Changing Landscapes

Summit Park Mountainscape

Snyderville Basin

Salt Lake City was a gorgeous stop, but a calming respite in the valley quickly gives way to the realization that we have to drive over those mountains, the defining impression of this city. As a Californian, I am not accustomed to crossing mountain passes; we have windey coastal roads, and wide highways that cut through mountains, we have lost that reverence for the geology surrounding our path. I drive up and up, through Summit Park and Kimball Junction, which are small communities nicely tucked into the mountains, they are almost indiscernible. The drop into the eastern front down into the Snyderville Basin is gradual and a stark change in geology. Plains and reservoirs line the valley, and agriculture and irrigation are abundant. As surprising as this landscape is, it morphs just as abruptly. We drive straight into a rock wall, the valley ends before Echo, Utah and we head due east toward Evanston, Wyoming. I am surrounded by Red rock on either side, like in a tunnel, leading me to my new home.

Outside of Echo, Utah

Red Rock to Evanston, Wyoming

Photography and Words:© Michelle Jorgensen