We are in Canyonlands National Park today, a whopping 337,000-acre preserve of colourful canyons, mesas and buttes some thirty miles from where we are staying in Moab, Utah.

As with all the other parks we have recently visited, this one has magical scenery that seems to defy the laws of nature, and it is hard to comprehend that water and gravity have been the prime architects of this land, sculpting layers of rock into the rugged landscape seen today.

Our first port of call is Upheaval Dome, the formation of which remains a mystery to this day. However, recent findings support one theory put forward by the scientists.

About 200 million years ago, a meteor hurtled towards the earth. The meteor hit the ground with so much force, that it vaporized on impact. The force of the impact fractured the rock, creating a large crater more than two miles wide. Over time, the rock layers rebounded inward and upward to fill the void, and in due course erosion has exposed the tilted, broken core as a remnant of a meteor impact.

Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park, Moab, Utah.

Mike and I trying not to fall over the unprotected rim of the crater!

A breathtaking butte in Canyonlands National Park!