May 28, 2011--Bryce Canyon

From our current campground (Glendale, Ut) we're about 60 miles from Bryce. The road we used to get there runs through Longs Valley and it's very pretty. When we arrived at Bryce I was a little concerned because even though it was early in the day there were signs everywhere that parking lots were full and to use the shuttle bus. That didn't work for us since we had Tipper with us so we plowed on through and headed to the most distant overlook. The closer overlooks were crowded but the further we went the less people we saw. I guess Bryce Canyon needs some explanation. First, Bryce Canyon was named after Ebenezer and Mary Bryce who lived in the area from 1875 to about 1880. Second, the weird shaped, multi colored spires are called hoodoos, which are pinnacles or odd shaped rock shaped by the forces of erosion. I had always assumed that the basic rock structure was sandstone, but while there we learned that most of the hoodoos were limestone. According to the park newspaper approximately 200 days a year this area is subjected to low temperatures where the rain or snow melt freezes during the night and then melts during the day. The pressure from the water freezing and the washing away of small material when rain happens has created this wondrous landscape. It doesn't get much better than this.