The Great Outdoors

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The land around southern Idaho and into Utah become increasing arid as you drive down the gap between two mountain ranges. It seems that if it's not above the snow line then it doesn't get much water in these parts with the vegetation becoming predominantly desert scrub... even though you're still up on the Colorado Plateau with altitudes varying between 4000-7000 feet above sea level. Because of this altitude, the scenery, although sparse, is striking with the differences between the flat arid valley floor and the snow capped mountains on each side.



Salt Lake City is nestled at the base of some of these and was once again a venue for the Winter Olympics in 2002. The city itself is the base of the Church of the Later Day Saints, with Temple Square being the site of the original cathedral. Over the years, the area has been built on to and now gives a mixture of both old and new architecture in the numerous churches and administrative buildings making up the centre of the city.



As to be expected with a city that hosted the Winter Olympics, there are some amazing snow fields within an hour of the city... what I didn't expect was the rift between skiers and snowboarders. Unlike Whistler or Banff where everyone just seems to get along, there are two areas around Salt Lake City that are ski only slopes... Alta in the west and Deer Valley in the east. Alta I can understand... the terrain here would be horrible for snowboarders as there is a lot of traversing to do. Deer Valley on the other hand just seems to be because they want something of their own. No matter though when Park City has two other fields right on it's doorstep anyway.



Right at the end of the season, I thought I might as well make use of the new skills I'd picked up in Canada (practice makes perfect and all that), but with little to no new snow for over a week even the groomed runs were more ice than powder meaning they were bumpy as hell! Still... waste not, want not!! This was the first chance for me to do some solo runs and all I can say is I Love It!!! I can see that this might just become a permanent feature of my holiday life. The other thing I've realised is that the hardest part of snowboarding is getting off the lifts... and quite possibly the most embarrassing place to fall when your foot gets caught on your board... but if you can't laugh at yourself then what's the point, right?



Back below the snow line, the next few days were highly anticipated... four of the big name national parks all grouped together!!



Bryce Canyon National Park was one I hadn't heard a huge amount about but I had some time to spare so thought "why not?" Very glad I did!! Sitting at over 8000 feet above sea level, the canyon has the most amazing rock formations. The canyon itself is (like most gorges) carved by a river at its base, but the spires of rock that stand like sentinels throughout the canyon are formed more by wind erosion and the melting of the snow and ice. Looking down on them from above is like looking at an enormous, multi coloured chess board or a military parade with millions of soldiers standing at attention. Stunning!! Once again... a monument to the power and beauty of nature.



Reaching the boundary of Zion National Park, I was intending to spend a couple of nights in Springdale to be able to explore at my leisure. What I didn't realise was that not only was it a weekend and spring break for college students intent on doing some exploring of their own, it was also the weekend of the annual Zion Marathon. With a stroke of luck, I think I managed to find the last room available in the town that was still at a reasonable price (after asking 5 other places and only finding rooms ranging between $280 and $450). Not sure when my luck will run out but I'll take it for as long as I can get it!!



Zion National Park is a stark contrast to Bryce Canyon... where the latter is formed from sandstone, the canyons cut by the Virgin River in Zion are through older layers of rock. After about 5 million years of carving through this hard, dense rock, the river finally found some softer layers and began undercutting the canyon walls. What this means is that as the overhanging hard rock became too heavy to hold on, it broke away creating narrow, vertical faces to the sides of the canyon reaching over 1000 feet straight up. Makes for an awe inspiring setting and certainly invokes a sense of how small and impermanent my place in the world really is.



By cutting through Zion National Park, I made my way along the Vermillion Cliffs to look for the North Rim of one of the most magnificent sights in the country... if not the world! Unfortunately, being a little further off the beaten track, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is still closed and snowed in. Surprising considering every photo you ever see of the area is desert... but then again, I was still 7000 feet above sea level so maybe not. What I did get to see though was the Colorado River for the first time!



Spanning the river at the very north point of the canyon is the Navajo Bridge. Nearly 900 feet long and over 450 feet above the Colorado River, it was built in 1928 and is the beginning of the rafting tours that take nearly 2 weeks through the gorge and end up at Lake Mead. The boats appear as a speck on the river as they pass below and all I could think was "I wish I was on one of those!!" C'est la vie... another reason to come back!!



Ducking from Arizona back into Utah for a quick trip to Monument Valley before crossing the border again to continue heading south to Flagstaff and my base for the next few days... if I couldn't see it from the north, I was determined to see it from the south.



Quick point...

If you're planning on seeing more than 3 of the big national parks in the US, your best option is to buy an annual pass. With me missing out on Yellowstone, I wasn't sure if I was going to or not, but the great thing is you don't have to make up your mind straight away! After paying $25 each to enter into Bryce Canyon and Zion, it was another $25 for the Grand Canyon... or for an extra $5 I could upgrade to the annual pass as I still had the receipts from the other two and I had visited them within the last 10 days. Now if I decide to go to Yosemite National Park or any others I don't have to worry!! Also, the pass allows 2 signatories so at the end of my trip, I can give it to a fellow traveller so that they can reap the benefits too.



In the back of my mind, every time I visit something that is so widely displayed in photos and documentaries I always think "is it going to live up to expectation?" I'm not sure why I continually think this as every one of these things, be it a building, a museum, an art gallery, a monument or a natural wonder, has blown me away. Still... in the back of my mind it is always there... and driving out to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon was no exception.



The result?



It floored me again!!



Everything you've seen about it is true... and yet it's so much more!! The majesty of it as it flows out in front of you leaves you speechless while simultaneously making you a poet. It is immediately evident why it inspires artists, writers and photographers world wide, with a serenity that surpasses the teeming masses of people surrounding you. The fact that wild elk forage mere feet from the paths, and the ever changing light constantly playing out over the vista as the sun marches across the sky, keep the magic of this World Heritage Site alive. It is quite possible to spend an entire day sitting on a rock at the canyon rim, with your feet dangling over the side, just staring out at the different colours that appear and disappear as the light changes... I certainly did!!



With an average distance of 10 miles across and 1 mile deep, the river below is just a thin ribbon as it continues to carve this natural wonder like it has for millions of years before... and will do for millions to come.



This week was not just about ticking the boxes... this week has confirmed my reason for travel!! It has made me gasp, made me feel, and has made me reflect. This is the "Why"!!

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Comments

[Elaine]

Scenery
Some absolutely breathtaking photography