Zion & Bryce Canyon with Matt & Ray, Day 2

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Photos from this day in Bryce Canyon National Park

Most of our stuff we packed the night before, and had sitting by the door when we got up. It was Day 2 of this special visit to Zion/Bryce with my son Matt, and good friend Ray Listanski. We planned on leaving early, but not so early as to make sunrise in Bryce Canyon, which was a bit over an hour away. Besides, I wanted these guys to experience breakfast at The Thunderbird Restaurant in Mount Carmel. The plan was to checkout as soon as the front desk opened at 7, and be on our way. We walked in at a polite 7:04, and I was happy to see an old friend, Kevin McLaws going through some papers behind the desk. He has a way of perking up your day when he talks about the area and his plans for improving it while keeping it exactly as it is. In the years I've been coming here Kevin has made some incredible changes, and yet like a Taoist constructing a monastery on the side of a mountain, the land is unchanged. One can still feel the energy and life lessons emanating from the rocks and trees. Uh-oh, this is where I could start getting weird telling you how I feel, but will rather assume we all feel it and just mention how Kevin is one of my favorite people. The park rangers and other employees of the NPS do a great job keeping the magic alive in the National Parks. Still, it takes special folks like Mr. McLaws to extend the sensation to the surrounding areas. May every park be blessed with its counterpart. The part of his character that shines through to give us a sense of certainty in the continuing integrity and beauty of his area, Zion Mountain Ranch, is his tendency to keep money issues way in the back-back seat of his considerations for change. By that I don't mean he has all the financing he needs, but that he doesn't make choices based on how many rich folks will want to participate. Enough about my gratitude... Carry on, Kevin. See ya soon.

We took Scenic Route 9 east to the Mount Carmel Junction where it ends in a T with Scenic Route 89. Those who haven't had the pleasure of driving through Utah may think its residents a bit pompous naming all of their roads with the "scenic" adjective, but after a short visit would realize the understatement. Ray was practicing his out-the-window technique when he was surprised by seeing a golf course appear on our right. We slowed down to pull into The Thunderbird Restaurant, Home of the 'Ho'-Made Pies. This is a must-stop for everyone traveling through the junction. Great food, pleasant people and memorable stories and history.

South on SR89 would have taken us past Corel Pink Sand Dunes State Park to Kanab, one of the Western Movie capitols of the world, but today we had plans with the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon in the north. We had a pleasant ride through some old towns like Orderville, and I mentioned some great times Barb and I had had staying at a house just down SR14, which would take us passed a town called Duck and Cedar Breaks National Monument into Cedar City. I suggested that if we had time on our way back through tomorrow, we should probably take a short ride down Scenic Route 14 to a stream with plenty of interesting aspen trees that may be changing color already.

Moments before we made the turn from SR89 to SR12 I remembered Red Canyon. When I thought of stopping for breakfast I figured we could still get some good early morning light in Bryce Canyon, maybe arriving at the first spot by 8:30ish. Well, it was already 9:11 when I took the first photo in the gallery and we were still a few miles from the park entrance. Dixie National Forest extends all over Utah. Like dark matter in the universe it seems to be that area in between the designated state and national parks, but unlike dark matter it brightens the travel in between. It's administered by the National Bureau of Land Management, and Red Canyon is part of it. Matt was the first out of the car, and he was already slipping his way up the rocky hill, chasing a shot of what he saw before him and the lure of what might be over the top. By the time Ray & I were moreorless done and ready to move on, I called to Matt but got no response. Trying not to worry like a father does, I took a couple more shots before noticing he had circled and was back at the bottom waiting for us. We jumped back in the car, made a couple quick stops to get the arch overpasses, and soon were passing by Ruby's on our way into Bryce Canyon National Park.

Route 63, ironically not given the Scenic adjective, is less than a 3-mile long state road leading from SR12 into Bryce Canyon National Park. Perhaps it's not deemed scenic because you can't really see the amazing formations within the park, and because the only thing on the road is the man-made scenes at Ruby's Inn. After that, I suppose, the road is under national administration instead of state. Ruby's Inn is more like a truck stop with everything but a full hospital; it has everything any travel could want and more, but, not wanting anything other than what was ahead, we hurried by for our first sight of the magic that was named after the first Mormon settler to the area, Ebenezer Bryce. His most notable quote when asked how he liked living among such magnificence, to wit, "It's a helluva place to lose a cow," is something that always comes to mind while standing on the rim of this remarkable place. Now, there are plenty of trails and paths to follow, as you can see in many of the photos. Look closely and you can find hikers, but no cows. Look longer and you'll notice that most of the hikers favor the inside part of the path, where the fear of falling is more easily fought.

In addition to the trails you'll see in the photos, you'll undoubtedly notice sun flares (which I really thought I did a better job of omitting), dust bunnies (--I just got the tools with which I'll clean my own sensors from now on), and the dreaded jet contrails. If more aero engineers were photographers, perhaps the exhaust would spit out in shapes of cumulus clouds.

We passed by Fairyland and Sunrise Points and headed straight for Sunset Point. Man, or should I say God, I missed this place. So many good memories with Barb. The people in national parks are always so happy, and walk around with a little humbling glow that seems to bring everyone closer. Photos 5 thru 31 were taken in the little over an hour we were at Sunset. It was a tough job trying to make sure Ray & Matt got to see everything on this trip, which, of course, is impossible, and that they had enough time to enjoy each stop. It was a tricky task, but after all these years you get a good sense of when a fellow photog is finished. On the other hand, many of the best shots were taken when one photog was just getting a few last shots while waiting for another to finish. Finished or not, we headed to Bryce Point for the next 10 photos in the gallery. After a short stroll along the rim and a promise to return, we left for Inspiration Point, where I only took 3 shots. Both Matt & Ray were off in different directions, and I took the time to simply enjoy the warmth of millions of years emanating from the area, drinking in with all my senses, glad to be the human experiencing it at this time.

When they returned, we headed back down to Ruby's to see if our rooms were ready. They weren't, so we had a bowl of incredible soup and went back up canyon for one more round before checking in in time for happy hour. On this pass we stopped I-forget-where-and-can't-tell-from-the-photos, then drove to some of the lookouts including the Natural Bridge. It was there that Matt had a raven fall in love with him, or at least the act of posing for him. Matt first started shooting him in a tree off to the side. Soon the creature came to land on a perch right in front of him and posed for quite some time, ignoring all others and following Matt. Later at another stop on our way back down, the bird (surely the same one) caught up to us and followed Matt until he was nearly out of memory card. Many other birds would come his way throughout this trip.

After happy hour and before supper we headed to Paria Point. When we were at the Natural Bridge we met a geologist who has lived and worked in Bryce Canyon his whole life. He told us the best sunset shots can be found at Paria. I can't imagine getting a bad shot in Bryce Canyon. As long as you point the camera away from yourself and get it in focus, you'll be able to make a fine photo, especially when the sun is low in the sky. Our tripods were opened and we took our first exposure (photo 56, for me) at 6:41, about 45 minutes before The Photographer's Ephemeris indicated the Sun would fade below the horizon at this point.

Of course, the best photographers come out at the best times of day for getting the best shot, and we met a good one this night on Paria Point. I noticed a few tripoders, but there was one in particular who seemed in a zone. I tried staying out of his way by cultivating an interest in other areas of the point, but Charles Riter was setup where my tripod wanted to be. Eventually, after occupying (or attempting to divert) my muse with photos 62 thru 68 behind his back, it was time to face him. Fortunately he was a very understanding fellow. Although I never did get the shot my tripod seemed to suggest, we can be sure Charles got a good one. We talked photography for maybe 20 minutes, and I walked away certain we'd have a great time shooting together and having a few beers afterwards, fabricating tales about the ones that got away. He agreed with our geologic connection of earlier that the best sunrise shots would be obtained at Inspiration Point, so we agreed to meet there then. Charles lives in Cape May, just a short ferry from where we stay in Delaware, and I'm sure we'll meet again. His photos and photosight are wonderful.

This amazing day of photo fun with my son Matt and good friend Ray, filled with such gorgeous feelings of history 'n' future and decorated by the natural beauty of Bryce Canyon, was passed its sunset, so we headed to one of Barb's and my favorite places to eat, the restaurant at the Bryce Canyon Pines. Their food, service, and even clientele are the best around. Although their pies are not made by 'ho'e's, they're among the best in the state. We feasted and talked about what we did and what we have left to do. Then we went back to Ruby's to download and backup our memories, and clean our cameras while resuming happy hour. We planned an early start in the morning, but continued in consideration of our circadian rhythms, which were still nearly two hours east. I looked forward to meeting up with Charles Riter and shooting the better part of the day with him, and taking my guys to Mossy Cave before the next adventures in Zion National Park.

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Comments

[Aaron Glenn Campbell]

Very cool imagery and text
Thanks for sharing your experiences and bringing us along, Marty!

[Parks Photos]

Thanks
Thanks, Aaron. I like it when you come along, too.