On Thursday, Sept. 5th, we drove from Panguitch, Utah, about ten miles to the Dixie National Forest which is a short distance from Bryce Canyon National Park. We stopped at the visitor's center, picked up some information, and then went on a very beautiful hike on the "Pink Ledges Trail" of Red Canyon.
The Hoodoos here are red due to tiny iron-rich clay particles lodged in the limestone and very impressive to look at. Indian legend is that these stone pinnacles are ancient people who were sent here to guard this beautiful land and they stood still for so long that they turned into stone. The Indians call them "legend people" and hold them in reverence similar to a deity.
We spent about two hours climbing among the cliffs and hoodoos, meeting a few people along the way, and enjoying the scenery around us.
Here's is Dad, high up on the mountain, standing next to limestone formation that has split in two from freezing and thawing in the winter and run-off in the spring, fall and summer.
This formation looks like two guard towers standing high on the bluff above the visitor's center.
A short distance beyond the visitors center there are two tunnels drilled and blasted through the limestone hillside for Route 12, the road to Bryce Canyon to pass through.
We returned to Panguitch for lunch and in the afternoon, Mom and Dad drove 27 miles back to Bryce Canyon, parked outside of the park and rode the free shuttle to the visitor's center inside the park. From there, they rode the shuttle around the park loop to get themselves oriented to the park so they can return tomorrow. I stayed in the small house we are renting and took a nice nap while they were gone since I'm not allowed in the park again.
The next morning, Sept. 6th, we left the house early so as to beat the heat. We drove ten miles back to Red Canyon and took a hike in Losee Canyon called the "Arches Trail". The trail wound through a dry creek bed to the base of a steep cliffside, then up a series of switchbacks to the top.
The trail's brochure said there were fifteen small arches, but it was getting very hot and we were growing tired so we didn't finish it, and we only saw a few of them.
As you can see some of them were not so small. It was getting hot and Dad was uncomfortable because we were up so high, so we turned around and went back to the trailhead.
Mom wanted some more pictures so we went back to the area near the visitor's center and hiked up nearly to the top of the canyon again.
Dad and I posed for a picture at the end of the trial. If you look closely, you can just make out the words on the signpost "Trail End".
Again, in the afternoon I stayed home in Panguitch and took a nap while Dad and Mom drove back to Bryce Canyon to board the free"rainbow shuttle" to the end of the park. The bus took them all the way to Rainbow Point where the bus driver began a narrative of the park and its history that lasted for three hours as he drove them from observation point to observation point.
Some places in this canyon are as deep as 1,700 feet and well over a mile wide.
The next stop on the bus tour was "Natural Bridge" a very big arch in the canyon wall.
The next stop was to view a hoodoo in the likeness of Bart Simpson. Do you see him?
The last part of the bus tour took them to Fairyland Point near the entrance to the park. The driver said that everyone on the bus should pretend they were six years old, and then they would have more fun looking out at the features in the area.
Does anyone see the "Owl" near the center of the picture?
Then there is a picture of the Titanic sinking at the top of the cliff.
This was only their first day at Bryce Canyon, and Dad and Mom only saw the upper part of the park. They are going back in a couple of days to explore the rest.
Tomorrow we are going to explore Cedar Breaks National Monument😃.
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