Hiking the Nautilus, Utah

Later that afternoon, still being in the adventuresome mood, we followed up on a tip to find a feature called the "Nautilus". This one was out ona wash near the "White House Road". We were told to look for the giant oyster shell. I'm not convinced it looked like an oyster, but it was close enough to get us there.

As we walked along the wash beside the "Oyster Shell" there it was. An eroded cut in the sandstone about 6 feet wide and reaching all the way to the top of the Dune. A petrified, fossilized Dune is, after all, whatthe "Oyster Shell" actually is.

It was quite a interesting little slot canyon that spiraled through the dune, and you could scramble up the rough sandstone surface quite easily.

 

I wanted to name it the "Toilet Bowl"

 

Once again the Utah desert serves up a fascinating little treat.

NEXT:We hike to the "Fins" behind our campsite. That will be our last hike in Utah before we beat feet west to the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.