Bryce Canyon - Hoodoos - Shadows and Rock

The road from Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon National Park, took us through a part of Utah I don't think many people see. We saw high elevation plateaus, with open range cattle munching on fresh grass on the side of the road; dry arid landscapes, with plants barely clinging to the sandy earth, tall forests of pines and fir; and grassy plains, with deer bounding through the tall grasses interspersed with lush fields and irrigation systems hard at work. All this punctuated now and again with red rock cliffs or snow white rocky outcrops. The thunderstorms that were forecast started sweeping across the plains and the van got a good rinse off. As we neared Bryce Canyon National Park the sky started to darken with some fierce weather. We wanted to make it there for sunset but would Mother Nature cooperate with us?

Why build a road around the rock when you can just go through it?
En route to Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.

Turns out we were in for a special display that evening. We entered the park and headed straight for Sunset Point. As we arrived, through the trees we could see it! I started squealing and Geoff had barely put the van in park before I burst out the door and down the rain soaked path to the canyon edge with my camera. The sun, as it set, was in the perfect position to cast a rainbow in front of a storm cell parked over the north side of the canyon. The sun lit up the red-orange sandstone so much it almost hurt to look at without sunglasses. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled in the distance. It was amazing. After realizing the rainbow was there going to stick around for a while, Geoff guarded our spot and I ran back and got our jackets (and here I was thinking "why the hell did we bring these??"), a blanket and some sunset snacks. We laid the blanket on a soaking wet log so we could watch the scene unfold before us. It was quite the show. Beautiful. Unreal. Dream like.

You amy want to click on this to make it bigger. This is Bryce Canyon National Park at it's finest!
The Hoodoos were bathed in light from the setting sun as a squall passed by. Amazing.

Lil bit of rain never hurt anyone! Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

The sun set and the rain continued. This dramatic landscape is just begging to be explored!
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.

After the best was over and the sun had set, we found a spot at one of the campgrounds and called it a night. The next morning we had planned to get up for sunrise but that didn't even come close to happening. Major fail. Oh well. We eventually got up and slowly made our rounds to the various viewpoints of Bryce Canyon.

Love me some "alvocados"... Bryce Canyon General Store...

Bryce Canyon is not actually a canyon. (It's the lies I can't stand!!) It's actually a series of natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of a large plateau that forms part of the Colorado Plateau (which is huge and I won't explain because I don't really want to). While is it the same type of sandstone as we saw in Zion National Park, it sits much higher in elevation and it's famous Hoodoo formations were formed slightly differently than the canyons of Zion. The Hoodoos were (and still are) formed by erosion like Zion, but instead of a river cutting through the sandstone to make a canyon, the earth erodes away from the river or streams, making the canyons, or amphitheater, wider not necessarily deeper. With it being at much higher elevation it also gets a lot more precipitation in the form of rain, snow and frost. Hoodoos are generally made of softer rock (the sandstone) topped by a hard rock that acts kind of like an umbrella, protecting the softer rock from the elements. As any umbrella you've ever used, it doesn't keep all the rain away and eventually that rain (and snow) wears away at the Hoodoos. As they age and thin, they're unable to support the harder rock that protects them. It eventually falls away and the Hoodoo is left to die, slowly melting into the landscape below.

The view from Rainbow Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

These Pinecones were so weird!
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Inside of said Weird Pinecones.

Natural Bridge at Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Let's look right into the sun!! It'll be great!! Natural Bridge, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

We went along the 18 mile scenic drive arriving at the highest point in the park, Rainbow Point at over 9,100 ft, offers spectacular views of up to 200 miles on a clear day! We did have great views but the high winds were actually chilly and blowing around a lot of dust and debris so we didn't linger there long. We got back to Inspiration Point in time for Sunset and found the perfect spot to perch on the edge of the cliff away from the crowds. It was lovely but not as spectacular as the previous evenings show. We got yelled at by a Park Ranger after the sun had set for being close to the edge on such a "social path" but it didn't deter us and we went to bed that night early so we could actually get up the next day for sunrise.

Bryce Canyon Showing off in the shadows again, Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Best seat in the house, Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Living on the edge! Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Yea... I guess the view behind us is pretty alright too... Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Moments before Geoff got yelled at by the Park Ranger.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Five in the morning came far too early and it took everything in me to actually get out of bed. We, surprisingly, arrived at Sunrise Point almost before anyone else and made our way up to get in the best position to view both the sun rising over the distant mountains and the amphitheater before us with the army of Hoodoos waiting to awaken in the early morning light. Gorgeous doesn't do it justice but it was kind of ruined by obnoxious people who were freakishly lucky I didn't lose my shit and deck 'em up side the head. (I think I 'may' write a post on how to behave in the National Parks...).

Just before dawn at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Good Morning!!!!! A twisted Juniper tree seems to recoil at the sun as it climbs into the sky.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.

After watching some other visitors (including the super obnoxious ones) walk through poop while crossing the horse trail (Poop Game!!) we found a parking spot at Sunset Point and went back to bed for a few hours. This scenic viewpoint was the beginning of our hike for the day. We decided to combine two hikes; Navajo Trail and Queen's Garden. Most people start the hike at Queen's Garden which starts at Sunrise Point and ends at Sunset Point where the Navajo Trail ends. We did it the other way round as was suggested to us, as the Navajo Trail begins with the craziest switchbacks I've seen in a long time. I HATE switchbacks.

We descended down into the amphitheater surrounded by giant Hoodoos. The first part of this hike takes you through a section known as "Wall Street" for obvious reasons. It's towering Hoodoos look straight down on you as they seem to scrape the sky. Each side separated by only 6 feet in some places. In some impossible nooks, trees not only grew but seemed to thrive. It was cool in there. In every sense of the word. Then it was time for sunshine and heat. It stayed with us the rest of the hike. The walk through the valley was really neat. Towering Hoodoos and cliff-faces surrounded us and birds and overfed squirrels darted here and there. The trail then snakes up through a section known as the Queen's Garden. It's named this as there is one Hoodoo that when looked at from the side resembles a statue of Queen Victoria. For serious. This, however, is not the most famous Hoodoo in the garden. That distinction goes to Thor's Hammer. I think you can guess why.

Stupid switchbacks... looking from about 1/2 way down into Wall Street, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Geoff doing some foot repair inside Wall Street, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Oh... Well Ok then.
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Navajo Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Trees growing all crazy-like in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Geoff feeling small in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Can you spot Queen Victoria in these rocks?? She's looking off at something outside the left side of the pic.
Queens Garden, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Queens Garden, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Thank goodness for cooling towels!! We look so cool!
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Please don't feed the animals!!! This is the fattest chipmunk EVER! Poor thing.
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

So surreal. Bryce Canyon National Park.

We finished up and headed out of the Park bound for... well... we didn't really know. We found some free wifi at a local hotel and decided to check out some things near Escalante, Utah, just down the road from Bryce Canyon National Park. We splurged and stayed in a funky motel called the Cowboy Country Inn, where each room had a theme and was decorated accordingly. We ended up in the Wild Horse room where every surface had galloping horses on it. Even the shower curtain. The bed was made from giant logs and even came with it's own dimable lights! Fancy.

The Wild Horse room at Cowboy Country Inn in Escalante, Utah

Our stay in Escalante was far from over but that tale is for a other post.

Till next time - Fair winds my friends

Marsha (Geoff too probably...)