Incredible BRYCE!

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!

Zion National Park - Utah

We arrived at Zion with great expectations....everything we'd heard about it was so..ooo good. It is a different NP than most. The Virgin River flows through an 8 mile long narrow, tall-sided canyon and eventually ends up in the Colorado. But since the space within the park is very limited, and there is only one 2-lane road through it, travel up & down it is by either park provided bus or bicycle. The Park is immensely popular, and I guess it was Spring break week out this way, because it was very crowded everywhere. This took a bit of adjusting for us, as we prefer less crowded enviroments.

We were fortunate to get a campsite, in the nice cottonwood rich South Camp. The campground had quite a few birds & other critters, but no new list list birds. Beyond the River was an awesome backdrop of peak after peak.

Second day there, we did the "Emerald Pools" hike, a short easy jaunt up the mountain across from the Park Lodge, that came highly recommended. The pools are fed by a series of "thin" waterfalls, in a tight canyon. This composite shot was about the only angle that I could capture it from.

Compared to what we'd been seeing lately, our expectations just weren't met. It was a nice hike though, and we enjoyed the easy pace of the day. The highlight was the hike down (along a different trail) were the stunningly brilliant flowers!

Next day we decided on a bit more of a challenge....a five mile trek up from the canyon floor about 1500' to a final elevation of 5800' and the spectacular view from "Angel's Landing".

The first section is fairly level as it follows the river and then crosses the canyon bottom.

Switchbacks allow the trail to climb the canyon wall, on our way up to Refrigerator Canyon. We find the going gets a little tougher and warmer as we gain altitude approaching the Refrigerator.

Once we finally arrive, we find the canyon is pleasantly cool, scenic, and walking is easy, hence living up to it's name.

The trail then climbs another series of switchbacks, called Walter's Wiggles. These 21 switchbacks are very tight and you gain elevation rapidly, but this section is short and fun!

The Wiggles put you on top of the ridge, at Scout Lookout, where views are amazing. A few hundred feet around a small chain-run ridge is another rest stop, appropriately called "Contemplation Point". From this point, gazing at the ridge to the south is a bit alarming because you get a good idea of the difficulty and "scare factor" of the rest of the hike.

Kim decided to wait and "contemplate" as I went on up the narrow ridge. (Hey, somebody had to stay back to collect the life insurance, right?)

The final 1/2 mile, the trail follows the ridge across a saddle and up the hogs back. This is where things got interesting, steep, where I was grateful for the chains. I was amazed at the kids on the trail, completely oblivious to the 1,000 ft sheer drops on either side.

But a bit more struggling and wah-lah we are at the top, as wittnessed by the large carin-like formation at the crest! ....and, as one might suspect, the view over the edge just behind me to the canyon floor 1500ft below was impressive, well worth the additional effort!

Of course, what goes up, must come down. As I casually skipped back across the top of the crest, I'm suddenly greeted with the view (and shock!) of having to now go down this steep, narrow ridge!

.....

While I was busy going up & down the hogs back, Kim had spotted some much more daring folks on the cliff face below where I had just been....a group of four climbers, who we learned the next day had been up there making the ascent (oh, and yes sleeping in a hanging bag) for the past three days!

After a nice lunch while watching the climbers work the cliff, we took our time returning. We particularly enjoyed the more relaxing trip going down through the Wiggles and Refrigerator.

Our final day was spent doing a 15 mile roundtrip bike ride up the canyon (alongside the Virgin River) to the Narrows, the end point of the road up, where we took a short hike. The climb up was gradual, and the glide down fun & easy!

So, in summary, we had a good time, we're glad we went, but due to the large crowds, probably will not go back. For those interested in making a trip to Zion, the Angel's hike was the highlight, and we did hear that the western section of the Park (Kolob) was far less crowded.