Beautiful Bryce
Mystic of Holyhead (successor to Lynn Rival)
Rachel and Paul Chandler
Sat 26 Oct 2019 17:40
Bryce Canyon is one of the
most popular National Parks in Utah, sitting at the top of the
Grand Staircase Escalante. It was a chilly morning when we left
our motel to join the crowds entering the park. After a quick
stop at the Visitors Center we drove to the southern end to walk
the Bristlecone Trail. The views were hazy but still
breathtaking. Looking south-east from a very cold and windy view point, home to some rather spiky trees . . .  Sequoias eat your heart out - this bristlecone pine has endured over 1,600 hard winters  Back to a more sheltered spot, for the view north eastward We made our way back to the famous amphitheatre in time for a talk about the geology. Being at the top of the Staircase the rock layers are relatively young - between 175-65 million years old. Since then the "forces of nature" have created the most stunning collection of rock spires, called hoodoos. The pictures speak for themselves . . .  More than a few years of erosion has formed these 'hoodoos' . . .  . . . some arches . . .  . . . and, in an area called the Amphitheatre . . .  . . . more hoodoos  There's no escaping them - turning towards the south, more hoodoos  Looking further out eastward over the Amphitheatre, towards Powell Point in the distance  Not artifacts - natural rock formations  And finally, a hoodoo with a view to the Navajo Mountain, about 90 miles to the south east |