3/18-/19/17
Current Location: Valley of the Gods, Bear Ears National Monument
The drive up to Bryce Canyon was scenic and relatively quiet. We were among a few cars we assumed were all headed to the same place, but gradually we separated from each other. As you get closer to the park, but still several dozen miles away the land begins to change and you get glimpses of how the geology of the area is changing. Passing through bridges cut from the sandstone, and past hoodoos (unusually shaped spires) we started to get giddy for what we were about to experience. After a stop in the visitor center to have a chat with a ranger, who was excited to have an original conversation about where to camp in the area, we drove out of the park to try and find a place for the night.
After several attempts up dirt forest service roads, only to be turned around by what looked like dry dirt, but clearly wasn’t, we decided we’d opt for a small loop road near the park. Not our first choice, but there was nothing wrong with it either. Back into the park for some exploring.
By all accounts, Bryce Canyon is nothing like Grand Canyon. The rock is shades of oranges, chiseled away from the pine tree covered mountain side by freeze/thaw cycles and wind. A much smaller park, and with much less people, it was even easier to find quiet areas. The amphitheater is the famous must-see of the park, and it does not disappoint. We got out and wandered around the main areas of the park before driving out to the end of the road to work our way back so that all of the pull-offs were on the right.
As the day wore on, there were less and less people in all of the pullouts, many making their way towards Sunset Point. We opted to stay further within the park at Ponderosa Point to watch the sunset and the stars come out. We made dinner in the parking lot as the sky grew darker. Pulling into another pull-out we saw an RV parked for the night. Decision made- we parked and set ourselves up to spend the night in that parking lot. Seems like the 'rules' are the same here as Grand Canyon.
The alarm went off early, and we made our way to the amphitheater for sunrise over the hoodoos. We packed our backpacks and had a quick breakfast and set off on a hike down through the formations along Queens Garden to Navajo Loop. The sunlight over and thought the hoodoos was spectacular. The oranges of the rock were vibrant against the bright blue sky. The 3 mile walk was slowed by taking lots of pictures and looking around at the beauty around us. Returning to the lot, and to Rooney who manned the van while we were gone, we leisurely had a second breakfast of snacks and got the van ready for drive-mode.
The drive from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef took us between ranches on either side of the road, down through a canyon and a few little towns. We stopped in Torrey just before the park for some water. As we crested the hill between town and the park, the landscape shifted dramatically and instantaneously. From large cottonwoods and grass to desert and towering cliffs and deep canyons. Early explorers named the area for the dome shaped rock, resembling the capitol building dome roof that was among the cliffs. Reef refers to a barrier because many of the earl explorers were of the sea-faring type and a reef was any difficult barrier.
Capitol Reef NP: where you constantly look like a drunk photographer because the landscape is tilted.
We opted to drive along highway 24, through the top of the park stopping along the way at pullouts, the visitor center and any quick jaunt. We ended up out the other side of the park to find camp. There was a great spot just outside the park boundary on BLM land along Notom-Bullfrog Road that over looked the canyons below. While there were a few cars that stopped along the road to take in the scenery, no-one pulled into the other campsites. Sunset did not disappoint and neither did the stars.
Up with the sun and into the park to explore before the heat of the day set in. We drove the scenic road through the park to the trailhead for Cassidy Arch. ‘Trail’ is up the wash and along the sandstone walls above. The wash was dusty dry, but told the story of high waters from flash-floods. At the top of the trail, overlooking the arch, we stopped and watched a group of boy-scouts out for an adventure- rapelling into the canyon below the arch. Their trip would take them down three 100+foot rapels, down to the wash below. We were able to get in another quick hike up Capitol Gorge, a hike up a different wash to the “tanks” in the sandstone. The tanks are depressions that fill with rainwater, some quite deep, harboring the tiniest lifeforms of shrimps, water bugs and worms that spring to life after being dormant in the dry environment.
We continued down the road to find a shady spot for some snacks and to continue our trip planning for the next few days. Rooney was happy to be out of the van and sprawled out on the cool sandstone pavers under the picnic tables.
While the parks and areas we have visited in Utah are close in proximity, they are extremely different in geologic formation. With each new area we explore, we continue to be fascinated with the different environments within the desert.
Last year we took a photo with the Alma, CO town sign. Now Lara and I covered the D'Orvilliers grandparents with Giles, UT