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.