Robber's Roost Country

On one last trip to Southern Utah before the snow falls, we spent 3 days in canyon country.  The first day, we rode near Robber's Roost, beginning at the turnoff to the Ekker Ranch at Crow Seep. 

Joe Biddlecome built the first cabin at Crow Seep in 1909, when he moved there with his family.  The photo above shows the location, but the main building is obviously newer.  The ranch is still owned by Joe's descendents, the Ekkers. 
Joe lived on 40 acres that featured one of the rare sources of water.  He also had grazing access hundreds of acres of surrounding federal lands.  Before the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 and subsequent creation of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), there was very little regulation, which resulted in a lot of overgrazing.  Over the years several other ranching families moved into the area and also ran horses, sheep, and cattle.  The Robbers Roost outlaws, who had used the canyons as a hideout in the late 1800's and early 1900's, got old and tired of hiding out.  If they'd managed to avoid prison and/or acute lead poisoning, they retired to more socially acceptable professions or moved elsewhere. With more roads making the land accessible to lawmen, young folk tended to find work that was better for their long term health than the old, previously admired, bank-robbing and horse-thieving trades. 
Joe's daughter, Peal Biddlecome Baker, took over the ranch after Joe's death from a tonsillectomy. (Tonsillar abscesses had plagued him for years.  He thought one more episode could kill him, so he finally tried surgery -- maybe not such a good decision, as it turned out.)  Pearl wrote a book about her years on the ranch, Robbers Roost Recollections.

Later, Pearl sold out to her sister Hazel and Hazel's husband, Arthur Ekker.
We rode toward Angel Point (the start of an old horsethief trail across the Dirty Devil) along an old road, and later a ghost road, enjoying the old west scenery. 

This lonely tree somehow manages to thrive on the vast desert plain. 

We didn't reach Angel Point, but we figured out a good route for next time. 

As sunset approached, the canyons turned golden.

And as the sun drifted below the mesa tops, the land took on a rose glow.  The light transforms the land into a magical place, irresistibly beautiful.  Of course, the downside is the quick drop in temperature, from near sixty to somewhere around 20 degrees F for a low.  Brisk!  Camping involves lots of down comforters. 
The night sky in that desert land is as star-bright as in ancient times, with no cities close enough to taint the darkness with artificial light.  Venus was high and bright in the hours after sunset.  The Pleides and Orion were clearly outlined after midnight.  The Milky Way dusted an arc across the sky, and shooting stars shone in a brief trail of glory. 
No photos, so you'll just have to use your imagination.