Grand Circle Day Three Bryce

---

The Grand Circle Day Three – Bryce Canyon

We checked out of our hotel in Mount Carmel Junction, we had booked to stay there two nights because it had a restaurant on sight … but one that didn’t accommodate us, could it be me I ask? The restaurant advertised it served Ho-Made pies as well – which I found odd. In Utah alcohol is the work of the devil, but referring to women as “hos” in a family restaurant is perfectly acceptable.

The hotel were very good about refunding our second night, although it took some time for receptionist to understand that we had actually already paid, she wanted to charge us again for the night we had stayed and $25 cancellation fee. In fact she never actually understood, but she knew a man who did and he sorted it out for us. He asked why we had been refused entry to the restaurant – had we been ‘partying’ – do we look like we party?? I asked him if it was because we were women travelling alone – even Ursula was shocked. The manager said they were very easy-going and accept all sorts, except apparently middle-aged women in need of a glass of wine. For breakfast we were actually allowed in the restaurant, and we binged on buttermilk pancakes which may not set you up for a day’s hiking, but taste so good you just don’t care.

We shared the driving completely – we each drove on alternate days, but the passenger tends to be the one to point out the speed limits, remember the handbrake - after a few miles anyway, and to add helpful comments such as ‘look at the road, look at the road’ at key times, such as sharp bends and oncoming traffic and when Viv has wandered off the road because she is gawking at scenery. The drive to Bryce was even more spectacular than the Zion area, and we started along one of America’s most scenic byways, Route 12. America is very good at putting in viewpoints at key vistas when the road allows – this is of benefit to the happy snappers like us, and the much beleaguered locals who must be sick of tourists veering all over the road. We could have stood all day just staring at the views, but more scenes were in treat for us at Bryce.

Bryce Canyon was the standard by which we came to judge every other Park. It was hard to believe there were so few visitors there – book now, it is stunning! The national parks website (www.nps.gov – an excellent site, as is the Utah site www.Utah.com ) describe it as unique and incomparable, and how right they are. It is based around the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The rocks are deep reds, yellows and oranges, so vivid even without the sun on them you find it hard to believe they haven’t just been painted, virtually every view is just awe inspiring.
The ranger advised us to go to Mossy Cave and the frozen waterfall, and then do the Queen’s Garden Trail. Mossy Cave is outside of the park, so we had lunch first (food always a priority with us) bought gloves because it was somewhat nippy, chatted to the man in the shop who asked us if we were excited about ‘the wedding’, which we aren’t, and didn’t we think Kate was absolutely charming, we didn’t like to say we hadn’t met her. America is very excited about the royal wedding in general. It is on every news show, magazines in the shops are full of it. I feel a bit guilty for not knowing any answers to the questions that are put to me, so am just going to start making it up.

We drove out to Mossy Cave. Actually we drove out to Tropic, which is a small town about 10 miles out of Bryce Canyon, and once home of Ebenezer Bryce, a Scot who gave his name to the canyon, before moving on. It takes some nerve to see such a spectacular view and decide it should be given your own name, but Ebenezer was clearly up to the task. Tropic has nothing spectacular about it, other than we realized we must have missed Mossy Cave and backtracked. We eventually saw a viewpoint with a few cars in and stopped to get our bearings. This viewpoint turned out to be Mossy Cave, clearly nobody but the ranger who we spoke to thinks that you should visit, because there were no signs visible from the road. There were a few locals walking dogs and a few snap and go tourists like ourselves. We walked up to the frozen waterfall. It was a waterfall, it was no longer frozen – which was surprising because we were and had taken to wearing as many layers as possible to compensate for the suitcases full of summer clothes we had brought for our ‘desert trip’. There was a rock which could either be a dragon or a tiger, depending on your viewpoint, and which was more attractive than the waterfall, which when it isn’t frozen is just a trickle. We eschewed the walk up to Mossy Cave – it was really muddy (we are such hardened hikers) and we were keen to get back to Bryce and see more of the spectacular red rock.

Utah has the largest amount of National Parks – and it is obvious why, every park is different and a monument to the combination of the shifting plates of the earth and the erosions wrought on the scenery. Bryce’s rock formations developed 144 million years ago and spent the next 80 million years changing as a result of the seaway depositing sediments and repeatedly invading the landmass. The rivers then started making inroads some 50 million years ago, and their iron-rich deposits lead to the Claron Formation – the astounding pinks and reds of the hoodoos. Some 10 million years ago the rocky mountains were formed, as a result of horizontal compression, this lead to the earth pulling in different directions in Utah along fault lines, and layers that were once one were broken up, tilting into the amazing formations around the canyons, with the freeze thaw cycles contributing to the erosion forming the hoodoos.
Our starting point in the park proper was Sunrise Point, which gives amazing views of the amphitheater, six square miles of small and large “hoodoos”. A hoodoo is a pillar of rock sculpted by erosion of the rock around it. It is easy to see what lead to the legend of the Paiute Indians, which holds that the fantastical forms of the hoodoos were once animals capable of form-changing and full of evil, who Coyote turned them into rocks. You don’t quite see the amphitheater until you reach the viewing platform, and everyone who walks up there gasps in amazement at the view before them, including us, this definitely has the wow factor. The walls of the amphitheater were touched with snow, giving further contrast to the stunning reds and oranges of the rock colours.

From there we were to hike down into the Queens Garden. We were somewhat nervous of our ability to hike this because we saw people looking far fitter than us seemingly on the brink of collapse as they returned to the top, but we set off anyway, with our motto of ‘small steps, slow pace, lots of scenery stops’ to guide our pace. Every turn on the way down gives more amazing views, and although we knew we should save our stops for the way back, I just couldn’t stop myself from clicking away at every bit of rock. The Garden is called the Queen’s Garden because one of the rock formations bears a resemblance to Queen Victoria. I was wondering if we would miss it and go to far, because lots of the rocks resemble everything and nothing, also the further we went down …. The further we had to come back up. However a fellow tourist advised us that there is big sign saying ‘look up’. Full credit to the US, they do National Parks very, very well.

After walking down for what seemed like hours, we reached the garden, sure enough there was a sign there for those lacking in imagination and the many who will have no idea what Queenie V looked like. We happy snapped the queen – who was quite a few feet taller than her namesake – who was a mere 5 feet tall. After the obligatory happy snaps session we started our ascent. We took dolly steps and a slow pace and were passed many times by people we eventually passed, trying not to laugh at their purple faces. Two young men who insisted on trying to run up the last stretch cleverly disguised their stops as ‘readusting backpacks’, drinking water and talking to their girlfriends. It didn’t seem to occur to them or the girlfriends that their running was therefore at the same pace as two middle-aged and slightly plump ladies walking at a pace that would put a snail to shame.

We were absolutely amazed when we reached a bench we had seen near the top, the ascent had seemed much easier than our expectations and much quicker than our descent. We marveled at our unexpected abilities, and finished the walk. We then took to our car and drove the full extent of the park. We wanted to see all the viewpoints before we got back to Sunset Viewpoint to watch the sunset on the park. It is 18 miles to the end of the park, each mile full of the most amazing views of the Canyon and of Dixie National Forest – which seems to be bigger than the entire UK. The furthest point is Rainbow point – an ascent of over a thousand feet, luckily our little tin shack was making the ascent, we were just sitting there gawking, occasionally giving the road sufficient attention to get to the end of the scenic drive. Rainbow point is the Canyon’s southernmost point, and we stopped there for a few photos and just to take in the view. The drive back from Rainbow point took in every viewpoint, it was too cold to hike – considering our version of a hike is a stroll with a camera, but we were happy to stop at the viewpoints and chill ourselves to the bone for a few minutes to take in each view.

The man in the shop had recommended Bryce Point – however we were too cold to do it justice, and I preferred Sunrise point and its views over the amphitheater. Our last stop was to be Sunset Point and we had determined to watch the sun go down over the park. Many others were doing likewise, and giving up after a while because of the cold – and these were people whose hiking gear suggested they had planned for the cold. We returned to our car to wait in there. We returned to Sunset Point – the sun showed no signs of going down, so eventually we took a last photo and retreated to our motel. On arriving back at the motel we could see the sky over the park was brilliant colours … our patience and frostbite would have been well rewarded. We consoled ourselves with a bottle of red and a dinner that may have led an onlooker to believe we had been a lot more active than was actually the case.

---

Photos

Mossy Cave
having people in your picture gives perspective apparently, so how come I am still a drama queen?

Amphitheater and snow
Snow - and we are dressed for desert heat!

25 close up from sunrise
Close up of formations in the amphitheater, parts of which look like abandoned medieval towns.

Bryce Hoodoos
Hoodoo you see?

Bryce
Reminiscent of medieval ruins

Bryce's Queen Victoria
Stoney faced as ever