More Bryce Canyon pics, again

NORTH RIM, AZ - - Our weekend get away was a trip back to Bryce NP...again. Cheap camping and cool (42-degree) night time temps. Top to bottom: storm clouds brewing, but no storm; on the Fairyland Trail; near Bryce Point.

Bryce NP views

BRYCE CANYON, NP , UT - - We spent the weekend at Bryce Canyon NP. It was 31-degrees at 6am Sunday and 35-37 degrees on early Monday morning. The difference was the strong wind on Sunday morning. We recently acquired a Jet Boil coffee press for taking the edge off the early cool weather. It works like a charm, but we have some experimenting still to do to get the correct coffee/brew time to get some real flavor. For more on our trip see Lydia's blog link.

We took too many photos to really choose the best so here are three: Top to bottom: the view from Rainbow Point; a lonesome pine along the rim trail; the amptheater seen from Sunrise Point.

35 degrees and snow

NORTH RIM, AZ - - So here's what it looked like riding the employee shuttle back to the dorm at 3:05pm...snow/sleet and a 35-degree temperature. Another 10 miles up the road at the park entrance there were reports of 4-plus inches of wet snow.

At 5:45 am this morning the clouds were gathering as the two photos (below) from the east and west terraces of the Grand Canyon Lodge show. The sun was trying to come out, but lost out to the clouds and then reappeared only to really get covered up.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

CEDAR BREAKS NATIONAL MONUMENT, UT - - This area opened on June 5, we got there the next day. Plenty of snow still to melt. Since we're sitting outdoors at a coffee shop / outdoor shop, the color(s) may look off. With the glare here, it's hard to tell.

Down and UP

NORTH RIM, AZ - - Two weeks ago after a hike into the Grand Canyon to Supai Tunnel, I posted a photo from above the North Kaibab trail head parking lot of the Bridge in the Red Rocks which looked way, way down into this amazing canyon. Yesterday, Lydia and I decided that we needed to check it out first hand....and then we kept on going. The top photo is the rim trail after we passed the bridge on our way to Roaring Springs, a 5-mile and 3,300 foot descent followed by 5-miles back up that 3,300 foot descent. Look at the lower right center for a yellow spot...that Lydia the hike leader. The second photo shows the bridge seen before we crossed it on the way back. The very top at the left is where we were headed.

New views

NORTH RIM, AZ - - Here are two new places we've gone to in search of new views of the Grand Canyon. The top photo is from the lookout at Point Imperial which the bottom photo is from Cape Royal and includes the Colorado River which isn't visible from our area of work on the North Rim

Surprise

NORTH RIM , AZ - - Things you won't see in Florida: Early morning coffee ... May 24. Yes, that is snow.

NORTH RIM, AZ - - On Tuesday, the scheduled trip to a hike location way out a dirt road I don't really want to take the VW on was canceled. Lydia was to drive the shuttle on the trip, but a change in plans sent her (us) to Paige, AZ. The above shot is from the walkway on the Navajo Bridge which crosses the Colorado River and is surrounded by the Vermilion Cliffs and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Day off

NORTH RIM, AZ - - We had our only day off together this week so we decided to test our lungs on a short (2 miles down and 2 miles back up) hike to Supai Tunnel. Not a very photogenic place. However, while we were having our rest break the calvary rode in. I mean tourists on mules showed up and 'parked' for a short rest...in the top photo. Since we didn't expire on the hike from lack of oxygen or steep trails we've set our future sights on continuing down into the Kaibab Canyon. The bottom photo shows The Bridge In The Redwall (bottom left/center in the pic) and the trail continuing onward toward Roaring Springs which is 5 miles one-way.

Loaded clouds

NORTH RIM, AZ - - Click on the photo to blow it up. Look at the middle right of the photo where the showers are. An hour after this, we experienced a heavy snow squall which lasted about 15 minutes and promptly melted. Such is the weather. Sunday's forecast is for 81-degrees and sunny. We'll see.

The View

NORTH RIM, AZ - - This is the view from the veranda at Grand Canyon Lodge. We had snow yesterday, nasty winds and 35-degree weather. We are involved in a new game here: It's called "Find the cell phone signal." It involves wandering around with your phone looking for a signal. We tried a number of locations given us but no dice. Then, this morning a person noted that a trip through the woods behind our dorm to the rim of the canyon might work as they were told there was a cell tower somewhere in the (hazy) distance. They were right, but nobody was home when I called.

Snow job

NORTH RIM, AZ - - How you know you're not in Florida anymore. This is about 30 miles away from where we are working at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Daytona Beach = 30+ - feet above sea level; North Rim = 8,200 and over.

One last Zion shot

Not really the last Zion shot I took.

Zion Rocks!

SPRINGDALE, UT - - Images along the Hidden Canyon Trail.

Quiz time

SPRINGDALE, UT - - The above hummingbird was working on a full tank of fuel, which, if it we gas, would be $3.25 per gallon and up.
This is a quiz to see if you can figure out which of the squirrel(s) in the above/below photos will get a citation from the Park Rangers for misdemeanor stupidity. Hint: this involves getting stranded in the middle of the Virgin River...jokes about virginity and stupidity are not allowed.

This and that

SPRINGDALE, UT - - Today's excursion has taken us to Zion National Park. One thing missed in yesterday's posting was Red Rocks Canyon, which is on the road into Bryce Canyon NP. The colors were quite interesting...as in the top photo. On arrival in Zion NP at about 9am we were lucky enough to get one of the park's campsites with a great view of the limestone cliffs behind.

More Bryce Canyon pics

GLENDALE, UT - - Here are additional photos to go with the previous blog.

Hiking among the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon NP

GLENDALE, UT - - The hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park, like the huge sentinels in Monument Valley, are what the tourists come to see. You can get a good idea of the strata from the look out points, but to really see the hoodoos you need to hike into the canyon. We did just that from Bryce Point via connecting trails to Sunrise Point...a bit over 4 miles by going down nearly 1,800' and then back up the same amount. Rainwater does some sculpting of the hoodoos, but the main artistic endeavor is the freeze and thaw cycle which Bryce experiences on average 200 days per year. The pink-ish and white colors on the limestone in the Claron Formation come from plant/root oxidation while the white comes from the evaporation of the clearer water over time.

Valley of the Gods

KANAB, UT - - We were on our way to Monument Valley when the turnoff to Valley of the Gods showed up. It's a 15-mile winding dirt road through some spectacular scenery. So, off we went despite my misgivings about beating up the VW Bus. No problem. What the challenge ended up being was that there were so many good shots it was hard to choose. So here's one shot in which the stone formations look like soldiers standing guard. Nothing like a couple of open range road blocks to give the bottom photo some added scenery.

For more VoG shots, link to Lydia's blog.

Cliff Palace

CORTEZ, CO - - While the scenery in Mesa Verde National Park is stunning, it is the cliff dwellings tourists come to see. The Cliff Palace, on Chapin Mesa, is the largest of the artifacts. Ranger-led tours are the only way you can visit the dwellings. Fortunately, there are plenty of free photo opportunities.