Goblin Valley, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon

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On the way to Capitol Reef we also visited Goblin Valley State Park - an unusual collection of sandstone hoodoos that look a lot like mushrooms. Some of them are quite large and it was quite a maze to walk amongst them. We had a slight detour getting out of the park though and back on to the main road. I had a map that said there was another road back out but this actually turned out to be a 4wd drive road down a wash. It was rather late in the afternoon before we got back out again!

The next morning we did the scenic drive through Capitol Reef National Park and saw quite a lot of mule deer. Capitol Reef is known to the Indians as the “land of the sleeping rainbow” and it definitely is a rainbow of colours. It also has a lot of historic sights with an old homestead, apple orchards (which are open to the public to come and pick apples) and the hideout for a number of outlaws including Butch Cassidy.

That afternoon we arrived in Bryce Canyon National Park and went up to Paria, Bryce, Inspiration and Sunset Points around the Bryce Amphitheatre. Was forecast for really clear weather so we got up before sunrise again and went to Sunset Point (sounds strange but Sunset Point is actually the best place for sunrise) and watched the sunrise come up over a hoodoo called Thor’s Hammer. Was bitterly cold that morning at -9 degrees C (14 degrees F), so we were very glad that it was so sunny. Everything froze instantly - was funny trying to do the dishes when they kept freezing before you had a chance to dry them. Later that week, with a snow storm arriving it was forecast to be -1 degrees F!
We drove down to the far end of the park also and went to Rainbow Point at elev 9119 feet and did a walk out to see some Bristlecone Pines, one of which was 1700 years old.

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Comments

[Jonny]

"Mushrooms" eh...?