I’m a sucker for sunrises and I figured the sunrise over
Bryce Canyon would be spectacular. I wasn’t disappointed. A dozen people or
more lined the rim of the canyon as the first rays broke over the cliffs in the
distance. I took a few pictures (so I could show the hubby who slept in) and
then just enjoyed the view for a few minutes before returning to roust said
husband for breakfast.
After breakfast, we decided to drive all the way to the end
of Route 63, to Rainbow and Yovimpa Points. The view was terrific and we found the
Bristlecone Loop Trail easy enough for our morning walk considering we were at
an altitude of over 9100 feet. There were very few people there that early in
the morning and we enjoyed most of the mile long walk alone—alone that is
except for several mule deer that we startled as they were munching their
morning’s breakfast of greens. They quickly moved off a ways and watched us
through the bushes. The cute blue eyed squirrel however ran right down to us and practically stared into the camera lens. Like in any other tourist venue, I'm sure he was looking for a handout for posing.
An information plaque told us that the bristlecone pines
were unusual trees. A part of them might die off leaving a twisted gray trunk
but from that trunk fresh new growth would come regenerating the tree. That
explained all the gnarly trunks we saw with fresh green growth surrounding
them.
When we returned to the parking lot, the morning caravan of
buses were beginning to pull in. Again we patted ourselves on the back for good
planning. We had missed the crowds. As we drove back Route 63 we stopped at all
the lookouts. It was easier to do this by starting at the end of 63 and coming
back toward the lodge. The canyon is east of the road so all the stops were on
the right hand side and easy to pull in and out of.
Each viewpoint was different and offered a new perspective
of the canyon as well as unusual formations. The hoodoos abounded of course and
even a natural bridge was at one stop. Oh, by the way, a hoodoo is a rock
pinnacle left standing by the combined forces of weathering and erosion. Bryce
Canyon is full of hoodoos.
Probably the most impressive views however were right in
front of the Bryce Canyon Lodge. You can’t see the canyon from the rooms
because of the stately pine trees and the rim is a little higher than the units
where the rooms are. Walking the incline to the edge of the rim though results
in a breathtaking expanse of color and texture and amazing structures rising
from the canyon floor.
For lunch, we ventured out of the park and into Bryce Canyon
City for a sandwich—a Rueben made with pastrami instead of corned beef. Delicious.
From there, we went to a trail we wanted to hike that was to take us back to a
mossy cave and a waterfall.
The trek to the waterfall and cave were a somewhat easy walk
and very pretty. The interesting part was learning that in 1892, the pioneers
of the area using primitive tools built a canal in this area to bring essential
water to the area. To make the job a little easier, they used some of the more
natural waterways like the one we were walking past.
The mossy cave was just that, a cave with a little green
moss in it where water was seeping through. To those of us who don’t come from
arid places, it wasn’t as spectacular as it would be to someone who knows a
little more personally how important the water seeping through could be.
Around dinner time, the clouds that had been forming all
afternoon became darker and thicker and soon we were hearing the echoes of
thunder in the canyon. A lightening display sent us retreating to our room
before the clouds burst.
It rained most of the night and the next morning we
woke to a foggy forest but by the time we went to the rim to take a picture of
a foggy canyon, the sun and wind had already dispersed most of it.
We packed the car, turned in our keys and began our journey to Zion National Park. Appropriate that we would be in Zion on Sunday.
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