Hoodoo Country

Okay everyone...get ready for some more rocks!! Just remember the last several ones we have visited have been canyons and now we are on to National Parks. But I must say these are so very special and beautiful. We drove from Las Vegas still with some money in our pockets, and arrived at the KOA in Cannonville, UT in the heart of Bryce Canyon Country, where the World’s largest concentration of scenic attractions can be found. We loved our little campground that was more in a rustic setting versus the more commercial larger resorts. Our hostess was also the owner and went out of her way to accommodate us in every way along with making recommendations for a day at Bryce since we were only going to be there for two nights. We got up early Saturday and drove up the road to the entry to Bryce (early morning is the best time to see everything at its best and get ahead of the tour buses) had breakfast at the lodge and then it was off to all the scenic view points as outlined in the park guide. Viewpoints offer the close-up views of Bryce and hundred mile vistas of the Colorado Plateau. The first thing we saw was a herd of mule deer grazing in the meadow and managed to click off a photo before they got wind of us. At our first view point I was very much in awe of what I was seeing, as were the other tourists. We even met a couple from Winding River, NC (small world as they say). The Grand Canyon was amazing just in the size and depth…but Bryce is just beautiful with the various colors of the rock formations as they constantly change with the sun throughout the day. The azure sky, the cotton ball clouds, and all the evergreens just seem to frame the plateaus and hiking trails. It was especially beautiful with the snow covering many of the peaks. There are miles of carved pinnacles of stone-called hoodoos-radiating in oranges, golds and pinks. For millions of years water has carved Bryce’s rugged landscape, and continues to do so. Unlike other rock formations which are caused by rushing water and erosion, hoodoos are created by water getting into the pores of the rock and then splitting the rock as it freezes; expanding the existing cracks. Apparently this process occurs some 200 times a year. We did the 37-mile round-trip drive through the park and must have taken a hundred photos between the two of us. There is definitely a sense of place here that goes beyond the rocks. Some of the local Paiute Indians explain it with a legend….Once there lived animal-like creatures that changed themselves into people…but they were bad, so Coyote turned them into rocks of various configurations. The spell-bound creatures still huddle together here with faces painted just as they were before being turned into stone!! (I think I recognized a few folk!!) Then it was on to the designated National Scenic Byway 12 considered Utah’s all-American highway. Only a few of our highways achieve this status making Byway 12 one of the most unique roads in the US. We did the 124 mile round trip having lunch/early dinner in Boulder which was recommended by our campground owner. We came into Boulder, which is just a town of 200, and saw the little restaurant recommended by our hostess. To say the least we were skeptical but oh boy were we ever surprised! The husband & wife were chefs and had worked in many establishments before deciding to live the quiet life in Boulder, UT. We enjoyed our culinary experience and did take a photo of the little place along with the cows next door for your viewing. Raising cattle and alfalfa for the cattle is the main occupation out there. The highway is another beauty in itself and there was hardly any traffic so we meandered along taking in all the sites. It was a long day and we didn’t have time or the energy to do Zion NP which was okay as we were told it was like looking up at a lot of stone walls. Debra confirmed that since she had been there before. We were surprised when we arrived back at the campground seeing at least 25 “CruiseAmerica RVs. They were all from France; touring the country in a group in their rented RV’s!! Cannot begin to tell you how many RV’s there are out in this part of the country. Next stop, Salt Lake City!