Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah 32 miles from Moab, on the way to Canyonlands National Park

Utah! It's often spelled with an exclamation point. Once you visit, it's easy to see why. Since the last two Photo Fridays here have been dedicated to the excited punctuation-worthy Canyonlands(!!!), I thought I'd use today's post to tell you about a different kind of point:

Dead Horse Point!

Oh, it deserves that little punctuation punch too. It's a Utah State Park, located just 32 miles from Moab. You come to the entrance on the way to Island in the Sky, the north district of Canyonlands. I recommend stopping — It's well worth the extra time.

Dead Horse Point overlooks the Colorado River 2,000 heart-stopping feet below. You're 6,000 feet above sea level, and at least 1,000 miles from your troubles.

It's simply breathtaking.

You wouldn't think a spot with such a grave-sounding name would bring about feelings of peace. Life may not have been entirely peaceful for the early ranchers who survived on this rugged land. This spot was more valued for its utility than scenery.

It was the perfect natural corral for wild horses roped and rounded up. Sheer drops into the canyon made the strip of land inescapable from either side, and the exit easily fenced off.  Cowboys broke the best horses for personal use, and sold some to people in other areas — before the car, I imagine this was big business.

One version of the legend says the "leftovers" were left behind without water. A tragic irony, the captives died within view of the unreachable river. A more romantic version of the story says the gate was left open for the unwanted to run free. For some unexplained reason, they didn't. The spot was too mesmerizing and beautiful is what we're intended to believe.

The human history of the place goes back a whole lot farther than the cowboys. And relative to its geologic history, the story behind the name is just a speck of time. If you're visiting Moab area and headed to Canyonlands, don't miss Dead Horse Point — these days it's about scenery not utility. The stunning panorama is sure to add another exclamation point to the memories of your trip.

Thanks to Delicious Baby for hosting travel stories for Photo Friday.