Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

The Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, located just east of Zion National Park, is a 1.1 mile long tunnel carved through the sandstone mountains, was constructed to allow direct access to Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon.  When it was dedicated in 1930 it was the longest tunnel of its kind.  Below is a video of us driving through the tunnel.



These are the slick sandstone formations we saw upon emerging from the tunnel, which one can easily see how these formed from millions of years of pressure on sandy dunes--many look just like solidified dunes that the wind has scoured for millenia.

There are several narrow passages between the enormous sandstone formations.

We drove under this stone arch tunnel in the Red Canyon section of the Dixie National Forest.

We arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park around 4 pm.

After watching the "award-winning" 20 minute Bryce Canyon video at the visitors center, we headed to Sunset Campground in the Canyon for the night.  The next day we got down our motorbike and rode along Highway 63, the 18-mile scenic drive through Bryce Canyon National Park.

All the overlooks and scenic stops along the drive are on the east side of the road.  For this reason, the park recommends driving south to the farthest point on the scenic route and stopping at the overlooks on the way back north, this way all the stops are on your right hand side.  Our first stop was at Rainbow Point, followed quickly by Yavimpa Point.  These viewpoints are located at over 9,000 ft elevation.

In the distance, the air was so clear we could see a mountain jutting up that was 83 miles away.

We happened to park beside another motorcycle whose owner turned out to be the President of the Douglas, Wyoming Christian Motorcyclist Association (CMA) chapter.  He offered to bless our bike for us, for safety and well-being.  This is all the swag that came with the blessing.

At Yovimpa Point we saw this snake just along the path.  George declared it to be Boa Constrictor, and continued on his way. He is so smart!

In the picture below, it is quite apt that the particular strata of rock in the background is known as the Pink Cliffs.  Bryce Canyon National Park, which isn't actually a canyon but rather a mesa or plateau, overlooks the Grand Staircase, which in itself is a huge National Monument spanning across much of southern Utah.

From Yavimpa Point we continued north to viewpoints along the scenic drive: Black Birch, Ponderosa, and Agua Canyons.

Getting on and off the motorbike was tiresome, especially for George who already was not feeling too well due to the high elevation combined with having a junk heart.  He accidentally tripped over the curb at Agua Canyon when attempting to dismount.  It was a picture of grace in motion.

Bryce Canyon is known for its balancing rocks, narrow spindles on which significantly larger rocks often perch.  The larger rocks on top are typically harder and more resistant to the effects of erosion, while the underlying spindle is softer, more easily-weathered rock that wears away, leaving the larger boulder balancing precariously on top.

The drip-sand-castle formations you continue to see in the photos are called hoodoos; more about them in a bit.

The red coloration of the sand and rock is due to the varying presence of iron oxide, commonly known as "rust."

After we left Agua Canyon, our next stop was at Natural Bridge.  Any idea why it's called that?

Actually, this "Natural Bridge" is technically a "window."  The difference: Windows are formed by wind, rainwater runoff, and other erosive forces, whereas "bridges" are form exclusively by the erosive forces of a stream or creek, if even seasonal.

Our next stops after Natural Bridge were Fairview Point and Swamp Canyon.

From Swamp Canyon we headed to Paria View, then Bryce Point.

Traveling the scenic highway from south to north also leaves the best, most spectacular of the Bryce formations for last.  At Bryce Point, and several other viewpoints around the rim of the same canyon area, the hoodoos become so numerous and magnificent that they are standing one beside another, in neat rows and columns many formations deep.

For this reason, this particular area is called Bryce Amphitheater, as the hoodoos and formations descend (ala Grand Staircase) in regal fashion, nearly in a perfect semi-circle, just like the tiered levels of an amphitheater.

The formation below is known as the Wall of Windows, as perfect rows of naturally-formed windows line the canyon face several stories atop one another just like an old city.

They are known to be difficult to photograph because of shadows and lighting, but quite amazing to see in person.

The Bryce Amphitheater once again, in its statuesque descent.

Hoodoos are formed when rainwater or expansion of freezing water ("frost wedging") seeps into cracks and soft spots on the top of a formation, which often has a layer of harder, more erosion-resistant rock at the top.  The freeze-thaw cycles cause rock to chip away, or rainwater carries away the softer and more soluble minerals.  The resulting formation is a tall column, with a hard cap of fairly resistant rock allowing it to remain many stories high, while the underlying softer structure breaks down and falls away.  One can visualize water taking the "path of least resistance" throughs these structures, scouring and washing away as it flows, to form the hoodoo fields as seen below.

We decided to make Sunset Point our last stop.

While there I realized that the Navajo loop trailhead was located there.  Seeing that it was only a 1.3 mile roundtrip hike I decided to do it.  I knew George would not be able to do it given the steep elevation gradient, so he waited near the trailhead while I descended into the canyon.