Wandering Retirees

Bryce Canyon

To Bryce we went and it was magnificent. It’s about 75 miles north of Kanab through some really diverse terrain. Lots of desert scrub and lots of lush, green pastures where streams are close. We saw horse farms and riding ranches, grazing land for cattle and sheep, and an amazing amount of timber, particularly as we got close to our destination. We parked the bike, skinnied out of our riding gear and caught the park shuttle up Canyon. We got off at the top spot, Bryce Point and hiked down the rim trail to Sunset Point. After lunch we headed down the Navajo Trail to the intersection with the Queens Garden Trail and back to the rim.  
Peripherals: its dusty and sometimes steep, but doable for retirees who take their time; we filled our water bottles a couple of times and glad we did to cut the dust; our walking sticks were an awesome help, sometimes to assist the change in grade but often just to give confidence on sketchy ground. (Again, thanks Tim and Dave, and Connie for insisting we find room on the bike! I will never doubt you again.)

The view from the rim is magnificent: looking down on the Amphitheater and the hundreds of hoodoos is amazing. But walking among them more than a thousand feet below is both wondrous and intimate. The process of freeze/thaw that creates the hoodoos and changes them noticeably within the course of a human lifetime is so fast in geologic time. And they play to our imaginations. The Queen’s Garden was named for a formation that appeared to be Queen Victoria astride some animal. Maybe a charger, maybe an elephant, maybe a griffin … It’s wonderful. We saw one that is named Thor’s Hammer. There were formations I thought looked like knights dressing their lines for a charge, bishops engaged in dispute, and one that looked like ET. There will be some pics of these fabulous rocks. Someone said the hoodoos were a form of Rorschach Ink Blot test. Whatever. Lots of fun. Bryce was my #1 destination and it did not disappoint.

Oh, just because … we hiked over 6-1/2 miles today, with 1,000 foot elevation change. We were thinking of Bob Francisco and wondered how his day went. Just saying.

We met some more interesting folks. Jorrit, who is visiting with his wife and very young family (18 months and 3 years) is from Delft, the Netherlands. They are blown away by the beauty of our American Parks and Monuments. (He does miss his local beer, though).

A Sheriff’s Deputy we met a few days ago named Eric Holman was taking a break from patrol in Garfield County near Bryce. I will only mention that he had the stereotypical cop snack in his hand at checkout. However, when Bob and I thanked him for his service and wished him a safe shift, he happily took time to talk with us. He has nearly 20 years on the force and is responsible for training some newer officers. It’s clear from his demeanor that there is iron mixed with his kind sociability. (Reminds me of Ben and Jeff Smith.) He clearly likes his job, and recognizes that he sees people on their worst days, not their best. He is usually posted on road patrol in the western part of the county. To give you an idea of the size of his patrol area, it took two hours one day to drive to back up another officer on a call. The eastern side covers a number of parks, so those officers are heavily involved with search and rescue. Eric would rather drive, it seems. From what I can gather, his county is roughly the size of Burlington and Monmouth Counties combined.

We met a couple from Knoxville, TN.  They were about out age and kept us company during the ascent to the rim.  We played leap frog and pointed out interesting formations and ideas for great photos.

Well, that’s it for tonight. (Read: we’re bushed.) More fun tomorrow.

We decided this was a memorial to “E.T.”  Phone home.

The “Queen”

Another photo of the National Monument:  Grand Staircase Escalante.  This monument covers a huge area in Southern Utah.  For the past two weeks, it seems that around every bend in the road, the grand monument is in front of us.