Bryce Canyon National Park

Met up with Mom and Art at McCarren/LAS airport on Sunday morning on April 20. They were difficult to miss cruising the airport pick-up lanes in their 30-foot RV! Having been in Arizona and Lake Mead since January, this would be their last road adventure before returning home to Reno for the summer.

Masterful parking job by Art in a conventional car space!

View from Mom & Art's Lake Mead RV space

Departing Las Vegas, we immediately headed northeast up I-15 passing through the NW corner of Arizona and then into Utah. Along the way, we passed through Bunkerville, NV where Cliven Bundy is currently waging a battle with the U.S. Government over cattle grazing fees and rights. Because Mr. Bundy's Mormon ancestors originally settled throughout the Virgin (River) Valley (junction of NV, AZ and UT) in the late 1800's, he therefore maintains he shouldn't have to pay for grazing his cattle on public land. Southwestern Utah is a Mormon hotbed of polygamy, locally termed "plural marriage"...and which HBO network executives named "Big Love" for their popular HBO series on the subject.

 

About 4pm we pulled into the Country Aire RV Park in Cedar City, UT. With "full hook-ups" (water, electric, sewer & cable TV) plus Wi-Fi, we were living high! Within minutes, all three of us had devices connected to that fire hose of "1s and 0s" we know as broadband! Humans apparently have evolved to where Wi-Fi access is second only to oxygen for survival. Art grilled a fabulous dinner and soon it was time for bed. The RV has one queen bed and two full beds...mine was the converted sofa by day. With a very thoughtfully provided 2" foam pad, it was very comfortable. The next morning we headed east on Utah Route 14 towards Long Valley Junction.

Short tunnel on Scenic Byway 12

At Long Valley Juction we turned north on Route 12, appropriately designated as a Utah Scenic Byway. Scenic Byway 12 runs 124 miles through ruggedly beautiful landscapes, including 1.8 million acres of National Forest, five National/State Parks with six Visitor Centers. The scenery gradually began to change with red rock outcroppings and memorable landscapes. We stopped for lunch near the Thunder Mountain Trailhead amidst the red rocks.

One Hoodoo

Two Hoodoos

Three Hoodoos and more!

Our lunch stop included our first exposure to unique geologic spires called Hoodoos. Hoodoos range in size from a few feet to a hundred feet or more. They may occur as a solitary spire or in large groups as we were soon to see in Bryce Canyon NP.

This rock formation is called "The Sinking Ship"

At Bryce Canyon City we turned south on Route 63, which dead-ends at the far southern end in Bryce Canyon NP. Unlike the Grand Canyon, Bryce is not a true canyon but instead the eroded edge of a portion of the Colorado Plateau called the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Between 40-50 million years ago, Utah was an underwater basin into which limestone sediments formed. About 20 million years ago, massive tectonic plate activity uplifted the Colorado Plateau nearly two miles. The forces of weathering and erosion then cut the relatively soft limestone into Hoodoos and other exquisite contours.

A Hoodoo Village!

Thor's Hammer Hoodoo

Bryce Canyon NP is comprised of a highland edge accessible by vehicle with many trails winding down into the canyonlike erosions. Our first stop was Sunrise Point at an elevation of 8017 feet. Hiking along the Rim Trail, mom was as nervous as a cat on the edge of a bathtub full of water. She could barely watch as Art and I took photos of the Canyon floor from the Rim Trail.

Note the hiking/equestrian trail

Ma & Pa Hoodooo

Our next stop was lovely Sunset Point. Due to time constraints, I only hiked about 30 minutes below the highland rim on the Navajo Loop Trail trying to gain another perspective on these unique geologic formations.

Navajo Loop Trail

Trail into the Abyss!

As a side note, Bryce has year-round Interpretive Programs with topics ranging from geology to wildlife to astronomy. With the clear, dry air and high elevation, the "Dark Rangers" (see Bryce website) offer guided full moon night hikes among the moonlit hoodoos. And seeing photos taken of snowfall adding even further definition to the amazing landscape would make wintertime an interesting visit as well.

Continuing south in the park we reached aptly-named Inspiration Point. From the parking lot, the walk up to Inspiration Point is about 100 vertical feet and well worth the effort!

Note the 8 horses on the trail

We continued south to Ponderosa Point, Natural Bridge and eventually the 12 mile road that parallels the rim terminated at Rainbow Point...all geologic eye candy!

Retracing our route out of the park and north on Route 63, we turned east on Scenic Byway 12 and headed towards Cannonsville, UT where we would spend the night in aptly-named Kodachrome Basin. About the same time Kodachrome film was introduced in 1948, the National Geographical Society named the area with the consent of the Kodak Film Co. The Basin is entered from the south and is a cul-de-sac with layers of colored rock and hoodoos for ornamentation.

The Kodachrome Basin camp/RV site has only 31 spaces by advance reservation...and on this Monday night in April ALL spaces were sold out. As soon as we were parked, a skinny middle-aged man shuffled over from an adjacent campsite and asked if we were planning on staying more than one night-if not, he wanted our space for the next evening. The camp/RV site had very clean bath/shower facilities but, alas, no cable, cell or Wi-Fi...oh well, will just have to gaze at the spectacular scenery!

 

Posted by TBW Travel Today!