Saturday, June 9, 2012 - Grand Doesn't Begin to Descrbe the Tetons

 

The day started with a yummy breakfast at the "resort" restaurant. The same sweet young girl that served us last night is back again this morning. Most of the staff are very young and apparently run most of the place; serving, cleaning and cooking. We met the chef and several others that work there. While having breakfast, we watched pronghorns and black-billed magpies in the field outside the restaurant.

This is the view along the drive into the park. Notice the ranch and that those are mountains in the background, not just clouds.

Every turn we make brings more beautiful sites. This is from the pedestrian walk over the dam at Jenny Lake. 

One of the resources we used to plan the trip is Frommer's Southwestern National Parks. We read about a road that goes to the top of Signal Mountain. When we got to the top, we learned that it is not only a stunning view, but the Jackson Lake Overlook is the spot where legendary photographer William Henry Jackson shot his famous landscapes of Jackson Lake and the Tetons in the 1870s -- proof to the world that such spectacular places really existed.

 

 We've seen the beautiful wildflowers throughout our trip. While I was capturing this one, a small yellow-jacket  flew into my shot for a mid-morning snack.

Mom and Dad are standing in a meadow of wildflowers and sagebrush.

 






 I am still having a hard time believing this is real!








I've been taking a picture of where we have been having a picnic lunch every day. It's going to be really hard to eat inside like normal people after two weeks of this! At this point I should mention, the weather. This morning they were predicting snow all day. As you have seen, it has been picture perfect...until now. This is only about 30 minutes since the last picture. It is very cold and you can see in the distance, the snow is rolling in. We ate a very quick lunch and headed for the car.

Where did the mountains go? We were told yesterday that if you don't like the weather in Wyoming, just wait 10 minutes. How true! We continued on our loop, although the snow put a stop to our hiking plans. An hour or so later, the blue skies were back.

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I have a new found respect for the women of the west. The structure, a double-pen log cabin, was built in 1885 by J. Pierce Cunningham and was the main dwelling until a more substantial house was built in 1895. It later was used as a barn.

On the route home, Dad dropped me off on the side of the road to get a shot of these lupines. They lined the road for several yards. Fortunately, he came back to get me! Come back tomorrow! There will be some special visitors.

Monday, June 4, 2012 - Bryce Canyon

Our drive this morning started very early, since we had a 60 mile drive to Bryce Canyon. It was a lovely drive and before we knew it, we were there. After stopping at the Visitor Center for maps and advice, we headed to Sunrise Point. The view from the canyon rim is beautiful, although we are several hours late for sunrise!

  


  

Some fellow tourist recommended we had to go "down into" the canyon to really get the full picture of this park. It was the best and worst advice we had all day. Exploring the amazing variety of structures was incredible, but we paid for it on the way out!

I couldn't resist climbing on some rocks to get a really good view!

 

 

We thought these might be aliens that were flash frozen. The structures are actually called "Hoodoos." Hoodoos are tall skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and "broken" lands. We found all of these along the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop combined trails.

Notice the two holes in the left wall.

A group of tourists looking into the canyon?

Look closely and you will see some Alabama travelers under that arch.

To get a feel for the magnitude of these walls, notice the trees.

 

 

 

This tree is a work of art.

These little ground squirrels are very cute and always looking for a crumb you drop.

 

The trip down the canyon was a little steep, but nothing compared to what we had to climb back up. And, oh by the way, the elevation at Bryce is 8000-9000 feet, so we found that we were easily winded. If you look closely, you can see the people in the lower left-hand corner and the zig-zag path going up the hill. We were half way up when I took this. 

Mom thought the three structures on top looked like plant urns. She must be missing her yard.

The view from the top of our climb. This is not recommended for anyone afraid of heights!

 It is amazing that ANYTHING can grow here

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As we were driving out, we saw a mule deer grazing in a meadow.

 It was an amazing day. Every National Park we have been to has been so unique and special in its own way. What a beautiful country we are blessed with. 

Friday, June 1, 2012 – Glen Canyon National Recreation Center and Lake Powell

Lake Powell

We started the day with a nice hot breakfast at one of the best hotels we’ve stayed in yet. It’s always a challenge to book hotels on the internet in places you’ve never been, but we’ve been lucky, so far! As we were leaving we asked for advice at the front desk. It changed our plans a little, but made our day. We had a little time to kill, so we drove to the Glen Canyon Dam. 

At the Carl Hayden Visitor Center we got our first glimpse of the canyon and the dam that created Lake Powell. Inside we enjoyed looking at a topographical model of the whole region showing the canyons and rivers that eventually merge into the Colorado.  But most surprising was to round a corner and find a NASA display about Heleophysics (study of the sun). I’m not sure why it was there, but the sun is certainly a big player out here.

The dam that created Lake Powell

The entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed for our recommended tour of Antelope Canyon. It is on a Navajo Reservation, so our tour is guided by a very nice young man named Eric. We walked across some red sand before Eric points to a crevice in the ground and tells us that is the entrance. It is extremely narrow and I am relieved to make it in with my camera backpack attached.  We find ourselves in a narrow slotted canyon unlike anything you can imagine. 

It has been carved by both wind and water, creating captivating patterns of ridges in the sculpted canyon walls. They are made of Navajo Sandstone that contains a number of minerals including iron. The walls are washed in pale pinks, orange and cream. It is impossible to capture the depth and beauty, but is an experience we will never forget.

We very reluctantly left Antelope Canyon. Next was a short hike. This is our path into the desert that led to the Hanging Gardens. Oh, did I mention it is 97 degrees today?

 

Our next stop is the Hanging Gardens. A short, but blazing hot hike across a desert –like rim rewards us with the most unusual site – Maidenhair ferns hanging from the shaded crevices of the rock walls. You can’t imagine how hard this is to believe if you hadn’t hiked through the desert to see it.

 

Maidenhair Ferns growing in the rock

Lake Powell from our desert hike.

Lake Powell from an overlook.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and came to this overlook to watch the sunset.