The walls became rounded and the previous reds became greens, golds, pinks, whites and grays.   We were entering the Onion Creek Salt Diapir.  Here's a good description of this area......

https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/onion-creek-salt-diapir/

We stopped for lunch to enjoy the beautiful colors in front of us.

What we discovered, sitting there eating our turkey sandwiches and potato chip cookies, was the creek had also changed.   Not it's look, it's smell....

Sulfur smell.     We finished eating and continued along the creek until we spotted the odor's source.   Stinking Spring comes bubbling happily out of the rocks.....

and joins the creek, imparting a nasty rotten egg smell to the entire area.

the white line above is the Stinking Spring's water making it's way to the creek

We decided to turn around and head home at this point.    We could have continued on and linked another trail with this one but we had dinner plans with MonaLiza, Steve and their friends at 5 and we didn't want to be late for Lumpia!

back into the canyon, heading for Lumpia and Pancit!