Mount Carmel Junction, Utah (Bryce Canyon)

Andrée, the Kayenta Inn took Lemon Meringue pie off their menu a couple of years ago.  However, Bev saw the size of the dessert portions and knew she could not have dessert.  Folks we are staying in Navajoland at the front door of Monument Valley where we are headed tomorrow morning.

Our day trips get better and I am running out of words to describe what Bev and I are seeing.  The views are spectacular, wonderful, fantastic, beautiful, awesome ... my words do not do justice to the scenery.  So I shall let the photos show you Red Rock and Bryce Canyon, Utah.  Both are not geologically canyons, instead the erosion from rain and snow melt have created hoodoos (you will see them) making an unusual landscape. First there is the block of rock, then a window forms, and the next step is the hoodoo ..... this takes a little bit of time geologically speaking. 

RED ROCK CANYON

BRYCE CANYON, UTAH

We were so happy when we arrived at Bryce Canyon when told the Shuttle Buses do not start running until this coming Friday and it was to be a self-drive tour. Yay!!  We drove along the Rim Trail stopping at all viewpoints, here is Bryce Canyon below in all its glory, I hope you like it.  I have not altered these photos, they are original colors as taken by my Nikon D80.

We came across a chipmunk and a Steller's Jay (below).

Bryce Point - Elevation 8300

Paria View - Elevation 8175

 

Inspiration Point - Elevation 8100

Natural Bridge - Elevation 8627

Agua Canyon - Elevation 8800

Ponderosa Point - Elevation 8904

Rainbow Point - Elevation 9115

After seeing all these mind blowing sights we went to the Bryce Canyon Lodge for lunch before driving to Arizona.  Bryce Canyon suffered forest fires in 2009 and the Park Rangers are allowing the natural habitat to return, Ponderosa Pines being the main tree in the area that they want to regenerate.  The wildlife have returned to the park in abundance, it is funny how this happens.

The drive to Kayenta was about five hours.  We started off in Utah Time, then went into Arizona Time, and are now on Navajoland Time (which is the same as Utah).  It is so confusing we are working by our body clocks.

Mount Carmel Junction, Utah (Zion NP)

We are out in the middle of nowhere Utah where the people are friendly and the scenery is beautiful.  It has been a long day of driving but we made it to Zion National Park in time to see the canyon before the sun was down.  

I left my BlackBerry at the Red Feather Hotel in Tusayan.  Every hotel we have stayed in has had free WiFi in all rooms therefore emailing should not be a problem.

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Leaving GCNP for the other canyons (Zion, Bryce, de Chelly) or Monument Valley, you pass the viewpoints once again.  This morning we stopped at Navajo Point for a farewell look at this majestic canyon.  It is so beautiful and such a spectacular sight, it is almost impossible to take it in. 

Bev, standing close to the edge getting some of her last shots of the canyon.

The weather was beautiful today.  There was not a cloud in the sky but this makes the canyon very bright and hard to photograph especially with a slight haze.  Here is my last look at the canyon, and perhaps hopefully I will return one day ....

LITTLE COLORADO RIVER GORGE, ARIZONA

About 30 miles from the GCNP exit is Little Colorado River Gorge.  After a short walk over a rocky path from the parking area it is quite scary to look down at the river below you.   With no handrails to hold onto it would be easy to fall over the edge and I get vertigo at this spot.

LAKE POWELL, ARIZONA AND UTAH

We stopped in Page, Utah, for lunch, pit stop, and change of drivers.  The drive from GCNP to Zion National Park is about 240 miles (386 kms) but with the slow speed limit within a National Park the driving time is longer than one would expect.  Lake Powell looked beautiful reflecting the bright blue sky and the white sandy rocks on the far side.

WELCOME TO UTAH

The elevation we were in went down ... then up ... then down ... and up again many times all day.  From a low around 4500 feet (1371 meters) to a high of 6910 feet (2106 meters) our ears were popping.   I thought this sign cute.

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH

Another day, another canyon.  The visit to Zion National Park is quite different than GCNP.  In Zion you travel along the canyon floor beside the Virgin River.  So this morning we were looking down into a canyon and this afternoon we were looking up at rocky butte's and mountains.  The turnoff to Zion NP is at Mount Carmel Junction so when heading to Bryce Canyon National Park tonight we decided to stay here and drive the hour to Bryce in the morning.

I will leave you with a few photographs from Zion National Park, Utah.

I see something in this formation, what do you see?

Progress remember .... to see the canyon it can only be done by Shuttle Buses.  We took the Shuttle Bus the length of the canyon, it stops at Temple of Sinawava which is almost closed in.

Tusayan - Grand Canyon, Arizona

Yes, we are at the Grand Canyon!  Here we are waiting for sunset and it was chilly as the sun was going down. We had a spectacular sunny day driving from viewpoint to viewpoint (as one does at the GCNP).   Some of the viewpoints can now only be seen if you take the Park Shuttle buses (free).  Progress they call it, I do not.  Along the way I looked for Andrée's lost camera but no luck.

 Bev with canyon view all around her

 Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

 Hopi House, Grand Canyon

 Mules that folks ride down into the canyon

 Elk

Bev at canyon viewpoint

Colorado River, Grand Canyon

Like Andrée .... I am here.  Grand Canyon

Driving between points we saw elk feeding but my special critter today was the little fellow below.

 

Photograph courtesy of Bev.  When the waiter brought our check to the table he said. "enjoy the show".  We were flummoxed, we had no idea this was going to happen.  Moments later the Native drummer on stage started talking about the dancers who would be performing.  We were treated to a performance by the Four Corners Tribal Dancers (youth group).  This seven year old boy performed a solo dance, then a fifteen year old boy performed the intricate Hoop Dance, four dances all tolled.  So Bev has now seen some Tribal Dancing.  It was a special unexpected treat.

Tusayan, Arizona

Leaving Sedona and traveling towards the Grand Canyon we stop at places of interest along the way.  There is so much to see that sometimes there is a need to say, "I will visit there when I return to this area".  For Bev this will be Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP) and Painted Desert as we are now too far north to go back and yet we did not go as far east as the PFNP.  However Bev could see Painted Desert from a distance as we drove north to Grand Canyon. Here is a glimpse of the NPs we visited today.

MONTEZUMA WELL

The Montezuma Well National Park has a sign that reads: The 1/3 mile, paved and signed trail ahead of you leads up a short hill and down to the rim of this naturally occurring spring in the desert.  Empty cliff houses, caves and ruins of stone pueblos are all that remain of a 14th century farming community that once flourished here.

MONTEZUMA CASTLE NATIONAL PARK

Montezuma's Castle is a misnomer as the Sinaqua had left the area 100 years before Montezuma was here.  It is a five-story, twenty room multi-family dwelling, not a castle.  It was built over 700 years ago and abandoned in the 14th century.  The Sinaqua reached the castle by a series of ladders, this system provided good defense when required.  The creek provided water and there would have been an abundance of deer, antelope, and bear for food.

TUZIGOOT NATIONAL PARK

Tuzigoot, Apache for Crooked Water is ruins of a Sinaquan village built on a ridge summit.  Tuzigoot was two stories high with seventy-seven ground floor rooms that were accessible via ladders through roof openings.

These words by Dilze'E Apache Historian Vincent Randall speak the truth of Native American history.

Cane Cholla - Opuntia spinosior.  Ouch, can you think of picking the berries from this cactus.  March is called Cactus Moon because the fruits remain on the plant all winter.  Early spring buds were prepared as a boiling vegetable or added to stews.  The abundant fruits have a pleasant buttery flavor and were boiled with squash or baked in a pit.

OAK CREEK CANYON

The Native American's have been selling their handcrafted pottery, jewelry, rugs and more here for years.  Only Native American crafted goods are allowed to be sold at Oak Creek Vista.  I bought another pair of earrings for me and a bracelet for Charlotte.

Oak Creek Canyon is very different from the Grand Canyon that we are headed too (which my son calls, the BIG Ditch). 

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

FIRST LOOK VIEW POINT

We drove from a different direction this year.  We entered the park from the east and as we were coming into the Canyon the weather was changing.  The temperature dropped to 43F/6C and we drove through light sleet/snow but it did not stick.  When we stopped above at Desert View Lookout the wind was blowing and it was cold.  We are now at 7262 feet (2213 meters) so we can expect it to be cold when the clouds come overhead.

When I was here with Andrée and Kees it was very hot and I remember them drinking something from a brown paper bag.  The day with Tanya, Ann, Benny and Bonita was cool and breezy as was the day with Garry.  Today was the worst and here's hoping that tomorrow is warmer for Bev's day at the Grand Canyon.

The Colorado River cutting through the Grand Canyon.  It was late and the light was fading but from here Bev had her first view of the Canyon.  It is spectacular from wherever you see this wonderful place.

ELK IN TUSAYAN

The elk wander freely here and as it was dusk it was feeding time on the grass of the gardens, no lawn mower required! The elk still has a winter coat and fuzz on the antlers, it is cold enough to still wear a winter coat. This elk was slightly annoyed with Bev and her camera. At one point, if a fence was not between Bev and the elk, it would have charged her.