Some drives between places offer things that just aren't seen too often...I guess they are there just to make the trip interesting. We often talk about solar power and "living off the grid", etc. so in the middle of nowhere, it was interesting to see a quaint little valley, with several unique homes tucked below....A little further along, we spotted another jewel, just waiting for the camera's lens to point it's way, so for all you folks out there wanting a new RV, here's the lates & greatest....
the gates of Bryce are preceded by a wonerderful area known as Red Canyon, arriving there in the late afternoon, the display off to our left begged us to stop and enjoy.
But, now on to the serious stuff, Bryce is simply terrific! The Park is sitting on top of the world up there at roughly 9000 ft. with the phenominal carvings below sculpted by nature over millions of years! The panoramic views truly take your breath away....
So, after seeing this surreal place the first afternoon, I was at the top platform of Inspiration Point at sunrise to get that spectacular morning light and these fabulous images!
Later that morning, we decided to do a long hike combining the Queens & Navajo Loop, the Peakaboo Loop and Wall Street.
Shortly after starting the hike, we noticed how different things began to look, the scenes seem to combine the towers with a "moon-like" surface, providing a striking contrast as seen here:
As we traveled further Kim found an interesting "hole" in the trail, and we wondered "is this the Peekaboo" ? When we emerged from the other side, we were greeted with more of the same, so our question remained unanswered...
Moving on, we spent the better part of the late morning within an area filled with vertical structures & statues....
and then coming to another "hole" in the trail through which we must pass is "Peekaboo"! well, at least, that's what we think...we never got the full story on just why the loop trail was given that particular name.
As we approached Wall Street, the reason for this name was very apparent. Kim is in the lower right corner, dwarfed by the massive structures that do indeed resemble the manmade towers of New York.
I decided to climb up the small, narrow slot on the right that Kim is looking into above. Interestingly, after a hundred yards or so, I'm delighted with a reminder of Antelope Canyon! The similarity was stunning, triggering fears that I too had been "beamed up" and over as Kim had, and had returned to a few weeks in the past!
The climb up through Wall Street was slow and deliberate, with much of the bottom covered in slushy ice & mud. I slipped several times and helped a mother coming down get her young daughter back up after a nasty fall. We fortunately had been warned that it would be much safer from the "bottom up" rather than "top down". The tip paid off, as we emerged safely from within the narrow walls of the Street, and gazed back at the amazing view for the top of the staircase near the overhanging rim.
Our final day at Bryce was spent in "Fairyland", an area of the Park that is less frequented, and is quite a departure from the sheer vertical red towers of the main body of the Park. We actually started this hike at the edge of the main park, traversing counterclockwise along the path, and ending up outside of the main gate. This actually proved interesting, because we were able to see a gradual transition form the moon-like edges of the main Park into the "Fairyland" formations on the opposite end.
We took a slight detour for lunch to see "Tower Bridge", a very unique formation that is truly different from any other bridges or windows we've seen in all of our travels!
It was long though before evidence of Fairyland began to appear in the distance....
Moving more & more into Fairyland, the terrain now changes into a Disney-like profile, rich in new colors, especially a faint pink & purple layers in many of the formations....
Another mile or so, and closer scutiny, reveal the wide range of colors and intense beauty of this different type of formation....
Just before reaching the Rim, which completesthe trail, one hikes past the "Chinese Gardens", the highlight of which is this deep pocket surrounded by oriental golds & greens....a perfact way to end a wonderful hike, and an outstanding visit to what we consider the most spectacular Park in the Southwest!
