Hurray! I'm feeling better so off we go! Of course we probably would have gone anyway, but it is nice to be feeling better.
We're leaving Las Vegas for an overnight visit to Bryce Canyon National Park and a short stop by Zion National Park in southern Utah. As we leave Las Vegas, we travel on I15 through a flat, dry, dusty plain. We pass by Nellis Air Force Base and various casino resorts.
We pass over into Arizona and the terrain gets interesting again. The Virgin River Gorge is gorgeous! Rough-hewn mountains rise abruptly up from the river, the road curves along the twists and turns of the river bed, and mountains surround us on both sides and behind and in front of us. The colors are darker - rusts, deep reds, blacks, and deep browns. Perhaps needless to say, the 75 mph speed limit is down to 55 mph and lower around the serious curves. I for one (and Harold for two) am glad I am not driving the triple trailer rigs that we've seem the UPS and Fed Ex drivers driving!
Into Utah and there is a Port of Entry for all but passenger cars. This is our first experience with a Port of Entry between states. Interesting.
We cut over Utah 14 for the scenic route to the next US highway. Our path takes us through the southern edge of the Dixie National Forest. Apparently Brigham Young called this part of Utah "Dixie" because of its mild winters and moderate summers, and the label stuck on at least this National Forest. The Forest is quite large and we found ourselves driving into, through, and out of it several times over the two days of this mini-trip. We crossed the summit at 9,910 feet. Harold tells me that I won't get altitude sickness on this mini-trip because we will be below 11,000 feet at all times. That's a blessing to me. I've already done that once on this trip while we were in Durango.
We pass by Navajo Lake (or was that the summit? My notes are unclear!) and by many beautiful mountain meadows - vast and green as spring arrives near the summit. Snow lingers on the highest peaks and provides a white blanket for the feet of the ponderosa pines. The ancient volcano leaves its reminder to us of its past presence in the form of black lava rocks piled high in some places and spread over the land in others. Just before we reach US 89, we pass Elk Ridge, a new community with large acreage and beautiful new homes - mostly log - and vistas to surpass the homes. What a lovely place to live - at least in May! :)
We turn north on US 89 and make better time to Utah 12 where we turn east and into Red Canyon. Oh my! We're not on Foos Road anymore! Huge red rocks surround us on all sides and we must travel through two short tunnels - arches in the rock, really - along the way. It is much like the red rocks near Sedona AZ or near Denver CO. So amazing and beautiful.
Finally we reach Bryce Canyon National Park. It is at this point that words will begin to fail me even more than they have in the past. So here is what I am going to do. I am going to quote from some of the Park's literature to get started. Here goes.
"Ebenezer Bryce homesteaded the Canyon area in 1875 and as he said, 'It's a hell of a place to lose a cow.' The process of erosion by wind and water (in forms of rain, ice, and snow) has produced the delicately formed free-standing spires peculiar to Bryce Canyon. Soft siltstone alternating with harder limestone, all eroding at different rates, have created a fairyland of gravity defying pinnacles, arches and free-standing walls of spectacular color and beauty."
So that's a pretty good start for describing the scene. What isn't described is that you can walk right up to the rim of the canyon and look out into the face of some of these spectacles and down deep into the "valleys" between the walls and the pinnacles and spires. The Canyon is set in the Dixie National Forest so in addition to the fairyland of rock, there are ponderosa pines and pine needles and flowers - most common at this time of year is the manzanita - a low bush with berry-like flowers in a pinkish color - but we also saw what I think was arrowleaf balsamroot - a bright yellow flower growing in clusters on low leaves - according to the Park Service brochure.
So now let's talk about colors. Terracotta probably is the best descriptor. The richest color of terracotta that you can picture is about right. And then there are the oranges, peaches, creams, chalks, whites, and every shade in between. Breathtaking. Awe-inspiring. Incredible. Beyond anything that humankind has ever created. We thought we would never see anything that compared to the Grand Canyon, but Bryce Canyon does. The uplift of the spires is so amazing. The view changes with every step you take. The free-standing wall looks like a solid building from one vantage point and a fragile wafer from another. Four-sided buildings, pointed spires, tall rectangular columns, round pinnacles - all cast spells of imagination. Even their names - hoodoo - conjures up images of spirits and people. Indeed the Native American (Paiute) tradition attributes the hoodoos to be "legend people" frozen in place by the evil Coyote.
The 18 mile drive through the canyon features 14 scenic overlooks. Despite Harold's concern about heights, we both agreed that this was the place to go hiking - the next time - when we are in better shape and have the right equipment - namely hiking boots instead of sandals. Harold and I do not hike. This is the first place we ever have been - and we've been a lot of places - where we really wanted to get out "into it." Plus the hiking paths along the rim from one overlook to another really did look accessible to the non-prolific hiker. So instead we drove from one viewpoint to another and took time at each for fully appreciating the vista. Each step and each turn of the head caused a new perspective to come into view. At each stop we marveled at the glory of the earth and at our good fortune to be observing it in this way.
And we sat. Sitting is perhaps the best way to appreciate the vista. Sitting allows you to stop. Sitting allows you to stop and wonder and appreciate and see as much as you can and to allow yourself to feel the sense of awe and the sense of peace that can come over you if you let it in. Sitting at the rim with a split log as your seat and the afternoon sun warming your back and the quiet of the time in May when few other tourists are around and when the other tourists who are around also are speaking in hushed voices in respect for the awesome creation they are observing - this is among the best moments in life. Regardless of whether or not we were able to understand the precise language in which other visitors' words were spoken, the message of joy and fascination and exhilaration always came through.
Eventually it was time to return to our room in the Sunrise Unit of the lodge buildings that sits just 100 yards from the rim and about halfway between Sunrise and Sunset Points. We couldn't see the Canyon from our porch chairs, but we could feel its presence in the breeze that rustled the ponderosa pines that filled our view. The soft pads of pine needles under the trees and along the paths kept the noise level low and allowed us to hear the calls of the birds and the sounds of other unidentifiable animals. As many of you may suspect, we enjoyed a bit of bourbon as we sat on our porch and reflected on the glory of the Canyon. The night's choice was "Sam Houston" bottled by McLain and Kyne Distillery CO. of Bardstown KY. It definitely was fine enough to warrant its use in celebration of place that is Bryce Canyon.
After dinner in the lodge restaurant, we joined many other visitors for an 8:30PM presentation by a Park Ranger about the wildlife and the nightlife (of the wildlife) in Bryce Canyon. It was an elaborate and entertaining presentation that left us wondering about whether we could give up our barnyard light at home in order to restore some darkness to the world for its nocturnal creatures. Some investigations will be due when we get home.
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