Beautiful transition and Bryce Canyon
We left Zion yesterday and headed east. Once again we traveled the 1.1 mile tunnel to see the eastern side of Zion. It did not take long for us to see the transformation from a chiseled valley with mighty walls to smooth, striped hills. Wind and water over time has softened the landscape. On the border of the park is the Checkerboard Mesa. The natural cracks combined with the colored layers of rock created a checkerboard pattern in the rock.
We continued east and soon the land was flat again with a variety of scrub vegetation. Then we entered Red Canyon. Red hoodoos cropped up on red hills. There were several areas to pull off the road so we could explore. Each one unique and beautiful. We hiked around these wonders, then continued toward Bryce Canyon.
We arrived mid-afternoon. Checked out the visitors center and got a map. There was not enough time to take a hike so we did the touristy thing and drove the 18 miles of the park road and stopped at every view point. Amazing! It does not look real. When we reached the end, we had gained over 3000 feet in elevation and it began to rain. While driving back, we did see a herd of Pronghorn Antelope. At least 30 grazing in the field. Checked in to our place and then it was dinner, grocery shopping and to bed.
Today, we returned to the park to hike. Bryce is completely different from Zion. Zion is a valley surrounded by stone walls. To see views, you must hike upward. At Bryce, you start at higher elevations and gaze down. On the rim, the winds were extremely strong. Gusts up to over 40 mph. The Queen's Garden Trail takes you down into the formations of hoodoos. The sights were unreal. Some of the upper edges look like a few of chess figures. The entire area looks like a massive fairy garden. Our trail joined another called the Peekaboo trail. It zigged and zagged all around the formations. Around every turn were new wonders to view. The sun was in and out and the wind gusts continued all day. In the distance, we could see storms. We hiked about 13 miles today, so it was time to head back and relax. Rain is in the forcast for the weekend. Our activity will be weather driven.
We continued east and soon the land was flat again with a variety of scrub vegetation. Then we entered Red Canyon. Red hoodoos cropped up on red hills. There were several areas to pull off the road so we could explore. Each one unique and beautiful. We hiked around these wonders, then continued toward Bryce Canyon.
We arrived mid-afternoon. Checked out the visitors center and got a map. There was not enough time to take a hike so we did the touristy thing and drove the 18 miles of the park road and stopped at every view point. Amazing! It does not look real. When we reached the end, we had gained over 3000 feet in elevation and it began to rain. While driving back, we did see a herd of Pronghorn Antelope. At least 30 grazing in the field. Checked in to our place and then it was dinner, grocery shopping and to bed.
Today, we returned to the park to hike. Bryce is completely different from Zion. Zion is a valley surrounded by stone walls. To see views, you must hike upward. At Bryce, you start at higher elevations and gaze down. On the rim, the winds were extremely strong. Gusts up to over 40 mph. The Queen's Garden Trail takes you down into the formations of hoodoos. The sights were unreal. Some of the upper edges look like a few of chess figures. The entire area looks like a massive fairy garden. Our trail joined another called the Peekaboo trail. It zigged and zagged all around the formations. Around every turn were new wonders to view. The sun was in and out and the wind gusts continued all day. In the distance, we could see storms. We hiked about 13 miles today, so it was time to head back and relax. Rain is in the forcast for the weekend. Our activity will be weather driven.
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