Just before coming to Boulder Utah for our visit to Hell's Backbone Kitchen, we stopped at Bryce Canyon. This amazing natural wonder looks like gigantic rows of orange and sand colored stalagmites lining a huge canyon floor. We were in awe. We were also ready for an invigorating hike after being in the car for 6 hours. So we donned our walking shoes and headed down down down the base of these mighty spires. On the way we heard several foreign languages; an international destination!
Dave tried to joke with a few guys we thought were American. When his joke was met with blank stares we realized we were in the company of non-english speaking Swedes. So we smiled Shrugged and moved on. At the bottom of the trail we looked up. Wow. These trees had to grow very tall to reach the uninterrupted sunlight above the towers. The shade as we walked between the towers was welcome releif from the scorching afternoon sun. We lingered at the base hoping we'd get some cloud cover for the hike back up.
Here Dave is posing in the shadows of the deepest pathways. The literature on the park tells us that, unlike most canyons, these formations are not made by running water, but rather rainfall and wind. They were referred to as "the world's largest pothole" which sounds insulting given the awe-inspiring beauty of the place. The canyon is home for a very small species of prairie dog. They were about the size of a two-week old kitten and not too shy. When they got close to us, Dave lumbered after one saying, "C'mon little fella, let's have a play, don't you wanna play little fella?" I fell apart laughing, the prairie dog ran scared and the foreigners looked on like we were crazy. I suppose we are...
As we started the climb back up we surrendered to the sweat. It dripped freely as we climbed steadily. There were a few families we passed trying to coax their kids to keep tromping onward. Dave and I remembered similar times from our childhood and had a moment of deep honor for the offering parents make to their kids. Here I take a rest on the base of an old fallen tree.
Once we reached the top again we took a long look at Bryce Canyon and soaked in the mystery of earth's origins and the miracle of our lives and the opportunity to enjoy all this beauty and take time to revel in the mystery. As we headed to the truck we saw these mini tractors being pushed through the parking lot by park service people. Turns out they are "trail sweepers" keeping the trail clear of rolly polly rocks. We thought the flat trays on top should be used as serving trays for delivering martinis and lemonade to the thirsty hikers. Jen for mayor, right? In my next entry I will tell you all about the magic of Boulder, UT and our trek over giant rocks to the secret canyon swimming hole where Dave became the moss monster...
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