Monday, August 21, 2006

23rd April 2006 Bryce Canyon

We left the Hotel on a grey overcast morning and as we started to climb the mountains it got darker and darker and then it started to sleet and snow. At 9400 feet it was 29 degrees Fahrenhite and so we had to look out for ice on the road as well. However, once we reached the top the weather changed and it was great for the rest of the journey.
As you arrive into the Bryce Canyon area , the drive is past Red Rock Canyon for about one mile. The colour of the rock is a bright maroon/red colour, it must look beautifull in the sunshine.
We arrived in Bryce Canyon, which is actually a series of canyons which stretch for about 18 miles with the highest peak being about 9400 feet. This peak has over 200 days per year of below freezing temperatures.
It is quite an amazing sight to behold and whereas with Zion National Park you can walk through the bottom of the Canyon and look up, here you drive on the top and look down although there are hiking trails lower down. It is still early season for this National Park and so it was rather quiet, which was nice.
I am afraid that the pictures from yesterday in Zion National Park and also today's of Bryce Canyon cannot really do justice to the size and grandeur and space, however we did our best.
Bryce Canyon is named after a Mormon Settler who built a small house in the shade of Bryce Canyon. Apparently the only problem with being there was that he kept losing cattle in the canyon...
There is a view site at Bryce Canyon where you walk out for 100 feet with a path 6 feet wide but either side there is a drop of several thousand feet, we think, as it not possible to get the ruler out and check. Good place for suicide though!!!
Hope you like the pictures. We are off to Grand Canyon tomorrow, another 300 miles on top of the 2100 we have done here plus the 2200 in the Carolinas. I should have bought some petrol shares (gas to you Americans