Bryce Canyon Utah

We are now in the loop of hiking different canyons and National Parks.  Yesterday we went to Bryce Canyon.  Very different scenery from Zion.  In fact, each park has a very distinct geography which includes the colors, the greenery (or lack thereof!), the altitude and the difficulty range of hikes.  Some of the true, backcountry hikers take on challenges that are beyond the imagination.  It's fun to spend time around such a wide variety of very healthy people!  

At Bryce Canyon, the erosion has sculpted the most amazing figures.  They aren't small.  There are edges that you walk to the end of the path, look down and it can be 3,000 feet to the bottom and the "hoodoos" are only a couple of hundred feet from the top.  I'm not a geologist so you have to do your own reading, but this first picture shows the top layer of "capstone", the gray rock.  That's what stays on the top because it's very hard.  However, the material under that layer (a type of sandstone I think?) is what erodes into the eerie shapes.  

Here are a couple of pictures what happens next. 

John is suspended on the wall! 

This is the highest point we've hiked to so far.  Actually, we drove to this point and then hiked down! 

The colors of the canyons are beyond real. 

And then, in the middle of our hike 1500 feet down into the canyon, this became the view over the top of the edge above.  Acckkkk!!

Time to put up the hood on the rain jacket, tie on a hat, zip up and walk fast.  Good thing that the storm blew over with only a little rain.  Actually, it blew over 3 times before we got back to the top.  Nothing like outdoor adventures!!

This little guy is running right along the road.  They were pretty common throughout the park.  Cute huh? 

Looks kind of like giant chess pieces if you really use your imagination. :-) 

Last view of Bryce Canyon

 Cowboy John!  Hat, glasses and new belt buckle!!! 

Have a great couple of days everyone!